Receta Waiter, Waiter, Percolator..... I Love Coffee, I Love Tea, I Love Corningware and It Loves Me
If you have followed any of my Coffee Talk posts over on Culinary Alchemy, you are probably aware of my distaste for percolated coffee. Even though it's not my "cup of tea", as it were, I still feel that all implements of coffee brewage should be treated with love and respect. Thus, you can imagine my distress when I found this at the Salvation Army.....
A Corningware 10-cup Electromatic Percolator (most of which were recalled due to an epoxy problem that allowed the pyroceramic pot to separate from the upper portion that the handle is attached to) Even if it's too dangerous to use, it's still a great collector piece.
Oh, it looks all clean and wonderful on the outside, even the heating element and the basket were in pristine condition; however, I was deeply horrified by the internal condition of the pot.... Especially since Corningware is so easy to clean. This poor percolator had obviously suffered some serious abuse and neglect... Years of it, apparently.
I felt it was my solemn duty to adopt it and give it a loving home. (and, more than likely, several years of therapy)
It was a great struggle, but after a scrubbing with soap and water, a second scrubbing with Weiman's Glass Cooktop Cleaner......
2 brew cycles with bleach water,
1 cycle of distilled Vinegar, 2 brew cycle with "Awesome"........
and finally... and 2 brew cycles with Oxyclean... (1/4 cup, 10 cups water and let it perk without the lid on so I could keep the foam in check) This was the final result on the inside (oh, and I ran distilled vinegar through it again, after the Oxyclean).....
As good as new, or so I thought. I noticed that there was something dripping down the side from under the "Oh, So Sleek and Retro" chrome trim.
This made me curious... So I unscrewed the handle and unclipped the trim.... THIS is what I found underneath.....
I almost lost my lunch. BLECH!!!!! Now this is not all the previous owners fault. It is a P23-P Electromatic Percolator, which put's it somewhere in the early to mid 60's, so it IS fairly old (like 40-50 years old) and what was underneath the chrome trim wasn't coffee, it was years and years of accumulated kitchen grease. So, unless the previous owner had torn the whole thing apart, they would not have known that the build up was there.
Needless to say, it is now immaculately clean,
and the whole thing is put back together....
Maybe I should start a non-profit organization dedicated to Corningware Rescue......
Where is your Corningware?? (Mine is safely tucked into bed) ;)