Kitchen

Internet Enabled Wall Ovens- Now your Blackberry can make dinner

March 8, 2007 By NightOwl

Ah those were the days. Mom in the kitchen cooking dinner (chops, potatos, peas) while we all played tag outside for hours until she finally called as the sun came down “Dinner” and we slowly worked our way back home for a family dinner. But what happens if the boys are at little league, the girls are at karate, dad’s stuck on the freeway, and mom is on the way to pick everybody up as she swings home from court? Well if you want to justify having those two incomes check out this super hot (or super cold) integrated refrigerated double wall oven with internet controls. Just buy a premade meal from one of those almost home cooked shops and toss it in the oven before you leave in the morning. Afraid of salmonella? no problem. These ovens have built in refrigeration. Program it to stay cold all day. When you walk out of court, you can pull up the browser on your blackberry, hit the oven over the wireless net and tell it to start cooking.

Pick up the kids, meet dad on the driveway, and dinner is waiting as you walk in. The Jetsons never had it so good.

Check it out here: SuperSmart Internet Enabled Wall Ovens

TMIO announced an expanded Intelligent Oven product line based on the original Connect Io double wall oven of consistent accolades. The original Connect Io double offers remote control by Internet and telephone, and comes with built-in refrigeration to keep foods fresh before and after cooking. These advanced remote features allow homeowners to communicate with the oven to give cooking, warming, and refrigeration instructions so that “dinner is ready when you are.”

Internet controlled wall ovens from IMIO

Here’s a link to TMIO: to read more

How to ruin your electric wall oven for under a buck

March 7, 2007 By WorkinMan

No matter how high tech our ovens, ranges and other appliances get, we’re sometimes still driven to try old fashioned fixes. I’m sure that you hate when your food overflows and spills on the bottom of the oven. You know its just gonna burn off and smoke up the joint before its gone. So you quickly try mom’s old trick of lining the bottom of the oven with foil. Maybe not such a great idea with today’s high powered, but delicately balanced ovens. I found this piece in a Missouri paper called the News Leader.

You want to keep your oven sparkling clean so you protect it by putting aluminum foil on racks, under food as it cooks, and down on the oven floor where food drops and burns to a crisp. But instead of helping, you’re hurting your oven.
Foil placed on the oven floor reflects and intensifies heat, which can cause the bake element to burn out prematurely.

Foil placed under foods on the racks is bad because it traps heat in the bottom of the oven, keeping it from circulating and reaching the heat sensor near the top. Severe overheating is possible; besides damaging the bake element, that could also affect insulation in the oven wall and discolor or even crack oven-door glass.

By disrupting temperatures and air circulation, aluminum foil messes up cooking times, too.

A quickie clean just isn’t worth it.

Recall: Maytag and Jenn-Air Dishwashers – Fire Hazard

February 2, 2007 By NightOwl

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of product: Maytag® and Jenn-Air® brand dishwashers

Units: About 2.3 million

Manufacturer: Maytag Corp., of Newton, Iowa

Hazard: Liquid rinse-aid can leak from its dispenser and come into contact with the dishwasher’s internal wiring which can short-circuit and ignite, posing a fire hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: Maytag has received 135 reports of dishwasher fires, resulting in product and/or property damage. Four injuries have been reported, including three reports of smoke inhalation and one serious hand laceration when operating a fire extinguisher to put out a fire in the dishwasher.

Description: The recall involves Maytag® and Jenn-Air® under counter or portable plastic tub dishwashers. The dishwashers have black, white, almond, bisque and stainless steel front panels. The following model and serial numbers are printed on a label located on the dishwasher’s plastic frame on top of or to the left of the door opening. Consumers should contact Maytag to determine if their dishwasher is included in this recall.

