This 10-cup manual drip Melitta Coffeemaker set is just $12.95 at Amazon.com.

Before 1908, coffee was a gritty affair. The percolators of the time tended to over-brew the coffee, making it too bitter. Espresso machines left grounds in the cup. Reusable linen bag filters were an option, but who wanted to empty and clean them?

Housewife Melitta Bentz (1873-1950) of Dresden, Germany sought a solution.

In 1908, Mrs. Bentz tested different ways to create a permeable barrier between the grounds and the brewed coffee. She hit pay dirt when testing blotting paper from the notebook of her older son (in those pre-ball point, pre-felt tip days, people wrote with pen and ink, and used the paper to blot up the ink spills).

Mrs. Bentz tweaked the product and received a patent in 1912 for “a coffee filter with a curved and indented bottom and with slanting extraction holes,” to be used in combination with “filtration paper.” It was a hit. Today the company, run by Melitta’s grandchildren, has a workforce of some 3,800 people in 50 countries. In the U.S. alone, it sold $100 million worth of filters in 2009.

You can see the original device here. It doesn’t look like today’s sleek plastic cone and cone-shaped filter, (shown in the photo), but it did the trick.

Make your French fries or sweet potato fries crisper by doing what the chefs do:

Let the raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least 30 minutes before frying.

To get them extra-extra crisp, double fry them.

First, par-fry the potatoes at 325°F for three minutes, until soft, but not brown. Remove and drain on brown paper bags.

Next, bring the oil temperature up to 375°F. Cook the fries a second time for 4 minutes, until golden and crispy. Drain on fresh brown paper bags, then paper towels. Season and serve.

How should you season your fries?

Photo © Idaho Potato Commission.

Hate to slice the potatoes with a knife? Treat yourself to a vegetable/French fry cutter, which also makes zucchini fries a breeze.

Photo courtesy Right Foods.

John McDougall, M.D., physician and nutritionist, has been studying the effects of nutrition on health for more than 20 years. A founding father of the modern wellness movement, he established the McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California, to help people improve their health.

His line of foods features oatmeal cups—add water and heat, (loved ‘em)—soup cups and low-sodium soups (bland). The newest entry is a line of heat-and-eat soups, about two cups per carton.

The soups are packed full of good things—veggies, brown rice and other whole grains, plus black beans, peas and lentils. Some are so thick, they could be a side dish!

Needless to say, we enjoyed these fat-free, dairy-free vegan soups as a light lunch, snack and dinner course. Read the full review.

• Find more of our favorite soups plus recipes in our Soup Section.
• How to garnish 20 different soups.

Q. In which country was coffee discovered?
a. Ethiopia
b. Yemen
c. Arabia

A. Ethiopia. Read the History Of Coffee.

Q. True or False: Ounce per ounce, espresso contains more caffeine than brewed coffee.
a. True
b. False

A. False! Brewed coffee contains more caffeine. Learn all about espresso in our Espresso Glossary.

Q. Is espresso a bean or a roast?
a. Bean
b. Roast
c. Neither

A. Neither. It is a coffee preparation method.

Photo by Flavio Takemoto | SXC.

A. Green. See a photo of the coffee cherries on the tree, alongside green coffee beans and roasted coffee beans.

Q. Which country is the world’s largest coffee producer?
a. Brazil
b. Colombia
c. Indonesia

A. Brazil. It produces 22.5 million 132-pound bags annually, which is one-third of the world’s coffee. Columbia, which grows about 10% of the world’s coffee, is second with 10.5 million bags. They are followed by Indonesia (6.7 million bags) and Vietnam (5.8 million bags). Learn more about coffee in our Coffee Glossary.

Happy National Coffee Day! Enjoy a good cup or two.

For crunch, toss breadcrumbs on your pasta (photo © Monkey Business | Fotolia).

In southern Italy, toasted breadcrumbs, instead of grated cheese, are often sprinkled over pasta. You don’t even need a sauce for this authentic recipe—just toss the pasta in extra virgin olive oil.

The custom survives in the U.S. largely as macaroni and cheese topped with toasted breadcrumbs.

Yesterday, we lunched on a delicious lobster mac & cheese, topped with breadcrumbs, from Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company. But you don’t have to go so upscale to enjoy your mac & cheese with a crunchy top.

Whether for mac & cheese or another pasta dish, simply buy gourmet seasoned breadcrumbs or make your own. If you make them, experiment with favorite seasonings. Garlic, parsley, lemon zest and Parmesan are classic; but you can try cayenne, chili or other flavors you especially enjoy.

We prefer to use seasoned panko, the wonderful Japanese breadcrumbs. You can get a set of five different flavors of panko breadcrumbs—Garlic, Mustard, Southwest and Teriyaki, plus Unseasoned, from Iron Chef. They’re certified kosher.

Why not offer guests both breadcrumbs and grated cheese with their pasta: Who says you can’t have both?

Find more pasta recipes using the pull-down menu at the right.