Christmas Shopping for Your Favorite Chef

When You Just Aren’t Sure What to Get Them

Everyone is hustling and bustling, trying to find gifts that say 'I love you', 'you matter to me' or even 'I really love the food you make, even if we're just coworkers.' We're right with you.  Trying to figure out what the buy or make for people is complicated! So we've put together a list of potential gifts for the special chefs in your life. 

 Starting off with something every chef needs, a good set of knives. If you've ever listened to your chef-y friends talk then you know that with a proper knife there's almost nothing you can't do. On the other hand, if you're stuck with a poor quality knife, you're constantly having to sharpen it before you ever start to work.  This Wakoli 3 piece Damascus steel knife set is a fantastic gift for the favorite chef in your life. It comes with a 9-inch Santoku knife, a 7-inch Santoku and then a 5-inch paring knife.  If you want something that serves as both very pretty and a will be used for decades to come, this is a good bet. 

Price: $120

Next up we've got something that hits both 'cute' and 'useful' marks on your list. A set of Matryoshka dolls that serve as measuring cups. The dolls are made of white pressed plastic, and stack together when not in use. They range from 1 cup at the largest and each doll 'half' steps down by 1/4 cup. Absolutely adorable, easily stored and they can flavor to your kitchen. These might be perfect for a young nice or nephew who is just getting started in the kitchen or someone who loves cute things, but also practicality. 

Price: $13 

Think about the nonstick pans that you love. Now think about all the times when you're in the middle of cooking and you accidentally grab a metal spatula instead of a silicone one. By adding a few more tools to your kitchen and keeping them closer to the stove, you can fix that.  This set comes with 2 spoons, 2 spatulas, 1 jar 'spatula' and a brush for sauces, glazes etc.  It's also available in several different color options, and comes with a steel core so that it'll be more durable than some of the other silicone tools you can buy. 

Price: $20 

If your favorite chef is a lover of different spices, this can be a great gift. A stainless steel spice tower with solid glass jars, to make it easy to look at the different spices, as well as being clearly labeled.  This spice tower spins in place and easily holds of 20 jars of their favorite spices. The company also offers a 5 year spice renewal program. You can purchase the tower and register it with them and for 5 years you get free spices, all you have to do is pay shipping. It's two gifts in one, unlimited spices and a place to store them.  

Price: $50 

Following hard on the heels of our last gift, this one is a bit.. different. It's a label maker. For those of us that love cooking and baking you can end up with all sorts of unlabeled jars. You have friends that give you jars of spices from around the world, you experiment with different combinations, and sometimes labels just fall off. Then you're left staring at a jar going "I know I put some nutmeg in here, and I can taste a little anise, but what the heck is that third one?" Enter the label maker. Now it's easy to label your jars and you're not going to mix up your poultry seasoning with your baking spices. (Yep, we've done it. That's what happens when you don't sniff an unlabeled jar and just toss it into the pot instead.) 

Price: $35 

For the coffee loving chef in your life, you might consider this gift. An easy-to-use grinder that can handle enough beans for 12 cups of coffee at once. The center chamber is removeable to make for easy cleanup and pouring. You can also use it for spices if you prefer to grind your own before use.  And at this asking price, you could even go so far as to buy 3. One for you, one for coffee and one for spices! 

Price: $17

Sometimes you don't want to fight with finding the 'right' spot on your stove for your frying pan. You want to turn it on and get cooking. You also don't want to deal with food sticking to the pan and becoming scorched. Both of these problems are solved by the BELLA Electric Ceramic Skillet. It's able to heat smoothly and consistently in a way that your stove usually doesn't and keep food from sticking to it. You can use it to saute, fry, roast and steam, all without having to argue for space on your stove. Using the skillet also means that you can use it for a main dish while you use your stove to cook sides of your meal. Alternatively, this could be used if you're in a tiny home without much of a kitchen. 

Price: 35

If you're looking to find out what all of the fuss is over air fryers, this might be a good place to start. Not only can you use it for everything from frozen foods to donuts (fresh donuts! At home!) but you can also try it out for a wide variety of different recipes from everyone's favorite food & craft site, Pinterest. While this is a  slightly more expensive model, it's well worth it when you can cook 6qts of food in one go rather than having to do batch after batch. 

Price:  $120

What's worse than having to wait for your kettle to boil so you can wait to brew tea? Having to wait for that perfect cup of tea for whatever the day has thrown at you? Nothing. Nothing is the answer we're looking for.  Fortunately, this electric kettle from Mueller can help. Able to hold 1.8 liters or a little over 7 cups, it's perfect. It boils quickly, auto shuts off, and has 'boil-dry' protection. (Tell us you haven't accidentally turned the stove on without checking if there was water in the kettle at least once. No? We didn't think so. We get it though.) Best of all, there's no frustrating cord to fight with. The kettle sits on a plate that heats the water inside it, and can be removed and carried wherever you need once it's come to a boil. We'll take two. 

