Knockbox alternative

[Bex]

Thought I'd share what I'm using for a knockbox. It's a metal compost bucket from Williams Sonoma (small, countertop sized). I use it like a knockbox, while my wife puts banana peels and other vegetable remnants inside. After a couple of days we take it out and dump it on the compost pile. We have a nice compost pile already for next spring's gardening.

It has a filter in the lid, so there's no smell.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fn415/index.cfm

More expensive than most knockboxes, but not by a lot, and it does function well for compost. I had a gift certificate, though - probably would not have bought it (or any other knockbox for that matter) otherwise.

[mckolit]

How do you knock the puck out? Do you just bang it up against the rim of the pail? I'd be wary of doing that to a $50 "knockbox" though.

[Bex (original poster)]

Yep. It's stainless and I haven't had an issue with it getting knicked, but the rim of the cover would hide any knicks anyway.

[r-gordon-7]

But what about suffering kincks to the rim of the portafilter or the basket if you're knocking against a stainless steel rim of a pail and not against the rubber bar which most dedicated knockboxes have for this purpose?

r-gordon-7

[pdx]

In Italy we used an oak frame over a trash can. Basically it was a frame that fit over the edges of the rectangular opening with a 2" or so oak dowel across the center (like a bridge) that you would knock the pf on. The oak didn't ding the pf but it was hard enough to take the abuse.

[Bex (original poster)]

But what about suffering kincks to the rim of the portafilter or the basket if you're knocking against a stainless steel rim of a pail and not against the rubber bar which most dedicated knockboxes have for this purpose?

r-gordon-7

I can take pictures if you'd like. Neither the handles of my PFs (VBM) nor the rim of this compost pail have sustained any damage over a month of use. Note that due to the design of the VBM PF, I am not hitting metal on metal; I just hit the handle on the rim and the puck pops out.

[r-gordon-7]

Bex, glad to hear your pf handle and rim fare well... Frankly, I never even thought of knocking against the handle, as my experience is only with pf's having ridgeless baskets, necessitating the knock be solidly against the pf/basket rim - "or else"...

r-gordon

[Bex (original poster)]

Aha! That would be a big difference.

[zin1953]

I don't see why that's a better "solution" than taking the grounds from your knockbox and adding it to your compost bin outside the house, along with all your household scraps, etc., etc. I suppose it would save counter space, if your countertop compost receptacle and knockbox would be in sufficient proximity, you'd only have one item on the counter instead of two, but . . .

We don't have a compost heap/pile/generator. For us, I just take the knockbox and add it to the green plastic, City of Berkeley-supplied compost bin, which -- in turn -- gets collected weekly along with the newspapers, bottles, cans, plastics, etc.

Cheers,
Jason

[Don916]

How do you knock the puck out? Do you just bang it up against the rim of the pail? I'd be wary of doing that to a $50 "knockbox" though.

Here's how I modified mine to knock the puck out:

This saves me the step of emptying and cleaning my small knockbox after each use. I just knock it in this, put the lid on when done and put it back under the sink. I empty it in the flowerbed once a week or so.

-Don