Dryer Deep Dive 2021

Figuring Out What All Is In Your Dryer

Welcome back to another one of our Appliance Deep Dives! This week we're taking a look at everything there is to know about your clothes dryer. Some people call it a tumble dryer, some people call it a clothes dryer, but most of us just call it the dryer. This is the appliance in your home that is the second most energy-hungry out of what we call the 'core' appliances, second only to your range. It uses heated air to remove the moisture from your clothes, and a tumbling drum to keep them moving continuously to distribute that heated air. 

Table of Contents

Time-Based Features

Delay

Time Left In Cycle 

Timed Dry

Features To Make Your Life Easier

Damp Alert

Sensor Dry

Attached Dryer Rack

Steam

Child Lock

Wrinkle Guard 

How to Choose Your Next Dryer

Power

Size of the Dryer

Capacity of the Dryer 

Power Supply

Electric

Gas

Types of Dryers

Gas Dryer

Vented Dryer

Condenser Dryer

Heat Pump Condenser 

Features to Look At

Door Types

Hamper Door

Side Open Door

Reversible Swing Door

Top Open Door

Drum Types

Stainless Steel

Coated

Plastic 

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There are so many different options for dryers. No doubt that list up top probably looks huge (it does to us too) but we're going to tackle all of it. We'll be starting off by looking at the power sources that are currently available for your dryer, whether you're looking for a new one or want to understand where your current one may not be the right fit. 

Electric 

An electric dryer is the one that most people have in their homes, and for many excellent reasons. They don't require you to pay for a specialist to set up a natural gas or propane hookup. They're cheaper and more easily available for consumers to get hold of, which means that if something breaks on them, they're also easier to get parts for. The downside is that they do use much more electricity in order to run. Even the most energy-efficient ones will still push up your electric bill a fair bit. 

Gas

By contrast, a gas dryer is more expensive to install, though only if you don't already have an existing natural gas or propane hookup in your home. Whereas an electric dryer utilizes metal coils to heat the air, a gas dryer just uses natural gas or propane. (Just to be clear, the gas doesn't come into contact with your clothing.) The dryer itself is also more expensive than an electric dryer, but that it's due to two different factors. The first is that they are not as common as the electric dryers, so as the consumer, you absorb more of the costs. The second is that a gas dryer is going to last much longer than an electric.  They do require a vent to the outside, which can either be done with a permanent vent, for which most manufacturers will offer a kit or a temporary hookup. We'll talk more about that in just a moment. A gas dryer isn't great if you only have a small space for your dryer, but, the trade-off is that they are extremely energy efficient. 

Vented Dryer

Your standard vented dryer can either be gas or electric, and they are the single most common variety of dryers on the market. They work by heating air and sending it into the drum. That air is then vented back out of the system and replaced with fresh air once it becomes too saturated with moisture. As we mentioned up above, the vent can either be a permanent hookup or temporary.  A temporary one might be connected to a block that you put in your window with the frame closed around it, and then you remove it when you're done. These dryers are not perfect at removing all of the air from the system though and so your laundry room can become very muggy when using them. They are cheaper to buy than some of the more complicated models, but they are also more expensive to operate. Additionally, these are also typically of a larger capacity than most other models, meaning you can dry more clothes at once. 

Condenser Dryer 

When we talked about the electric dryers we talked about how they use a heating element to heat the air. A condenser dryer is different. They pull in air from all sides of the unit and pass it through a condenser where the air is heated up and then passed into the drum. This process leads to a lower temperature than comes with using a vented dryer. The upside to this is that they are gentler on your clothes. The downside is that they do require a longer drying time and more electricity because of that.  When a condenser dryer pulls the air out of the drum, it is forced into a condenser chamber where the water is extracted from it, the dry air is heated, and it goes back around.  One of the major benefits of a condenser dryer is that it doesn't require a vent to go outside since the air is at a lower temperature and all of the moisture is extracted from it. 

Heat Pump Condenser Dryer 

A heat pump condenser dryer is one of the newest varieties to hit the market. Have you ever felt the outside of your refrigerator and been baffled at how hot it is on the outside and cool on the inside? This dryer takes advantage of a similar principle. Instead of a heating coil, it uses a miniaturized refrigerant system, which we know sounds contradictory. The way it works is that the system starts by compressing a refrigerant, which then expels heat, which heats the air. That air goes into the dryer, drying your clothes and picking up moisture. That moisture-rich air is taken out of the system, it goes through the refrigerant where the water is collected and is then reheated to be used again. This cycle repeats over and over, but it's at a lower temperature than the vented dryer. This may sound like a bad thing, but the heat pump dryers are surprisingly energy efficient. The only issue is that they do take more time to run,  and because they do have more parts, there is the potential for more to go wrong. 