Price: $35 

For those of us that are coffee drinkers, whether that's solely coffee or in addition to tea, we've got a lovely French press maker. Made of borosilicate glass just like the electric kettle, the Cafe Du Chateau press also comes with a 4 level filter to ensure that you're only getting coffee in your cup.  Capable of brewing 34 oz of delicious coffee at a time, the French press is something that many coffee lovers swear by.  Plus, if, somehow, there's an issue with your press? Cafe Du Chateau will replace it. 

Price: $25

IF YOU WANNA SHRED MEAT LIKE THE WILD ANIMAL WITHIN, you should look at getting these lovely claw-shaped meat shredders. Great for making pulled pork LIKE A BEAST or just adding a bit of fun and ease to the cooking process, these will surely find a home within any barbecue master's kitchen. We love them because you can shred the meat more easily than trying to do many tiny shreds using a pair of forks. 

Price: $12 

If you want to have a nice, melted cheese to put on your food after it is cooked, rather than melting on during the cooking process, this is an excellent option for you. Offering a small pan that will accommodate 2 standard cheese slices side-by-side, this will allow for you to get your cheese to just the right consistency before putting it on your food.  And if you don't want to just use a slice of cheese? You want to mix your cheeses together? You can go for that too. Just make a small mound of the mixed cheeses and let them melt together. 

Price:  $10  

If you're still looking for Christmas gifts, we suggest booking an appointment for your loved one to have one of our technicians go over all of their appliances. Showing you love them by taking care of their favorite space, is a great way to show that you pay attention, and it will also make it so that any problems that might be there can be caught before they cause major trouble for the favorite chef in your life.  To set up an appointment you can call us at ((214) 599-0055) or go to our website to set up an appointment. 

Lets Talk Turkey In EVERY Method

Yeah, we know it's overdone, but how often do we get to use such a fowl pun?

Cooking methods

• Slow Cookers (breast or small roast)

• Instant Pot (breast)

• Air Fryer (breast)

• Convection Oven (whole turkey)

• Traditional Oven (whole turkey)

• Deep Fry (whole turkey)

Have you ever wondered what the differences were in how to cook a turkey in your kitchen? We did. So we took all the different ways we could think of and tried them out.

Before The Cooking Begins

Before you start cooking your turkey, we advise taking a few steps. First off, how much turkey do you actually need? Are you doing a whole turkey? A small one? A large one? What about just getting pre-sliced turkey? (For those of you that are skipping the turkey altogether, we aren't really sure we can help with that. At least not in this post.) Unless you're looking at doing a turkey eating contest, estimate roughly 1 lb of turkey per person at your gathering. So if you've got 20 people, get a twenty-pound bird.  If you want to be able to make all sorts of delicious leftovers, estimate at roughly 1.5 pounds of bird per person. 

Thawing a frozen turkey isn't actually that difficult. What matters is that you plan for it leading up to the day you intend to cook the bird. There are three methods you can go about thawing it, depending on the size of your bird. For all of these, we advise making sure the bird is still fully wrapped in order to prevent the spread of germs.  You can thaw it in the fridge for several days prior to Thanksgiving. You can thaw it in the sink, changing out the water every two hours or so. You don't want hot water for this or else the turkey will start to cook. Instead, shoot for lukewarm to slightly cool. Your third option is to use your bathtub as an oversized sink, in the event that you have a very large bird or you're cooking multiple different turkeys. For this one, we strongly advise bleaching and scrubbing the tub both before and after you use it. Again, keep your water lukewarm to slightly cool. The good news is that you won't have to change the water during the thawing process. 

Once you've got a fully thawed bird, it's time to remove the giblets. These are going to be the various organs from the bird. Sometimes they'll be bound together into a small bag, other times you'll need to remove the pieces from either the interior of the turkey or from the neck. You can save or toss these as you prefer. We think they're great for stocks and gravies.  Now pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels and set it aside for the time being. 

Now that we've gone through the uniform bits of preparing your turkey, it's time to consider the different ways you might want to cook it. (Admittedly we hope that you'll read the whole article prior to doing the prep, but it is up to you.) 

Slow Cooking That Turkey 

If you're looking at a small bird or a turkey breast, a slow cooker is a  great way to go. You should be able to feed about 8 people with one slow cooker, depending on the size you have. You'll want to mix together the seasonings you intend for the turkey along with water in order to give the turkey plenty to soak up. You can also use different soup mixes if you want to get creative.  One that we've seen suggest is actually French onion soup, or an au jus mix. Your cooking time for this should be about 6-8 hours on low. To check for doneness you're wanting the internal temperature to be 155-160. We know it's supposed to be about 165-170 but, your turkey is going to continue heating after you remove it from the oven. So, look for that temperature, that the turkey has soaked up the juices and the meat is tender. 

A slow cooker is going to result in very juicy, tender meat.

Instant Pot, Instant Turkey? 

