Are Your Appliances Overheating Due To Problems? Or Is It Just The Weather?

What Causes Overheating in Appliances and How to Fix It When You Can 

 Even though we're heading into September, we all know that summer isn't done with Texas just yet.  As you go around your house you might notice that your refrigerator is too hot, or that your stove is hot in an area that shouldn't be.  We'll often blame the summer heat, but is that really the answer?  Sometimes, there's more to it than that and it takes a closer look to fix the issue, rather than setting it aside for another day. 

Some of these you'll be able to fix for yourself, some of them will require professional help. If you suspect that the problem is there, please don't hesitate to call a professional as the damage can be much larger than the appliance just being too warm. 

General Tips 

Before we dive into specifics, let's start with general issues that can lead to an appliance overheating, whether it's large or small.  

Yup, that's the first point. Every appliance in your home is at risk of overheating, although the reasons vary. Your dryer, your washer, your refrigerator and freezer, your stove, your oven, your microwave, your HVAC system, all of them can overheat. 

With that in mind though, there are warning signs that you can regularly look around for if you notice that the area around an appliance is warmer than is normal.  Some things to look for include, frayed cords, discolored outlets, broken outlets, cracked outlets, or smoke. 

If you do see any of these signs, turn it off, whatever it is, immediately and unplug it.  The problem can all too easily go deeper than the appliance itself. It might be that the electrical connection for the outlet is drawing too much power and is causing the appliance to overheat because of that excess. 

Courtesy of wikimedia commons

Is Your Refrigerator Overheating?

The harder the condenser works to keep the inside of the refrigerator cool, the more heat is released in the process. If your refrigerator is old or dirty or if your kitchen is enclosed, all of these can lead to the whole room heating up OR the refrigerator overheating.  

Clean the condenser coils 

Over time, the coils on your refrigerator gather dust. The coating of dust isn't just about your allergies or your kitchen looking nice. it's also about the health of your refrigerator.   Condenser coils rely on exposrue to the air both on hot and cold sides and the dust blanket prevents that access to air for the dispersion of heat. 

Check these three places

- The back of your refrigerator 

- Under a back panel inside of the fridge 

- Behind the bottom vent. 

If you can't get to it yourself, there's no shame in calling in a friend or a professional for some assistance. 

Clean or change the air filter (if it has one, not all of them do) 

Some refrigerators are built with an extra filter that sits between the coils and the rest of the kitchen. Keeping that filter clean improves the performance over time. An important note is that unlike your car or your HVAC unit, this isn't typically a mesh or fabric filter. Instead it'll be a metal screen that can be removed and cleaned in your sink using the sprayer. 

If the screen is damaged or the metal is corroded in some way, it needs to be replaced. 

Check the fan 

Your refrigerator also has fans that directs the air flow around and through your refrigerator. The fan draws air over the cold coils and directs the hot air out of the lower vent (that's why it's always warm there, even in winter>) Just like everywhere else though, it means that dust can accumulate. Find the fan and give it a close look. It might need to be cleaned, repaired or replaced. It's actually a good idea to regularly turn your refrigerator off and wipe down the fan, once a quarter or so. 

Is Your Freezer Overheating?

Much like your refrigerator, the outside of your freezer being warm sometimes is normal. Having it hot all the time, or to the point that you're scalding yourself, is not. 
Your freezer also has condenser coils and a fan just like your refrigerator that need to be checked and cleaned regularly. The difference here is that in order to clean either of these you'll need to turn off the freezer so that you can get access to them. The coils will most often be near the bottom front of the unit, and behind a base grill. You'll want to use a vacuum hose with a soft brush for cleaning them.

The fan on the other hand, is something that either works or it doesn't. If the fan isn't activating or isn't running when it is activated, it won't cool the coils, this in turn means that the refrigerant never cools off, and your freezer will get extremely hot to the touch. In that case, the fan needs to be replaced. 

A final thing that can cause issues is the sealant for your freezer. The rubber seal around the door of your freezer, no matter what style it is, is there to keep all of the cold air in. If the seal is cracked, damaged or removed, it won't seal properly, and your freezer starts working overtime to try and keep things cold. An easy way to check if the seal is an issue is to see if you have cold air leaking out of the doorframe. If that's there, you probably need to replace it. 

Is Your Stovetop Overheating?

It sounds silly to say that a stovetop can get too hot, but it's true. Although they're meant to reach fairly high temps, they shouldn't be hot enough to make your kitchen warmer.  Some of the reasons they might though are the following.

Placed Too Close to a Wall

If you have a stove that is placed directly against a wall, it will reflect that heat back at you, the stove and the rest of the room. 

