Mixers, Beaters and Churns; Coffee Pots

207. Use of Mixers, Beaters and Churns. Mixers, beaters and churns are all devices for agitating or stirring food.

The simpler ones of these devices depend upon the motion of the hand (Fig. 115), while others have their velocity increased by means of cog wheels.

The turning of the large wheel turns the small wheel as many times as number of cogs on the small wheel is contained in the number on the large wheel (see Fig. 116). To get even more speed or to apply the power at a different angle, a series of wheels are sometimes used. A few mixers, like the bread mixer, are simply machines which take the hands out of the food, thus tending to a higher degree of sanitation, and a change in the motion which may not be so tiring as kneading. They do not increase the speed of mixing.

Bread made in a mixer has a somewhat different texture than bread kneaded by hand, but this does not change its nutritive value.

208. Care of These Devices. The principal care needed by these devices is that they be kept clean and the cog wheels dry. Very little oil should be used, as it would tend to get it into the food. Sometimes the rivet holding a wheel needs to be tightened, as, for example, when one becomes so loose that the wheel slips cogs. If it is too tight, the wheel may bind and work hard.

209. Freezers. The freezer is a mixer in a can which is in turn set in a freezing mixture of ice and salt.

Freezing can be done without stirring the cream. This makes a cream filled with crystals, while if stirred, it will be smooth and velvety because it freezes more evenly. The rapidity of freezing and the proportion of the ice and salt affect the fineness of the grain of the frozen dish.

A freezer is designed not only to stir the food, but to scrape it from the sides of the can. That which freezes first must be stirred into the middle of the can; otherwise, it would form a hard frozen layer of cream on the sides, leaving the middle unfrozen, and interfere with the turning of the paddle or beater.

In the bottom of the outside bucket, holding the ice and salt, is a socket into which the pivot on the bottom of the can fits. The can turns on this pivot in the direction opposite to which the paddle is turning. Some freezers are made so that the can stays stationary. The function of the pivot is then to hold the can in the center of the pail so that the paddle will be in the proper position to turn easily.

210. Care of Freezers. The pail of wood should not be stored in a very dry place when not in use. The can and paddle must be kept clean and dry so that they will not rust. The bearings and wheels which turn the paddle and can must be kept dry and oiled.

There is a hole in the upper part of the tub or pail in which the can sets, and this should be kept open as it is placed slightly below the level of the top of the can so as to drain off any water from the melting ice which otherwise might get into the can and make the food salty.

Some freezers have another hole at the bottom of the tub. This should be kept closed while food is being frozen. It is useful to drain off the water from the tub when the freezer is to be repacked or emptied. It should not be opened at any other time.

211. Churns. Churning can be done with almost any device which agitates the cream, but the churns which are simplest are most easily cleaned and least wasteful of butter. They are barrels or other containers which revolve or swing backward and forward.

Keep churns clean and well aired so they will not give up odors and flavors to the butter. After a churn has been used, rinse it with cold water and then wash it in hot water, to which washing soda has been added. Lastly, rinse with scalding water. Leave open to air when not in use, but protect from dust and dirt.

212. Drip Coffee Pots. Drip coffee is made in a funnel or a cup-shaped device which is suspended in a coffee pot (Fig. 117). This is made either of cloth or perforated metal. The coffee is pulverized and packed into the funnel. Cold water is poured on top of the coffee and slowly filters thru it, extracting flavoring substances. The water is heated after it has filtered thru the coffee.

213. Percolator Coffee Pots. A coffee percolator is a device put in a coffee pot to hold the ground coffee above the water and pump some of the water to the top of the pot so that it can seep back down thru the ground coffee (Fig. 118).

A perforated cup with a perforated cover holds the coffee. Thru the center of this cup passes a small tube to the top of the pot. At the bottom of the tube is a flat plate with turned-down edges or other device which supports the pipe and rests on the bottom of the pot. A small amount of water gets under this and into the pipe. The heat in the stove turns the water next the bottom to steam, and this steam, in escaping, forces the water in the pipe to the top of the pot, and raises the device slightly so that more water flows under it and into the pipe, and again steam is formed and more water forced to the top of the pot. (See Sec. 161, Suction Washers.) After being forced out of the top of the pipe, the water falls in a spray on the cover of the cup and seeps down thru the coffee back into the main part of the coffee pot. The pumping devices in percolators may differ somewhat in design, but the working principle is the same—that steam is lighter than water and can be generated in amounts which will force water up thru the central tube.

Coffee grounds must not be allowed to get into the small tube, for they will hinder the flow of the water. The holes in the cup and cover must be kept open. There is less waste in using finely-ground coffee than the coarsely-ground in percolators. A small tube brush is needed for cleaning percolators. The coffee must not be ground so fine that it will sift thru the perforations in the cup.