Now, the instant pot is obviously not going to fit the entire turkey. For that reason, you're better off using a turkey breast in there rather than trying to figure out if you can fit the whole bird in there. Again, this is going to be a very good for a family gathering  8 or less. Start by putting oil on your turkey. Pat or rub it down, rather than just pouring it on. You can use any oil you find is tastiest, but we suggest either sunflower or olive oils. Now rub on your spice mix of choice. 

With all of that done, pour roughly 1/4 cup of water into the instant pot alongside the turkey breast. Now start the pressure cooker for 25 minutes and use the time for doing something else. When the time is up wait for the full pressure release and allow the turkey breast to rest for 10-15 minutes before you start carving. 

Using an Instant Pot for your turkey is still going to give you a very juicy meal, but it’s not going to be as tender as the slow cooker. 

Air Fryer... for a Turkey? 

We don't quite get why you might want to fry your turkey, but hey, an air fryer might make it slightly healthier? Slightly? Eh, we don't judge. This is still an entirely valid method of making a turkey whether it's just for you or if you're looking to do custom spice blends for different family members. 

These are ideal for 1-2 people at 1-2 pounds of turkey breast. Start by rubbing down your turkey with the spices of choice. Be generous with them and really coat the outside of the turkey.  Put it in for 30-35 minutes at 390*F. Once again you're aiming for an internal temperature of 160*F, but you're not going to have much in the way of continued cooking once you take it out.  Once the air fryer is done, take out the turkey, plate it up and let it sit for 15 minutes before you dig in. 

We’ll point out that this is for using our method. You might have different results if you try a different route or add other elements to the recipe. For this turkey though you’re going to end up with nice, crispy skin with a fairly standard poultry texture to the meat. 

Convection Oven 

A convection oven is much larger than anything we've dealt with up till now. What that means is that you can get creative! You can cook a whole turkey, you can cook several different 'cuts' of turkey or you can do several different varieties of just say turkey breasts. It's up to you,  Fortunately, you can also go back to the 1 lb of bird per person rule, without having to worry that you'll have to do multiple rotations of cooking to feed everyone. 

 Start off by preheating your oven to 350*. Now move your bird over to the roasting pan and grab your favorite spice mix and some oil. Again, you can use whatever type you prefer, we like sunflower because it doesn't add anything to the taste of the bird. Once you've rubbed down the bird with oil, rub in the spice mix you've chosen. Depending on the spices in question you might for a light coating or decide to add a really solid crust to the bird. Once you've got your turkey prepped, it's time to toss it into the oven for 2 - 2.5 hours. You can baste it using the juices or some chicken broth during the process, or you can choose to leave it alone. Either way, you're going to want to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the thigh to figure out when the bird is done. Once the thigh has reached 180* internally, you're good to go. Again we advise letting the bird rest for 15-20 minutes prior to carving it up in order to seal in the flavor. 

At some point you’ve likely had a turkey cooked in a traditional electric or gas oven, this is going to give you a very similar result, although the skin should be slightly crispier. It’s going to still be more tender than a chicken though. 

Traditional Oven….We’ve got nothing for this one. (Leave your suggestions in the comments!)   

Much like the convection oven, you can cook everything up to a whole bird with your traditional oven. You're really only limited by the size of the turkey compared to the internal space of the oven. It's great! Make sure to do a comparison beforehand this way you don't end up with more bird than your oven can handle.  Once again we're sticking with the 1lb of turkey per person, or 1.5 lb if you're wanting to send people home with leftovers. 

This time you'll be preheating your oven to 325*, a lower temperature to allow the turkey to stay nice and juicy. Move the turkey over to the roasting pan and grab your oil and spices. Rub in the oil and then crust your bird to your desired level of spices. We think a nice thick pepper crust is a great way to do a turkey. Once you've done that, grab some tin foil and make a tent for your turkey. You don't need it just yet, but you'll want to ensure that the turkey doesn't end up burning in the last half hour to an hour of cook time. Set that aside for now and pop the turkey into the oven. 

Once again you want to use the thickest part of the thigh to see if the turkey is done. This time you're looking for a range between 165 & 180 when it's done. A good technique to use is to cook the turkey for two hours, check it and if it's not hot enough at that point, to baste it, close it back up and set it for another thirty minutes.  Once the skin has turned a golden brown, that's the point when you put the tin foil over top of the turkey. Make sure that you're not closing the sides, you still want the air to flow through and for the bird to cook. 

When it's done, remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. 

A traditional oven-roasted turkey is going to result in the most ‘traditional’ flavor. It’s going to be juicy if you treat it right, and the skin is going to be softer than the convection oven. 

Deep Frying The Turkey -

 When you want the really  crispy skin 

We're going to start off this section with a warning. Please read all instructions thoroughly before you do this.  It's a wonderful method for cooking turkey we know, but every year hundreds of people end up injured and at least 1,000 fires are started. It's a delicious way to cook the turkey, but we want all of you to be safe as well. 

