You need a French press, but not just for coffee. Even if you favor other methods for making your morning brew, there are so many French press hacks that will make this glass-and-chrome carafe your new favorite kitchen tool. A French press isn’t just something for caffeine dispensing—rather it’s an all-in-one strainer/mixer/squeezer/wonder workhorse. Reject the single-use traditional perspective you’ve looked at a French press with and embrace modernity with these nine hacks. Anything is possible with the French press if you just believe.
Be sure to also check out our test on the best French presses to read more about our picks and how we selected them.
The two best French presses:
1. Froth milk
To get milk frothy (and step up your matcha latte game exponentially), fill up a third of your French press with warm milk. Gently pump the metal plunger up and down for about 30 seconds, creating noticeably frothier milk. Pour it into your espresso or matcha and wonder why you’d ever spend $4 at a coffee shop again.
2. Make broth
To make a simple broth in your French press, fill up the glass with aromatics like sliced ginger, crushed garlic, sliced chiles, chopped scallions—whatever you’re feeling. Pour hot water on top of the aromatics, give ’em a good stir, and pop the canister’s top on. Let the aromatics steep for 5 to 7 minutes; the longer it steeps, the stronger your broth will be. Remove the French press’s top, stir once more, then put the top back and press down on it. Season it with salt, and now you’ve got a base for soups, seafood, risotto, and more.
3. Infuse oil
The same technique applies to infusing oil in the French press—add flavorings (garlic, herbs, spicy pepper, etc.) to the canister, pour hot oil on top (you can heat it for a few minutes in a small saucepan first), steep, then strain. Pasta, meat, and plain ol’ bread just got way more exciting.
4. Steep tea
Once you find your favorite type of tea, you can quit buying the crappy (and wasteful) bagged teas and start buying them loose-leaf. Drop a teaspoon of loose tea into your French press, add in a cup of hot water, close the lid, and let it steep. Herbal infusions need the most steeping (5 to 7 minutes); white teas need the least (just a minute or two). For every other tea (black, green, oolong), taste as you go to determine the ideal brew time. Then simply press the plunger and pour into cups. Be sure not to leave the hot tea steeping in the French press for longer than necessary—like coffee, the tea will turn bitter when it’s overbrewed.
5. Rinse grains
If you haven’t caught on yet, the French press is pretty much a cup with a strainer attached. Naturally, it makes a great tool for rinsing small amounts of grains like quinoa and rice. Add the uncooked grains to the canister, cover with water, give it a few pumps, strain, and repeat until the water is clear.
6. Make cold brew
Technically, this contradicts my headline, but this isn’t just plain ol’ French press coffee. This is strong, rich, coffee-shop-level cold brew, at home.
To make 4 cups of cold brew, coarsely grind 6 oz. of coffee beans (this should yield around 12 Tbsp., or ¾ cup). Place the grounds in the base of your French press, pour over 28 oz. of cold water, stir once with a wood spoon, and cover with the plunger cap (but don’t press down yet). Place in a cool, dark place for 15 hours. After the soak, plunge and decant the cold brew into a container. Serve over ice and you’re good to go. It’ll also keep in the fridge for a week or two.