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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
The best ways to clean your home coffee machine
Have you bought an espresso machine to cut down on buying takeaway coffee? They can save you money but require a little cleaning and maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Here's what is recommended. Marco Farina says he can taste when a machine hasn't been cleaned recently enough. He sells, repairs and services domestic and commercial coffee machines in Naarm/Melbourne. Mr Farina says a household machine often makes three to four coffees a day. This might not seem like a lot, so people do not tend to clean them often, he says. But he recommends giving machines a simple clean every day. "The cleaner it is, the better it is for the next coffee." Consumer group Choice recommendsemptying and rinsing the portafilter (the part of the espresso machine with the handle) and wiping out the filter basket with a clean cloth after every use. If you enjoy coffee with milk, Choice advices purging the steam wand by turning it on and off before and after you steam milk, and wiping it clean after use. Mr Farina says this should be done with a wet cloth every time the machine is used to avoid an off-milk smell developing. Wiping the bench and surrounding areas, plus emptying the drip tray are other tasks you'll want to do after you've finished making coffee for the day. Lara Timbrell is the head barista and assistant manager of Tribute cafe in Perth, on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. She says a domestic espresso machine is likely to benefit from a more intensive clean once every week or two, or monthly, depending on how often it is being used. Source: Choice Ms Timbrell says both home and commercial machines tend to have plenty of nooks and crannies. Her trick is folding a cleaning cloth into quarters or eighths "so you have a nice firm corner" that you can use to remove grind build-up, particularly around the group head. Choice says a weekly clean can include refilling the water tank, and emptying coffee grounds from your knock box. For a monthly clean, it recommends removing the filter basket from the portafilter and soaking them both in a cleaning solution and using a toothbrush to clean grounds from around the shower screen. Ms Timbrell recommends dismantling the group head and cleaning behind the shower screen (the fixture that diffuses water from the group head onto the filter basket) for a more intensive clean, which Choice lists as an annual task. It's best to consult the instructions for your specific machine first. Mr Farina recommends back-flushing the machine with a blind filter regularly. He says espresso machines should come with a blind filter. It's a solid basket, while the filter baskets used with coffee grind have a series of small holes. Back-flushing involves placing the blind filter into the portafilter, placing it in the group head and turning on the espresso button, allowing pressure to build before turning it off and repeating a few times. It's not something every machine can do so check your model and its instructions. Mr Farina says it helps clean away leftover oil residue from the grind. Coffee supply stores sell cleaning products designed to help with this, he says. For semi-automatic and manual machines, Choice says to use the blind filter to flush hot water through about once a week. For a monthly clean it advises a "back-flush (for three-way-valve systems) using a commercial coffee machine cleaner" or running a cleaning cycle (if the model permits). "A good rule of thumb is to do this once for every 4kg of coffee you put through the machine." Choice also recommends descaling the coffee machine as part of an annual clean following the manufacturer's instructions, but some manuals will advise you do this more often. Ms Timbrell says depending on where you live, you can get a lot of build-up through the machine because of the water which will require you to descale. She says water also impacts the taste. "I would say one thing that you would really taste the difference with your coffee is, if you use filtered water instead of tap water." Ms Timbrell says regardless of whether your coffee grinder is a separate appliance or built into the espresso machine, looking up the manual before cleaning is a good way to get started. "When you keep grinding more and more coffee, the [remaining] coffee is getting ground over and over again." She says this may result in a bitter taste, because some of the grind will be older and finer (more likely to burn). She recommends emptying out the grinder and clearing out residual grinds with a dry brush or vacuum. Choice does not recommend using water to clean out rancid coffee bean oil from your grinder, and warns the blades can be sharp. It suggests using a small, clean paintbrush, soft-bristled toothbrush or a vacuum for the "really committed".
