Well, that didn't work out so well

[dreamshark]

I had such a nice productive Saturday morning. I cleaned up that whole corner of the kitchen where the small appliances live. I emptied all the crumbs out of the bottom of the toaster, cleaned the inside of the toaster oven, ran cleaning solution through the coffee maker and wiped everything down. It looked lovely.

The next time I used the coffee maker it took about 3 times as long as usual to brew and soaked up 4 "cups" of water to make 2 cups of coffee (where "cup" means a coffee cup, not a real cup). The toaster no longer works at all (yes, I plugged it back in). And the toaster oven, which I was using because the toaster was dead, smells like baked Formula 409.  That was 2 hours well spent, I must say.

I really don't understand what the coffee maker is doing. It seems to be trying to make espresso. It hisses and fizzes and steam comes leaking out from under the lid and it takes about 20 minutes to make 2 cups. But I must admit that the coffee is way stronger than it was before.  In fact, the coffee is delicious, except that it has to be diluted about half and half with milk because it is so strong. Maybe this is the way it was supposed to work all along?  And I got in the habit of putting in too much coffee because it was coming out too weak? 

The toaster, however, is... toast. 

Comments

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you accidentally changed a setting n the coffee maker? While I've never used it, our coffee makes has a "special" setting that will, I am told, make stronger coffee.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, maybe. I suppose I could try to find the instruction book.

[quadong.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... but the only way to make stronger coffee from a given set of coffee grounds is to use less water. I suppose that your special setting could do exactly what it sounds like Sharon's coffee maker is doing: boiling off half the water before it hits the grounds at all!

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Might be too late but: Make sure it's all dried out. Perhaps use a hair dryer.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I assume you're talking about the toaster. It's not like I dunked it in dishwater! All I did was open up the little door on the bottom and empty out about half a cup of scorched crumbs. And then I wiped the sides of the toaster with a damp sponge. I really don't see any way I could have gotten water inside it.

I suppose I might have damaged something while I was trying to get the English muffin out of it - BEFORE I thought of opening the little door on the bottom. Which worked just the way it is supposed to. Except for the part where the toaster doesn't work any more.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

Strange. Maybe the crumbs had taken over some structural role formerly filled by a part that wore out?

LOL

[hakatrip.livejournal.com]

Sorry to laugh, but this post is so well written!! Ah yes, I've had "productive" days like that too. :)