Kitchen Appliance

For many of us, our oven is a familiar staple in the kitchen. Even if you’re not a keen baker, you’re likely to use your oven for family roasts, reheating leftovers, or even warming breakfast. Since the oven is such an essential part of the kitchen, it can be easy to overlook, and many of us have given very little thought to how the domestic oven evolved. So, here we’ll delve into a brief history of the domestic oven. Modest Beginnings Across different civilizations, stone was used to cook foods. In many areas of the world, including the Mediterranean and throughout the Roman Empire, stone was used to contain flame and provide heat to cook food. Typically, wood was used to feed the fire within the enclosure to roast meat and bake bread. This method of cooking differed from the open air fire, which was used to boil water and make soup. Containing the heat was the primary goal of the oven, and this allowed for different types of cooking. Despite the advancements over the years, the basic function of these ancient ovens has remained. The European Influence When the Europeans arrived in America, the traditional stone stove had an upgrade. Colonial homemakers had ventilated brick ovens to cook foods and feed their families. While these ovens lacked the control knobs that we have on modern ovens, they essentially had the same function. Oven users of this time needed to manually add and remove fuel, typically wood, to stoke the

Many fridges are supplied with a hand crisper drawer that keeps your produce fresher for longer. These are often located at the bottom of the fridge space, and some people purchase extra ones if they typically buy more fresh produce. But, some people don’t understand how a crisper drawer works, and they are often used as a storage area for things that don’t fit on a fridge shelf. In this article, we will explain how a crisper drawer works and how to get the best out of it. How Does a Crisper Drawer Work? The crisper drawer is sealed off from the rest of the fridge, and it has a lower or higher humidity compared to the rest of the appliance. There are fridges that have multiple crisper drawers with pre-set humidity settings, and others allow the user to set their own humidity levels. Adjusting the humidity is simple; if you need high humidity and small vent at the rear of the drawer closes, and this seals the compartment. If you need lower humidity, the same vent is opened, and this allows some of the moisture in the crisper drawer to leave. The tricky part is deciding what to store in the crisper drawer and the humidity that you need for different types of fresh produce. What Produce is Stored in a Crisper Drawer? You can store any kind of food in a crisper drawer if you need extra space. But, a crisper drawer will always work better if it’s

Steam ovens have become a massive appliance trend over the last few years. These ovens are a great way to prepare tastier, fresher and healthier foods, but many people don’t understand how they work and how they can be of benefit. So, here we’ll explore all you need to know about steam ovens. The Steam Oven Basics As the name suggests, steam ovens use hot steam to cook food rather than the hot air used in conventional ovens. This introduces an entirely new level of cooking in a home kitchen and can even allow you to reheat foods more effectively than a microwave. A steam oven can be used instead of a standard convection oven or use it with your existing oven for even greater cooking power. Most steam ovens siphon water from a small tank into a built-in boiler. The water is heated to 212ºF, and the steam is released into the oven. The super heated steam is as effective to cook food as the circulated air in a convection oven, but it is often faster. Some upscale models can be connected to a water line directly, so you don’t need to refill the tank after every use, but most models require no special hook up. Why Install a Steam Oven? While this may seem like hype, you can cook almost everything better in a steam oven. Steam ovens are generally thought to be healthier than a standard oven. Steam helps to lock moisture into the food being cooked

Most households have some form of freezer. Whether you need a place to store your favorite ice cream or want to save leftovers, a drawer in your refrigerator may be sufficient. Regardless of the size of your freezer compartment, if you’ve considered a chest freezer, you’re not alone. This is a common question, so, here we’ll explore some factors to consider to help you determine whether a chest freezer could be the right option for your home. Your Family Goes Through Lots of Groceries If you have a large family, or a family with a large appetite, there is no question that you would benefit from a chest freezer. These large appliances can store all the frozen foods your family will need for the next month or two. This will help you avoid needing to go to the grocery store every other day to prevent complaints that your family is starving. The freezer in your refrigerator can only hold so much, so a chest freezer can act as a back-up. You can not only store meat products effectively, but you’ll also be able to bulk cook and freeze portions for times when you have less time for cooking. You’re the Ultimate Party Host Regardless of the occasion, if the call is to head to your house, then having a chest freezer will be an excellent feature for your party hosting. A chest freezer will allow you to prepare foods days ahead of your party and store it properly. This will

A kitchen with no major appliances is basically a blank canvas. When you install new appliances, you can add more character to your kitchen, but this is not an easy decision. Each appliance finish has different characteristics and will bring a different ambiance to your kitchen. So, here we’ll explore the most popular appliance finishes to help you to choose the right one to complement your kitchen design. Contemporary Stainless Steel Stainless steel has become the go-to appliance finish for many homeowners. This type of finish goes well with everything, carrying the power to make any kitchen cabinets feel more modern and new. Today, stainless steel appliances tend to be fingerprint resistant, making them a great choice for homes with small children that may leave little finger marks all over. Stainless steel can add contemporary sophistication to any kitchen decor, providing a safe option for your kitchen decor. Bold Black If you want to create dramatic appeal in your kitchen aesthetic, bold black or black stainless steel could be the perfect choice for your appliances. This is an intense hue that can be paired with almost any other color to create a vivid contrast, particularly with white. If you want to make a stylish statement, black is undoubtedly a bold choice, but if you have a smaller kitchen, it may not be the right option for you. Having a great deal of black in smaller areas can make the space look crowded and even smaller. This finish is best avoided

