The first thing you notice about the electric (also available in gas) Samsung dryer model number DV328AEW is the elegant digital control panel situated at the top. An uncluttered interface makes for easy decision making, offering a high degree of custom control for drying level, temperature, and time settings. Completing the intuitive interface is a standard selector for signaling when the load is done--high, low, or off.
A large dial allows for one to choose from nine cycle settings for drying. Familiar settings include permanent press, delicate, and heavy duty, alongside finer choices such as air fluff and freshen up.
With a large 7.3 cubic foot drum capacity (on the larger side for consumer brands), the dryer can easily accommodate huge loads all at once, saving time and money. Additionally, there is a drying rack for bulkier items such as pillows or sneakers.
At the end of the cycle, the dryer incorporates wrinkle prevention, tumbling the dryer without the heat so as to not let wrinkles set in. This is a feature not to be taken lightly for the more forgetful among us.
The dryer stands at just more than 3 feet high and pairs with a comparable washer for either side-by-side or stacked configurations. For further integration within your laundry room, the dryer door has a reversible door hinge allowing for it to swing open to fit your space. Anyone who has struggled putting laundry into an oddly positioned dryer can tell you that this might be the most important feature of all.
We've talked before about compact kitchens on wheels and on legs. Now let's take a look at two Design Centers from Fagor America that look good enough to complement a high-end kitchen.
In just 50 inches of space, the CX-5 Cooking Design Center resolves all your cooking and basic storage needs--and it looks good doing it, Made of high-end stainless steel, the unit keeps you organized by providing a cooktop in the same space as the pots and pans you'll use with it, so you won't need to run around the kitchen or squeeze into inconvenient spaces.
The CX-5 packs a surprising amount of storage and a gas or radiant cooktop into a mere 50 inches.
(Credit: Fagor America)You can integrate Fagor's 27-inch radiant cooktop or the 28-inch gas cooktop. (The unit also integrates with other brands, but be sure to measure carefully.)
The unit's large drawers provide innovative storage solutions for pots, pans, lids, utensils, and other kitchen items.
The slim dishwasher column provides enough storage for all the dishes you just washed.
(Credit: Fagor America)Want easy cleanup after you cook your meal? Install the four-module CX-1 Dishwasher Design Center. This unit's ergonomic design places the dishwasher 18 inches above the floor--which means no more bending to load and unload dishes. In fact, dishes can go directly from the dishwasher to the tableware, flatware, and cookware drawers that are integrated into the unit.
Thoughtful touches--like the way the top drawer of the column opens upward for easy access to contents--make this a piece that will feel at home in any kitchen.
The GE Profile 24.6 cubic foot refrigerator is an Energy Star-compliant top freezer model with plenty of storage options.
Top freezer models tend to be more affordable than side-by-side and bottom-freezers. However, at more than $1,600, this model #PTS25LHSBB is on the higher end of the price scale.
This GE Profile is an energy saver with plenty of room.
(Credit: GE)That said, this is an Energy Star model loaded with features including an internal water dispenser with a filtration system, a factory-installed automatic ice maker, and digital climate controls, instead of a dial and electronic sensors, that let you customize how you cool your food.
Inside, there are four adjustable glass shelves that are raised at the corners so they are spillproof. Three of the shelves slide out for easy cleaning or for switching to accommodate bulky food.
There are three clear, adjustable gallon-size door bins for holding bigger containers and one full-width refrigerator door bin made to accommodate tall bottles. There's also a deli drawer and fruit and veggie crispers with electronic sensors that adjust the humidity. A digital display shows the exact temperature of both the refrigerator and freezer.
A versatile shelf-saver rack holds a 12-pack of beverages, two egg cartons, or a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish.
The freezer has one main tiltout bin, one shelf, and a fixed-door bin. This model is equipped with FrostGuard that activates to protect food from freezer burn.
