Places to Avoid: The Paw Version!

Or, Appliances That Your Pets Need to Stay Away From

Appliance Rescue Service has been taken over by the pets! This week we (Murder Mittens the cat and Odie the dog) are talking about our favorite places in the house, the appliances! They offer warm, and cold and food, we can't forget the food! 

Courtesy of Gomez Daniel

Washer

MM: I don't understand why the humans use this one it removes their scent, and then they have ti put it all over things again.  They put their clothes in, the clothes get wet, and then they move them over to another rumbly. 

O: And! They yell at you when you get them wet any other time, even though they also have the rain room that they go into.

MM: That is the bathroom. They put my litterbox in there as well. The wet machine is nice to lay on when it rumbles, but you're right on them griping about getting wet. 

O: I don't like the way everything smells,  but I love watching the clothes tumble round and round.

MM: Of course you do.

Dryer 

O: I hate this one more than the wet machine. It smells and it's hot. 

MM: As usual you have no taste. This one is perfect to curl up inside of when the humans have removed their clothes. You just have to make sure you don't stay in there when they put the clothes back. 

Courtesy of RaGeBe

O: Wait is it that where you go when I want to play?

Oven

O: It's the hot food box!  Humans like to put their food in and then they take it out later and it's a warm and I don't get why they put it in there to make it warm because it's just as good cold but sometimes if you're fast enough you can steal food from it! 

MM: Or if you wait for the right moment you can steal food from it and take a nap inside the warm. It's too hot sometimes, but that is why you are supposed to wait. 

O: And we're not going to talk about how you got your tail singed the one time.

MM: Not if you don't want me telling Ralph where you hid your bone.

Dishwasher 

O: This is my favorite! This one has all of the smells and food, almost every day! 

MM: Yes but the humans always yell at you for standing on it. Whereas I can stand on it and not get caught.

O: And that is just one more reason that I steal your kibble when you're not looking. Anyway, the humans put in the food dishes, and they still have food on them. They don't even lick their dishes clean! And then the machine makes lots of noise and spits steam everywhere - 

MM: Which is the best time to lay on the counter above it.

O: And then when they open it there's no more food! Why do they feed the food to the machine and not to me!

Stove

O: This one is tough Murder Mittens. On one hand, the humans make food up there, lots of food.

MM: On the other hand, even if you can get up to the food, you never know if it's safe.

O: Exactly! It looks like it's the rest of the kitchen but sometimes it's hot and sometimes it's not and sometimes there's fire according to Ralph down the street.

Courtesy of elina-volkova

MM: You trust the Chihuahua? He barks at his own shadow.

O: You have a point. Maybe his has fire but ours doesn't?

Refrigerator

O: The cold box! There is so much food in here and the humans just leave it in there and stare in front of the food as if they expect it to do something. I know the food is dead when they put it in there so why do they stare at it? 

MM: You expect me to be able to explain the humans?

O: No it just doesn't make sense. Anyway this one is also great during the hot months if you're sneaky you can get in there and eat the food and be cold all of the best things in one spot.

Courtesy of luca andrade

MM: As much as I hate it, I have to agree. There's food, there's tight spaces to curl up in, and it is cool when it is unbearably hot outside.

Freezer

O: This one is frustrating. On one hand it's nice and cold when it's hot outside. I love this box. On the other hand it smells like food but everything's frozen and hard definitely not food it's so cruel for the humans to do this. And then they yell at you when you want to stay in there and they put wet things on you. 

MM: The wet things. Perhaps the humans think you don't bathe yourself I certainly don't. As to the cold box, I believe the humans put things here so that they are food for longer like hiding one of your treats so that you can eat it later. 

O: But who would they hide it from? It's not like with my treats and you're going to eat them later. 

A final note from the People of Appliance Rescue Service: Although this has been phrased in a rather light-hearted way these are all places that you want to keep your pets out of for their safety and for the longevity of your appliances. In the event of your pets getting into one of your appliances and you being unable to get them out please make sure to call your vet first and a second. While we love our pets as much as the next person, we are much better at fixing appliances than we are animals. If you want to reach out to us about your appliances, you can reach out to us at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading to our contact page. 