Covered or Clogged Stove Vents

Your stove vents are meant to be one of the ways your stove cools off, but if the  the air vent has become clogged by debris, dust or food, your stove will continue growing hotter instead.  

To fix it, remove the filter from the range. That's going to be underneath the hood and shouldn't be difficult to remove. Then set the filter in your sink and hose it off with your sinker's hose.  If that doesn't remove everything, look for an all-purpose degreaser and follow the directions. 

Melted or Warped Burners 

As odd as it might sound, the burners on your stove, whether gas or electric, can become warped. They're designed to direct the heat of your stove, but if they've become damaged, they'll heat unevenly. Repeatedly using a burner even after this can cause patches and hotspots on your stove making it too warm. Sadly, this isn't one that can be fixed with a cloth and some good soap. Instead, you'll need to call in a professional if you suspect a warped or damaged burner. 

Damaged Oven Insulation

And a final one that can cause your stovetop to overheat is if the oven's insulation is damaged or breaking down. As odd as that might sound, its true. The insulation for your oven keeps the internal temperature of your oven consistent and keeps the heat from escaping into the rest of the room.

If your oven's insulation is breaking down, you need to call a professional in to replace it or get a new oven. Continuing to work with damaged insulation means that insulation can get into your food, into your lungs, or if you're unlucky, catch fire.   

There might be hope other than the the insulation though. If it's the seal to the door of your oven that's busted, and not the internal insulation, that could be what's venting the hot air up towards your stove and causing the confusion. That is a much easier fix, and can be done by someone handy or by calling in a repair tech. 

Ovens can Overheat too

Just like your stove, it sounds odd to think that your oven might get too hot. But as we've mentioned when it comes to the self-clean feature of older models if your oven gets too hot, it can become toast. 

Some ways to check if your oven is overheating is to compare the internal temperature to the temperature you set it to using a digital thermometer.  You can also take a look at the heating elements and the heat sensor. And you can make sure the the oven fans are working properly.  

Unfortunately, other than unplugging your oven and making sure that everything is properly cleaned (not utilizing the self-clean button...) there's not much you can do at home. if your oven is overheating, that's a definite time to call in a professional. 

Is Your Dryer Overheating?

Your dryer is much the same as your oven, whether it's gas or electric, it can cause serious problems if it's overheating. On a scale from bad to worse, you could cause damage to your clothes, you could cause damage to the dryer, or it might flat out catch fire. So, it's not one to fool around with. If you notice any of the following, please unplug your dryer and call a professional. 

Shutting down

Many dryers today have a built-in safety, if they get too hot, they automatically shut off. Unfortunately, it doesn't always trigger and it's not a guarantee to prevent a fire. 

Error Codes

If you're getting an error code of E3 or HE it can indicate overheating, but you'll need to check your manual or the manufacturer's website to be certain. 

Burning Oder

If something smells like it's burning, it is probable that the dryer is overheating, and your lint might also have caught fire. Don't ignore that one. Check the drum and air vent for smoke and empty out the lint trap even if you don't see any. It's better safe than sorry. 

Tips for Keeping Your Appliances From Overheating

Not all of these are going to work all of the time. Appliances break, parts wear down, vents or fans are clogged, and you might not notice it. BUT there are still steps you can take to lengthen the life of your appliances and help them to keep cool. 

Keep it clean 

Give it a rest

Check out the condenser

Your refrigerator, your freezer, and your dryer all can have condensers in them, so keep an eye on them especially during the summer months. 

Don't overload your outlets

Call for repair if you have frayed cords 

As you've seen by now, there's nothing wrong with the outside of an appliance like your refrigerator or freezer being warm, even on a cold day. And it's perfectly normal to worry about it, even when you know it's normal. The best thing you can do is to let that worry guide you in keeping a cleaning schedule for your appliances, as well as a regular maintenance visit. Doing these two things you're more likely to spot minor issues before they become major problems.

As we said at the top, please be cautious and don't underestimate the danger that some of these present. If you see something or smell something, investigate as that can be the difference between needing to call a repair technician or needing to call the fire department. 

Have you had issues with your appliances overheating? Have you seen causes that we missed out on? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always we love to hear from you. 

If it turns out that your freezer is more than you can fix, or your dryer is shutting off on it's own, give us a call at ((214) 599-0055). Or you can reach out to us via our contact page. We'll work with you to not only set up an appointment time that works for you but also to get your home running smoothly again. At Appliance Rescue Service we're here for you. 

Courtesy of Ben Schumin

Owner vs Blogger: Part One - Shopping for Luxury

When it comes to shopping for luxury and reliable appliances, who does better?