Brand	Model numbers MUST begin with…	AND serial numbers MUST end with…
Maytag®	MDB3, MDB4, MDB5, MDB6, MDB7, MDB8, MDB9, MDBD, MDC3, MDC4, MDC5, DWU9	SM, SQ, SS, SU, SW, SY, SZ, UB, UD, UF, UH, UK, UM, UQ, US, UU, UW, UY, UZ, WB, WD, WF, WH, WK, WM, WQ, WS, WU, WW, WY, WZ, YB, YD, YF, YH, YK, YM, YQ, YS, YU, YW, YY, YZ
Jenn-Air®	JDB3, JDB4, JDB5, JDB6, JDB7	UB, UD, UF, UH, UK, UM, UQ, US, UU, UW, UY, UZ, WB, WD, WF, WH, WK, WM, WQ, WS, WU, WW, WY, WZ, YB, YD, YF, YH, YK, YM, YQ, YS, YU, YW, YY, YZ

Sold at: Department and appliance stores and by homebuilders nationwide from July 1997 through June 2001 for between $370 and $800.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using these dishwashers, disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it and inform all users of the dishwasher about the risk of fire. Contact Maytag for either a free in-home repair, or a $75 cash back reimbursement following the purchase of a new Maytag®, Jenn-Air®, Whirlpool® or KitchenAid® dishwasher. Consumers should not return the dishwasher to the retailer where it was purchased, as retailers are not prepared to take units back.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Maytag Corporation at (800) 675-0535 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.repair.maytag.com

Microwaving Sponges May NOT Kill Germs

January 29, 2007 By Appliance

Well, the skeptics are coming out to challenge the news we reported earlier that microwave ovens may kill germs.

good housekeeping seal According to the kitchen technology and appliances director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute Karen Franke:

“We don’t recommend that people do it,” she told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. “They take the risk that their sponge will not be sanitized. It’s a false security.”

Kitchen sponges are the No. 1 source of germs in the house and as many as 80 million Americans contract food-borne illnesses each year — 9,000 of those Americans die.

Critical factors are whether the sponge is wet or dry and the size and power of the microwave oven used. There is also a danger of fire.

In an article entitled Microwave experiments cause sponge disasters there were some strong comments by those who experimented based on the news… omitting the step of wetting the sponge:

“Just wanted you to know that your article on microwaving sponges and scrubbers aroused my interest. However, when I put my sponge/scrubber into the microwave, it caught fire, smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and p*ssed me off,” one correspondent wrote in an e-mail to Reuters.

“First, the sponge is worthless afterwards so you have to throw it out instead of using it. And second your entire house stinks like a burning tyre for several hours, even with windows/doors open,” complained another.

An inexpensive alternative for frugal shoppers is plain bleach. Add about a teaspoon of bleach to a cup of water, let the sponge sit in the mixture for five minutes, and then germs will be gone.

Good Housekeeping also advises NOT to rely on dishwashers to clean sponges since the water doesn’t get hot enough.

Microwave Ovens Kill Germs

January 26, 2007 By Appliance

Not sure if I ever saw this in a Hints from Heloise column but it’s the kind of news that shows us again that some obvious solutions are easy, inexpensive and right under our noses.

Who knew that microwave ovens can sterilize sponges?

microwave sponges Microwave ovens are famous for cooking or heating the food but the appliance that cooks food by means of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation can also help in keeping bacteria away from taking over kitchen, a team of environmental engineers from the University of Florida reported on Monday, January 22.

Working as a sterilizer, this kitchen device sanitizes the household sponges and plastic scrubbers, known to be common carriers of the bacteria and viruses that cause food-borne illnesses, with its microwave radiations rapidly and effectively, meaning that people can use their microwaves as an inexpensive and effective weapon against E.coli, salmonella and other bugs at the root of increasing incidents of potentially deadly food poisoning and other illnesses.

In their study, published this week in the American Journal of Environmental Health, the U.S. researchers have said that two minutes in a microwave can sterilize sponges and dishcloths after use, killing more than 99 per cent of the harmful bacteria that cause illness.

“Basically what we find is that we could knock out most bacteria in two minutes. People often put their sponges and scrubbers in the dishwasher, but if they really want to decontaminate them and not just clean them, they should use the microwave,” said lead author Gabriel Bitton, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Florida.