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Compass: S39 DOBBY
ABC iview Home Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. More from ABC We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Barn-owl project reducing farmers' reliance on poison to manage rats and mice
With a review into the risks of rodent bait in Australia about to be released, an award-winning initiative is using barn owls as a natural alternative to control rats and mice on farms. Wildlife organisations have called for a ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides due to concerns that they kill and harm wildlife that eat baits or poisoned rodents. Studies here and overseas show some rats and mice are developing genetic resistance to poisonous baits, reducing their effectiveness while potentially increasing their use. But a pilot project in the Northern Rivers, New South Wales, is offering farmers hope of significantly reducing rat numbers in macadamia orchards. The Owls Eat Rats initiative has been in the works for a decade, with the pilot project launched at Banyula, a regenerative farm at Clunes, about 30 kilometres from Byron Bay, two years ago. It involved the installation of hunting roosts and barn owl nesting boxes, addressing Australia's wildlife accommodation crisis caused by clearing trees with hollows that take up to 150 years to form. Founder Alastair Duncan said it took time and effort to establish barn owl colonies, but the impact on rodent control had been so promising that three neighbouring farms had signed up. "They [owls] move in, they breed and they hunt and each breeding event takes about 1,000 rats out of the system," Mr Duncan said. "Farmers don't necessarily want to use poison; it's just that they don't have alternatives. "So when they see something that's working, they jump on board pretty quick." At Banyula, 70 nest boxes — including 12 for owls — span across the property, which has 7,500 macadamia trees and 75 hectares of new plantings of koala habitat and rainforest. Success is monitored by tracking nut damage in the orchards using trail cameras, physically inspecting nest boxes, and examining owl pellets — the regurgitated fur, bones, and feathers the birds cannot digest. "We're finding that 90 per cent [of pellets] is rats and the rest is house mice, which are a really significant pest in the agriculture industry," Mr Duncan said. Wildlife Health Australia notes increasing reports of toxicities associated with rodenticide exposure in Australian wildlife, including birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and further work is needed to better understand and manage the risks. Mr Duncan said secondary rodenticides build up in predators' bodies every time they eat a poisoned rodent, affecting their hunting, breeding and survival. As opposed to the days it can take for rodents to bleed to death internally after consuming bait, barn owls are fast and efficient killers. Banyula director Matthew Bleakley said owls had allowed them to reduce rodenticide use, target applications and choose less harmful baits. Late last month, Owls Eat Rats was awarded $50,000 by Taronga Zoo's Hatch accelerator program, which helps ecopreneurs tackle serious environmental and conservation challenges. Mr Duncan said the grant would help fund academic research and further his goal of mainstreaming nature-based pest control. Mr Duncan planned to replicate the project on the Sunshine Coast, where he lives, and was working with the Australian Macadamia Society. "It's a massive boost for us," he said. Wildbnb Wildlife Habitat director David Brook spent a decade perfecting barn owl nesting boxes, prioritising comfort and safety. Each pair of owls needs at least three nesting boxes over a small area to provide variety in their habitat. "We realised that the owls were not only breeding back-to-back — so we had four different clutches of owlets in a 12-month period — but they were bringing in 10 to 15 rats a night to feed the owlets," Mr Brook said. "The next stage of this project is to rigorously investigate the idea. "We're bringing in university and industry partners and looking at just how replicable it is across other landscapes and other industries," Mr Brook said. Mr Brook said wildlife rodenticide poisoning and potentially associated road traffic strikes required more examination. "We're now starting to work with the local wildlife hospitals and with Taronga Zoo and universities to better evaluate the impact of toxic rodenticides on the barn owls," he said. Agricultural chemicals are regulated by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). The APVMA is reviewing anticoagulant rodenticides warfarin, coumatetralyl, diphacinone, brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen, based on public health, worker safety and environmental safety. In a statement, an APVMA spokesperson said it was "preparing the documents for our proposed regulatory decision for the anticoagulant rodenticides review". "We expect to publish this in the near future, which will start a three-month public consultation period," the spokesperson said.