4 Reasons You Should Not Get a Professional Range

(And 4 Reasons You Absolutely Should)

Have you ever watched the Food Network and thought, "I would love to own a range like that?" For many of the shows on air, 'that' is a professional range. These are larger-than-average oven and stove combinations meant to handle a lot of cooking. There are plenty of reasons that you should not get a professional range for your kitchen, and there are also plenty of reasons that you should. We're going to take a look at a few of each.

Your kitchen is too small. 

Courtesy of meekBASE

Let's face it; professional ranges are large. They're meant to be. They're intended for people who love to cook. If you're working with a galley kitchen or a older home where space is at a premium? A professional range will make the from more crammed, leaving you with even less storage space. The smallest professional range you can get is a 30 in. Which at that point, there's little difference between a professional range and a standard.

You want a ‘straightforward’ range with no fuss. 

If you’re not interested in the various bells, whistles and toys that can come with a professional range, that’s a fantastic reason not to get one!  If all you need is 4 burners and an oven to make the meals you enjoy, why go for something larger? 

You're working on a tight budget.

Although there are a range of options on the market, the starting price for most professional ranges is $10,000. When you consider just how much that can go towards in other areas of a kitchen upgrade or repairing your current range model, spending that amount is only sometimes worth it. If you're working on a tight budget, that amount of money might be better spent on other options.

You don't cook much, or you prefer baking.

If cooking isn't for you, or you prefer baking to cooking on a stovetop, you don't need a full professional range. In the case of the former, a 'basic' range is fantastic, especially when paired with things like multi-cookers and countertop ovens. On the other hand, if you prefer baking to working on a range rather than a balanced blend, a set of double ovens would get you more bang for your buck.

Some people, though, do want a professional range. If that's you, even after the reasons we just listed, let's take a look at some of the reasons you would want one. 

 If you want the space for a grill and griddle without using pans.

If you love grilling all year round, a professional range is for you. If you love making breakfast every morning and want an easier way to do it, such as having a griddle, a professional range might be for you. And if you want to add more of both to your life, all the better!

You love to cook and bake, and you need more space to do it.

If you love an equal balance of cooking and baking, but your current range isn't enough, then a professional grade is a great upgrade. Most professional ranges come with four to eight burners and one to two oven compartments. That is a whole lot of room to do a whole lot of cooking.

You're interested in all the bells and whistles a top-of-the-line range can offer.

Whether you're looking at Wolf, La Cornue, or Miele, or any of the other brands, professional ranges tend to come with all of the bells and whistles. Everything from Wi-Fi connectivity and digital displays to built-in sous vide Chambers and convection ovens.

You want something truly custom.

Photo Courtesy of La Cornue

While this is possible with other types of ranges, professional ranges tend to be even more customizable. From the color and trim to the placement of burners to being able to choose to swap out burners for induction sections, grills, or even wok burners. If you want a truly unique range meant precisely for how you work in the kitchen,  as of right now, a professional is a great way to get it.

What do you think? Are you sold on the idea of getting your own professional range? Let us know over on our Facebook page, as always. We love to hear from you and your thoughts on the matter. 

If you wound up here, though, because your current range is giving you fits, we can help. Whether you have a standard range, a wall oven with a built-in stove, or you already own a professional range, we service it. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to find a date and time that fits your schedule and send one of our expert technicians to solve the problem. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again.

6 New Appliances To Consider In 2023

Sometimes you need to go shopping for new appliances. Sometimes you just want to know who has the shiny new things that are going to make your life easier. And that is what this article is. We're looking at six of the best and brightest appliances that are on the market that look to make your life easier. Will show you not only what they can offer your home, but who we think would be best suited to these appliances.