For the budget conscious, this Energy Saver model, which is 35.86 inches wide, uses 475 kWh (on a 445 to 520 scale) with an annual estimated operating cost of $43.
This model runs quiet, as it's equipped with GE's most advanced sound-control system.
It comes with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.
This featured model is black, but the refrigerator also comes in bisque, white, and stainless steel, (which is about $300 more than the other models). It retails at about $1,645.
This Samsung 24.8 cubic foot side-by-side refrigerator suits a buyer looking for a side-by-side that's roomy, but a bit more affordable.
While not as stylish and feature-laden (high-end lighting, sophisticated drawer temperature controls) as some side-by-sides, this #RS2530BBP model retails at about $1,100, while still including a water and ice dispenser. (Whirlpool also offers a side-by-side model that, for $950, includes an ice/water dispenser and is a Consumer Reports Best Buy).
Samsung's affordable side-by-side
(Credit: Samsung)This Samsung model, which is on the larger side at about 36 inches wide, has a through-the-door automatic ice maker and filtered water dispenser that comes equipped with a childproof lock. There's also an alarm to alert you when the door isn't shut properly.
Inside, the model offers electronic temperature control and multiple flow vents to provide consistent temperatures when cooling food.
It also has two spillproof glass shelves, and two slideout shelves for more flexibility with space. Four gallon-size door bins can hold milk and other oversize containers.
A vegetable crisper has a humidity adjustment feature to better coddle fruits and vegetables. There's also an additional deli bin.
This refrigerator isn't Energy Star qualified, consuming 695 KwH per hour at an estimated annual cost of $58.
It comes with a one-year limited warranty.
Online reviews of the quality of Samsung refrigerators are mixed and Consumer Reports doesn't include the vendor in recent repair history surveys. For some, Samsung models have a history of cooling and maintenance problems. ("We have had this fridge for around 1.5 years, and have had four service calls," one Best Buy reviewer wrote. "The temperature fluctuates on both sides, varying the food temps too much. One day you get ice cream out and it's too soft, the next day too hard. One time the ice will be cubed, the next time crushed.")
Others found this particular model cost and energy efficient, ("We replaced our existing fridge with this Samsung and could not be happier. Our electric bill dropped $20 a month after it was installed. The simplistic and intuitive design is wonderful. It is very spacious and makes the most of every cubic foot of space. The cost compared with other fridges makes it a wonderful option to buy," another Best Buy reviewer wrote.) A total of 13 Best Buy reviewers gave this refrigerator 3.5 out of 5 stars.
This model comes in black. (Of note to Sears shoppers, the retailer announced last March it would start carrying Samsung refrigerator models.)
I remember the first time I saw the pod coffee machines, I thought they were ridiculous. I've worked in loose tea shops where tea bags are generally seen as over-processed cheap imitations of the real deal, and so the similarly-shaped coffee "pods" touted by the first single-cup pod coffeemakers instantly made it to the top of my "not worth it" gadget list. I'm a religious coffee drinker, and something about those tea bag-like coffee pods was very off-putting.
Fast-forward to several months later during a visit to my sister's house. After waking up on the first morning and asking about a coffee pot, I was horrified to follow her gaze to (gasp) a coffee machine with a bag of French vanilla pods. But who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I fished out a pod and gave the one-shot pot a fair chance.
Lo and behold, the cup of vanilla joe was surprisingly tasty, and even a bit frothy. Not only that, but the single serving also eliminated my normal leftover coffee that either ends up getting cold on the counter or getting consumed and turning me into a rambling, twitching fool. I now knew that these pod-lovers were on to something.
Flavia has combined the premise of the pod with our innate desire for variety by giving us the Fusion Drink Station, a single-cup drink machine that can make about 30 varieties of thirst-quenchers, including hot chocolate, coffee, real leaf tea, and espresso using prepackaged drink mix pouches.