 In light of all of the issues with the chip shortages and appliance delays, we wanted to also delay our yearly appliance shopping comparison. This year your blogger is going to be taking a look at appliance brands known for being reliable while still being some of the best. We've chosen one option for every appliance after looking closely at the features offered and how well they reflect the lives of our clients. Even if you'd rather repair than replace, take a look with us at some of the options for a new kitchen, if only to ogle the new features. 

Dishwasher-  Dacor - 24" in Stainless Steel

Model : DDW24M999US 

Price: $1,199 

Photo Courtesy of Dacor

"With the capacity to hold up to fourteen place settings and the largest cleaning zone available, innovations like WaterWall™ and ZoneBooster™ technologies ensure that when the AutoRelease door opens, every pot, pan, plate, and glass will be ready for the spotlight."

The Dacor dishwasher focuses on making sure that your appliances are clean. Which sounds pointless, since isn't that the goal of all dishwashers? Yes, but if you're looking for who is going to be the best option, you want the one that is going to do the job best. We think that that is the Dacor. Their Waterwall technology combines with  with a 'zone booster' to ensure not only do you have a wall of high pressure water going back and forth washing your dishes, but you also have a phase that makes use of high power jets to attack stuck on bits of food or other debris.  To us that is the best part of the Dacor dishwasher.

Although we also enjoy the autorelease door to release steam at the end of a cycle as well as reducing the need for a dry cycle, as well as the flush design that allows the Dacor to fit seamlessly into your kitchen 

Range -  Dacor 48" Range Top with Griddle with Natural Gas in Stainless Steel

Model: $4,999

Price: DTT48M976LS

Photo Courtesy of Dacor

"Refined looks and visionary performance in perfect harmony. With a lineup of features that ignite your imagination, our Pro Rangetops turn up the heat on what’s possible."

We chose the Dacor range for two reasons. The first is that it's still available with gas, despite many companies offering fewer models with it. And because of the reliability and precision of that gas. Their range is built from the burners and their function up. Instead of engineering from the space or style limits, Dacor starts with how they wanted to do best, offer a consistent, fast burner, that would last a lifetime. That's why all of their burners are brass, with a dual valve system. It's also why although there are six different burners on this stove, they all have different sizes and specialties. To us, that's focus and very impressive. 

We won't lie, we also greatly appreciate the built-in cast-aluminum griddle, because heck yes easy omelets every morning, as well as the Auto connected hood. We've talked about vent hoods several times before, but one of the most important posts we tackled has been the dangers of not using your hood while you're cooking. The Dacor range turns on the ventilation at the same time as the cooktop and monitors it based on temperature, ramping up the speed of the fans as it becomes needed. To us, that's a very useful bit of technology as it protects your health.  

Oven -  Wolf  30" M Series Contemporary Stainless Steel Built-In Double Oven

Model: DO30CM/S

Price: $9,830

"Wolf ovens are precisely engineered with chef-tested modes that, once mastered, practically guarantee delicious results. "

This time we're looking at a Wolf double oven that's meant to be a built in and we have to admit, your blogger drooled. This set of ovens has 11 different modes with three of them making it possible to ditch other appliances in place of this one.  It's also Wolf's largest capacity oven so that if you need to make three different sets of cookies at the same time, or a large amount of a recipe, you can do just that.  (We would suggest that you can make multiple different recipes, but it's a pain to try and select ones that all work at the same temperature, and your blogger knows it.)  

Photo Courtesy of Wolf

Refrigerator - Gaggenau  36" Vario Refrigerator  400 Series 

Model: RC492705

Price: $15,499

We looked at a brand we haven't reviewed for the blog before for both the refrigerator and the freezer, Gaggenau. They're a German company that was established in 1683.  If you're looking for reliability and history, this is the brand you're looking at. 

In addition to being supremely well made, the biggest thing your blogger was impressed by was the attention to the little details. The fridge is engineered to be a quiet close so that it doesn't disturb you or your household.  Each of the compartments is adjustable separately to ensure the best freshness and separation for your different foods, and the door is completely customizable. This is a refrigerator that is meant to fit into your home and life, not the other way around. 

Photo Courtesy of Gaggenau

Freezer - Gaggenau 24” Vario Freezer 400 series

Model: RF461705

Photo Courtesy of Gaggenau

Price: 6,999.00 

We separated out the freezer for two reasons. One, you don't always want to compromise when it comes to space. If you have a large family, or you cook a lot, it's very useful to have your freezer and refrigerator separate.  We also wanted the same precise attention to cooling zones that Gaggenau brings to their refrigerators, so the choice was a no-brainer for your blogger. 