Miele’s Built-in Coffee System

Millie has come up with a beautiful built-in coffee machine that we absolutely are mooning over. The top of the line model comes with built-in water line, an auto descale, and a cup sensor. More importantly though is what it can do for your coffee. Starting with the grinder, the coffee system has the ability to do three different coffee varieties. And can even make two coffees at once. Think of how much coffee you could make for yourself and others!

Price: $ 6,499.00

The obvious answer as to “who is this for” would be the coffee lover. However, the less obvious answer, and the more important one, is the host or hostess. The person who loves to gather friends over for dinner the night before and have everyone stay over. Then enjoying breakfast and coffee together before heading home. 

Beko Refrigeration

We went to start with, we review a lot of refrigerators on this block. Our technicians repair even more. But the Beko 36 in four-door French refrigerator? That's just beautiful. What matters though is not how beautiful it is, it's not the brushed steel finish. It's not the energy star stamp of how much energy it does not use. It's not even the fact that it is top of the line when it comes being both a freezer and a refrigerator with the shift of a button. Beco has created what they call active fresh blue light technology. Which extends the life of fruits and vegetables up to 30 days. Not only does it promote your fruits and vegetables to continue photosynthesizing inside of your refrigerator, it maintains the vitamins within them.

Price:  ‎$3,499.00

If you’re a gardener, this is the refrigerator for you. Think about the crush and bustle of harvest time in late summer and through fall. Think about the frantic push to eat all of the fruits of your labor, to preserve them or to give them away before they rot. Now, think about being able to take just a little bit more time with that. Being able to stretch out how long the bounty of your hard work is able to feed you and yours. 

Beko’s Compact, Recycled Washer 

Becco is bringing their highly applauded compact machines to the US. They have all sorts of features like reducing the number of creases in your clothing, quick washes, and an anti allergy program. What has us most interested though is how their washing machine tub is made of recycled plastic bottles. While it is currently only 10% of the tub, Beko has promised that they will continue increasing that number and working to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.

Price: $494.00

This washer is for the person who wants to reduce their carbon footprint in every way possible. If you’re looking to cut back on every level, what better way to consider it than a compact washer made from recycled materials? Not only does it reduce the electricity used, but it also is made from plastic bottles taken from the ocean. 

Sharp’s Built-in Steam Oven 

Sharp has developed a three-in-one combination steam and convection built-in oven. They claim that their 24-in oven can be installed in a wall under the counter or a kitchen island. It can both steam bake and cook via water bath which has us very curious for making cheesecakes. It also comes standard with superheated steam, gentle and regular steam, and both radiant heat and convection settings. The most important in that list on our opinion is the superheated steam. The sharp oven is capable of cooking foods to crisp without burning using steam up to 485° f. We believe that all of the different options at this oven offers is going to be the way the market turns in the coming years.

Price: $2,499.99

The fitness guru is  the one that would be best served by this oven. When you’re already on the cutting edge of your own physical health, you want to feed that with better food. Learning how to use a steam oven takes time and dedication, but for someone who is determined to care for themselves, that won’t b an issue. 

LG Studio’s New Dishwasher

The LG studio smart dishwasher has both quad wash and true steam. The truesteam technology skips the need for pre-washing or re-washing dishes. It uses a blast of seam at the start of a cycle to dissolve caked on food and is also used during the drying cycle to eliminate water spots.

Price: $1,049.00

LG’s New Dishwasher is great not just for the hostess, but also the college student, wrapped up in their Masters. When you don’t have time to think of anything other than your class load, how do you have time to do dishes? Easy, with this you don’t have to. 

Traeger’s Pellet Smoker with Induction Burners 

Imagine having the versatility of your entire kitchen right next to your pellet grill. That is what traeger is bringing with this smoker. You can make everything from fish to vegetables to delicious smoked meats in the smoker and at the same time make a delicate sauce or a rich pasta using the induction burner at the side.