Now that we've broken down the key types of dryers, let's take a look at the different features you should expect if you're on the market. 

Door types. Wow, such an exciting topic, right? Well, not really. That being said, it is important to think about. Depending on how your laundry room is set up, it's going to affect where you need to put your dryer. 

Hamper Door

A hamper style door with a window in it!

These are great if you've got a small space. Instead of going left or right, they swing out and down, like a laundry chute in a hotel. This makes it really easy to drop laundry in or pull it out. It also means that if you lose your grip on something, it'll slide right back into the dryer instead of dropping to the floor. Best of all, they won't swing shut when in use! 

Side Open Door

These are probably the type we're most familiar with. They're on the front of the dryer and they swing to one side or the other.  With these, you'll need to take into account the space you need, so that when you open the door, you aren't smacking yourself, the walls, or the washer. You also want to make sure that the door can open as far as possible so that it isn't a hassle trying to reach in and get your laundry. 

Reversible Swing Door 

Quick story. Your beloved writer was very foolish as a teenager. When she first heard about this concept, she thought that it meant the door could swing two different ways. Either up and down or side to side. No, it doesn't work that way sadly. What it does mean is that with this type of door you can take the door off and install it so that it swings open to the left or right, based on what you need in your home. 

Top Open Door

And finally, we have the type of door that is actually on the top of your dryer. (Would it then be a lid rather than a door? We aren't sure. We don't make up the terms.)  These are great if you don't want to worry about which way the door swings and how much clearance you have around it. BUT an important thing is that, if you're shorter, you might have trouble getting your clothes out from the bottom. This is why many have transitioned to the side open door. 

Moving on from doors to drums. We’re not talking about the noisy variety here, we mean the one that spins your clothes around inside the dryer. (Although if your dryer is noisy, we should be able to help with that.) 

Stainless Steel 

The best of the best when it comes to the type of drum inside your dryer. A stainless steel drum is longer lasting and is very hard to damage. They don't rust or chip, which means that they have a very long lifespan in comparison to other varieties. The downside is that it does tend to be more expensive than other varieties of drums. 

Coated

Coated drums can either be powder-coated steel (not stainless steel) or porcelain coated. These are the middle-of-the-road option. As such you're going to be paying less for them. The downside is that they are also going to have a shorter lifespan. The coating can be chipped over time, or if you put something heavy in them. Multiple things can then happen after chips are formed in the coating. That chipping exposes the underlying steel which can rust when exposed to wet clothes and linens on a regular basis, and that rust can then stain your clothes. The chipped areas can also catch on any clothing you put in from then on, causing snags or tears over time. 

Plastic

Finally, we have the least expensive variety of drums for your dryer: The plastic drum. Now the upshot to these is that they are much lighter and are significantly cheaper to produce, which brings down the price of your dryer. However, they can't handle "hard" objects according to manufacturers, and they are much more likely to chip or wear out than a stainless steel drum or even the coated drums. 

Time-Based Features

Delay

Delay is a self-explanatory feature, but one we love nonetheless. It allows you to delay the start of the dryer for a period of time. Some models will let you delay it for several hours. 

Time Left In Cycle

Just what it says on the tin, this is a visual display to show you how long is left on the cycle. It might be a ticking timer that rotates, it might be lights that count up or down, or it might be a digital display telling you what stage the dryer is in currently. 

Timed Dry

Time dry lets you set the dryer for a specific amount of time. This can be useful for all sorts of reasons, from needing to just freshen up a shirt to needing to finish drying it after you selected the wrong settings by accident (or learning curve.) 

Features To Make Your Life Easier

Damp Alert

While most of us would think this is meant to tell you "hey the load is almost done" that's not actually the case. Instead, this is for when you need (or want) to iron your clothing. When this alarm goes off it means that your clothes are at the perfect stage in between dry and wet to best take to ironing and staying without wrinkles. 

Sensor Dry

Some dryers now have sensors in the drum itself. These are there to tell when the clothes are fully dry and to cut off the process, saving you time, energy and money. They also save your clothes from extra wear from being tumbled around more than what they need to. 