You're going to want to use a turkey that's between 10 and 20 pounds for this. Make sure that your turkey is completely thawed before you even consider filling the pot.  Once you've guaranteed that, place the turkey into the pot and fill the pot with water.  Fill up until the water is one inch below the top of the turkey. That's the line you're going to want to go to when you fill the pot with oil later. If you fill the pot over the top of the turkey your pot is likely to boil over during the cooking process.   If your pot cannot hold all of this, you do not have the right size pot. Please consider a different method of cooking. 

If you do, remove the turkey and pat both it and the pot dry.  Back to the turkey, grab your spices or marinades, and cover your turkey. Now grab some butcher's twine and tie the legs of the turkey together and attach those to the stand that came with the fry pot.  Once you've got the turkey and the stand situated into the pot, fill the pot with oil up to the line you noted earlier.  We suggest using oil with a high smoke point like canola, corn or soybean.  Grab the thermometer that came with the pot and attach that to the fryer. Bring up the heat slowly to 350* F. 

Once you have your oil at 350, slowly and carefully raise and lower the turkey several times in the oil to seal the juices into it. We suggest 3-4. It's going to be a messy process so gloves and an apron might be useful.  Once you've sealed the turkey, lower it back into the oil and leave it there. You're going to want to cook it for 3 minutes per pound of turkey. So if you've got a 10-pound turkey you're looking at 30 minutes of cooking time. Not bad in comparison to the other methods. 

When you're checking for doneness, again look to the thickest part of the thigh. This time you want an internal temperature of roughly 180* to 190* F. Make sure to slowly and gently lift the turkey out of the oil so you don't get splashed. 

Let the turkey rest for 10-20 minutes before carving. While you're waiting on that, go back to your fryer and turn off the heat.  Now cordon off where you have it for the next three hours at minimum before you try to move the pot or dispose of the oil. After that point, you can carefully check to see if it's cool, and if not, leave it alone for another hour. 

This is the method to use if you really like your crunch. The skin is very ‘crispy crunchy’ without being burnt or charred. The meat isn’t as tender as other methods, but that’s sort of the point? 

Although we've given you the basics on how to do this, we do also advise this article from Butterball for a more in-depth article. (How To Deep Fry A Turkey | Butterball®)

So, what do you think? What's your favorite method of years past for cooking a turkey? Are you going to try something new this year? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page, we always love to hear from you! 

If you've ended up here because you tried to clean your oven prior to the big meal and found out that your oven devoured itself, it's ok. We can help. Give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or send us a message through our contact page and we'll be happy to help.

Additional Reading 

Self Cleaning Ovens

How To Prepare Your Kitchen For the Holidays

That is a delicious looking spread, and it’s definitely a traditionally roasted turkey. It’s harder than you might think to find good photos of the other methods of cooking.

4 Ice Makers and How They Work At Home

 Ice, Ice Everywhere, and I Need More To Munch

Have you ever reached tried to get ice from your freezer only to discover it was empty? It bites! If you constantly want ice in your drinks, especially during summer, you might consider getting an ice machine. Which one though, is down to a lot of different factors. Do you want one that's going to always be full? What about one that only makes ice as you need it? Do you plan on using it for more than just water and the occasional drink? What about making shakes, smoothies, or ice cream? All of these can be done, but you need to know what type of ice maker you're working with. For that, we've got you covered. This week we're taking a closer look at what makes ice makers different from each other, what types of ice you can get, and how they stay cool. We're going in order of size as we go through the ice makers, so keep that in mind. 

Ice Making All Day 

-Counter Top Ice Makers

These are the ice makers most of us are used to seeing at home. They’re small enough to fit on a counter, table, or bar. Some require a direct hook up to a water line of their own. Others, instead, will have their own internal reservoir. These you'd fill up as needed. Often a countertop model would be self serve, but some will have a dispenser built-in. A countertop model will typically hold about 3 gallons of ice at the largest. The good news though is that they can keep the ice cold for long periods, meaning you don't have to use all of it at once. 

This is great for drinks on a regular basis, but not if you're a large family or need ice with every drink. 

-Ice Dispensers

Moving up in size we've got ice dispensers These are larger than the countertop models, but still 'compact.' They can typically hold between 2-5 gallons of ice at a time. Sadly they aren't made to be used for long-term ice storage, so what you make you use. They are however able to switch between self-serve or spitting out ice from the dispenser. 

These are great for a larger family who is constantly on the go and needs ice for all sorts of things. 

Moving on from here we're going to be looking at two varieties that would typically be labeled for 'commercial use. They are able to be used by households but keep in mind the amounts of ice we're talking about here. 

- Self-contained ice machine

These are meant to fit under your counter. While they're only 40 inches tall, they're intended for commercial-level production. These can produce large amounts of ice and rapidly refill their stores. Typically they'll have a 20-gallon storage unit and be meant to hold it long-term. They are going to require a direct water line in order to maintain that amount of ice production. 

