Dahomechef

Kona pods arrived, about twice as thick as the Senseo pods, each nicely and individually wrapped in a foil pouch. (These babies ain't cheap, either.) They come with instructions that each pod makes 2 cups, with the suggestion that if you just want one cup, leave the pod in and make another cup later with the same pod. Tried that. Wow... best cup by far to come out of the Senseo, the most like a real cup of rich dark roast coffee. This makes me happy. I haven't figured the per cup price but it's obviously a lot higher than the Senseo pods. knivesandtools.com informs me that my reusable pod has shipped from the Netherlands and will be reshipped once it hits the US. Cost of the pod was 16.39 euros, shipping 8.05 euros, total cost 24.44 euros. Probably could buy a decent plunger for that, but can't wait to try it. Anyway, if you're serious about getting a good cup of coffee out of your Senseo, do try these Kona pods--they are on Amazon and are 100% Kona, not a blend. Will report back when I receive "the Dutch Solution."

I did find the dark roast at Costco yesterday--they had skids full, but the dark seemed to be going fastest. I paid $7.99 for 36 pods. Hey, that's about $.22/pod, not bad. The dark roast was good enough that I decided to keep the machine, and brought it into the office today. Training took about 1.5 minutes, people seem happy. It's quite drinkable, IMHO. Got an email that my Kona pods shipped yesterday, can't wait to try them. I believe this company only makes double pods, about 14-15 gms. Should be interesting. Will update when I get a chance to try them. BTW, at Costco the machine is $67.99, and they had stacks.

I just bought one of these machines a few days ago at Macy's ($69.99). Actually, I was trying to buy a replacement 8 cup carafe for my french press, but that's a different story. As I'm also setting up a new office, and trying to find a system that would satisfy the coffee drinkers here, I saw the Senseo and thought "This is perfect!" Indeed, the machine itself is great, as noted by many above. Simple, fast, pretty foolproof, convenient, easy to clean. But the coffee was pretty disappointing. It came packed with "Mild" and "Medium" roasts, and nothing I could do would produce a decent cuppa. Next two days, running around trying to find the "Dark" roast pods, to no avail. Got online, ordered them from Amazon, ordered the Kona pods from Amazon (thanks, Rachel), and ordered from a company in Holland (through a site called knivesandtools.com) a plastic "pod" that's supposed to allow you to put your own coffee in the Senseo (Peet's, here we come!). Whether any of these will result in a decent cup of joe, who knows? But the machine is so seductively easy and fast, thought it was worth the effort to find out. BTW, the normal "ESE" espresso pods apparently will not work in the Senseo. There's also a place in the UK that has an entire line of pods for the Senseo, which I may try as well. Will report back for those interested.

Thanks for the import tips. I don't anticipate taking any foodstuffs with me, just cooking with what's on hand. I think part of the fun is experimenting with foods or produce that we wouldn't normally see here in the US. More concerned with baking, since the measurements and characteristics of the ingredients would influence my recipes. And thanks again for all the help. We leave early Saturday, so any last minute hints appreciated!

Although this weekend looks hectic, as we are starting a new business and getting ready for a month in Australia at the same time, I still would like a bake. Is there any consensus on a project for this weekend?

Well, I love the pics too! Even if you only get to see 2 square feet of somebody's kitchen, I find these fascinating documents, a peek into another world, and I confess to be as interested in the kitchen, applicances, tools, notes stuck on fridges, and anything else that makes it into the frame at least as much as the food prep. And if there's an unfamiliar method, the step-by-step can really be a lifesaver. I plan to do this on my next bake project, and you people can be the peekers!

lamington, that is very helpful, and thank you. I've printed this out to take with me. This leads me to believe perhaps I should bring measuring implements. Converting recipes is enough work, but not being sure exactly what measure I'm using (if I'm using cups/spoons in my sister-in-law's kitchen) slightly freaks me out.

arbuclo, thanks so much for your detailed reply. In the US a "stick" of butter is 1/4 pound, 4 oz. This also works on a scale, which I've been using more and more these days. Interesting about the size of the ovens in AU, I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm not anticipating bringing any baking sheets, so I'll use what's available where I'm staying. Having seen the pics of your baking, I would say you don't have a problem with conversions! I believe an oz = 28.4 grams. Guess I'll bring a calculator with me. How about "bread flour" which is mostly distinguished by "hard" wheat and higher gluten? Anything like that in AU?

I'm about to embark on a three-week stay in Melbourne visiting friends and family. Usually the relations are happy to cook etc. for visitors, but I would love to do some baking for them while we're there. I'd like to take some of my favorite recipes with me, which leads me to... Measurements: do I need to take my own cups/spoons/etc or are the measurements the same in Australia and the US? Terminology: At the market are there items like "all purpose flour," "double acting baking powder," "heavy whipping cream," and the like? Or what are they called instead? How about active dry and instant yeasts? Temperatures: will I need to convert C to F, since all my recipes are in F? and anything else I need to know? All help much appreciated. Thanks!

Enzian, welcome and thanks for the blow-by-blow pics. I really enjoy these photos but have hesitated to post mine. Do others enjoy them, or think it's a waste of bandwidth? Curious.

arbuclo, that pumpkin cranberry bread looks fantastic. Is it very sweet? Re: trying to make the potato bread loaves look like the pic in the book--I have this same disease, but I think I'm getting over it. Now I'm more likely to ask myself if I like the way it looks, and the usual answer is "yes". But aspiration is good for the baker's soul, so if you get one that looks like the book, do post it.

arbulco, this is a good thing! A year from now you won't miss (or maybe even remember) the $$ you spent on the book, and you will have made piles of incredible breads. Where's the bad?

arbuclo, the cranberry walnut pumpkin bread sounds great. I'll look at the recipe later today. Was away this past weekend, and I did miss my "baking fix" and look forward to firing up the oven this week. heleen1, welcome! See any recipes in BWJ you'd like to try?

SethG, curious how your focaccia turned out. And are you back at work yet? I won't be around this weekend, so no suggestions from me this time.

Hey yorshirepud, try the Heart of Wheat, 10 grain Torpedo, the Levy's rye (you do have a La Cloche, don't you?) all favorites of mine. I'll look at the book later and see if there are any more.