Attachable Dryer Rack

An additional item that some dryers come with is a wire rack that you can attach to stand in the middle of the drum. This doesn't move even as the drum does. This would be something you could use for drying hats, shoes, special fabrics (such as lingerie), or even stuffed animals. Anything delicate that you want dried, but don't want tossed around by the dryer.  

Steam

This one sounds counterproductive, we know. "But blogger," we hear you cry "why do I want to get my clothes wet if I'm trying to dry them?" That our friends is the trick. First off, the steam isn't present during the entire cycle. It's only added to the drum during specific parts of it. The steaming process has several benefits that are especially beneficial given our concern with all things germs. Steam makes your clothes even hotter, meaning that germs and bad odors are significantly reduced. They also reduce wrinkles when the clothes are fully dried. 

Child Lock

Did you ever mess with the buttons on a dryer as a kid because you were bored? Or because you wanted to know what it did, or maybe just because it was a button? With this feature, your kids can't do the same to you. You can set the settings you need for a load and walk away knowing your kids can turn as many dials as they want and it won't turn your laundry into a pile of ash. 

Wrinkle Guard

This last feature is one we simultaneously love and hate. On one hand, this keeps the dryer running until you're able to finish what you're doing. It keeps the clothes tumbling at a lower temperature so that they don't settle and develop wrinkles. On the other hand, many dryers will have a very loud, annoying buzz to alert you that the cycle is done. That sound then gets played every so often until you come and collect the clothes. 

How to Choose Your Next Dryer

So, at the end of the day, if you're looking to replace your dryer, or just starting to consider what you'll want a few years from now after your current one is in a state beyond repair, how do you do it? 

Power

Start by looking at the power source your current dryer has. Does your home already have a gas hookup? Or is your current dryer electric? Do you want to make a change? 

Size of the Dryer

 How large is your laundry room? Your dryer needs to be able to fit comfortably within the space, have breathing room and be able to open easily? Careful measurements need to be accounted for before you purchase a new dryer. 

Capacity of the Dryer

How much laundry do you do on a weekly basis? Your dryer needs to be able to handle that not only in terms of as a whole but also in comparison to your washer, which brings us to an important rule of thumb. Ideally, your dryer should be twice the capacity of your washing machine. The reason for this is that while your clothes will compress and stick together once they're wet, they need space to dry. As the dryer tumbles the clothes they need space to expand and move more freely to allow the air to circulate. 

Thanks for checking out our dryer deep dive! Did you get the answers you needed? Or do you have more questions still? If that's the case let us know in the questions below or over on our Facebook page. As always, we'd love to hear from you. 

If on the other hand, you ended up on our page because you're trying to figure out why your dryer is busted, we can help. You can call at ((214) 599-0055) or go to our contact page to set up an appointment and we can either diagnose or fix the problem for you. 

Additional Reading 

9 Electric Dryers At 3 Different Price Points

9 Different Gas Dryers, At 3 Different Price Points

9 Things Your Dryer Hates

6 Things You Should Never Put In The Dryer

It’s Time To Clean Your Dryer – And Here’s Why

What You Want to Know About Heat Pump Dryers

Meal Planning Three: Tostadas for Thursday

Meal Planning Made Easy with a Trio of Recipes

Third time's the charm, right?

This time around we'll be making tostadas. If you've never had them before, they're a little like nachos, but instead of several little and likely broken chips covered in good stuff, they're one BIG chip piled high with nacho-like ingredients.

While it's not necessary, we do recommend adding some refried beans, guacamole, shredded lettuce and/or sliced avocado to this round. The additional ingredients really give this meal a flavor and texture boost - but we understand some picky eaters find them... objectionable, to say the least. Two of them are vibrantly green, so your veggie haters will be on guard immediately, and the other two are lumpy. So if you skip these, or just don't want to put in that extra layer of prep, it's absolutely okay. Your tostadas will still be tasty and nutritionally complete, we promise. We also like cilantro as a garnish, but we know some people find it soapy and unappealing.

You'll need your filling (the last portion left in the freezer from your original batch), and also:

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas
remaining 1/4 lb cheese (brick, shredded)
4 oz salsa
remaining sour cream

Optional:
refried beans, guacamole, lettuce, avocado, fresh cilantro

Baking pan with rack (or an air fryer if you're fancy), microwave safe dish or saucepan with lid, aluminum foil, cooking spray, plate or platter, grater, spoons and butter knife for dividing and spreading ingredients, knife and cutting board if adding lettuce or avocado, and some way to handle hot food (tongs, mitts, etc.)