- Modular ice machines 

These are very different in comparison to the other models we've looked at today. This is not one that can fit on or under your cabinet. This is a unit that is taking up a spot against the wall or in the garage by itself. On the bottom, you've got a bin that can range from 10 gallons to 50 gallons. That's just a box with a slanted lid and insulation for long-term ice storage. On top of that sits the ice maker itself. It looks like just a box, but it's got a ton of power for quickly producing all of the ice you're going to need. 

Honestly, we don't advise this one for home use, unless you're throwing parties or working out of your home for a food-based business. You know that we like to give you the options though. 

Keeping It Cool

Now that we've shown off the different varieties you might reasonably purchase for your home, let's take a look at how they work? How are they making all of that precious ice? 

- Air Cooled

This is the most common variety of cooling for making ice, whether you're looking at an attached freezer with your refrigerator, or one for your counter. The ice maker uses a fan to direct air at the condenser and use that to cool it off, and drop the temperature down. Its why during summer your refrigerator might seem to be louder because that fan has to work harder. 

With this variety, it's important to keep two things in mind. A) The fans and vents need to be regularly cleaned of dust bunnies so that the machine can 'breathe' properly, and so that you don't get dust inside the machine. B) You need to leave space on all sides of the machine to keep it cool, to cut down on the amount of dust going into it, and to prevent any intake malfunctions. 

-Water Cooled

This is a less common method, primarily because it's more expensive than the air-cooled. With a water-cooled ice maker, you're going to be using, what else, water to cool the condenser. It's going to have coils of tubing wrapped over/under/around the condenser to allow cool water to keep it chill. This means that the ice maker is going to require a direct connection to a water source, and possibly a drain as well. 

- Remote Cooled

This is one that we don't expect to see in many homes, although we can think of a few that we might. A remote cooled system is one where the condenser is stored in a different room This one has both an upside and a downside, as far as we're concerned. On one hand, you're looking at significantly less noise while the ice maker is running. On the other hand, you're also looking at significantly more upkeep, regular maintenance is a must with these types. 

Give Me the Ice

For our final section, we're looking at one of the most divisive topics. We've had family arguments break out over this. Types of ice. Now, we are staying entirely impartial, we just like to fix ice makers, our preference on types of ice isn't really relevant. If we had our way it would be possible to have one ice maker that could make all sorts of ice. Alas, we are only 'fixers' and not 'creators'. 

 Flaked Ice

This is also the type called 'shaved' ice if you find yourself craving a gelato or a snow cone during summer.  This type of ice is small flakes of the ice, rather than it being crushed into variable pieces. This is great if you're planning on storing vegetables, meat or seafood outside of them for any amount of time. Not only does it look nice, it's also easy to replace. 

Half Cube Ice

We aren't really sure who decided on some of these names, picture a cube of ice. Now chop it in half. Et voila, half cube. These are great for using in drinks if you're not looking to water down whatever you're adding them to. They will chill your drink without melting too quickly. (Why is that? We aren't really sure. We just fix the machines. Maybe someone with a degree in culinary sciences or thermodynamics might know?) 

Full Cube Ice

Remember the half cube from before? Put it back together. Yay! You've now got a giant chunk of ice that you're going to stare longingly at, unable to crunch on i because it will ruin your teeth. In all honesty, though, these are great if you're looking to sell ice out of your home, or if you need ice packs for your local soccer or football team. If you're going traveling and you need to keep foods frozen or at least chilled during the trip, these are great. 

Nugget Ice

We've heard these described as the 'queen of ice shapes.' Tiny nuggets of ice that you can munch on endlessly without destroying your teeth. You can get them from a fast-food chain that's named after a certain blue hedgehog. If you're able to get an at-home ice maker that will keep you stocked with these? We say go for it. Although they will melt faster than a half cube, they're still great for chilling drinks or using for making smoothies, ice creams, or shakes at home. Your blender will not hate you for using these, unlike say, a full ice cube. 

Our final two are really just different shapes of ice, primarily used for drinks or presentation of foods. These are crescent ice and 'fancy ice.' Crescent ice is simply a crescent shape that may or may not be flat across one side of it. Sometimes it will be curved on both sides, depending on how the ice maker is set to function. Fancy ice is a term that can be applied to either spherical or hexagonal ice shapes. All three of these are really meant to make drinks, alcoholic or not, look more appealing when served. 

Last Things To Keep In Mind 

-Don't Get One That's Too Big 

We know, bigger is better. But is there a difference between 'big enough to meet my needs' and 'so big my kitchen is so full of ice my relatives think I'm a penguin?' We think there might be. With that in mind, before purchasing a new ice maker, we advise taking into account your space. Where will you put it? How much ice do you need on a daily basis? More importantly, how often are you going to be able to use all of the ice in the machine? The reason for that is that the larger the machine, the more risk you have of stagnation and mold. Two things you definitely don't want to be battling when it comes to your drinks. 

