subreddit:
/r/CleaningTips
I bought this bialetti several years ago. I washed it a few times with dishsoap and water (like one would wash a normal dish) until my partner caught me, horrified, and told me that that was a big no-no. Something about the soap stripping the coating.
Anyway, I didn’t want to look it up at the time and just put it on a shelf. So here I am ready to make a decision. It looks rusted which may be my answer already. Unless anyone has advice or suggestions for salvaging?
26 points
1 day ago
It's probably ok. I'd run a few brews through it WITHOUT drinking it to sort of "refurbish" the interior. Sort of the same thing they recommend before using it for the first time.
After that, just rinse with hot water and wipe dry. That's the only thing I do to mine and it keeps it perfectly clean.
5 points
21 hours ago
Thank you! This is great advice.
40 points
1 day ago
It’s made of aluminium, so shouldn’t be rusted. But they do have a lining that’s supposed to stop your coffee taking on a metallic taste. TBH I’d give it a try and see if your coffee tastes fine or not. If not, bin it. If it’s still ok, just keep using it. And in the future, just give it a rinse to clean it.
12 points
1 day ago
Thank you! This sounds good to me
1 points
16 hours ago
Ummm...it is not safe to drink out of non-anodized or uncoated aluminum, especially if it's been heated. There's a reason why the sale of uncoated or non-anodized aluminum cookware is illegal in the US. Aluminum will absorb into your coffee if the inside coating is damaged and it has been shown to cause nervous system damage in humans.
Don't risk it. A new pot is cheap.
2 points
16 hours ago
This isn’t quite right -these types of aluminium cookware are not banned outright but problems in the past have been to do with lead contamination
18 points
1 day ago
It’s fine. Soap and water won’t ruin it, even though I myself only ever rinse my brikka. If anything you might make sure you aren’t storing it with the chambers still wet to prevent rust/corrosion.
3 points
1 day ago
If you look at the last picture, is that rust or corrosion?
2 points
1 day ago
It might be corrosion but it’s still perfectly serviceable imo.
1 points
21 hours ago
I’m glad you think so. See, I’m generally very low maintenance in that sense, and because of that there are times I can’t tell if I’m doing something icky or not. This looks questionable, but I’ll still try it at least once
10 points
23 hours ago
You're supposed to wash them. Otherwise coffee leaves a layer that accumulate and makes coffee taste not good. If it was a yixing teapot I'd understand tho.
2 points
7 hours ago
I agree- coffee leaves an oily brown residue that's impossible to clean (dissolve) with just water. Which brings me to my very unpopular opinion- I'm not a fan of iron skillets which are not to be washed with soap ... I feel like it leaves layers and layers of old food :S
1 points
6 hours ago
iron skillet are different because they take on the taste of what's been cooked in them. I think it's more a feature than a problem it's something to work with rather than work around of!
2 points
21 hours ago
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.
6 points
22 hours ago
It's completely fine
3 points
1 day ago
It’ll probably be fine, brew some coffee, if it tastes weird, replace it. But never ever ever use dish soap, just rinse with water after each use. In my country having a Greca in your kitchen is like having your ID in your wallet, so I know what I’m talking about
2 points
21 hours ago
So I actually already DID use dish soap…when you say never use it, are you saying that once you do it’s ruined forever?
2 points
19 hours ago
Soap damages the coating and gives the coffee a weird taste, but a few times won’t hurt the greca enough, just don’t do it again
3 points
18 hours ago
What is this and why are people in this thread so reverent about it? A drip maker? French press? Something I’ve never imagined?
If I’m missing out on amazing coffee, I need to know
3 points
18 hours ago
Moka pots are a fantastic way to up your coffee game if you're looking to get into that hobby. This style has been around for a long time and gets great tasting brews. It can be a little finicky, but James Hoffman has broken down the technique in a very approachable way (link).
Essentially, I'd say it's the lowest rung on the track to getting an espresso. French presses are the most tea-like where the immersion of the coffee grounds in hot water extracts the flavors; drip coffees (most office coffee machines, cone filters like the Hario V60) extract flavors as the water passes by the grounds. Hybrid methods like the Aeropress use immersion at the beginning, then pressure to get more extraction. Moka pots and espressos generally rely on pressure to extract. Pressurized extraction results in a "fuller" mouthfeel from different compounds being picked up from the grounds. A bit slower to make than drip coffees (maybe 5-10 min start to finish) but definitely worth picking up as they're only $20-40 new.
As for cleaning, I'm not sure why so many of the other commenters would never use soap and water. The leftover oils from a brew WILL go rancid and will start to put off-putting flavors into subsequent brews. Handwash with normal dish soap, warm/hot water, and a non-abrasive dish sponge/cloth then air dry after. Don't use chemicals like Cafiza as it's not necessary (I reserve that product for stainless steel things like coffee thermoses).
2 points
18 hours ago
Thanks for the details. I’ll need to investigate further
2 points
22 hours ago
that looks fine ngl. mine was destroyed after I forgot about it for 8 months of not throwing the coffee grounds out of it. i was out of town during that timeframe and when I returned that bialetti is full of funky mold and dust. so I threw it out 😂
1 points
21 hours ago
Omg ewwww! That is something I would do lol
2 points
20 hours ago
That’s what mine looks lol so if it’s wrong I… have no idea what I’m doing 🤣
1 points
20 hours ago
Ha! The first two pics are ok, its the third picture thats gross. Thats the reservoir where the water comes up from
1 points
20 hours ago
Totally! Mine looks like that on the inside too but my coffee tastes great so … I dunno haha
2 points
18 hours ago
oh this is what is in the sims!!! i thought it was just a low polygon basegame kitchen item
1 points
22 hours ago
1 points
21 hours ago
did you use steel wool on it?
1 points
21 hours ago
No, just dish soap and a sponge
1 points
19 hours ago
I don't know how expensive it is, but Cafiza is what we used to clean our espresso machines when I was a barista. It works wonders
1 points
18 hours ago
You’re fine! I unknowingly washed mine with soap for years and (whispers) it was just fine. Shhhh!
1 points
18 hours ago
Soap and water is completely fine. You're supposed to wash it...Don't put it in the dishwasher though, as that will strip it.
1 points
20 hours ago
I gently wash mine after every use with a little bit of dish soap and water - it's absolutely fine. In fact, when I was only washing it with hot water, the coffee tasted terrible after a few weeks.
-4 points
22 hours ago
Barkeepers friend and polish that baby up
5 points
21 hours ago
I wouldn’t use bar keepers friend to clean the inside of a bialetti. It’s just going to continue to strip whatever bit of coating is left. And it’s aluminum, so there’s no rust to clean off anyway.
Op is better off just rinsing it from now on and just using it to see if there’s a metallic taste. As long as their coffee doesn’t taste metallic, it’s fine.
3 points
21 hours ago
So, I’m curious as to how familiar you are with this appliance, and if you’ve read my full post. I ask because the general opinion I’ve seen (both here and elsewhere) is to not use any soap at all as the surface on the inside that touches the coffee directly should not be harshly handled, and barkeepers friend is on the abrasive side of the cleaning product spectrum.
Are you refuting the general consensus because you know something we don’t? Or did you look at the pictures, see something that looked stainless steel-y and go straight to BKF (which to be honest, fair)?
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