Two features that stood out were the automatic defrost and the the swift freeze. The Gaggenau will regularly cycle into a defrost mode, but instead of melting everything and leaving you with a block of ice at the bottom, it has defrost water evaporation. The freezer is also capable of getting down to -22 without accumulating frost because of how swiftly it drops down to that temperature.   So all around it's an amazing freezer that does what it does very well. 

Washing Machine - Miele TDos & IntenseWash   front-loading washing machine
Model: WXR860 WCS  

Price:  $2,299.00 

Photo Courtesy of MieleUsa

Where do we even start with this one? For our washer and dryer we wanted to make sure that they were compatible, and would both have the same level of attention to them. So your blogger went with a brand that has been recommended several times on the blog, Miele.  Like the others in this list, their attention to detail is one of the reasons we love them. With this model they've offered several new styles of wash programs that your blogger hadn't actually seen previously. You have the usual modes like delicates, normal and towels. Then you have ones like darks and denims, meant to keep them from losing color, sneakers and a mode just for baby clothes. Or if you have linens that you want washed, there's a mode for that, and one for your high-tech outerwear as well. All of that has been considered and separated out as something that needed special consideration. 

This model also really focuses on efficiency and being friendly to the economy. From making sure that you can see and control exactly how much energy and water the machine uses on any given cycle, to being able to wash just one item if the need calls for it. They've also made it so that every load is weighed and considered so that only the exact amount of water and detergent is used for each wash. To your blogger, that was fantastic. 

And did we mention that it has a soft steam feature? To make ironing easier for those of you that have to iron regularly.  

Dryer - Miele Eco & Steam Heat Pump Dryer 

Model: TXR860WP

Photo Courtesy of MieleUsa

Price:  2,299.00

Matching our washer choice, the Miele Eco & Steam Heat Pump dryer was an easy pick for your ever curious blogger. It's ventless, it  has several easy to access filters which cut down on the frequency of needing to clean different areas, and it has a hose to drain the water into a sink or outside depending on your preference. Plus, it' s a heat pump dryer which we've talked about previously, along with their gentleness on both your clothes, your wallet, and the temperature in your home. (All benefits for Texas as far as your blogger is concerned.) 

The biggest  point of interest though wasn't any of the features. It's the amount of testing they put their dryer through. "Tested for 20 years of perfect laundry care. Some car engines are tested over 3,000 hours – but we test [our dryers for] constant performance over as much as 10,000 hours." How many other companies do that? 

So what do you think? Did you like the appliances we chose this year? Or are you more curious to see what our owner comes up with? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always we're eager to hear what you think.  Check back soon for part two when our owner makes her call on what she thinks are the best options for new appliances. 

We understand that not everyone wants to replace their appliances, and honestly, we'd be out of business if you did. We offer posts like this to keep you, our readers and our clients, aware of some of the new technologies in the field, and how they can be worked into your home in the event that you do have to replace an appliance. Our technicians will work with you until you're satisfied that we've tried everything to fix your appliance, whether that means one visit or many. At the end of the day, we want the same thing you do, to get your home running smoothly again. 

If you are in need of someone to look at your appliances, whether that's a maintenance check or fixing a specific issue, you can reach out to us through our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to find a time that fits your schedule so we can get your home running again. 

5 Energy Efficient Dishwashers for Your Home

 5 Dishwashers Across The Board In Terms Of Price And Efficiency, With All Sorts Of Features. 

With prices for energy set to go up this year and again next year, we're thinking quite a bit about what "energy efficiency" means to us. We're looking at different appliances and methods around our homes and office to see what we can do to make things better. This week we're looking at energy-efficient dishwashers with 5 of the best on the market. 

Each of the different dishwashers we're looking at has two additional ratings we wanted to consider in addition to their price. The first is the kilowatt per hour per year average. This is not actually how many kilowatts per hour you're using, as your blogger initially thought. A kilowatt-hour measures the energy an appliance uses in kilowatts per hour. For example, if you clean your floors with a 1,000-watt vacuum cleaner for one hour, you consume 1 kWh of energy. When you see kWh on your monthly energy bill, it’s a measurement of your electric appliances’ wattage and the amount of time you use them. So if you use that vacuum for 1 hour a week, for a full year, by the end of the year, you'd have used 52 kWh just for that vacuum. 

The second rating is the water factor. The water factor is the number of gallons used per cycle per cubic food of the dishwasher. The lower that factor is, the more efficient the dishwasher is, and the lower your water bill... at least in relation to this.   But every bit counts, right? 

So since we're looking at Energy Efficiency this week, we wanted to include these numbers so that you can get a feel for not only what a dishwasher might cost you now but also over time. 

LG 24-inch LDF454HT - Longest Warranty  & Uses the least amount of water 

Price $698 - 849    

Energy Use (kWH/Year) 258 kWh/Year

Water Factor: 2.9

Quad wash - Washes from four different angles at once. 