-Clean It Regularly

If you're going to get an ice maker,, please either schedule with us to have it cleaned regularly, or schedule on your calendar. Not only can you get ice build-ups similar to a freezer, but you can get mold and mildew. Even if your water is filtered, there is also going to be a buildup of minerals over time. The ice and mineral buildups are a problem for the long-term health of the machine, blocking functionality and water flow. The mold and mildew on the other hand are a problem for your long-term health. So please, with that in mind, keep an eye on the vents for your ice maker and watch to see if there are any concerning tastes or smells from it. 

So, did we answer your questions? Do you know what type of ice maker you're wanting? Do you think that the nugget is the 'queen of ice' or do you have a different preference? Let us know over on our Facebook page. As usual, we love hearing from y'all and we want to know your thoughts. 

You're still here? Your ice maker is broken? Don't worry, we can still help with that. We fix appliances every day, but we also fix and clean ice makers. So if you're wanting us to figure out the sounds it's making or just to come and get rid of the mildew that seems to be growing inside of it, we're right with you. You can call us at ((214) 599-0055 ) or set up an appointment at our page to choose a time that works best for you. At Appliance Rescue Service, we do our best to keep your home running smoothly.

Additional Reading: 

Ice Maker Not Working? 

3 Reasons Your Ice Maker Might Be Under Producing

How To Clean Your Ice Maker

Freezer Deep Dive

How does your freezer work, what makes one better than another, and do you need a new one? 

 Standalone Freezer Types

• Portable Freezer

• Chest Freezer 

• Upright Freezer

• Drawer Freezer

Imagine having to walk down into your root cellar in order to find that your food has gone rotten because you left it down there too long. Or that a mouse got to it. Prior to the invention of freezers, root cellars were one of the key ways we used to store and preserve our food. This week we're diving deep on freezers and which models serve best for your purposes. 

Before we dive in, we do have one note. Don't forget that alongside most, although not all, refrigerators there are also freezers. These will be either as a separate compartment at the top or bottom. Or you might get them as a 'side by side' where one side of the unit is a refrigerator and the other is a freezer. These are also fantastic options and if you're only freezing a small amount of food can be perfect for a household of 4 or fewer. If you're wanting to do meal prep, or you have a larger family you need to feed, an additional freezer can make your life much easier. 

Unlike our Deep Dives in the past we're sad to see that there aren't many features for freezers in standalone models. You might get digital temperature controls, or the ability to adjust the controls via Wi-Fi, but there's not much. The biggest things you need to keep an eye out for are insulation, power source, and the compressor. These three things are really going to affect how good your freezer is and whether it's worth the money you're going to spend on it. 

Portable Freezer

A portable freezer is ideal if you're going to a party or the lake. After all you don't want to bother with coolers full of ice that are going to melt eventually. Portable freezers are very spartan in terms of what features they offer but they are also cheap because of that. They can be AC or DC-powered. Some models are even able to plug into your car. These are, in short, great for people who travel frequently, but we wouldn't advise them for home use.  These also aren't going to be very large. You should expect to be able to store a couple of liters of soda and some additional food. The largest that we found was 85L  (think 120 cans of 12oz) while the smallest we found was 10.5L or about 4 bottles of soda. 

Chest Freezer 

Picture a box. It might be as 'small' as 2.1 cubic feet or absolutely massive at 40 cubic feet. Give your box a hinged lid, and inside the box picture, it with subdividers you can move around This is (essentially) the description of a chest freezer. If you need to store large types of food like whole birds or sides of beef or pork, this is a good choice. Oddly shaped pieces of food, or large quantities of food, these are what chest freezers are great at handling. A chest freezer is usually very affordable when compared to other types of freezers. 

Two important things to note. 

-A chest freezer typically won't have an internal fan. This means that the coldest air is going to settle at the bottom and warmer air will rise to the top. Make sure that if you are storing other types of food in it that only what you plan to use soon is near the top. 

A chest freezer complete with subdivided drawers, photo belongs to Practically Functional

-The chest's lid isn't meant to have things stacked on top of it. They can't handle heavy objects. Doing so anyway can cause the lid to bow, breaking the seal on the freezer. This would mean that the air from inside the freezer would escape more easily and things at the top can defrost. Note that in our tiny house appliance article, we noted that they could be used for a table in-between times when you need to access them. This is still a viable possibility. The reason that works is that you set a flat surface on top of the chest and then items on the whole of that, it spreads the weight more evenly. Doing it this way prevents the weight from bowing any one spot of the freezer lid. If on the other hand you just sit on the lid, all of the weight is focused in one spot, and that spot will dent and malform, thus breaking the seal. 

Upright Freezer

Upright freezer complete with shelves, drawers and door pockets.

