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Appliances for Cooking, Cleaning, & Care

Kitchen Redesign Regrets

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Many of us would love to have the kitchen of our dreams, equipped with beautiful appliances, cabinets and countertops, and one that will surely impress family and friends at a get-together. For some, those dreams became nightmares when their kitchen redesigns didn’t go as planned. Readers of This Old House magazine share some of their experiences of when kitchen remodeling went awry.  Some kitchen can remodels can be stressful – and expensive – experiences. This Old House suggests you follow these tips when planning to remodel to help make the process go smoother:

4 Steps to Fewer Regrets

1. Invest in the best quality materials and workmanship you can afford. A shoddy job will have to be redone sooner, creating more waste and costing you more in the end.

2. Know your needs and plan ahead. Choose materials that will stand up to kids, clean freaks, dogs—whatever’s “real” in your world.

3. Listen to the experts. Kitchen designers, architects, and fellow remodelers all know things you need to learn—the sooner, the better.

4. Go with your gut. If you’re second-guessing yourself now, chances are you’ll be smacking yourself six months down the road.

Do you have any advice from your kitchen remodeling experience?

Tips to Consider when Buying your Next Vacuum

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Canister or upright? With a bag or without? These are just a few of the questions you might have when trying to decide which vacuum to buy. Finding the right one can be more difficult than you think, especially if have pets, have limited storage space or have to carry the vacuum up a flight of stairs. If you’ve shopped online or in the store then you probably know that vacuums come in a variety of styles to fit every budget – just like cars.

AHAM has assembled some buying tips courtesy of HuffPost Home:

  • Keep in mind what you’ll use your vacuum cleaner for the most: “The toughest job for a vacuum is deep-cleaning carpets, which is what our research says is the number-one job people want in their vacuum. Equally important is being lightweight enough that it’s not hard to push, pull, lift and generally maneuver. Third is durability,” says Consumer Reports Senior Home & Yard Editor, Ed Perratore.
  • DO: Buy a vacuum that works with your lifestyle. “We test for pet-hair pickup and find that some models do very well at getting up what their pet sheds without the hair wrapping around the brush. Neither uprights nor canisters have the edge there. For apartment dwellers, the size of the unit matters a lot. If you have lots of carpets, we recommend bagged uprights since they tend to have the best airflow and suction. If you don’t want to lug around an upright and also maybe vacuum stairs a lot, consider a canister. And for general pickup of spilled dry items and dust, many people also have hand, stick and even robotic vacs–though you can’t count on them for deep-cleaning.”
  • DON’T: Forget that it’s all about HOW you use the vacuum. “There are a few ways to vacuum “wrong.” Never vacuum water or even a wet floor; use a wet/dry vac instead. Change your bag or empty your bin promptly; it affects available airflow. Ditto for the filters; inspect them every couple of months. If you vacuum up something big like a sock, turn the vacuum off right away–besides blocking airflow, you could break the belt, which is there to protect the motor. And if you vacuum a bare floor like wood or laminate and don’t turn off the brush (or don’t have a brush on/off switch), you’ll wear away that floor’s finish over time.”

View the complete article here.

Also, GoodHousekeeping.com has advice on keeping your vacuum running smoothly for years to come. Here are a few of them:

  • What’s the difference between a canister and an upright vacuum?
    A canister vacuum is generally more versatile. Like uprights, canisters handle carpets, but they’re also great at cleaning bare floors, vacuuming stairs and sucking up dirt from corners.
  • Which is better — a vacuum with a bag or a bagless vacuum?
    Neither is better. The Good Housekeeping Institute tests show that both clean equally well. Which you buy depends on personal preference. Bagless cleaners save you the trouble of having to buy extra bags, but they can be messy to empty, and the filters and dust containers must be kept clean. While vacuums with bags keep dust and dirt contained, they are tricky to retrieve an earring or small object that gets sucked up accidentally.
  • Do more amps mean better cleaning?
    If you’re tempted to buy a model with the highest amps, horsepower or watts, you might want to think again. These numbers are simply measurements of the electrical current used by the motor. A vacuum cleaner’s performance depends on airflow, the amount of suction it produces, and other factors including the overall design and attachments.

You can find more Good Housekeeping tips here.

Don’t Own a Grill? No Problem! Follow these Indoor Grilling Tips!

For most, a sizzling summer usually conjures up images of backyard barbeque and flipping burgers on the grill. Unfortunately for apartment and condo dwellers, grilling outdoors is probably not an option. AHAM has assembled some quick tips courtesy of Men’s Fitness magazine for those who are limited to cooking indoors:

  • Pick a heavy pan – When grilling indoors, a single pan takes the place of the entire gas or charcoal grill, so the thing better be sturdy.
  • Burn-proof your meat and vegetables – To ensure a successful indoor grill session, pat food dry if it’s damp, lightly brush it with olive oil, and season both sides with salt and pepper before tossing it over heat.
  • Get grillin’- Place the grill pan on the stovetop and heat it until it is very hot, then reduce the heat to medium-low and maintain that temperature throughout the cooking process. If the pan starts to smoke, it’s getting too hot and the heat should be turned down.
  • Let the smoke escape – Open your kitchen windows and turn on fans before you turn on the flame.
  • Or contain it in the oven – How to do it: Place one rack on the floor of the oven and set your grill pan on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500˙F. Give the oven and the pan 10 minutes to fully heat. Then cook items on the grill pan as you would normally, turning halfway through cooking. Keep the oven door closed as much as possible to maintain heat and contain the smoke.

Check out the Men’s Fitness article for more tips.

And no matter if you’re cooking indoors or outdoors, food safety should be your first priority. The last thing you want is for you or your guests to become ill because the food wasn’t cooked thoroughly. That’s why you should always use a meat thermometer while cooking, never assume meat is “done?? just by its color. Here’s a guide to safe minimum cooking temperatures courtesy of FoodSafety.org. Of course, you also need to keep those perishable foods cool and make sure leftovers don’t stay out too long. Find additional advice here.

Happy grilling!

Chill Out with These Blender Tips and Recipes this Summer

With summer in full swing, there’s no doubt a lot of us will be using our blenders to whip up a frozen concoction. However, you can also use your blender to accomplish a lot more at your backyard barbeque or dinner party than you may realize, such as:
Homemade dressings for summer salads

  • Shakes, malts and fruit smoothies
  • Cold summer soups
  • Salsa and other fresh vegetable dips
  • Homemade barbeque sauce and other sauces for veggies and meats

From budget to high-end models, to handheld and countertop blends and multifunction models with reversible blades you have numerous options so finding a blender that best fits your needs should be pretty easy. Additionally, manufacturers are designing blenders with an array of bright colors in addition to the traditional classic models. They also offer easy cleanup and most units are small enough to fit under standard kitchen cabinets. Consumer Reports and Housewares.com have great advice on what to look for when purchasing your next blender.

To help you plan that next barbeque or family dinner, The Blender Girl has a list of healthy recipes to get you started. Food.com has a long list of recipes that show a wide variety of food you can prepare using a blender, from pizza dough to buffalo chicken soup. And last but not least, Delish.com has a recipe list of the best blended drinks.   What are your favorites blender mixes?

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