Silent work - Has a 3 stage filtration system to trap food particles as it works to reduce noise and make the dishwasher more efficient. And it tops out at 48 dBA. 

Dynamic Dry - dries dishes faster and more thoroughly 

3rd Rack- Offers a third rack for storing ladles, spatulas, knives, and the like. And with the careful setup of grooves, it protects your knives from being tossed and banged around. 

App Connectivity - This title is so much more than just that. There is an NFC tag on the dishwasher that you can tap your phone against to transfer new cycles from your phone to your dishwasher. And more important, in our opinion, you can troubleshoot your dishwasher the same way. 

We like this one for the silent work feature. The quieter a dishwasher is, the better, in our opinion.

Samsung StormWash DW80R5061US - Best Overall 

Price  $899–$1,100 

Energy Use (kWH/Year): 239

Water Factor: 3.5

Storm Wash - Powerful rotating spray jets clean at every angle for tough-to-reach spots. 

Auto Release Door - At the end of a wash cycle, the door opens to allow air to circulate more freely. 

3rd Rack -  A third rack for utensils, and it has extra teeth so that they don't rattle around. 

Quiet Wash - 42 dba 

Adjustable racks - The top rack can be moved up and down when washing larger items like pots, pans, and glassware.

For the Storm Wash, we were most interested in the Storm Wash feature. The dishwasher is supposed to be powerful enough to use rotating jets to reach everywhere, delicate enough that it doesn't damage your dishes. However, it's still got a water factor that is low enough to be considered energy efficient.  We find that rather impressive. 

Bosch SHE3AR72UC Ascenta 24" White Full Console Dishwasher - Strongest Brand Name & Best Budget Option

Price $549

Energy Use (kWH/Year) - 269

Water Factor: 3.2 

PrecisionWash - precision arms target all of the stuck on  food so that you don't have to do multiple washes. 

Sanitize Options- The Sanitize Option operates at a higher temperature and can be selected to achieve the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) standards of cleanliness, eliminating 99.9% of bacteria, and enhances your drying results as well. 

Goes though almost 500 different quality checks before being sent to market. So the price might not be as high as others on the list, but the quality is. 

Sometimes you really do get a good option at lower prices. Although the Bosch doesn't have any of the features that our other dishwashers do,  it's still a solid option that will last you for years, without breaking the bank, and that includes your electric and water bills. 

Miele G 7366 SCVi SF AutoDos

Price: $2,199

Energy Use (kWH/Year)- 230

Water Factor: 3.2

AutoDos With Power disk - Analyzes the amount of dishes within a load and dispenses only the amount of detergent needed. 

FlexLine Basket design -  Racks have extra flexibility for dealing with dishes of different sizes. 

Quick Wash - Washes dishes in 1 hour

All Dry Feature- Opens the door when a cycle is done 

Offers Washing cycles for general dishwashing, fine china, children's dishes, high sanitization, for pots & pans, and for grates and filters. 

Ecofeedback: Shows you the estimated amount of electricity and water used when you select a program on the display. 

The Miele dishwasher has been on our radar for a while, and we're intrigued by the AutoDos feature the most. Although it's not a revolutionary concept in general, this is the first time we can think of it being applied to your dishwasher. 

Frigidaire FGID2479SF 24" Energy Star Fully Integrated - 

Price $1079 

Energy Use (kWH/Year) - 270

Water Factor: 3.5

OrbitClean® Wash System Clean dishes with OrbitClean® Wash System, which uses four times more water coverage for a complete clean. 

3rd Rack Serving utensils and tools are mealtime-ready with our Store-More™ removable third rack, which offers easy loading and unloading access.

Automatically Adjusts Cycles

DishSense™ Technology automatically adjusts the cycle time based on the level of clean that your dishes need for an efficient clean.

Status Indicator Floor Beams

Convenient LED Floor Beam Indicators illuminate the floor with a blue light when your dishes are washing and a green light when they are clean.

We swear we're not a bunch of cats pretending to be appliance technicians. We're just impressed by the status indicator and find it useful. 

Which of these was your favorite? Which one fits your needs best? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always, we'd love to hear from you. 

If you're not happy with the idea of buying a new dishwasher and would rather just fix the one you have, we can help. You can reach out to us on our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). At Appliance Rescue Service, we're here to help. 

10 More Kitchen Gadgets That Shouldn’t Be Connected To Wi-Fi

We’re Still Trying To Figure Out Who Thought This Was A Good Idea.