Upright freezers are great for those of us who are... on the shorter side. With a chest freezer, you can tip yourself over the side trying to reach the bottom. (Yes your blogger has done it.) An upright freezer though has internal shelves for separating things out and it opens like a fridge! Upright freezers come in a wide variety of sizes. You might need one that fits under your counters and is the size of a mini fridge just for keeping meal prep kits in. Alternatively, you might be storing an entire year's harvest in yours and you're going to need one the size of a standard refrigerator. Both options are available, although naturally, prices will vary between them. They're usually going to offer fans and auto defrost features but they're also going to cost more than a chest freezer. 

Drawer Freezer

Drawer freezer pulled out.

A drawer freezer is kind of like a drawer dishwasher in that it is capable of fitting under your cabinets and containing multiple drawers for easier access. These are ideal for a home with a very busy kitchen. Drawer freezers are meant to fit right alongside your existing cabinets. You can even use the top as additional counter space if you wanted. They will usually have fans to circulate air evenly and an auto-defrost function. They also include slots for putting in separators to subdivide the space however you want. They are priced higher than most other options, but well worth it in our opinion if you're looking to get additional freezer space.  One great thing to note is that many drawer freezers are available as 'panel ready' meaning that you can purchase panels to fit over the front. Then they can blend seamlessly into your kitchen, allowing you to keep the look of your kitchen uninterrupted. 

Throughout this post, we've mentioned that some models will have auto defrost options and some don't. Why though is it important? Good question. Over time a freezer can build up ice on different layers of the freezer. Not just on your food, but on the walls of the unit as well. If moist air is able to get into the freezer at all it will coat the edges and freeze into lovely ice crystals. Over time this can build up until it coats the freezer. It can even get to the point that you won't be able to use sections of the freezer without having to hack out the ice that's there. (Ask the blogger how she knows.....) Now, you can defrost your freezer without having an auto-defrost function. To do that you'd remove everything from the freezer, unplug it and take it outside. You can then let it sit in the sun all day, you can use a hairdryer or you can take a chisel and mallet to the ice and carefully start working out the ice.  If you want to avoid having to go through all of this, a defroster can be very useful. They also help with preventing freezer burn, but that's as much about how the food is sealed as how well the freezer seals. Defrosters will add cost and complexity to the freezer though, which means that you're not only going to be paying more but if something breaks it's another part that has to be explored. (Although we will say that regular maintenance checks can prevent from you having to deal with that.) 

With all of that in mind, what type of freezer do you find works best? Do you have ways that you use at home that we didn't think of? Let us know over on our Facebook page, we'd love to hear from you!

On the other hand, if you wound up here because your freezer is giving you issues, we've got several posts to help you take a look at all of that. If you can't figure out the issue, or you're busy getting prepped for the holidays (we understand) you can always give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out on our contact page. Our technicians are always available to help and we at ARS want to be there for you. 

Additional Reading

Why You Should Schedule Regular Appliance Checks 

What an Appliance Visit Is Like In 2021

5 Freezer Myths Busted

Dishwasher Deep Dive

How does it work, why does it work and how can you break a dishwasher?

Table of Contents

Types of Dishwashers

• Built-in

• Portable

• Drawer

• Countertop

• Integrated

Dishwasher Sizes

• Full size 

• Slimline

• Compact

Dishwasher Features

• Sound Reduction

• Sensor Wash

• Steam Prewash

• Flexible Racks

• Stainless Steel Interior

• Plastic Interior

For many of us, having the option between a dishwasher and hand washing all of our dishes is a no-brainer. We’ll take the dishwasher any day. So, what happens if your current dishwasher breaks? As in we’ve come to your home, done everything we could and told you that the price to repair it would be more than replacing  it. Well, at that point, you might as well let your inner shopper out and go trawling websites to find that new dishwasher you were considering. This week we’re looking at what varieties dishwashers come in and what features you might see. Let’s dive in. 

Types of Dishwasher

Built-in Dishwasher

 A built-in dishwasher is the most common type of dishwasher in the modern American household. These are the ones that go under your bench or counters. These are built into your wall, piping, drainage, and all. Naturally, this means that they don’t move easily, if at all. (Apologies to those of you that love to rearrange your homes on a regular basis.) Two upsides to that fixed position though: 

-The noises are muffled by the surrounding cabinets and their contents. 

- Since they’re in the kitchen, they’re central to the cooking and dining process, making for easy access and clean-up. 

Portable Dishwashers

Portable dishwashers are a great option if you’ve got a more empty or pared-down kitchen. They’re freestanding devices that you can move around anywhere you need. They can provide extra countertop space when you need it, such as if you’re doing a lot of food prep. They work anywhere, and you can connect them to water and drainage. These are ideal for a couple or if you’re living on your own, as they are better at handling small loads. 

Drawer Dishwashers

Although we mentioned them in our tiny home post, we have yet to touch on these in-depth. Drawer dishwashers are relatively new to the appliance scene compared to built-ins. Instead of opening down and out, they pull out like a sliding drawer. They are very easy to use for those with difficulty bending as they load from the top. 

