Helpful Tips
Use these helpful tips to solve some of your appliance woes.
Questions of Microwave Safety
January 25, 2013
Of all household appliances, the microwave oven is probably the most mysterious. Most people know little about how it operates, and rumors abound of radiation leaks and mutated food. While some of these stories have small elements of truth behind them, trouble can largely be averted with more thorough understanding. Furthermore, there are practical concerns …
Make Your Glass-Ceramic Range Cook Consistently with the Right Cookware
November 19, 2012
The glass-ceramic range is a fascinating and attractive option for your cooktop. While different manufacturers might refer to these cooktops as either glass or ceramic, they are actually a blend of both. This yields the expandability of ceramics and the impermeability of glass. They are much easier to clean than other types of ranges. But …
Proper Maintenance of Your Refrigerator Door Gasket
November 12, 2012
One way to make your refrigerator run more efficiently is by keeping the door gaskets, the rubber seals around the doors, well maintained. In the long term, this will prevent the need for repairs and save electricity, which is no small thing given that your refrigerator accounts for up to ten percent of your total …
Stinky Washer – That Can be Fixed!
October 26, 2012
The clothes washing machine, with its moist, dark interior and its accumulations of soap and grime, is the perfect place for molds and mildews to thrive. This is especially true in damp basements and during humid weather. Front load washers promote even more fungal growth than top loaders, as the front loader is more tightly …
Solving Your Oven Baking Problems
September 28, 2012
Q. My oven isn’t baking properly, how can I tell whether I am doing something wrong or if it is my oven that is faulty? Answer There are many factors that can affect your baking results: Pan Finish Dark pans absorb heat, which results in a browner, crispier crust. Use these types of pans for …
Tackling Your Oversudsing Dishwasher
September 26, 2012
Sometimes soap suds will pour out of your dishwasher as it runs. This can result in a huge mess that can cover the entire kitchen, and streaky dishes to boot. Then again, oversudsing can be less severe; at times the only evidence is water oozing out of the door, pushed by expanding bubbles. But do …
Should I Repair or Replace My Broken Appliance?
September 26, 2012
Any time an appliance fails you are faced with a dilemma: Should I purchase a new machine or should I have it repaired? Many people choose to throw away a good appliance when it would be more appropriate to fix it. However, in some cases repairing your appliance is not the best option, so it …
Oven Use Tips for Holiday Cooking
September 20, 2012
Dave’s Tips Christmas and Holiday cookies depend on a very well preheated oven and good quality, shiny pans to prevent the delicate, thin cookies from excessive bottom browning. Cookware, especially cookie sheets, can darken with age. An old cookie sheet that used to work well when it was new, may cause excessive bottom browning when …
Avoiding Dryer Fires through Routine Service and Repair
September 14, 2012
A clothes dryer that is not properly maintained can be the most dangerous of household appliances. There are over fifteen thousand dryer fires in the United States annually. If you took off the panels that conceal the inner workings of your gas dryer, you might be surprised to see a large fireball heating it up. …
Condenser Coils Cleaning Guide
July 19, 2012
One of the best ways to keep your refrigerator healthy is to clean its condenser coils periodically. It is a simple task in most cases. Once you know how to recognize the coils, the job is pretty straightforward. It takes less than half an hour, so you don’t even have to worry about removing the …