Price: $3,499.99

We hate having to go with the expected, but for a pellet smoker, it’s going to be a grillmaster that’s going to love this smoker. It’s a very specific type of person though, that we’re thinking of. Someone who enjoys experimenting with food, of seeing how different flavors of pellets and will infused meat and vegetables, fruit and fish. To experiment and see how those then pair with different sauces and serving up strange and wonderful combinations. That’s the type of person this grill would be perfect for. 

If you had to pick one of these appliances to bring into your home, which one would it be? Let us know on our Facebook page or in the comments down below.

If you're still just daydreaming about new appliances and you'd rather fix the ones that you do have that's where our technicians come in. And Appliance Rescue Service, we want to work with you to get your home running smoothly again. We know how frustrating and upsetting it is when your routine is broken because your oven has stopped working or your washer is leaking. Wherever you live in the DFW area, Appliance Rescue Service is here for you. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055l, and we will work with you to find a time and date that fits your schedule.

Outdated Kitchen Appliance Trends

How Do YOU Do With The Trends of 2023?

How well do you know the current appliance trends? Do you know how what’s in, what’s out and who’s got new appliances trends coming? We’re tackling some of the different trends that are falling by the wayside this year. Some of them will be easy to spot, and others you’re going to have to think more closely about.

Best of luck, and be sure to let us know how you do!

• True or False: Stainless Steel is Not a Big Deal

  Description text goes hereAlthough a variety of different metal finishes are in, as we've mentioned a few times already, stainless steel is very much out! We are so happy to say goodbye to this one, as trying to keep stainless steel shiny and fingerprint free is a pain.

  Black stainless steel also seems to be out, which is another blessing. Black stainless steel was very popular for a while, but it was only skin deep, as the finish itself was. Many times you would end up with scratches within the first few months of owning an appliance, and the stainless steel would show through. And while we are all for the artistic application of this technique, it's no good when it's not intentional.

• True or False: The Kitchen No Longer Needs A Triangle

  The Kitchen Triangle

  For ages and ages you typically had one person in the kitchen doing all of the cooking. So it made sense to have the kitchen triangle. This was a straight line between your sink your stove and your refrigerator. It made sense. With a single cook you'd ping pong between these three areas and there was nothing to get in your way. Now though we have hobbies, we have coffee bars, we have entire kitchens that are designed around people being in the kitchen as we cook. So the kitchen triangle is very much out.

• True or False: Eco-Friendly Designs Are In The Bin!

  False! There are, in fact, brands that are looking at making more efficient and eco-friendly devices available for your kitchen. Some of the examples are coffee makers with reusable filters and dishwashers that use even less water per load.

• True or False: Traditional Coil Stoves are a Thing of the Messy Past

  True! Electric coil stoves are very much on the way out. Although they were previously one of only two options, with the Advent of induction and other options, electric coil stoves are going the way of the dinosaurs. Celebrate with us at no longer having to scrape off burnt-on spills or worry about destroying the coils.

• True or False: Refrigerators Have Reached a Plateau

  False! Brands are looking to change the food zones that break down your fridge based on the different types of foods you want to keep on hand. Some of these are changeable as you need, others are specific to certain ingredients. The intention is so that you can keep your food fresher for longer.

• True or False: Technology in the Kitchen is Limited in What Can Be Done.

  False!

  Many different technologies are coming to your kitchen in 2023. We're not just looking at Wi-Fi and screens inside your refrigerator or Bluetooth that lets you connect to your refrigerator halfway across the house.

  Instead, many different sous vide tools are coming to your kitchen. Signature Kitchen suite is one of the first looking to bring a built-in sous vide range to the home cook. Although it still takes time, this slow cooking technique is capable of bringing restaurant quality food to your home.

• True or False: Everyone Is Sticking to Single Colors

  False!

  If the Pantone color of the year did not make it obvious enough, people are pushing to make their kitchens more and more personalized. Manufacturers and designers and aftermarket shops are all interested

  in helping make that happen. Whether it's a particular oven from La Cornue, or getting the MoodUP refrigerator when it becomes available, you can do it. Custom-colored appliances are available, and there's hardly any limit to what colors you can choose.