When refrigerators first began to appear in homes, they were equipped with a single door, and there wasn’t even an option of a freezer. Once the freezer started to become in demand, there was the standard option of a French door style with the fridge on one side and the freezer on the other or the freezer on top. Today, the bottom freezer has become an increasingly popular design. This provides a single wide door or two french doors for refrigeration with the freezer in one or two drawers underneath. So, here we’ll explore the advantages of this type of design and why it may be the right choice for your kitchen. Putting Your Favorite Foods in Easy Reach In most households, frozen food is used less frequently, while the refrigerator door seems to be continually opened and closed. So, putting the freezer at the bottom leaves you lots of room for all your fresh and chilled food at eye level, preventing the need to kneel down to get access to your vegetable drawer. This can be invaluable when you are trying to prepare dinner with fresh produce and avoid items being forgotten below eye level to spoil. Double Width Design A side by side freezer and refrigerator can be limited in terms of the cooling and frozen capacity, as each side occupies only a portion of the total appliance width. So another advantage to this type of design is that it offers a double width fridge portion. This makes

These days a dishwasher is considered an essential home appliance. Most homes are equipped with a dishwasher, but this doesn’t mean that everyone is enjoying sparkling clean dishes. Although there are a lot of factors that can affect dishwasher’s performance, one of the most important is the detergent. Using too little detergent will leave your dishes dirty, but too much can also create problems. So here we’ll delve a little deeper into how much detergent you should be using to get those sparkling clean results. How Old is Your Appliance? The first consideration for determining the correct amount of dishwasher detergent is the age of your appliance. If you’ve recently upgraded from an old machine, you’re likely to have experienced some issues if you’ve not adjusted your detergent levels. Modern dishwashers are designed to be as energy and water efficient as possible, so they use far less water than older models. This reduced water use means that you also need far less soap to complete the task. In the late 1970s when dishwashers had started to become very popular, the average model used approximately 15 gallons of water per cycle. This decreased to between six and 10 gallons per average cycle in the 2000s, but has dropped again with today’s dishwashers that can use as little as 2 gallons. This makes it easy to see how using the same amount of detergent that you’ve gotten used to using in your 1980s model is sure to create a problem in a

Refrigerator and freezer temperatures can be tricky. Often the first sign that your appliance is malfunctioning is that it doesn’t seem to be cool enough. With many homeowners now focused on saving energy and having a greener home, is it really necessary to set your freezer to 0º? The FDA Stance According to the FDA, refrigerators should be set at or below 40º, while freezers should remain at 0º. Even energy conservation groups and sites adhere to this, with many advocating that while a refrigerator set 10º colder than necessary could be using 25 percent more energy, the appliance should be kept at 35 to 38º. So, with so many legitimate sources promoting the 0º stance, is there still reason to consider otherwise? There have been articles in the media that suggest that it is okay to adjust the temperature of both the refrigerator and freezer while keeping your food safe. In fact, when you look back at studies conducted in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, these temperatures were brought in to maintain food safety in the appliances of those eras. The temperature of 40º was chosen for refrigerators to minimize the potential for bacterial growth. This number continues to be important in the food industry today, even with the flash freezing and newer technologies today. Freezing temperatures are a little more complicated. There is a science behind obtaining the best temperature to slow or stop enzymes while preserving nutrients. Enzymes are responsible for the ripening and eventual rotting of

Most of us enjoy a glass of wine to relax after a tough day, but if you start to become a real wine lover, you’ll need to ensure that you store your bottles properly. Improperly stored wine can suffer from oxidation and lose some of that bouquet and body. So, here we have some top tips to help you store your wine like a PRO. Understand the Proper Storage Temperatures If you have a bottle of cheap white, it is easy to pop it in the refrigerator, but serious wine lovers need to understand the proper storage temperatures. The temperature can dramatically affect the smell and taste of your wine, and if you want to keep those spicy, fruity aromas, when you pour a glass, you need to understand the correct storage temperatures. Generally, sweet wines should be stored at 42ºf for whites, and Rose’ at 50ºf while Reds at 54ºf. These are a good guideline for most wines, but some others require a little more care. For example, Champagne should be stored at 46ºf, while Port should be kept at 60ºf. For the optimal serving temperatures, you should not allow your wine to hit temperatures above 55ºf for whites and 68ºf for reds. Consider Humidity While the proper temperature is critical, you also need to consider the humidity levels. The correct humidity is tied directly to the wine corks, particularly in long-term storage. If the humidity is too low, your wine corks can dry out; compromising the seal and

Modern refrigerators have evolved to be more than just somewhere to keep your produce cool. Today’s appliances aim to aid convenient and healthy living, with some fantastic time-saving features. This does mean that you need to know what features you need in your new refrigerator. So, here we’ll explore some must have features you should look for on your new refrigerator. Adjustable Shelves Tempered glass shelves are considered to the standard in refrigerators, but it is also crucial that they are adjustable. Tempered glass is designed to be strong, durable and safe, but to maximize space and make cleaning more manageable, the shelves should be flexible. Adjustable shelves allow you to tailor your new refrigerator to your specific needs, so you can have plenty of space to keep all your chilled items organized. Energy Star Compliance Energy efficient appliances can provide savings of approximately 10 percent on energy bills each year. Only the most efficient models qualify for Energy Star ratings, so it is essential to look for the Energy Star sticker. While you may pay a little more initially, you can not only reduce your energy bills, but also passively reduce your environmental footprint. Counter Depth Counter depth appliances have been around for decades, but this feature is often overlooked. By choosing a counter depth refrigerator, you can achieve a more custom, built-in look. A counter depth refrigerator can add sleek lines to any style of kitchen, but are particularly effective for contemporary kitchens where clean lines are important