With every passing year, more and more products are connected to the Internet of Things that just.. Don’t make sense to us, and to many of you as well.  When we reviewed our last list of IoT gadgets, you wanted more. So we’re looking at another 10 kitchen gadgets that don’t make any sense for being connected to the internet, having an app or being ‘smart’ in some fashion. 

Name: HidrateSpark TAP

Price:  $20 

What It’s Supposed To Do: HidrateSpark TAP - the smart water bottle that tracks your water intake through the HidrateSpark App and glows to remind you to drink. Our powerful Tap To Track technology updates your water intake on the HidrateSpark App by simply tapping your smartphone to the NFC Tag. HidrateSpark TAP glows to remind you to drink and with our Tap to Track technology you can easily track a full bottle when you tap your phone to the NFC tag on the bottle. Keeping your daily goal updated as you go. Opt in for our fun HidrateSpark App notifications to help you stay on track. Compete with friends in fun hydration challenges and earn trophies for your collection.

Why We Don’t Care For It: Why do we  need a water bottle to glow or vibrate? There’s bullet journals, there’s phone apps, there’s even the old school method of just making a mark somewhere. What’s the need for an NFC tag attached to bottle? Although the price isn’t bad, it still doesn’t make much sense to us. 

Link: https://hidratespark.com/

Name: Lg CLOI. 

Price:  Price currently unknown. 

What It’s Supposed To Do: CLOI for the home is meant to be an all in one system, connecting your thermostat, your appliances and the rest of your home. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  When showing off the CLOI for the first time, the poor thing didn’t function. It wasn’t a matter of misunderstanding the commands given, nor was it an issue of the wi-fi not working.  CLOI flat out refused to respond to the presenter. As of right now, although the CLOI guide bots and server bots are both functional, the CLOI home hub hasn’t been introduced to the market, and we’re grateful for it. 

Link: LG ROBOTIC PRODUCTS | LG NEWSROOM 

LG CLOi robots will be working together to improve our life - Personal Robots

Name: Revolution InstaGLO R270 Toaster

Price: $400 

What It’s Supposed To Do: The InstaGLO toaster has a special diamond shaped heating element inside that quickly toasts the outside of any food, and leaves the inside sweet and soft. It also has a touchscreen that can handle 34 different types of bread and save 10 of your favorites. 

Why We Don’t Care For It: This is another “just why?”  It’s not that we’re against it so much as us wondering why we need it. Sure you can test out all of the functions and find out precisely how toasted and crisp you want your bread, but.. Why? 

Link: Revolution InstaGLO R270 Toaster | Williams Sonoma (williams-sonoma.com)

Name: ANOVA Precision Oven

Price: $600

What It’s Supposed To Do:  The ANOVA is a combi oven, or a combination of steam and convection cooking, as well as offering a sousvide setting.  It has a quick start menu that allows you to quickly select what you want it to do, be it convection baking, broiling, baking, proofing, air frying or steam. It can also connect to Google or Alexa, although it does offer more capability when working with Alexa. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  Can turn itself on in the middle of the night & it advertises itself for you to be able to set your food to cook in it at the beginning of the day and set it to cook when you’re ready. The problem here is that many of us will typically include a fish or meat with our dinner. Which can’t be left out all day. 

Link: Anova Precision™ Oven - Anova Culinary

Name: Barsys 2.0 +

Price: $1,500

What It’s Supposed To Do: The Barsys is a product we’ve covered in the past, but in theory, it’s been updated and improved! It’s meant to be a self-contained system where you load in liquors of your choice and use the app to tell it what type of drink you want. The app controlling the system is now better than before, and it’s easier to mix your own drinks using the app for precise amounts.

Why We Don’t Care For It: The app controlling the system seems to be the primary thing that’s been worked on in the ‘+’ version, but since that was our primary concern, we’re good with that. Unfortunately, the bluetooth connecting it to your phone still seems to be buggy and the app still has its detractors even since the update. 

Link: Barsys 2.0+ (thebarsys.com)

Name: SAMSUNG BESPOKE Cube Air Purifier,

Price: $549

What It’s Supposed To Do:  The Samsung Bespoke Cube is an air purifier that’s designed to fit into your home. It has interchangeable front panels that make it easy to blend into your home.  More importantly it can sense impurities and automatically boosts the purification intensity. On the app it will show the real time levels within your home by monitoring its micro air sensor. Better, it has a multi-layered HEPA  system to help trap dust, pollen and pet dander as well as odors. Easily check and manage your purification settings and filters with the SmartThings App and use the app to buy replacement filters when needed 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  We’re not averse to the concept. It’s a filter for your home that helps whether it’s tree pollen or smog. What bugs us is that it’s connected to Wi-Fi and voice connected. Why? Why is it needed? 