The coffeemaker uses an active charcoal filter to purify your water, and is designed in a way to ensure that your drink travels directly from the drink pouch to your cup, so you don't need to worry about your cup of afternoon tea picking up the flavor of your morning coffee.
The standard model retails for $99.95, but if you want to splurge and spend $169.95 for the Fusion Deluxe Drink Station, you can enjoy its extra features such as blue LED drink selection lights, visible water level, and a hot water button. The drink filter packs range from about $5 to $10 for each pack of 18 or 20, depending on the type. One of your options is what Flavia calls "indulgences," which include Mars and Milky Way swirl. I don't know about you, but I'm sold.
KitchenAid's 24.8 cubic feet refrigerator is an energy-saving model with French doors and a bottom freezer, a feature that's becoming more popular among buyers because it puts the refrigerator at eye level.
This model #KBFS25ETBL is part of the vendor's sleeker Architect Series II. It is an Energy Star model, which uses at least 15 percent less energy than a standard refrigerator. (All freestanding KitchenAid refrigerators are Energy Star compliant.)
KitchenAid refrigerator with French doors saves energy.
(Credit: KitchenAid)The refrigerator offers varied storage options because of its full width that enables storage of larger plates and big pizza boxes. It comes equipped with four roller-track adjustable glass shelves and gallon door bins. It also has two humidity-controlled crispers to ensure fresher produce and a full-width temperature-controlled pantry door. Controls are electronic touch with digital temperature readout.
There's a holiday (Sabbath) mode feature on this model so you can avoid turning it on and off at certain times and an alarm that alerts you when the door is left open.
The freezer has two wide pullout baskets that provide easy access to food and are simple to clean.
The water dispenser, which is equipped with AquaSense filtration, is located inside the refrigerator on this model and the ice maker, which is outside, is automatic so you always have ice available. The interior lighting on this refrigerator is standard.
The pull-out freezer measures 7.3 cubic feet and the refrigerator is 17.5 cubic feet.
This model comes in black and white and retails at about $1,800.
For some reason, most refrigerators have not been designed with these vertically challenged containers in mind, and when I run out of space in the door, I have to stuff bottles on their sides on the middle shelf in a pyramid of glass and plastic that takes up all of the room and often leaks out into a sticky mess.
Meet the Thermador Freedom collection of refrigerators, which allow you to automatically adjust the shelves in your fridge at the touch of a button.
The icebox comes equipped with something called a "liberty shelf," which you can adjust electronically, even when it's fully loaded. In accordance with the liberty theme, the refrigerator also has what Thermador calls "freedom hinges," which can open up to an angle of 115 degrees so that the outer door can sit flush with the surrounding wall panels without having to worry about it bumping into anything when you open it.
An added perk of the Thermador Freedom is visibility. In addition to its sleek-looking glass shelves, it uses full-length halogen towers and overhead halogen spotlights, so you can see all of your food clearly and avoid any undue rotten apples. It also uses a bottom freezer drawer instead of the traditional left-side or top freezer.
Pictured here from left to right: the Thermador Collection's Fresh Food Column, Bottom Freezer Refrigerator, and Freezer Column
(Credit: Thermador via HGTV)
The KitchenAttendant is a touch screen that takes the guesswork out of keeping your kitchen's inventory, making recipes, and watching your diet.
(Credit: Digital Trends)Technological advances like the ones you see on this blog are making cooking, eating, and entertaining easier and more convenient, but in the case of some inventions, like the KitchenAttendant, we're no longer faced with the responsibility of thinking about what we should eat.
Remember the Intelliscanner Kitchen Companion remote, a handheld scanner that keeps track of your pantry and helps you print out grocery lists? Meet a device that puts the runt remote to shame. The KitchenAttendant is a countertop computer kiosk that was developed as an inventory-tracking device and cooking aid and has so many culinary bells and whistles that it will make you feel as if your job as meal-maker has become obsolete.
