Solid waste is a rapidly increasing problem in advanced countries, and thought provoking ideas to combat it continue to circulate. It has been speculated that, in the future, secondary waste will become a focus in the ongoing battle. Thus, ingenious ways to eliminate the quickly growing mounds of things, like used coffee grounds, might be the very things to tackle next.
While there are umpteen ways recommended to recycle coffee grounds, there is always room for a new addition to the list. Thus, the idea of utilizing the grounds for their food value is a welcomed idea, and an intriguing one at first blush. Obviously the proposal has scientific and nutritional merit, but there are also blatantly apparent obstacles right off the bat.
Automatically, the most promising avenue is to limit the parameters to decaffeinated coffee, because caffeine kind of defeats the purpose of creating nutritional and palatable foods. With that done, this edible, nutritious and fibre rich entity should be considered for inclusion in recipes. To make that a feasible action, the grounds will have to first be transformed into a more palatable ingredient.
Upon removal from a coffee machine, the grounds appear overtly unappealing. Point blank, the gritty remnants do not promote visions of tasty treats, or hearty flavourful dishes. The recommended process to changing this involves reducing the grounds from the large granules to small well-refined crystals.
The resulting powder can then be used in an unlimited array of recipes, as long as the added moisture of the grounds is taken into consideration. In addition, it should be noted that the grounds do not keep well for longer than two to three days, no matter how they are contained. Therefore, they must be made use of quickly.
Still, the tested outcome, which has been limited, has provided some promising results. For example, when people were given sample cookies, but not told that the ingredients involve the used coffee grounds, they frequently requested another cookie. However, when the individuals were provided the information, they were not as enamoured. Hence, there is more to be done to perfect the practice of using used coffee beans or grounds in recipes as a viable recycling practice. But, the possibilities are great, and the outcome potentially astounding. As is often the case, only time will tell.
Andy Orchard is the marketing manager for Puro Fairtrade Coffee. The company supplies coffee beans throughout the UK.
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