• True or False: Refrigerators with Tablets are Here To Stay

  If you've read our blog for any length of time you know that we very much despised the trend of refrigerators with tablets built in. Between having to worry about it being a security risk, or not being updated only a few months after you purchased, it they weren't worth the trouble. We are so happy to see that designers are realizing that this is not the way to make appliances smart.

Courtesy of Laurel Bern Interiors

With that, how did you do? Let us know over on our Facebook page! Are you a trendsetting whiz? Or do you have some catching up to do? (If it’s the latter, don’t worry, we did too!)

If you’re thinking ‘Well that’s great, Blogger, this was cool, but it doesn’t fix the fact that my oven is burning everything” don’t worry! That’s where giving our office a call can help. You can give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) Alternatively, you can reach out to us on our contact page if you’re not one for phones. Either way, we’ll work with you to set a date and time that works with your schedule. Whether you live in The Colony, Coppel or Carrollton, Appliance Rescue Services is here for you.

Energy Efficient Refrigerators: What Makes Them Tick?

And Which Ones Are Worth Your Money?

Did you know that out of all of your appliances, your refrigerator uses the most energy within your home? According to the department of energy, it uses about 5% of your total electricity every month. It doesn't sound like a lot, but in comparison to how much everything else uses, it is. The only things in your home that use more energy are your air conditioning, space heating, and water heater. Fortunately for you, there are options for improving your current fridge or replacing it. 

So how do companies make a refrigerator energy efficient? Currently, three options are commonly used among companies like LG, whirlpool, and Samsung.

The first is a little like Papa Bear in the story of Goldilocks. Manufacturers take the casing of the fridge and expand it so that they have more space to fill in with insulation. This does come with several drawbacks, though. 

-a larger refrigerator is going to draw more energy. 

-the larger the refrigerator is, the higher the price tag is. More materials are used to make the product, and manufacturers want to recoup it.

-If you're looking to replace your fridge with a newer one, you must keep that larger space in mind. It is possible and has happened more than once that a client will have to completely remodel their space to fit the new fridge.

Another way manufacturers increase their refrigerators' energy efficiency is a bit more like Mama Bear. Instead of making the case bigger, they keep it the same size and just stuff more insulation into the existing space. This keeps it a standardized size, but it decreases the internal capacity of the fridge. So it's a bit like swinging too far the other way.

Many homeowners, especially today, are looking for a blend of internal storage space and energy efficiency. And that's what brings us to the just-right version of a refrigerator. Instead of expanding the refrigerator or reducing the internal capacity, manufacturers look to new materials and technologies. Still keep the standard size case and fill the inside with more efficient insulation. Then they pair that with an energy-efficient cooling system that is more advanced. The downside is that since these materials are still not in common use, the price tag goes up accordingly.

We'll quickly take a look at some of the most energy-efficient refrigerators in different styles currently on the market. 

Best Top Freezer 

Model: Whirlpool WRT112CZJZ 

Price: $568

Biggest Pro: It's considered a very reliable refrigerator model that lasts for ages. 

Biggest Con: It's a very straightforward refrigerator and freezer, and there aren't any bells or whistles to it. 

Best Bottom Freezer

Model: LG LBNC15231V

Price: $1295

Biggest Pro: All shelves are adjustable, so you can set up the fridge any way you want. 

Biggest Con: For all that, it's only slightly larger than the previous model and doesn't have any additional features; it's double the price of the Top Freezer model. 

Best French Door Refrigerator

Model: LG LFC22770ST

Price: $1679

Best Side By Side Refrigerator

Model: LG LSXS26326S

Price: $1500

Biggest Pro: It has the most interior space of all of the refrigerators on our list today. 

Biggest Con: As we said in the first section, a bigger fridge means more energy usage. 

