Do You Need a Wine Refrigerator a Wine Cellar or Both?

Wine refrigerators and wine cellars provide separate functions with the essential difference between the two being the optimal length of storage as well as the temperature at which bottles are cached. Generally speaking, sparkling wine, champagne, and lighter bodied white wines such as pinot grigio’s are at their best when they are chilled to a temperature range of 40 to 45 degrees. Full-bodied chardonnays, on the other hand, should be served at temperatures that are about 10 degrees warmer.

Considering that the family refrigerator will normally run at temperatures between 36 and 40 degrees and a wine cellar should maintain a range of 55 to 65 degrees, the best solution for serving these types wine at their optimal temperature will be a wine refrigerator. These refrigerators come in a variety of sizes, with storage capacities ranging from 6 to 200 bottles.



Despite the fact that a wine refrigerator will enable white wines to be served at their best temperatures, it will not be the best choice for the long term storage of a collection. This work is best left for a wine cellar with an environment of 55 to 60 degrees and a humidity level that consistently hovers around 70%, because long term storage at lower temperatures in a wine refrigerator can mute the flavors and varying levels of humidity can lead to a drying out of the corks.

For serious wine collectors, the best solution is to go with a wine refrigerator and a wine cellar. The availability of both storage options allows for bottles of sparkling wine, champagne, and white wine that are ready to be served to be rotated from the cellar to the wine refrigerator where they can be chilled to their optimal temperatures. Bottles that will be aged, as well as the red wines that are ready to be served, can be stored in the cellar, giving the collector perfect wine storage solutions for both the long and short term.

Are You Grilling or Barbequing?

While the terms “grilling” and “barbequing” are often used on an interchangeable basis, about the only similarities between the two cooking styles is that they both involve the cooking of meat in the outdoors. The determination of whether you will be grilling or barbequing starts by defining the cooking style.

Grilling, in terms of sheer numbers, is the more popular and simpler cooking style between the two, being a common sight at beach cookouts, parties, and other events. Grilling recipes are as varied as the people that prepare meat in this fashion with an almost limitless number of rubs, sauces, marinades, and spices that combine with the carmelization of naturally-occurring sugars in the meat to provide a wide range of tastes.
 
If you are grilling:

• You are cooking with high heat temperatures that run in the vicinity of 500 to 600 degrees.

• The meat you are cooking is being directly heated by burning coals or a gas flame.

• Your cooking time is relatively short.

• You are probably cooking higher quality steaks, hamburgers, chicken or hot dogs

Barbequing is completely different from grilling in that the process takes longer and requires some expertise to deliver a successful meal. Most of the meat’s flavor is derived from the smoke that emanates from the embers of selected types of wood.



If you are barbequing:

• You are cooking with lower temperatures ranging from 180 to 250 degrees

• Your meat is not in direct contact with the heating source

• You are cooking cuts of meat that benefit from longer cooking times such as ribs, shoulders, etc.

While the terms are often interchanged, grilling and barbequing are completely different styles of cooking. If you happen to be a person who enjoys cooking with both styles, the Primo ceramic grill is designed to allow grilling on one half while meats placed on the other side of a divider receive the indirect heat of the barbequing process. The grill can also be converted to a full grill or barbeque, depending on the size of the meal and the method of preparation.

5 Ways to Cool Your Kitchen the Heat of Summer

When the temperatures rise throughout a hot summer day, the last thing you probably want to do is turn on the oven and start cooking. If going out to dinner every night isn't an option, here are 5 tips to make sure your kitchen doesn't feel as warm as your preheating oven.

• Experiment with other cooking appliances – Microwave ovens can now brown and crisp dishes and crock pots cook at lower temperatures for longer periods of time. In fact, once a crock pot has been loading with the meal that will cook over the next several hours, it can be situated anywhere, including the patio if you have an outlet nearby.

• Add a ceiling fan – Ceiling fans tend to be under-utilized in kitchens but they can provide significant cooling as well as the dispersal of heat from the oven.

• Get outside – One of the pleasures of summer is cooking outdoors and the new barbecues and grills make it easy. In fact, outdoor cooking gear has so many optional features that you can prepare an entire meal on a barbecue/grill.

• Create sandwich and salad bars – These are fun meals that don’t require any heating. 

• Increase your venting capacity – One of the things that gets overlooked in terms of cooling a kitchen area is the venting system over the oven/cooktop. Improving your venting capacity can remove more smoke, steam, and heat from your kitchen area, making it far more comfortable to prepare meals. 

Summer evenings can be extremely enjoyable, unless you’re sweating them out in a hot kitchen. Follow these tips to vary your routine, get outdoors, and stay cool while you’re in the kitchen.

Electrolux Dealers See the Future of Cooking

Electrolux dealers are excited about induction technology because it represents the next generation in cooking. Induction cooking employs high frequency electromagnets and sophisticated electronics to generate a magnetic field on the cooktop of a range. When a magnetic pot or pan is placed on top of the electromagnetic field, energy is transferred from the magnet to the pot/pan, which then heats the metal of the cookware. Heating of the cookware then cooks the food held inside. Increasing or decreasing the power of the magnetic field can then control the level of heat transferred into the cookware.