Following are some comments of microwaving sponges and the conditions under which the University of Florida carried out its experiments, not addressing any other conditions nor other materials:

Sponges used in our study: The sponges we used were all cellulose sponges (O-cel-O from 3M Co. and the Williams Sonoma Pop-Up sponges; no official endorsement is implied). We have no data on synthetic sponges, Loofah sponges or any other sponges.
Microwave oven used: The microwave oven used in our study has a power of 1,100 watts (which is the power found in many consumers’ ovens). We generally microwaved the sponges at 80%-90% power level.
Exposure time: In the study, it was found that exposure of the sponge for 2 minutes is sufficient for most applications. However, the sponges have to be fully soaked with water before microwave treatment.
Metallic pads: No metallic scrubbing pads should be put in the microwave.
Soapy sponges can be microwaved (you might see soap bubbles forming during microwaving). Do not microwave sponges containing detergents or other chemicals as they may release some undesirable and potentially toxic fumes.
Beware of hot sponges after exposure to microwave.
Consumers should use common sense in trying to zap their sponges in their kitchens. If they have a microwave oven with a higher power or sponges with a different chemical composition, they should exercise caution.

Another article reminds us NOT to put dishcloths in microwave ovens:

“Attempting to sterilize a dishcloth in this way is extremely dangerous. There are too many variable factors such as the capacity/power of the microwave oven or the moisture content of the dishcloth or sponge. Scalding is another potential hazard.”

Farberware Fruit Slicers and Corers – Lifetime Brands Inc. Recall

December 21, 2006 By NightOwl

Farber Fruit Slicer and Corer Name of Product: Farberware Classic Series Fruit Slicers and Corers

Units: About 207,000

Manufacturer: Lifetime Brands Inc., of Westbury, N.Y.

Hazard: The metal blade can separate from the plastic handle during use, resulting in cuts to consumer’s hands and fingers.

Incidents/Injuries: Lifetime Brands has received 34 reports of the blade separating from the handle, including nine reports of cuts to consumers’ hands and fingers.

Description: The recalled product is the Farberware(r) Classic Series(tm) Fruit Slicer and Corer with model number 78350. The model number is written on the packaging. The fruit slicer/corer is an eight-section round metal blade encircled in hard black plastic with two handles. “FARBERWARE” is printed on the top of the handle.

Sold at: Grocery, hardware, discount and other retail stores nationwide from January1999 through October 2006 for about $4.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using these fruit slicer/corers immediately and return them to Lifetime Brands Inc. for a refund.

Customer Contact: For additional information, contact Lifetime Brands Inc. at toll-free (888) 568-1533 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or write an email to fruitslicer@lifetimebrands.com

See this recall on CPSC’s web site.

RECALL: Atico Espresso Makers

November 8, 2006 By Appliance

Atico International USA, Inc. Recalls Espresso Makers for Burn and Impact Injury Hazards

Name of Product: Espresso Express(tm) Espresso Makers

Units: About 54,000

Distributor: Atico International USA, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Hazard: The espresso maker’s heating element can forcefully separate from its base during the brewing cycle. This poses burn and impact injury hazards to nearby consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Atico International has received 42 reports of incidents involving the heating element forcefully separating from its base. Among these incidents, there were nine reports of minor scald burns and seven reports of consumers being hit by parts of the espresso maker.

Description: The Espresso Maker has a black base and a silver water reservoir. The coffee carafe is smoke-colored plastic with a back handle. The words “EspressoExpress(tm)” are imprinted on the black base. The item number is W14A7166, which is located underneath the base.

Sold at: CVS Pharmacy, Farmacias El Amal, Happy Harry’s, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Kerr Drug, Bartell Drug and Lewis Drug from August 2005 through October 2005 for between $15 and $30.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled espresso makers and contact Atico for product verification and instructions on returning the product for a refund.

Consumer Contact: Call Atico International USA, Inc. at (877) 546-4835 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go the company’s Web site at www.aticousa.com

See this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product.

Starbucks Barista Aroma Coffee Maker Recall

October 18, 2006 By Appliance

Starbucks Announces Recall of 8-Cup Coffee Brewers Due to Possible Fire
Hazard – October 17, 2006

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 453-1047
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Starbucks Media Contact: (206) 318-7100

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturer named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Starbucks Barista Aroma(tm) Stainless Steel 8-Cup Coffee Brewers
Units: About 73,000

Distributor: Starbucks Coffee Company, of Seattle, Wash.