An open drawer dishwasher, showing multiple levels and space for six place settings.

They’re ideal for smaller loads, although they do come in single or double drawer formats. No matter which size you choose, they are still not as spacious as your standard built-in of today. 

One major downside is that because they are such a new concept, makers are still in the process of working the kinks out. Drawer dishwashers are harder to clean, more expensive, and are more prone to breakage than traditional washers. 

Countertop Dishwashers

A compact dishwasher on the kitchen counter, along with the rack sitting off to the right.

The supremely shiny countertop dishwashers are a very new concept. They come in several different sizes, but are still smaller than a drawer dishwasher. They don’t need to be builtin and can be moved around very easily. They don’t even need dedicated water o drainage and can instead be hooked up to your sink. 

They use very little water and so are ideal for places with ongoing water shortages. Due to their size, they may not be able to handle all of your pots and pans and probably not the majority of calderas or woks. 

Integrated Washers

A fully integrated dishwasher in the kitchen, with the control panel shown off. You can’t see the cabinetry panel as well, but you can see the drawer pull and the staining of the panel which match others within the kitchen.

Our last category of washer types is not based on size or shape, but on how wel it disappears. These are designed to fit in with a very uniform kitchen look. An integrated dishwasher might come with or be ready for panels that match the cabinets in your kitchen. They are built into the cabinetry, much like the built-ins are, but they are split into two categories. Either a ‘fully integrated’ dishwasher or a ‘semi integrated’ dishwasher. A fully integrated unit won’t be any different from a normal cabinet in appearance and instead will have all of your controls on the inside of the machine. A semi-integrated dishwasher on the other hand will have the control panel on the outside but it will still have the cabinetry panel as well. 

Dishwasher Sizes

Now that we’ve looked at the different types of dishwashers let’s quickly look at some of the most common size-related terms you’re likely to encounter. 

These are going to be applied to your built-in dishwashers, although not always. For that reason, we advise carefully checking descriptions before you purchase. 

Full Size

These are the most common variety of dishwasher. They’re designed to hold between 12 and 16 place settings at once. The idea is to cut down on how often you’re running the dishwasher by doing the largest load possible at once. These will usually measure in at 24” wide, 24” deep, and 35” high. 

A slimline dishwasher with an additional third rack.

Slimline 

Take the full-size dishwasher and shave off 6” or so. That’s a slimline. Measuring in typically at 18” wide, 24” deep and 35” high, they are great for a galley kitchen. 

Compact
A compact dishwasher is very small and will be roughly the size of your microwave in terms of counter space.  The smallest we found was the Faberware Portable dishwasher at 17'' wide,  16.5'' deep, and  17” high. 

Features

Sound Reduction

We’re starting off with this one because dishwashers can be noisy. If your bedroom is right across from the kitchen, you know what we mean.  This is built into the design of the dishwasher and dramatically cuts down on the amount of noise heard throughout the house. 

Sensor Wash 

This will run a scan over your dishes before the wash begins to assess how dirty they are and adjust the cycle accordingly. This not only saves energy and water, but it also saves on your bills. 

Steam Prewash 

A  steam prewash will heat water and fill the dishwasher with steam before the actual cycle starts so as to loosen up food debris, grease, and other detritus. 

Flexible Racks 

A flexible rack system lets you move the racks in your dishwasher around, simple, right? Sometimes you need more space on top, and sometimes you need more space on the bottom row. A great example is after doing a lot of cooking, and you don’t want to hand wash all of your large pots and pans. Now you can move your racks around to accommodate them. 

Stainless Steel Interior

A stainless steel interior is great because it’s more energy efficient and better sanitizing. They can run hotter temperatures because the steel can handle the heat. The downsides, though, are twofold. 

They’re more expensive. 

They will show hard water stains and calcium build-up.

Plastic Interior 

A plastic interior is the most common and more cost-effective interior option when purchasing a dishwasher. They’re easier to clean, and they last a long time. They have their downsides, too, though. 

They can’t run as hot as a dishwasher with a stainless steel interior because the plastic would begin to melt at those temperatures. 

They are noisier as plastic isn’t an excellent insulator of sound. 

That’s it for this month’s Deep Dive! Did you know about all of these features? Are there ones that you have questions about? Let us know over on our Facebook page; we’d love to hear from you. 

If, on the other hand, you wound up here not because you’re buying a new dishwasher but because you need your current one fixed, look no further. We service all types of dishwashers, and we can help with yours. Just give us a call at (214) 599-0055, or set up an appointment on our page. At Appliance Rescue Service, we’re here for you. 

Additional Reading

Dishwasher Dangers, What Doesn’t Belong

How To Deep Clean Your Dishwasher

7 Things You Never Knew You Could Put In Your Dishwasher

Dishwasher Making Noise?

Help! Something Melted In My Dishwasher!