A few years ago, my son, who is a writer/editor for a magazine, mentioned that he was evaluating a small-batch coffee roaster for an article he was writing about the ubiquitous brew. Being a coffee connoisseur (at least in my own mind), I paid close attention to what he wrote. Months later, after I had read some articles and books about the subject, I decided to give it the acid test: I bought a small roaster. The roaster, a FreshRoast 8, could cost about $100 at that time, but I googled the daylights out of it and found a vendor who dealt in “refurbs” and got one for $87 including shipping!

The process is quite simple, I found. You load up the roasting chamber with two scoops of green beans, set the timer, and wait for the device to do its job. Like a car, where you can drive from Point A to Point B without ever considering how or why it works, you don’t need to know any more about the roaster. The part that makes it fun is where you start considering the effects of variations: Do I use Ethiopian beans, or Mexican, or Costa Rican? Do I roast it for 8 minutes or 6 minutes? Why does an 8-minute roast look so oily? What makes it so noisy after a few minutes (called the “first crack”) and again a few minutes later (called the “second crack”)? What changes can I make which affects the quality or richness?

Once you start considering the questions and searching for answers, it captures your attention and your curiosity. What got my creative and investigative juices really flowing was the realization that I could actually make the perfect cup of java from what looks like dried green peas, controlling the process every step of the way. To my wife’s amazement (and perhaps, consternation) I researched and bought all kinds of green beans from all over the world, roasted them at all combinations of time and heat, ground them in all kinds of grinders (yes, there are many types of grinding devices, some with finite control of the coarseness/fineness of the grind) and brewed in all kinds of coffee brewers — percolator, vacuum, drip, etc. Her chagrin is triggered by how short a time I use a particular brewer before I start shopping for the next perfect device. You can really create a myriad variety of tasty — or nasty — and delightful cups of joe (my least favorite, percolator brew, will never cross my lips again!). Coffee has an astounding range of possible variations when you consider you can now choose where the bean came from, method of cultivation (full sun, shade, etc.), time of roast, temperature of roast (to some extent), fineness and method of grind, method of brewing (including type of filter), even the kind of water you use (tap, filtered tap, distilled, cold, room-temperature, etc.)! Best of all, you can control the ‘when’ of it: you can roast today and grind and drink tomorrow.

But wait, there’s more! Half of this post’s title is “That Pays”!

I found that coffee beans at the store vary in price and quality, depending on where they came from, how old they are, how you grind them, and how you brew your coffee. Some of us will pay upwards of $18 – $25 dollars a pound and convince ourselves that it’s “heavenly coffee”! But, when you consider that by the time you purchase and drink such store-bought java, it’s weeks, or more likely many months old already. Stale even as you check out at the grocery store!

On the other hand, excellent green coffee beans can be had for prices under $5.00/pound! And green beans have a very long shelf life, though even green coffee’s flavor can fade over time. Nonetheless, excellent coffee made from beans I’ve had over two years is not unusual. Find a dealer who only stocks the current year’s crop and whose coffee doesn’t roast to a mildew tainted flavor and you’ll have green beans you can depend on for more than a year. You can obtain information like that if you find and join the many discussion groups who are on the internet.

So, let’s see: I can buy coffee at $5.00 per pound, roast it to my specs, and drink it only days, if not hours, after roasting! I’d say I have a tasty hobby that pays! One great book for a comprehensive look at coffee roasting history, technique and where-to-buy is this by Kenneth Davids.

I’d noticed for quite some time that when I cook chicken, if I fry it, it spatters like crazy and makes a mess of my stove (and most other nearby surfaces). It’s been one of those things that kind of creep up on you: I realized the other day what a mess it made and how dangerous it was to stand within a foot or so of the stove. I wondered, “why?”

Well, the answer was most evident when I removed the chicken from the pan to cut and add to my Creole Chicken and Rice dish. When I had about half of what I would like in the rice mixture, I was out of chicken: It had shrunk nearly in half — all that spattering was the water releasing from the chicken and popping and spattering in the oil I was frying the chicken in. What was left in the pan after I removed the chicken looked like about 1/3 of a cup of chicken broth; however, when I tasted it I found it had little flavor — not much good as a broth.

But, “Where’s the Chicken?” Where’d it go?

Well, I did some research and found out that it really wasn’t there to begin with. I found that before 1997, chicken processors were allowed to add water equal to 12% of the chicken’s weight. Then, inconceivably, the USDA removed the limitation! No, it didn’t increase it to 20%, or 25% or 30% — the FDA totally and completely, removed the limitation. Chicken processors can add virtually any amount of water, although they must state so on the packaging.

Is this a joke? Of course not! Now you’ll see remarks on labels like “20% flavor enhancer added”, “20% natural solution added”. What is the “natural solution”? Usually it’s just salty water — what could be more natural? So, not only are you paying $12 for $10 worth of chicken, but you are adding huge amounts of sodium to your diet: as much as 822% more sodium than natural chicken, according to the Truthful Labeling Coalition (www.truthfullabeling.org/)! So, while you thought you were reducing your sodium intake to fight your high blood pressure, a chicken is stabbing you in the back.

Often, a broth solution is used but what’s interesting about that is that MSG is often included in broth. I avoid MSG like a poison (oops, did I say it’s a poison?), why would I want it to be in my food without disclosure? More research told me that the FDA is attempting to re-regulate the water content in chicken by reverting to the 15% limit on water, the industry is fighting it beak and . . . I mean tooth and nail. Can you blame them? After all, they’re being asked to give up some of their excess profits!

If you are thinking this all affects only chicken . . . think again? I recently checked out the labels on a turkey tenderloin and a pork tenderloin both of which, in very small type, stated that ‘up to’ 30% flavor enhancer was added. Now, when I look at a package of ham and see “water added,” I have to wonder, “How much?” It will be an educational experience, I promise you, to look over the labels of the prepared foods you see in the meat cases of your favorite grocery store.

And that’s the most important message here . . . “to look over the labels” . Now more than ever before, manipulation of our food supply is striking you where it does the most damage: in your body as well as your wallet. It happens to be my pet peeve, so you can be sure you’ll hear more about it from me, in the future!

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