As we did last time around, start by getting the filling out to thaw. Once you can remove it from the container it was frozen in, put it into a saucepan, drop a lid on it and set it on a burner on low. Alternatively, you can use a microwave safe dish and zap it for a few minutes on low to heat it through. Whichever method you choose, be sure to stir frequently in order to avoid scorched spots and frozen centers.

Separate your tortillas - but this time there's no need to wrap them up. Today, the goal is to crisp them. Lay them out on the platter and give them all a spray with your cooking spray, then flip them all and repeat the process so that both sides of each have a thin coating of oil.

If you have an air fryer, feel free to preheat it to 375 now. In an air fryer, you'll have to work in stages, even if you have a layered rack, so don't expect to be able to do more than two tortillas at a time. Place a single tortilla on each layer of the rack and, ideally, weigh it down with something oven-safe and kind of heavy. Pie weights work well if you have them, or you might use an oven-safe mug, ramekin or dessert plate if you have the vertical space to accommodate them in the fryer. If not, it's no big deal - tostadas are messy to begin with, and the only thing affected by them being a little wobbly and uneven is their presentation value. Run them through the fryer for about five minutes each. When you remove them, do so with grill gloves or tongs - anything that's not your bare hand! Burnt fingers ruin dinner for everyone.

Should you choose the more conventional route of using an oven instead of an air fryer, you should preheat that to 375 and place the tortillas in a single layer on the baking rack. Set them on the top rack of the oven and allow them to bake for ten minutes, flipping them over at the halfway mark. Be sure to take them out before the edges blacken. Every oven is a little different, so you know better than we do if you're at risk for that.

Did you save any of that shredded cheese from the last go-round? If not, grab the grater and shred the last of the brick you started with, or re-enlist that helper from before to take care of it for you.

This is also a good time to wash and chop lettuce if you've chosen to add it.

Once all your tortillas have been crisped and removed from the heat, begin layering toppings. It's best to put something unlikely to soak into the tortilla on the bottom, so we frequently place our thin layer of shredded cheese here, then build up.

Refried beans, if you're using them, are an excellent next layer because of their sticky, gluey nature (unless they're the too-thin kind you sometimes encounter - maybe skip if they're watery). Spread them out a bit with a knife so they're not all clumped up in the center, then add a few spoonfuls of your warm filling.

We'd go with guacamole and lettuce next, and a little dollop of sour cream on top with just a dash of cilantro, and then serve with a little bit of salsa... But this is the time to make it your own. You don't need to top it just with the things we've suggested.

Perhaps top it with another addition of your own design. By now, you're familiar with the flavor profile and have had a chance to think about what you'd like to add - maybe you like goat cheese, or a specific brand or flavor of hot sauce. Maybe you think it could benefit from the addition of some chorizo or queso blanco. What if you have some fresh peppers taking up space in the fridge that could add some texture and color?

There are no rules with tostadas, so long as the base is a crispy tortilla. It's perhaps a bit safer to keep any warm or soggy ingredients at the base and build upward with the crumbly and cool ingredients, but that's just a suggestion based on experience. Treat it like a crunchy open-faced sandwich and have fun with it! And don't be scared to make a mess eating yours - that's all part of the fun!

Let us know what you thought of our final meal planning recipe over on Facebook! We’d love to hear from you.

So long as your stove is fine, you’re good to go after this point, but what if it’s your washer that’s on the fritz? If that’s the case, you can give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or head over to our website. Wherever you live in Carrollton and the surrounding areas, we’ve got you covered. Appliance Rescue Service is here to help and here to keep your home, and your home appliances, running smoothly.

Additional Reading
Meal Planning One: Tacos for Days

Meal Planning Two: Enchiladas for Everyone

9 Kitchen Gadgets You Don’t Need In Your Kitchen

Sometimes, we buy the weirdest kitchen gadgets.

Do you ever look at something on Amazon and question “how did that get made?” Last week we took a look at some of the gadgets and appliances we desperately want to bring into our homes. This week we’re looking some of the kitchen tools we absolutely do not want. 

We rated these based on three rankings. Did they do what they said they could? Does this have a purpose? And, last but not least, just how dangerous is it? (If that last one sounds weird, wait till you get to the end of the list.) 