Link:  Amazon.com: SAMSUNG BESPOKE Cube Air Purifier, Odor Eliminator, Home System w/ HEPA Filtration, 360 Degree Purification, Pet Mode, Smart Control, Traps Dust, AX350A9350N, Grey : Everything Else 

Name: Tyent Undercounter 

Price: $3,250

What It’s Supposed To Do: The Tyent UC11 is an under the counter water ionizer. It requires its own plug and offers ionized water after filtering it. It allows you to set your water to be more acidic, alkaline if you dont care for the taste of minerals or metals in your water. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  We love the concept. Having the ability to alter your water to your taste, or having a guaranteed filtration system is fantastic. What bothers us is the idea that everyone is going to use all of the different features. When faced with something with 55 different options (yes, that’s their claim) how many are you going to use? And if you don’t know which ones are what you or your family need?  It seems like something that is more complicated than what it needs to be in our opinion. 

Link: Amazon.com: Tyent Undercounter-11-Plate Turbo Extreme by Tyent : Tools & Home Improvement

Name: 4T7 Smart Cutting Board

Price: $169

What It’s Supposed To Do: The 4T7 cutting board is multiple pieces of kitchenware in one. It comes with a cutting board, a defrosting board, a digital ingredient scale, a timer, and a magnetic knife holder on the back. Plus, it has its own app with recipes, guides and a community to connect to as you learn, or just to try out different recipes with others. 

Why We Don’t Care For It: It’s the app. The rest of it is amazing. It’s the app we can’t get our heads around. Was it just a way to tack on an additional fee? To set up what sounds like a digital cookbook? To us, it seems like if you’re a home cook who finds a cutting board like this useful, you’re already going to have a wide number of recipes that work for you. 

Link: 4T7 Muti-function Smart Cutting Board Built-in Scale and Kitchen Timer

Name: Zega Intelligent Cookware

Price: $149

What It’s Supposed To Do: This is a double wall insulated pot that can have the heat turned off after it comes up to temperature. It keeps cooking the food inside of it and alerts you when its done. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  The knob is connected to Bluetooth. This means that it can connect to your phone, and tell you that your food is done cooking. Which is nifty. But once again, why? The idea of not needing to tend your food also leaves us concerned. Too many dishes need to be watched over to keep them from boiling over or sticking to the bottom of the pot. And you have to charge the knob when all is said and done. So, we’re saying nifty, but not necessarily needed. 

Link: Zega Intelligent Cookware – Zega Cookware US

How it works – Zega Cookware US

Name: Nespresso Prodigo 

Price: $266

What It’s Supposed To Do: The Prodigo is a coffee machine. It has a built in milk frother for all sorts of recipes,  a rotating water tank and automatic cartridge ejector. It also keeps track of how many k-cups you have, and when it needs water or maintenance. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  well.. We can’t actually find a reason for it. It’s coffee after all, and that’s something many of us love. We will say though that we question why the smart options are needed. We have had coffee machines that could keep track of when to make your coffee for decades. As to making ones that are meant for keeping track of what k-cups you need, that’s pretty easy too? So it’s less of a “we don’t like it” to “How necessary is it?” 

Link : Prodigio Coffee Machine | Nespresso

Most of these for us seem to boil down to “why??” Why attach these things to the internet when it’s not /needed/ for the item to do its work. Some of them are fantastically useful, but the connection to the Internet of Things doesn’t make much sense to us. Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page what your thoughts are and which if any of these you would purchase. 

If it’s your Core Appliances that are giving you hell, we can help. Reach out to us on our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055  ) to set up an appointment that works for you. Whether it’s a smart appliance or one that’s as old as you, we’ll work with you to 

Which Grill is Best For Your Food?

 When it comes to what you're cooking and how you like to cook, what's the best grill for you? 

Summer is officially here and that means it is grilling season!* We’re tackling the 4 major types of grills as of 2022. What prices should you expect to pay for them and which grill is best for your needs. Although we know some of us would love to have one of each, let’s assume you’re trying to narrow your choices down to just one, shall we? 

Grill Basics: 

You want your food to finish cooking at the same time so everything is ready to serve. 

This means your grill needs to either a) disperse heat evenly or b) you need to know your grill well enough that you can move food around to different "cool" spots so that everything cooks at the speed and temperatures you need. 

-Preheat your grill for at least 10 minutes before throwing food on. This allows the grill to be fully heated and the grates to be less likely to stick to your food. 

- If you want to impress your guests with the 'perfect' grill look, turn your food 90* halfway through the cooking time. It will give that look everyone loves, and you'll look like a professional. 