The touch-screen device fits on top of your kitchen counter and has revolutionized food tracking by being the first system that links together your kitchen inventory to both actual stores and health management information. This means that in addition to tracking the items in your cupboards with a bar-code scanner similar to the Intelliscanner, it also sends recipes, coupons, shows you video demonstrations of recipes, and tells you what items you still need in order to make dinner.
According to KitchenAttendant LLC, the system's installation and hardware costs should be covered by supermarket companies, while the consumer will have to pay a small monthly fee (about $16.00). By connecting directly with supermarkets, the system can display what you bought as soon as you get back from the store, as well as display a list of possible recipes that you can make with your current inventory and then transfer "used" items that you've scanned out onto the next grocery list.
Also, let's say that you made a casserole for your family and you ended up throwing half of the recipe away. Next time you make it, the KitchenAttendant will suggest a half-sized recipe for casserole and do the calculations for you (it's not hard to imagine the collective cries of protests about this coming from middle-school math teachers).
The countertop computer can also be used as a health management tool: it can warn you if one of the members of your family is allergic to an item in your pantry and will display recipes accordingly, and can also make recipe suggestions if you have strict weight loss or dietary needs (for example, if you're diabetic).
Pity the poor toaster. Like a single person surrounded by married couples, it seems destined to be fixed up again and again, with the promise that this coupling will be the match that lasts.
The latest pairing to come to my attention: a Breakfast Set from Team Appliances, which combines a two-slot toaster with a five-cup drip coffee maker. All the expected features are here, from a removable crumb tray and adjustable darkness settings on the toaster to a reusable filter and automatic shut off on the coffee maker. What's missing? A timer to start your coffee brewing before you wake up in the morning. But it's a forgivable omission, given the product's space-saving design (hello, dorm room) and $50 price tag.
If you're not a coffee drinker, fret not: there's a toaster combo appliance for you, too. We've already seen a combination toaster and teakettle from Breville. I've long been a fan of the toaster and egg poacher that a friend acquired several years ago; it lets you prep all the ingredients for a breakfast sandwich at once. (Tefal makes a similar product.) LG makes a $140 microwave oven and toaster combo that's available in black, white, or stainless steel finishes. (So does Daewoo.)
Each of these pairings seems like such a good fit, I have to wonder if the humble stand-alone toaster is an endangered species. Tell me: would you go for any of these hybrids? Or is there any other appliance you'd like to see fixed up with the toaster?
I get that washing dishes by hand is probably more energy efficient than running the dishwasher. But I hate washing dishes, and if I didn't have a husband to pick up the slack, I'd leave mine in the sink for so long that I'd have to fumigate the house eventually. And that just seems like a terrible energy waste, not to mention what the chemicals would do to my kids.
I have to believe that I'm not the only woman out there who adores the convenience of modern appliances, so I'm a fan of dishwashers that don't just waste energy and water all willy-nilly. Because I'm thinking of my sisters in small apartments, or with small families, or whatever. Because I'm thinking of you. Call me a giver.
Haier has two smaller-size dishwashers ideal for cramped quarters or small families. The tabletop unit is small enough to keep on a countertop or put in a closet when not in use, and it's just the right size for singles or couples. It fits four place settings and hooks into the sink via an included adapter. The tabletop dishwasher is 17.37 inches by 19.5 inches by 21.25 inches and can be stored in a closet when not in use. It weighs just over 40 pounds and retails for about $200.
For $100 more, you can get a slightly larger unit (17.37 inches by 19.5 inches by 21.25 inches) that holds six place settings. The space saver also upgrades the interior to stainless steel (its little brother is plastic inside), and it offers a delayed start option and more wash cycle choices than the smaller appliance. This 77-pound unit also comes with casters to make it easier to move when it's not in use. And, like the smaller unit, this one comes with a sink adapter.
The downside? Once you have one of these babies, you have no excuse for that sink full of dirty dishes.
