Dosing into the basket

With most espresso machines it is common to grind, dose, and tamp with the basket in the portafilter.

However, if you are having trouble getting the temperature high enough then removing the portafilter for a long time should be avoided. The simplest way to avoid the pf cooling is to dose and tamp directly into the basket. This way the portafilter is only removed from the machine for the time it takes to drop in the basket and little heat is lost.

With this method it is important to remove the 'clip' that holds the basket tightly in the portafilter. If it is left in you are forced to 'snap' in the basket which can disrupt the tamped grounds and result in poor (uneven) extraction.

Portafilter cooling-
5 seconds - <5F
30 seconds - 5-10F
60 seconds - 10-20F
Home-barista.com thread and alt.coffee topic

note- unless the ambient temperature is very low or you are obsessed with temp stability (!) this technique is not necessary.