Hazard: The coffee brewer has defective electrical wiring that can result in overheating, smoking, burning and melting, posing a possible fire hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: Starbucks has received 23 reports of melting in the plastic housing of the brewers. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall includes the Starbucks Barista Aroma 8-Cup Coffee Brewer only. “Starbucks Barista Aroma” is embossed on the front of the brewer and the brewer has silver control panel buttons and a chrome finish. The Starbucks Barista Grande 12-Cup Coffee Brewer and Starbucks Barista Solo Coffee Brewers are not included in this recall.

Sold at: Starbucks company-owned and operated stores nationwide between March 2005 and September 2006 for about $100.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled coffee brewers immediately and contact Starbucks for a full refund. Consumers will receive a postage-paid package along with instructions on how to return their brewer. Starbucks is also offering a coupon (valid through 1/31/07) for a free pound of coffee as an incentive to return the recalled machine.

Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers should contact Starbucks’ Barista Aroma recall hotline at (800) 453-1047 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. MT (11 a.m. and 11 p.m. ET), or visit the company’s Web site at www.starbucks.com – consumers may also write to Starbucks Coffee Company at Customer Relations, Starbucks Coffee Company, mailstop S-RC1, P.O. Box 3717, Seattle, WA 98124-3717.

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07006.html

Shhh ! We’re hunting for a quiet washing machine

September 29, 2006 By NightOwl

Many people will find this hard to believe, but my last washing machine lasted almost twenty years. When it finally needed a new transmission, (who knew washers had transmissions?) I shopped around for the quietest washing machine I could get.

The two features that mattered most to me were capacity and quietness. The Kenmore that we were retiring had served us well, so after some comparison shopping, we bought a top loader from Sears that we were told would be quiet. Boy were they wrong! The machine could be heard throughout my house. Sears was very nice about exchanging it for another model. We chose the newest design Sears has called the Oasis. I thought it sounded like a nice compromise between a top and a front loader. Theses are a few of the facts I learned about washers while I waited for the second machine to arrive.

The agitator (that large corkscrew in the center of the tub) is the source of the noise.

Every manufacturer has it’s own definition of noise insulation. There is one manufacturer, Bosch, that measures the noise of it’s machines (and not just it’s washers) in decibels bosch nexxt washing machine

There is really no way of knowing how loud the machine will be until you use it at home. Some stores will plug in a machine and run it for you, but without laundry and your home environment, anything you hear will still be an approximation..

The Oasis technology was only six months old when I ordered my new washer and there was very little information about how well these new agitatorless toploaders worked. There was certainly nothing about their durability. Maytag had tried a toploading agitatorless machine with dismal results. I started getting nervous about my decision; we were about to spend close to $1000 on an appliance we knew nothing about. I spent more time researching quiet washers.

I had heard that Miele made some quiet machines but that they had smaller capacities, were costly and I could not be assured of a low noise level. My Aunt has a newer Fisher-Paykel, which she likes but both local salespeople and the company customer service representative agreed that the spin cycle sounds like a jet airplane taking off. I learned that Bosch makes what is likely the quietest washer on the market. As I noted earlier, they measure the sound level in decibels and all of the Nexxt models ranged from 54dB to 58dB. Some quick research revealed that 30 decibels is equivalent to a soft whisper, 50 to rainfall and 60 to normal conversation. I was convinced.

Sears was wonderful about everything. I had no problem canceling the Oasis order and they even let me postpone the pick up of the noisy Kenmore until the delivery of my new Bosch.

The Bosch washing machine is QUIET! We can stand directly in front of it and barely hear the swoosh and flop of the clothes. Often we don’t even realize it is running until we notice the movement through the window. (Watching the laundry through the window entertained us all for the first few days.) One of my concerns with a front loading machine was that I wouldn’t be able to add an item once the cycle had started. (There always seems to be a stray sock that tries to escape.) This is not a problem at all. There is a pause button that unlocks the door and the cycle continues. (Sometimes it adds a few minutes to the total cycle time.) The washer uses so little water that my visions of flooding were instantly disproved. Not only that but the capacity is unbelievable and the clothes come out very clean.