Gas Grill

Gas Grill from Home Depot

Let's start off with the grill that's easiest to obtain, the gas grill. These will run anywhere between $100 and $3500, depending on the bells and whistles you want.  They come in all sorts of sizes and styles, from the tiny picnic top grill to the behemoth that can feed 100 people. (Yep, we've seen those too, we just get stuck at finding the space to put it.) A gas grill is the workhorse of grills. They're capable of grilling everything from delicate fish to searing pork chops or knocking out large amounts of hotdogs and burgers. The reason for that is that they can hit temperatures as low as 150* and as high as 850*. They're also extremely easy to work with, which is why most people who grill, do so on these. They light quickly, they heat quickly, and did we mention how easy they are to work with? You can also find all sorts of attachments (or a youtube video that shows you how to make them) from pizza ovens to smokers. 

Charcoal Grill 

Charcoal grill from Home Depot

So a gas grill isn't for you? You don't like the idea of hauling around a tank you need to refill? We get that. Charcoals are the next step then. Many people see them as the next step for when you want to go from "party grilling" to "nightly grilling for good food."  Working with charcoal will give your meal a smokier flavor, no matter what you're cooking. This does mean that you need to be careful in selecting what you choose to grill though. You need something that can stand up to the smoke without losing its own flavors. Some examples here include brisket, prime rib, grilled pizza (yep, it works), rotisserie chicken, smoked turkey, and shrimp. Charcoal grills don't get as hot as gas grills do though, which means you're not going to get much of a sear on your food. It's best for foods that you want to take your time with. A charcoal grill will usually take between 20-30 minutes to completely heat up,  and the temperatures are going to only range between 150* and 550*. When it comes to lighting your best bet is to use a charcoal chimney to get it to that point, otherwise, you'll be fighting for much longer than 20 minutes.  A charcoal grill should run between $70 and $375. Not very expensive, but you have to remember the price of the charcoal as well. 

Kamado Grill 

A Kamado is the priciest of the grill options, but it's also able to get you the highest temperatures out of the four primary options. A kamado can go as low as 150* and as high as 1000*. That is going to give you a delicious sear when you want pork chops.... which your blogger is now wishing she could get. 

Anyway! Because of the supreme level of control a kamado offers you, they're great for hitting the extremes of food. Either things that need low and slow cooking like ribs, roasts, and briskets or foods that need to be seared, like we mentioned, pork chops are a good example.

Kamado Grill from Home Depot

Kamado grills come in two varieties, ceramic and nonceramic. The ceramic ones are, in our opinion, the better option because they are sturdier than their nonceramic counterparts. They are also insulated which leads to even more temperature control. Although they are more difficult to assemble, we feel like this is a grill that is worth the investment of time and money. Speaking of money, a Kamado grill should cost between $300 and $2500, depending on the type you go for. 

One thing to be aware of (that many will call a downside) is that the Kamado grill will require an hour or more before it's ready to be cooked on. If you're looking for a quick dinner, this is not a good option. If you want to spend time outside cooking for friends and family and really enjoying the craft of grilling? This might be a good choice. 

Pellet Grill 

If smoking isn't for you and you don't want the guesswork of dealing with a gas grill, a pellet grill might be for you. They're great for foods that burn easily like pork chops and chicken with the skin still on. They're also ideal for large cuts of meat that you want to toss on and not have to worry about or fuss over. 

Pellet grill from home depot

A pellet grill uses wood 'pellets' rather than charcoal, and they give a delicious smokey flavor. Plus you can choose which type of wood you use and get different flavors into your food that way. You can experiment with different wood types and foods to see what flavors work for you palette. Some examples are almost sweet like oak or pecan, while others give a very umami/smokey flavor like hickory and mesquite.  

One interesting fact about pellet grills is that although they run on wood, their temperature control is digital. As the grill works it automatically draws from the pellet hopper to keep the grill at the temperature you chose. This is a great benefit to the chef that wants to set it and forget it, but still wants something more than a gas grill. Pellet grills are well worth their price tag, running between $350 to $2000. 

Your grill choice is going to be dependent on you. What do you like to cook? How do you like to cook? These two questions will affect your choice as much as the price. 

Which one are you most interested in? Grills aren’t something we fix, but we do love grilled food as much as the next person, so we’re interested in hearing what you have to say. Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page!

If you’re not up for grilling next weekend though, that means you’re probably cooking. If your range is giving you trouble, you might want to give us a call. Whether it’s broken, behaving oddly, or you just want to give it a thorough going-over, we’re here for you. You can reach out to us at our contact page or by calling us at ((214) 599-0055).

*Yes we know you started long before this, but give us this. 

Additional Reading:

Fire in the Kitchen

7 Reasons To Build An Outdoor Kitchen

What To Know Before You Build Your Outdoor Kitchen