Washing vegetables under the faucet uses up a lot of water, even if you are efficient (keeping the faucet off when needed, and rinsing large amounts all at once). Long ago I considered washing produce in the dishwasher, but I didn’t actually try it until reading about it in unplgged. You can see from the […]
August 13, 2010
Things I Learned from My Appliance Repairman
Long-time readers know I enjoy learning the ins and outs of appliances. So whenever a technician visits, I talk to him (so far all male) and ask lots of questions. Of course, you have to take their advice with a grain of salt as you never know when they are trying to make you feel guilty for doing something wrong, to justify an unnecessary repair. And sometimes they are just mistaken.
Most of us have a few different types of appliances in our home, and repairmen generally specialize in one or the other. The repairman I called claimed that he worked on refrigerators, but in the end called someone else in to look at mine.
There are three main types of appliances and repairmen:
March 26, 2010
Ten Tips to Clean Your Appliances without Breaking Them
Ever damage or break an appliance in the middle of cleaning it? I know I have. And if you’re expecting company and the repairman can’t get there, you’re stuck. Here are ten tips for cleaning your appliances safely.
January 28, 2010
My Mom, Food Processors, and Norene Gilletz
When Ilana-Davita mentioned Healthy Helpings in her reader interview, author Norene Gilletz came by to comment. She even joined my Facebook fan page. I wrote to Norene to let her know that I would be dedicating today’s post to her.
My mother loved gadgets. She wasn’t the first to get a microwave, but when she did she read every book and article on microwave cooking she could find.
My mother loved food processors best of all. She had three Cuisinarts: One fleishig (meaty), one pareve (neutral) and one for Passover. When she wanted to make cheesecake, she called the rabbi to approve using the pareve one. Her hand movements were so limited that chopping and mixing were painful. Food processors enabled her to continue to cook for the family. If she couldn’t do it in the food processor, she couldn’t do it at all.
January 12, 2010
Simple Microwave Recipes
In my recipes, I like to include instructions for using a variety of cooking methods. Some people don’t own microwaves, but in a dorm or hotel room, that may be the only cooking tool available. Different methods work better for different people and situations.
Reader Ilana-Davita’s stovetop broke, and in the absence of a crockpot she requested microwave recipes. Here are a couple of simple ones. They all require microwave-safe utensils, like toughened glass, ceramic, or silicon.
December 20, 2009
10 Tips for Saving Money, Water and Energy with Your Dishwasher
It’s often said that dishwashers save water over washing by hand. I’m not convinced, because it’s possible to hand wash dishes using very little water. And dishwashers use more electricity, and require costly supplies. My mother never used hers because she found it too difficult to bend down to take dishes in and out. Still, they are convenient for most and I have ten tips for saving money and resources when you wash by machine.
December 7, 2009
Ten Tips for Cutting the Cost of Running Your Refrigerator
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kygp/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 I could live quite well without a dishwasher, crockpot or oven. But no one wants to go back to the days before refrigerators. Because refrigerators work day and night, they use large amounts of electricity. Here are tips to keep your food fresh and your electric bill low. Avoid leaks. […]
November 17, 2009
Don’t Stir the Pot: Make It in the Microwave Instead
image: Sifu Renka When I see certain words in a recipe, I know I will be cooking it in the microwave. “Stir constantly” or “Place in a double boiler” (see note) are two that set off alarm bells for me. Recipes call for these instructions when a food has little moisture, and is likely to […]
September 22, 2009
Six Low-Tech Kitchen Tools to Save Time and Money
When I’m cooking, I find myself using the same inexpensive tools again and again. I like gadgets as much as the next person, but I try not to clutter the kitchen with rarely used items.
These are my favorites:
September 13, 2009
How to Defrost Your Freezer
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When Should You Defrost Your Freezer?
Once your freezer has a quarter-inch or 6 millimeters of ice on the walls, shelves or coils, it is losing efficiency and should be defrosted.
Freezer ice comes from moisture in the air that enters when the door is open. If you open your freezer frequently or the seal is poor, you will need to defrost it more often. No-frost freezers have a costly mechanism that draws out the moisture from the air and keeps ice from building up. But this uses more electricity and food dries out faster. Almost every freezer on top of a refrigerator is no-frost, so these instructions are for a stand-alone freezer. If you buy a stand-alone freezer, compare costs carefully and be sure to get the kind you want.