Table of Contents

Churros Maker

Whisk Wiper

Butter Hub

Golden Egg Maker

Gourmia Electric Tea Brewing

Ember Wave Smart Mug

Bossy Betty Veggie Sheet Slicer

Haier Pocket Washing Machine

Coconut Meat Scraper

Churros Maker

The idea is one that we can all get behind. Trying to make a tasty, delicious treat that little bit healthier. In theory, you don't have to spray the mold or even use any oil for cooking the churros. In practice though, what you really get is straight tubes of dough that are baked and won't stick to the churro coating.  It's the residual oil in the dough from frying that usually makes the sugar and cinnamon stick to the churro. Without that, you don't even get a dusting of it. 

Purpose - 3/10 

Does it make cooked dough? Yes. Does it make churros? No. 

Usefulness- 5/10 

Churros are delicious! Being able to make churros at home without needing huge vats of oil is a great idea! But this one isn't /necessary/ in day to day life for most of us. 

Danger  2/10

Unless you intentionally go putting your fingers in the press, we think you'll be ok with this one. 

Whisk Wiper

We want to like this one. We really do. Having a whisk fall into a bowl of batter/sauce/etc is a pain! Or losing what feels like 1/5 of your batter to the whisk because it's so thick. But.. we can't really justify this. There are other ways to keep a whisk from falling into your bowl, and just as many ways to clean a whisk as this offers.  We're sure the other 20+ uses it claims are served as well by other items in your home as this can. 

Purpose  8/10  It does do its job of wiping a whisk clean or stick to its provided whisk very well. 

Usefulness 1/10  If you don't have anything else in your house. Maybe. And even then we'd say that's pushing it.

Danger 0/10  ... Well. Unless you throw the provided whisk at someone in a fit of frustration. But we hope you won't do that one.

Butter Hub

This one gave us mixed feelings. On one hand, it is meant to keep your butter from getting crumbs in it, butter rings on your table or losing your butter knife on a regular basis. On the other hand, you don't have to use just one knife on the butter, you can just flip the lid over when you use the dish, and if you're not a heathen, you don't get crumbs in the butter. So.. mixed feelings? 

Purpose 10/10 It absolutely does accomplish the goals it sets out to. 

Usefulness 3/10 There are some people that this is going to work fantastically for, and we can appreciate that. It's just not us. 

Danger - 0/10 Again, we advise not throwing things at people and you'll be able to keep this safety rating. 

Golden Egg Maker

This one. You've probably seen a dozen and one different items that claim to do the same thing. The idea is to be able to somehow mix the white and yolk inside the egg so that picky eaters will consume all of the egg, rather than one part or the other. The problem? When tested, this one, and most of them, don't work. No matter how many times you spin an egg around, you aren't going to be getting the yolk and white any more combined. Evolution has you trumped. 

Purpose 0/10 This doesn't accomplish its purpose in any way, shape or form. 

Point  1/10 it works as a toy to amuse kids for a while making things spin around, but other than that, we don't suggest it. 

Danger 1/10 Some will have a small needle to prick the shell, but other than that, there isn't much danger involved. 

Gourmia Electric Tea Brewing

We wanted to love this one. We really did. And for half of the population, it's a great concept. Being able to set your tea to brew at a specific time is great! Being able to get the best flavor out of your tea is great! But. If you know anything about tea, you'll know this product is not great for tea. You start off by 'refreshing' the leaves, which means that you're throwing away the first flavor of the leaves. While it's true that you can steep loose leaf tea multiple times and extract multiple different flavors out of it, you have to be careful while doing this. Our biggest gripe about this is that there is no way to tell what temperature your water is. Different teas require different temperatures so that you get the best flavor from the leaf. This tool? Doesn't give you that. The best you're going to get is "light, medium or strong" and that can just as easily be achieved by altering the brewing time as anything else. 

Purpose -  8/10 It does in fact serve its purpose of making a cup of tea. (Whether it makes a good cup of tea is besides the point.) 

Usefulness 5/10 Again, it does make a cup of tea. However, since you don't really have much control over how it makes said cup of tea, we can't properly say it's useful. 

Danger 1/10 There are portions of it that are made of glass that are very poorly seated in the design. We wouldn't be surprised if this managed to wiggle its way off a table at some point. 

Ember Wave Smart Mug

This is a mug  that connects to an app on your phone or tablet to set a very specific temperature for your drink of choice. Want your coffee kept at 98* while you're doing the dishes? It can handle it. Want your cocoa to stay warm while you tuck the kids into bed? It can do that too. Our issue with it is not the functionality of the device so much as what's required in order to get it. First off, the price. As of writing this mug is priced at 129.95 USD.  Then you've got to download the app once you get your mug. Which, ok, that makes sense. It needs their proprietary software to work. What doesn't make sense is why you need to hand over your email and create an account. Why do I need to sign in order to heat my coffee? 