Best Built In Refrigerator

Model: Thermador Freedom Collection T36BB915SS

Price: $11499

Biggest Pro: This one offers the highest reliability, customer satisfaction, and ease of use on our list. 

Biggest Con: It has wifi.  

What if you don't want to replace your refrigerator, though? Instead, you might look at making your current refrigerator more energy efficient. To that end, we have seven tips that can help you out.

First, organize your fridge. It sounds like such a simple thing and something many of us consider cleaning or trying to make our lives a little faster and a little easier. But it can actually be really good for your refrigerator's health as well. Your refrigerator relies on its ability to pump air through the fridge, typically coming from the Top, cycling down to the bottom, and then out through the vents at the bottom of your fridge. When the vents are blocked, the motor has to work even harder to force more air in to continue circulating. This causes many problems, from cold air pooling and even freezing some sections of the fridge and other areas being only slightly cooler than the ambient temperature of the room.

To solve that consider grouping things together in bins and drawers. This way, things don't get shoved to the back of the fridge over time.

Our next tip is to look after the seals on your doors. These seals or gaskets protect your fridge from warm air coming in from outside. However, when you're constantly opening and closing the doors to grab ‘just one thing you forgot’ or to get water or ice, those seals give way. Well, your fridge might be able to last 15 years, but those gaskets will give out after just a few, especially with constant opening and closing. So check once a year. See if they are cracking, rotting, or pulling away. If they are, call up your favorite repair company to come and have it replaced. Not only does that help with your electric bill, but it also means you'll be cutting down on wasted food.

A third tip for you, keep the fridge away from high heat. While this is much harder in Texas Summers, you can take small steps to help your fridge. Don't position your fridge so that it's right next to your oven, your range, or your dishwasher. Make sure that the refrigerator doesn't stand in direct light for long periods of time. All of these things lead to the outside casing of the refrigerator heating up and the motor having to work harder to try and ensure the inside is cool.

Another cleaning tip, keep your condenser coils clean. Those coils are how the refrigerator breathes essentially, and when they're covered in dirt and dust, your fridge can't breathe. Just like you start drawing deeper, harder breaths, if you have something obstructing your lungs, your fridge does too. Working harder means that your electrical bill will go up now, and it will shorten the life of your refrigerator. This means you'll have to replace it far sooner than you wanted.

One final cleaning-oriented tip, clean up the ice inside your freezer. This is a summing that you have a freezer attached to your refrigerator. The motor works for both of them, and if the frost is building up in your freezer, then you'll have that motor working even harder, trying to circulate air on that side to get around the obstruction. So you can either regularly scrape off the ice that builds up or defrost your fridge and freezer on a regular basis. Both are options, and both will save you money in the long run.

Moving away from cleaning, try cooling your food before you put it into the fridge or freezer. So if you take food that is steaming hot right after dinner or right after you bake it, for example, and put it into the fridge, your fridge has to work to take the temperature down anywhere from 350° to 500° down to around 40°. On the other hand, if you let your food cool down on the counter prior to putting it away for storage, it only needs to bring it down from the ambient temperature of the room. Doing this means that the fridge doesn't have to work as hard, which cuts down on electricity usage. And that is what we are always hoping to do.

A final tip is to consider investing in a countertop ice maker. If you have an ice maker inside of your freezer or you use bottled water all the time, you have to constantly open your fridge and freezer. Instead, keeping an ice maker on the counter uses up a very small amount of energy in comparison to what your fridge draws every time you have to open it up. Given that we live in Texas, it might be more helpful to get an under-the-counter ice maker, which would be larger, but that is entirely up to you.

Wrapping all of that up, do you still have questions? Do you have any tips that maybe we missed? Let us know over on our Facebook page, as we always love to hear from you.

If you're here because your refrigerator just isn't getting cool enough even after you've tried to organize it or clean the coils, reach out to us. You can get hold of us by calling ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page. Whatever the issue is, we'll work with you until you're satisfied that the problem has been fixed. Our top goal at Appliance Rescue Service is to get your home running smoothly again.