Stella Napoletana Stovetop Flip Espresso Maker

[Katie Meadow]

http://stovetopitaly...-Stella-226.htm

Okay, this is what it looks like. I just came back from cleaning out my mother's apartment in NY and mailed home two of these very good-looking stainless steel pots. No, she wasn't Italian, but for a while she tried. I can't tell what the sizes are, but the bigger one has a diameter of 3 inches. My Viking stove has a ring of fire that is approximately 4.5-5 inches. Can this pot even be used on my stove? Does anyone know if there is some type of adapter that could be used? I see nothing in my Viking lit (!) that helps me. I'm dying to try out this upside-down method.

[andiesenji]

It doesn't make espresso. It makes strong Italian DRIP coffee. You can use a "flame-tamer" on a larger diameter burner.

I have one of these coffee makers in a huge size in copper. Click here and scroll half-way down the page.

On this page, nearly at the bottom you will find instructions that are easier to understand, with illustrations.

They come in sizes from two cups (12 ounces total) to the one like I have that makes 12 cups.

It is also used to make "barley coffee" which is roasted barley, often with chicory added, to use as a coffee substitute.

Edited January 27, 2013 by andiesenji (log)

[Katie Meadow]

Thanks, flame tamer it is! Perfect.

[weinoo]

I have one that must be a couple of decades old. Never use it - I think I got it from my mom's house. Anyway, the maker is Medaglia D'Oro and it's a 6 cupper; at least it says 6T on the bottom. It may have even been a promo item or a giveaway somewhere...

[andiesenji]

Weinoo, that was a giveaway with a 1 kg package of Medaglia D'Oro in the mid-1970s. I got one when I was still living in Canoga Park, CA at the Italian market on Sherman Way near Topanga Cyn. blvd.

The one I have makes 3 regular cups or 6 demitasse cups.

At that time Medaglia D'Oro was only sold ground, very fine for espresso and it was the first ground coffee sold in a vacuum package. (A little trivia there.) It looked like a red foil brick... It had a sticker on it that explained it was equal to 2 pounds.

[tsp.]

Very similar to a phin, used for Vietnamese iced coffee, there's a bit about them on my blog in the signature.

[weinoo]

Weinoo, that was a giveaway with a 1 kg package of Medaglia D'Oro in the mid-1970s. I got one when I was still living in Canoga Park, CA at the Italian market on Sherman Way near Topanga Cyn. blvd.

The one I have makes 3 regular cups or 6 demitasse cups.

At that time Medaglia D'Oro was only sold ground, very fine for espresso and it was the first ground coffee sold in a vacuum package. (A little trivia there.) It looked like a red foil brick... It had a sticker on it that explained it was equal to 2 pounds.

Good guess on my part! And yes, the 6T is six demitasse cups.

I can just see someone flipping that one over and ending up with scalding coffee all over the place.

[Katie Meadow]

First cup of Stella flip coffee using my new cast iron heat diffuser. Works great! I put in too much coffee, so it was awfully strong but I used fine grind and that seemed to work. There must be some effect from the steam going up through the grinds as the water heats that gives it a special aroma. Very nice. Typically we drink french press or just drip thru a gold filter and this is a fun change. You do have to flip with confidence, though. And it isn't just to avoid burning the coffee that it's important to wait a couple of minutes for the water to cool a bit before flipping.

And btw Andie, I used my heat diffuser to cook a pot of beans yesterday. My stove is powerful and it is hard to get a very low, consistent simmer in a covered creuset pot; this little gadget helps a lot. Thanks for the idea!

[andiesenji]

I was sure it would work for you Katie.

One of the reasons I have the big copper plates for my stove top is that there is only one very small "simmer" burner and the 8500 btu is at the rear and wide pans are in contact with the wall.

One front burner is 12,500 and the other is 15,000 and even on low stuff will scorch even in my cast iron pans.

Those big slabs of copper from Bella Copper have been a godsend for me. I often use them for several little pots that absolutely will not sit firmly on the grates without tipping.

I have two that cover two burners and a couple of the smaller, single burner ones. If you phone, you can order them to fit. When they had the double burner ones on the web site, I ordered one but it was narrower than my burner grate so I ordered one cut to the size I needed. 11 inches wide.