Purpose 10/10 It will keep your mug at the temperature you set. For that reason, we love it. 

Usefulness  1/10 This device is only as good as the app its paired to and for us, having to sign in just to keep our coffee hot is asking too much. 

Danger 4/10 Actual possibility of burning yourself on this one if you: 

a) forget how to hold a cup 

b) set the temperature too high 

c) have a moment of weakness and accidentally drop the cup. 

(the last one has happened this week to your faithful writer.) 

Bossy Betty Veggie Sheet Slicer

  We will admit that this one is a lot of fun to say, but not as much fun to use. Although it's relatively easy to use, even with instructions, it's even easier to slice yourself with.  The use for this one is to take different firm vegetables like zucchini, cucumbers, and carrots and turn them into sheets that you could use for different foods like lasagna. You fix the vegetable on the spike and then clamp the blade against it so that it begins to peel in very thin layers as the vegetable rotates.  

Purpose 9/10 We only took a point off because you have to pick very firm vegetables.

Usefulness 4/10 Here we had to take many more points off, because.. why? Why do you need such thin sheets of vegetables? Other than lasagna, we can't see the home chef finding much use for this particular item. 

Danger 8/10  Remember what we said about the blade? Yeah, in tests it was shown to pop repeatedly and suddenly when you're trying to 'set' the vegetable in place and ended up getting several people nicked. With time and practice, we're sure that people would be able to avoid getting injured, but really, we'd rather that you weren't getting injured at all. 

Haier Pocket Washing Machine

You're out at dinner with friends and you accidentally splash some wine on your new skirt. Or a waiter passes by and bumps into you, causing you to get sauce on your silk tie. the Haier Pocket Machine can fit in a pocket, or more likely, in your car's glove box. You pop off to the car, remove the spot using a bit of water, detergent and the machine and it's supposed to remove the stain. Everything from mangoes, to coffee to mustard. 

Surprise though, it doesn't. It just spreads the stain around and dilutes it some. It's a pity, but if things like this worked, we wouldn't have as much fun repairing your washing machine. ;) 

Purpose 2/10 It will dilute the stain some, if you immediately attack it with the detergent, but we really aren't sure if that's the detergent or the machine. 

Usefulness - 0/10 It doesn't remove the stain, using it would mean that you have to carry it, water and detergent with you all the time, and who has the time/space for that? 

Danger 8/10 Danger to your clothes. 

Coconut Meat Scraper 

Our final one on the list!  Fresh shaved coconut. Useable in all sorts of recipes and no need to wait! That is a dream for many of us that love coconut. This tool though? Is not the way to go about it. We'd rather you use a serrated spoon than to try this thing. It would be less dangerous.  In tests the machine spins so fast that it's difficult even with gloves on to keep the coconut on the shaving head. The company is kind enough to provide gloves but we can reliably say that they aren't enough to protect your hands from this.  For the sake of your hands, don't purchase this machine, and keep trying other ways to get your fill of delicious coconut. 

Purpose 7/10 It's possible to make this work. But it's hard and as stated, we don't advise it. 

Usefulness 0/10 Really. Unless you need industrial amounts of coconut, this thing has no use for the average person. 

Danger 10/10 It is highly likely in our opinion that you would end up injured attempting to use this tool. 

There you have it! Earlier this month we looked at gadgets we wanted and here are ones that we want nothing to do with.  Let us know over on our Facebook what gadgets are in your kitchen that you regret buying! 

Our everyday gadgets though, like your refrigerator, washer and oven are mandatory and not just because we work hard to keep them working. Every one of the major appliances has been tried and tested over and over to serve the purpose it was designed for. If yours isn't functioning for some reason, say the refrigerator isn't keeping things cold or your oven isn't getting hot enough, we're here for you. Appliance Rescue Service will come to wherever you are in our service area to keep your home running smoothly. 

Reach out to us via phone or our contact page to set up your appointment today. 

Appliance Rescue Service, we're here for you. 

Meal Planning Round Two : Easy Enchiladas At Home

Because who doesn’t love enchiladas?

Welcome back!

We're going to assume your crowd was not hungry enough to eat up all that filling from our last recipe, and that you still have two thirds of that batch in the freezer. Before you get started reading this, if you plan on cooking today, you might want to go grab a third of it and set it out to defrost. It'll take quite a while in the fridge, but if you set it on the counter, it should be thawed enough to squeeze out of that ziploc bag by the time you're done assembling your necessary items and reading through this post.