This dynamic presents many benefits including:

• Induction cooking is more responsive than gas or electric because of the capability to instantaneous adjust the heating level. Water boils faster and heat can be reduced more quickly as well. In fact, water can be brought to a boil in 90 seconds.
• Induction cooking provides a more efficient transfer of energy than gas or electrical heating elements, which can save both time and energy.
• Being able to control heating with electromagnetic energy means that cooking temperatures can be set precisely.
• The cooktop stays cool – Because heat is transferred directly from the electromagnets to the cookware, the cooktop stays cool. This can reduce accidental burns and make cleaning easier.
• Flexibility - Sensors automatically detect magnetic cookware that is placed on the cooktop and then activate the induction field, which can be adjusted to any sized cookware.

One issue that could be seen as a disadvantage of induction cooking is that at present, the only cookware that can be used must be a metal, such as iron, that responds to a magnetic field. Non-ferrous cookware like aluminum simply does not work on induction cooktops. This issue is mitigated by the fact that most cookware lines have plenty of products that will work on induction cooktops. Additionally, as induction cooking gains popularity, expect even more cookware options to become available over time.

Electrolux dealers know that the many benefits of induction cooking, including precision temperature selection, rapid heating, and savings in time and energy make induction cooktops a solid choice for any kitchen. For more information, visit: http://eastcoastappliance.com/index.html

The Straight Scoop on Buying the Best Cooktop for Your Kitchen

Making the jump to a cooktop combined with a separate wall oven is a great choice whether you are installing a couple of upgrades or doing a full remodel of your kitchen. This alternative to the traditional all-in-one range provides two immediate benefits; the convenience of working with an oven that doesn’t require you to work at knee level and the extra cabinet space that can be located beneath the cooktop to store bulky cookware.

Here is the straight cooktop scoop on what to look for as well as what to buy as the best option for your kitchen:

* Pricing – Plan for the combination of a cooktop with a wall oven to be more expensive than a single range. Prices for the cooktop will likely start around $300 for a basic version and range upward to around $2500 for high-end models.
* Sizing – The most cost efficient way to size your cooktop is buy one that fits the existing cutout on the countertop to eliminate the need for altering granite or the other materials that compose your countertop.
* The existing power source – This will, in all likelihood, be the deciding factor in whether you go with a gas or electric cooktop unless you’re comfortable with the cost of implementing a power source that isn’t present in your current kitchen configuration.
* The cooktop surface and the number of burners – The basic cooktop models will start with 4 standard gas or electric coil burners and move up in cost to glass, then seamless grates, and, at the top of the line, induction burners that use magnetic technology to heat quickly, conserve energy, and then offer fast cleaning with ceramic surfaces. 5 burner and bridge burner cooktops start at the mid-range of cooktop pricing.
* Control styles – Gas cooktops have yet to go beyond control knobs even at the highest end but electric versions can offer more variety once you approach mid-range pricing. The variety of controls includes digital readouts and touch screen operation. An added benefit of these models is that the absence of knobs makes cleanup easier.
* How exhaust will be vented – If overhead venting isn’t an option, electric cooktops can be purchased with a downdraft systems that aren’t as strong as traditional venting but can still reduce smoke and other cooking residuals.

Make sure to budget for the added expense of a cooktop with a separate wall unit as the components and the installation will be more costly than a traditional range. That being said, your new cooktop and oven can deliver bunch of great benefits that will have you cooking like a pro.

Optimizing the Performance of Your Energy Star Clothes Washer

ENERGY STAR appliances get their ratings by meeting benchmarks for operating efficiency and energy savings. While these appliances are designed for efficiency in everyday use, you can optimize the performance of, and maximize the savings from your ENERGY STAR washing machine by following these tips:

* Run your washer with full loads as often as possible – While sensors and settings can be used to make adjustments for smaller loads, clothes washers deliver maximum savings when full wash loads are run, resulting in a lower number of wash cycles per week.

* Don’t automatically assume that every load requires hot water – Depending on the stains, dirt or grime that you’re trying to get out of your clothes, in most cases you’ll be able to get the same results from running cycles with warm or cold water. The one exception would be the necessity of using hot water to remove oily stains. Keep in mind that using hot water will eat up about 90% of the energy used for a wash load while warm water uses about 50% less energy. Using cold water means that energy will only be used to operate the machinery, which maximizes your savings.

* Use the spin cycle – The spin cycle removes moisture from the clothes using centrifugal force. Longer and faster spin cycles will remove more moisture, which will reduce the length of the drying cycle.

* Use the recommended type of detergent – If you have a front loading washer, High Efficiency detergents which generate a lower amount of soap suds are recommended. Going with traditional detergents produces a higher than desired level of suds, which will reduce washing efficiency and may lead to mechanical issues down the line.

* Leave the door to your front loading washer open after completing a wash load – Unlike top loading washers, front loading necessitates a water-tight seal to prevent leakage. While a tightly sealed door is necessary to keep water in the basin during a wash, it will also trap moisture left behind if the door is shut once the wash is completed. This trapped moisture can be seen as condensation on the glass of the door and can lead to moldy and/or mildewy odors. If you smell these odors when opening your washer door, run a cycle without a wash load using about 8 ounces of bleach to remove them. Instead, leave the door open slightly after a wash load to allow residual moisture to evaporate.

Running your ENERGY STAR washing machine at its highest level of efficiency can save energy, time and money on both wash loads and drying loads. What you do with that extra time and money is up to you.