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Making Microwaveable Heat Packs with Coffee Beans

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  • Making Microwaveable Heat Packs with Coffee Beans

    I know this is sacrilegious to some/all of you, but Ive been thinking about using some of my older Green Coffee Beans for making some of those heat packs you put in the microwave.

    They typically only get heated for a few minutes at a time, but has anyone tried it?  Is it a bad idea?  I cant find anything on the internet about using green beans this way.  Most packs use wheat, feed corn, rice, buckwheat, lupins. I live in QLD and apart from being gluten intolerant & not liking the idea of wheat, the wheat ones tend to end up being infested with bugs when left for a few months.  If I could get hold of some lupins I try those, but I quite like the idea of coffee.  

    Obviously Roasted beans may go rancid, but geez theyd smell good.

    Rose

  • #2
    Re: Making Microwaveable Heat Packs with Coffee Beans

    Originally posted by 666677666A6960050 link=1272840452/0#0 date=1272840452
    I know this is sacrilegious to some/all of you, but Ive been thinking about using some of my older Green Coffee Beans for making some of those heat packs you put in the microwave.

    They typically only get heated for a few minutes at a time, but has anyone tried it?  Is it a bad idea?  I cant find anything on the internet about using green beans this way.  Most packs use wheat, feed corn, rice, buckwheat, lupins.  I live in QLD and apart from being gluten intolerant & not liking the idea of wheat, the wheat ones tend to end up being infested with bugs when left for a few months.  If I could get hold of some lupins I try those, but I quite like the idea of coffee.  

    Obviously Roasted beans may go rancid, but geez theyd smell good.

    Rose

    You will never never know, if you dont give it a go

    Personally I think it will work

    KK

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    • #3
      Re: Making Microwaveable Heat Packs with Coffee Beans

      I suspect that the heating effect of these packs depends on the water content of the grains, water having the highest heat retention of any substance IIRC. I have no idea how green coffee compares with wheat, etc, but roasted would presumably be less effective.

      From my understanding of gluten intolerance, minimal exposure via the skin would be very unlikely to cause problems. It is the wheat/rye protein reacting with the mucosa of the small bowel which affects the absorptive function of the intestine. Not that that solves the problem of insect infestation of the packs, of course. Maybe regular heating would kill off insect eggs in the grain?

      Russell

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      • #4
        Re: Making Microwaveable Heat Packs with Coffee Beans

        Interesting idea, please let us know how it goes.

        Another alternative would be to use the gel hot/cold packs, hot you click the metal button & the gel turns to crystals and gets hot, when it cools, boil to return the crystals to gel, cold put it in the fridge for an hour or so. Not cheap to start with, but they come in various sizes, dont smell like a wheat bag, last for years and the chemical reaction is cool to watch

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        • #5
          Re: Making Microwaveable Heat Packs with Coffee Beans

          Green coffee is normally 10-12% moisture (older beans might be at the lower end of that spectrum). I seem to remember from my homebrewing days that most grains are around the same percentage... Thus, I think itll work very nicely!

          However, green beans have lots more caffeine in them than roasted beans, and its possible that this could leach out... ? Might not be the most relaxing of heat packs!

          Cheers
          Stuart

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