In the event they were, in fact, starving, and you're out of filling entirely, we'll just send you back over to the first part of this series to begin again.

This week, you'll need (obviously in addition to your filling)

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas (you'll most likely have some left over from the first round)
1/4 lb cheese (brick; shredded)
6 ounces salsa
sour cream, to taste

Tools:
deep baking pan, sauce pan or microwave safe dish for reheating, cheese grater, aluminum foil, paper towels or clean dish towel, cooking spray, plate or platter on which to work, spatula, spoon, sandwich bag, gloves (optional - but this can get messy)

First things first, get that filling heated up - it will be much easier to work with once it's warm. While you're welcome to toss it in the microwave in a covered dish, we feel like it loses some of its texture that way. We recommend putting it into a saucepan (or a caldera if you have one) and simmering it, covered, on low heat until all the frozen spots have thawed out and the whole pan is warmed through. For reasons we'll cover shortly, please put the pan on a front burner if possible.

While your filling is reheating, preheat your oven to 375.

Dampen your clean dish towel or two or three paper towels and wring out the excess water. We're going for slightly damp, not dripping wet. Wrap your corn tortillas in the paper towels or dish towel, making sure not to leave the edges of the tortillas exposed. Place your wrapped tortillas in front of the oven vent. On most ovens, it's just under the display for time and temperature. Assuming you're not using the microwave for reheating, please be sure that none of your little bundle is too close to the burner warming the filling! Place it completely on the opposite side of the stove if you can. The goal here is to let the tortillas gently warm while your filling reheats and you take care of all your other prep tasks. Warm tortillas are much easier to work with and less likely to break.

This is an excellent time to shred the brick of cheese if you haven't already. Using store-bought shredded cheese is fine, but the anti-caking agent companies package it with can change the way the cheese melts. It still tastes good, but it doesn't look as pretty - which is why we usually suggest shredding your own. It only takes a minute, and it's also a good way to get a helper involved.

Set aside your shredded cheese (or let your helper work on it) and pick up the aluminum foil. Use a large sheet of it to line your baking pan and make sure the corners are pushed down. Give it a quick spritz with cooking spray so you don't get enchilada pieces later.

Lay out your plate or platter close to your filling, and glove up (or scrub up and be ready to scrub again later) - it's time to fill some tortillas.

Take your first tortilla from the warm bundle, and leave the rest wrapped. Turn off the heat under the filling to avoid scorching either the food or your hands while you work.

Spray one side of the tortilla with cooking spray, then flip it over on the plate and spray again. A little extra oil is another trick to stop the tortillas from tearing (corn tortillas are a lot more brittle than flour ones, we're sure you've noticed).

Spoon some of the filling from your pan (or microwave dish) into the center of the tortilla and roll it up, leaving the ends open. Feel free to adjust the amount of filling per enchilada to your own preference. We like to start with two heaping tablespoons and go from there.

Place the enchilada seam side down in your baking pan, right up against one edge.

Repeat the oil, filling, rolling and placing steps until you're out of tortillas.

As you place your enchiladas in the pan, make sure each touches the side of the one placed before it. This helps prevent them unrolling and dumping their filling all over the place.

At the end of your stack of tortillas, you may still have filling left - this is okay; extras tend to happen with batch cooking. You can add it to the pan and bake it up with the enchiladas and then treat it as spilled filling when you serve, or you can set it aside and make some more enchiladas or a burrito with it for lunch tomorrow.

Now that you have all your enchiladas in the pan, take that salsa and dump it across the top. Spread it around with a spoon so that there's a layer of salsa over all of the exposed tops of the tortillas. It's fine if it's a thin layer. We want crispy ends and tops, but we're trying to avoid reaching the burnt stage.

After you've spread the salsa around, sprinkle that shredded cheese over it all (be sure to thank your helper if you had one) and pop the pan into the oven for about 20 minutes. Since all the ingredients are pre-cooked, there's no worry about reaching proper internal temperature so long as it's nice and warm when it hits the dinner table.

Optional: scoop a little sour cream - about two tablespoons should do - into that sandwich bag, seal it up, snip off a corner and drizzle it over the top after you take them out of the oven.

Divide up with the spatula, serve and enjoy.

