Top Tips Making Hot Drinks

Top Tips – making hot drinks

• Make the best possible use of lighting. The closer the light source is to the task, the lighter it will be. Avoid using surfaces or utensils that reflect light or create glare.

• Take a moment to think how you are going to make your drink and gather everything you need to complete the task together.

• Making drinks in the sink area allows any spills to be dealt with more easily.

• Placing everything you need on a lipped tray and on a non-slip mat will allow you to locate what you need easily. Any spillages will be captured by the tray and can be poured away when you have finished making the drink.

• Place the cup you are pouring into on a flat surface. Avoid holding the cup in the air as you pour as you might pour hot liquids onto your hand.

• Ensure the lip of the container you are pouring from is against the rim of the container you are pouring into.

• Contrasting colours can help you see different objects more easily.Black coffee in a white mug may enable you to see the liquid rising or a dark mug may let you see a tea bag floating upward.

• You can use a liquid level indicator to alert you with an audible or vibrating when your cup is full.

• Use the smallest available bottle or carton of milk, or a milk jug.

Powdered milk or catering sachets can be useful methods of addingmilk to a hot drink.

• Placing coffee in a dish, rather than a jar, can make it easier to usea spoon. Catering sachets provide measured amounts of coffee,although you might need scissors to open.

• Keep the coffee dish as close as possible to thecup to minimise any spillage from the spoon.

• You can make hot drinks in a microwave whichremoves the need for pouring hot liquids. Youcan buy insulated which do not become hot.

Useful equipment

Liquid level indicator

A small device which beeps or vibrates as the liquid reaches top of cup

Dycem Mat

Non slip mat can be used to fix steady trays, cups or other objects to a work surface

Syringes

Medicine syringes designed to give a 5ml dose can be used to add milk to a drink

Tea tray with a lip

To organise utensils and catch any spillages

Assorted coloured mugs

Mugs or cups with insides of different colours to provide contrast to the liquid

Cutlery with coloured handles

Contrasting coloured handles can allow the utensils to be located visually on a kitchen work surface

Travel kettle

Provides a lighter alternative when making only one or two hot drinks

One cup kettle

Can be used to provide a single cup measure of hot water

Hot water dispenser

Can deliver single cup of hot water

Flasks with single cup pump

Flasks are available with a single cup facility

Tea bags with string

Tea bags with string are easier to remove from your cup

Sugar lumps

Simpler to add to hot drinks

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