As with the first machine I purchased, some things only become apparent once the appliance is set up in the laundry room. This Bosch (and I have since learned this is true in other Bosch owning households) is loud during the spin cycle and rocks itself out of place if the machine is very full. The Bosch repairman changed the feet to ones that are meant for soft floors (I have a laminate floor) and that has helped a bit. I was amazed to find that Bosch plans for the differences in floors and will make this change without charge. The other factor that adds to the noise, which I cannot change, is that my laundry room is not on the ground floor. Most problems with noise seem to come from the instability and reverberation of a second floor location.

So far the Bosch is cleaning beautifully and has fit our needs quite well. It was easy to understand all the cycles and how to use them (Although it chooses the water level and that was different.) It uses only about two tablespoons of high efficiency detergent so the cost per bottle of HE detergent and regular detergent is about equal. The cycles run longer than my old machine, but the extremely fast spin cycle removes so much water that drying time is literally cut in half. (I can dry a load of jeans in about 35 minutes.) Overall, I am very pleased with my new Bosch Nexxt washer and plan to purchase the matching dryer when my twenty year old Kenmore wears out.

Kitchen Improvements Pay

September 15, 2006 By Appliance

From a UK website called NewsShopper. I’ve substituted American English for British English:

It’s often said the kitchen is the room most likely to persuade you to buy a property – or put you off. If you’re thinking of selling, it pays to ensure your kitchen is up to scratch.

Kitchens matter, and even if you’re not selling, an attractive and functional kitchen adds value to your home and makes it easier to live in.

Gutting the room and starting from scratch is a great but only if you have the cash, time and patience, because it is disruptive and expensive.

If you want a quick fix, however, there things you can do without it costing the earth.

The layout of your kitchen is key because it’s such a functional room. If the layout isn’t right, your options for changing it without gutting it are limited, but there are some.

The most ergonomic layout is to have the refrigerator, sink, and the oven and stove in a triangle in relation to each other. It should be a triangle because these are the three things you keep returning to in a kitchen, especially when preparing a meal.

If you don’t have this triangle configuration, can you move something so that you do? Maybe you can swap appliances over, or put an under-counter fridge where you once had a unit.

If lack of worktop space is a problem, think of how you can make what you’ve got go further. For example, microwave brackets get this appliance off the worktop, creating a surprising amount of room.

If your home is on the market, something as simple as removing the dishrack before viewings makes the draining board seem part of the worktop and thus creates the illusion of more space.

Remember people viewing your home will open your cupboards and drawers, so it’s important to keep these tidy and uncluttered.

Another solution to lack of workspace is to install an island unit – if you’ve got the room.

If you haven’t, maybe a slimline table or breakfast bar will give you more workspace and still allow you to move round the room with ease.

Any kitchen you can bill as a kitchen/diner when selling your home is a bonus because these are much in demand, so even if you can only squeeze in a small breakfast bar or table, do so. Hinged tables which fold flat against the wall when not in use are a good idea if space is tight, and installing one is a relatively simple DIY job.

If clutter from your cupboards tends to spill out onto the worktop, you have to force yourself to be tidy and stay tidy until your home’s sold. Try putting utensils in drawers or jars/pots and store pastas, cereals and the like in ceramic, glass or chrome airtight jars, preferably stackable ones.

If you’ve got nice glasses, crockery pots and pans, get out your drill and put up some shelves – floating shelves are very fashionable – which gets them out of the cupboards, freeing up space.

Baskets or boxes can also be stacked on top of wall units if your kitchen has high ceilings and you need to make the most of the space – looking in need of storage is a big no-no when selling your home – though don’t store anything needed too often, or too heavy, up there.

When you’re replacing a kitchen, it’s easy to incorporate manufacturer’s clever design ideas for awkward and small spaces, but if you’re making the best of what you’ve already got, it pays to think laterally, especially when selling your home.