Thanks for coming back! Join us in two weeks so that you can see how we’re going to make a final meal out of that original batch of meat. If you’ve got other tips on how to make this work or tricks you find for meal planning, let us know on Facebook! We love to hear from you.

If the worst happens though an your oven stops working midway through, we can help you. Give us a call at ((214) 599-0055), or you can get an appointment set up over on our website.

Appliances of the Future

Concept and Cutting Edge Appliances We Want

Have you ever looked around your kitchen or your laundry room and thought 'I need to solve this problem.' Many of us do that and we fill our homes with gadgets and tools that solve a very specific problem. This week we're looking at five very specific tools to solve problems around the home. Some of them already exist. Some of them might exist in the future. Either way, we know we want them. 

For the ones that don't exist, we feel the need to place a disclaimer. These are tools and appliances that have been dreamed up by engineers. They aren't fully reproducible just yet. These are concept designs. We'll make sure to note which ones you can get right now and which ones you can't.

Table of Contents

iRobot Scuba

LED Shower Head

B-Iron 725 

Orbital Washer 

Electrolux Gel Refrigerator 

iRobot scuba

iRobot Braava robotic mop for keeping your kitchen and home clean! We love the idea of making the mopping easier!

The rounds of cleaning never end, especially when faced with a pandemic. Many of us have found the iRobot company to be very helpful and this design is no different. Although officially called the iRobot Braava, the idea stays the same. A robotic mop for your home instead of a vacuum. Now not only can you leave your vacuuming to your faithful robot, but you can also have one to deal with mopping as well. We love this idea, especially for making the weekly scrubbing easier. There are quirks to using it as is true of any piece of technology but it makes up for it in terms of time saved. Just don't go and buy this one as a gift for your significant other. (Although this one does exist, we're still dreaming of a day when we can have our own Rosie from the Jetsons.)

LED Shower Head 

LED Showerhead to show you how hot your shower is before you hop in.

 Taking a shower is something we hope, all of us do. Why shouldn't your time there be as relaxing or refreshing as possible? Or both! That's where an LED shower head comes in. Studies have shown that different lights can have different effects on how we think. Not only in terms of how bright the lights are but also what color the lights are. With an LED shower head you can control what your shower looks like. Some of them, like the one we have linked to, will even change colors based on the temperature rather than just a pre-selected color. If you're looking to update your bathroom and make it a relaxing place we think this should be in consideration.

B-Iron 725 

The transparent B-Iron 725 concept iron is one we wish we could use in our day to day lives.

This see-through iron was developed by Dong-Seok Lee and Ji-Hyung Jung. The idea is a simple one, what if you could see the garment you're working on through the iron? It's especially useful for working with pants and skirts that need a crisp pleat in them. Although this idea isn't in production yet we hope that it will be in the near future.

Orbital Washer 

The Orbital washer with its removeable baskets is one concept that we would love to have in our hoomes.

Sticking with the idea of laundry, we're looking at the orbital washer. This is also another concept design but it goes well with people who are working in a smaller living area. 

The machine comes with two baskets. You use these day-to-day for sorting your clothing same as you do already. Except now when the basket is full take it directly to the washer and pop it in no need to transfer from basket to machine. Then when the load is done, remove the basket, pop in the other one, and you can load the clean set either into your dryer or onto the clothesline. Anything that removes steps from something that is already an annoying task, is an appliance we want. So, thank you to Tiffany Roddis for coming up with this design. 

Electrolux Gel Refrigerator 

Electrolux Gel Biopolymer Refrigerator. Think about how many different things you could store in this?

I've been on the internet for any length of time you have probably seen this image. What most of us don't realize is that this is an actual concept design. It was created for an Electrolux competition by Yuriy Dimitrev. The idea is a radical change in how refrigerators function. Instead of having a large enclosed box, you have a gel inside of a frame. When you place an item into that gel, it would create a pocket of air around the food. The hope is that not only would this prevent your garlic from affecting your carrots and your bananas from affecting your apples, but that you would have foods last longer. It's also suggested that this gel would take less electricity to maintain its temperature. This design was first released to the internet in 2010. It's been 11 years and we have not seen any forward momentum on its development, but that doesn't mean we aren't hoping for it still.

Those are the five appliances we wish we owned. What about you? Have you seen any concept designs that you're dreaming about? Let us know over on our Facebook page or in the comments down below.

If on the other hand you're dreaming about new appliances because your current ones are busted, we can still help you out. If you head to our contact page, you can set up an appointment today or you can call us at ((214) 599-0055). At Appliance Rescue Service we are here for you.