Iced Tea Made Easier With Induction Cooktops

It’s National Iced Tea Day and Home-Tech wants to help you celebrate with our incredible induction cooktops. Let’s face it — it’s hot and we need some relief. In fact, it’s so hot in Southwest Florida these days that the last time I bought a loaf of bread, by the time I got it home it was toast; it’s so hot that I heard one pig say to the other, “I’m bacon!”; it’s so hot that the birds have to use potholders to pull the worms out of the ground.

I know. These are bad. But, just one more: It’s so hot, the chickens are laying hard boiled eggs. Okay, that’s it. I’m done.

Nothing Like Homemade Iced Tea

You can stock up on Snapple all you want, but there’s nothing like good old-fashioned homemade iced tea — yep, the kind Grandma served from a deliciously chilly pitcher with plenty of sugar and lemon. Problem is, you’ve got to boil a lot of water for that to happen and in this heat, who wants to stand over a hot stove in order to cool down? That’s where induction cooktops come in. These incredible cooktops make summer — and life in general — a whole lot easier.

Like a Gas Stove, Without the Fire

Chefs love cooking with gas because of the ease and control — turn it on high and water comes to a boil a lot faster than with a regular electric cooktop — turn down the heat and the water stops gradually stops bubbling quicker. But with an induction cooktop, boiling happens even faster — and nearly instantaneous — and without the fire and the fumes. Plus, these cooktops are flat, convenient, and easy to clean.  Installation is simple since induction cooktops come in standard 30” and 36” widths and can fit into existing cooktop cutouts. Plus, you have the option to install over a single wall oven.  And at Home-Tech, we can show you induction cooktops by a variety of top manufacturers, including Frigidaire, Whirlpool, G.E., and more.

Sweet, Southern, and Ice Cold

Finally, because it’s so hot that you could scrape an egg off the sidewalk (oh, you’ve heard that one before?), here’s Grandma’s Iced Tea recipe (with a citrus twist) to help you celebrate the holiday (oh — and vodka is optional, as always):

• 2 whole cloves
• 1 family-size tea bag
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup sugar
• Crushed ice
• Garnish: lemon slices

1. Bring 3 cups water and cloves to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and add tea bag; steep 10 minutes.
4. Discard tea bag and cloves.
5. Add fruit juices and sugar, stir until sugar dissolves.
6. Cover and let chill for at least one hour; serve over crushed ice.
7. Garnish with lemon slices.