By Annette Gallagher
Correspondent

Manchester has more than a dozen places to get coffee ­ and that’s just counting McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Add in Just Jitters, Gloria Jeans, Jewell & the Beanstalk, Ahh-Some Gourmet Coffee and the Van Otis Café (for those who must have their Starbucks fix!), and it’s a wonder anyone in town sleeps at night.

In the summer, iced coffee is the way to go for a caffeine fix and cool down in one. With all the convenient places to get an iced coffee, why make it at home?

First of all: cost. For less than the price of a medium iced coffee at McDonald’s (the least expensive option), you can make an entire pot of iced coffee, enough for four or five servings. That cost assumes using a basic grocery store coffee, such as Maxwell House or Folgers, but even upgrading to premium coffee, it is still more cost-effective to make your own.

A lot of the specialty coffee places and Dunkin’ Donuts sell their coffees for home brewing, and good supermarkets carry grind-your-own premium lines, as well. Try Green Mountain Roasters at Hannaford or JaVaNa at Stop & Shop, as well as Starbucks coffee (available at Staples) for a variety of flavors and roast options.

Second, consider the convenience. I prefer to have my caffeine before I get behind the wheel of a car. With a pot of iced coffee ready to go, I can make it and drink while I get ready, plus I get to skip the drive-thru lines. I also know I’m getting my coffee the way I like it and can adjust it to taste without having to trouble anyone. On days off, making my own iced coffee means no travel required at all.

To make iced coffee, there are two common home methods. Iced coffee needs to be stronger than hot coffee because it is going to be diluted with ice and, typically, more milk or cream than hot coffee. You can make the coffee with twice as much ground coffee as normally directed on the package. (Caution: Depending on your coffeemaker, this can be very messy if it overflows.)

You can also make a pot of coffee as normal and pour the coffee back into the coffeemaker and brew it a second time. After a few times of doing that, do the coffeemaker a favor and run a pot filled with half white vinegar and half water through it, followed by a pot of plain water.

Let the coffee cool. Dunkin’ Donuts directions for iced coffee say to pour the hot coffee over a pitcher of ice to dilute it for immediate drinking; that’s fine, but I think that as the ice melts in an iced coffee, especially in July, it dilutes enough then.

If storing iced coffee in the fridge, use an air-tight container, not a standard pitcher, because coffee absorbs other flavors and will lose its own otherwise. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days and enjoy as desired.

­ If you have any questions about cooking, are looking for recipes or have any suggestions, send them to askannette@gmail.com.