Blogger Spotlight: Coffee Machine Cuisine
This week, we're proud to feature Stockholm's own Katja Wulff Coffee Machine Cuisine in the Blogger Spotlight. For those new to the column, we highlight a member of The Daily Meal's Culinary Content Network, a limited group of bloggers who write about food and drink.
We look to this group of talented food writers for inspiration and participation with The Daily Meal, whether for restaurant recommendations or new recipes to try out for dinner. Our editorial team covers All Things Food and Drink, and we tap the CCN to remain up to speed with what is happening around the country and the world — from fine dining to home cooking. Without further ado, let's meet the creative and funny, (seriously, don't skim over this interview!) Katja!
The Daily Meal: Whats is the mission of your blog?
Katja Wulff: I want to create fun and sometimes bizarre recipes that light up people's days. If they taste good that's a bonus, but if you're looking for a tasty recipe you can find much more suitable blogs for that than Coffee Machine Cuisine. I'm a mediocre cook, taste wise, I would say.
How'd you get started?
Back in 2009 I lived in a dorm, and I shared a kitchen with other students. I'm not always a very social person, and the thought of hanging out with the other people sometimes creeped me out so I didn't like to cook in that kitchen. They were all nice people, so that was all on me. And the other thing is that back then I didn't know how to cook at all and had absolutely no interest in it. This lead up to one day when I thought about preparing my noodles in warm water from the sink, but realized quickly that it would be much smarter to cook the noodles in my coffeemaker. And it worked great! I was so proud of myself and started to think about what else I could cook with it. Very soon my experiment escalated and I never cooked in that kitchen again. I even got away from the mandatory cleaning week that each student got, since I never spent any time there.
I cooked all of my food in my coffee maker for about a year when I lived in the dorm. I've moved together with my boyfriend Dan (who's the photographer for the blog) long time ago and I have had a kitchen ever since. Now I cook with my coffee maker in a more art project way. If a see a cool looking ingredient I immediately start wondering how I will make it edible with my coffee maker.
What are some foods you can't live without?
Is chocolate food? Pizza! I also love steak tartare. And wine grapes in liquid form.
Grapes in liquid form, I love that! Are there foods you can't stand?
I'm not a picky person but I can't stand blood grapefruit and a type of pickled herring called matjessill – a disgusting Swedish traditional dish.
What is your proudest post? My testicle taco recipe. I'm extremely proud of that recipe! First of all I think it's important to cook the nose to tail way. If you are a meat eater – eat as much of the animal as possible. At least try and cook, taste and eat it. But also the name of the dish is catchy ("Testikeltaco" in Swedish), it looks great and the testicles are fun to play with.
I would love to start a Testicle Taco Food Truck. Made a joke for this April fools' day that I started a Testicle Taco Truck, people were really positive to it and close friends even believed in it. A couple of years ago I wrote another post for April fools' - How to cook a cat in a coffee maker. People believed (and got very upset) in that as well so maybe I shouldn't be that surprised that I managed to fool people with the Testicle Taco Truck idea.
What is your biggest blog blunder?
The mud cake. If I would try it today I would obviously do it differently and I think I know how to so it will work.
Do you have a memorable comment from a reader you'd like to share?
"I hope you'll never get any children. Think about the poor little ones when they have to wait hours for the food when they are hungry. Ugh, you're going to be a lousy mother!!!"
That quote is on the first page of my published book "Kaffekokarkokboken" (the Swedish name for Coffee Machine Cuisine).
Whats on your cooking playlist:
Anything with Bob Hund or Håkan Hellström.
Are there any food blogs you love?
I'm not very fond of traditional cooking and I don't follow any food blogs. But I like Epic Meal Time and I love my own blog.
Are there any food apps you love?
What should I make for dinner tonight?
What's the best thing about blogging? That I get to do things I never would have the opportunity to try out if it wasn't for the blog. Got to do my own Youtube cooking show, get to publish a book, have presentations about coffee maker cooking, design a coffee maker cooking t-shirt and also a calendar, get to cook in different TV shows, get to meet lots of foodies and new friends, and I'm not even a big fan of cooking! The original version of Coffee Machine Cuisine and the Swedish version of it, "Kaffekokarkokboken", won Best Food Blog of the Year back in 2010! One of my most proudest moments.
What are some of the worst things about blogging?
It takes extremely long time to cook with your coffee maker. But at the same time – that's also one of the thing I think it's fun with the concept. But I get easily bored and sometimes months go by and the most inspiring thing I cook with my coffee maker is coffee.
Is there a recipe you're currently obsessed with?
I'm planning a new kind of taco recipe – The Tongue Taco. It will be a great one.
What would even your most loyal followers be surprised to learn about you?:
That I sometimes watch them while they are sleeping.
Five of your all-time favorite posts?
Testicle Tacos - no surprise. In this post I have a clip from my Youtube show where I show how I make the recipe.
OK, Pizza is one of my favorite food I just had to make it work with my coffee maker. And I did! It was delicious. Omnomnom...
For Valentine's I made a cool recipe with three kinds of hearts into a romantic salad. I call the post There will be blood.
People often ask me if I've tried to cook with other devices. Of course I have! In this post I show you some of the other thingies I've cooked with and the result of it.
Since I'm a crazy cat lady I also cook food for my cats in my coffee maker, and also a birthday cake for the cats. This is by far the most disgusting recipe I've done, but I love it! The cats didn't though. I almost puke in the video while making it, and the camera man did too.