Category Archives: Appliance Tips

Full Steam Ahead

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Steam Oven [steem uhv-uhn] noun 

Ovens that use hot steam rather than hot air to cook food. 

Steam Ovens

Around for 25 years, steam ovens are becoming a must-have for today’s kitchen. You might also know them as combi steam ovens, where they can do many tasks a regular oven does, but with the performance of some steam. Let’s dive into some of their key features. 

Photo: Wolf

Cooking with Your Steam Oven 

First, steam ovens are forgiving when cooking food to a specific temperature. You won’t be drying out any chicken in these! Steam ovens don’t mean vegetables, fish and chicken only. Similar to a regular convection oven, it will brown your food to perfection.  

Photo: Miele

Cooking Meat 

Because this oven infuses food with moisture, you can count on it not drying up. This also helps with keeping all those yummy nutrients in the food and maintaining its color. You might notice that food also takes less time to cook because water conducts heat quicker than air.  

Photo: Miele

Baking 

If you’re an avid baker, you’re in luck because you can cook and bake with your steam oven. In fact, you can do both at the same time, without worry about odor transfer.  

Photo: Sharp

Saying Yes to Leftovers 

Not everyone is keen on having leftovers, but your mind might change after reheating last night’s dinner in this appliance. Your family won’t even know it’s leftovers with the steam oven’s reheat mode. 

Photo: Warners’ Stellian Edina Showroom

Cleaning Up 

You see all of that moisture? Not only does that help cook to perfection, it makes cleaning up a breeze! Gone are the days of crusted on cheese from pizza that went rogue. The moisture from the oven makes cleaning your oven fun again.  

Recipe: Wolf

Interested in more kitchen ideas? Read more on our blog, or visit our Instagram for Angela Warners steam oven tips!

Gas or Electric Appliance – How do you tell the difference?

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Are you looking to see if you have a gas or electric appliance, but not sure how to tell the difference? Our specialists are here to help.

You might be wondering, big deal why are you telling us this? In the end, to save you money (and time)!
You don’t want to spend $800 on a dryer to find out when it’s delivered it cannot be installed because you only have a gas hookup and bought an electric dryer.

Model Number

If you are looking online at warnersstellian.com or at your current model here is how you would know.

In the image below you will see the appliance’s model number, WKEX200HRA. From the model number we can see that this specific model is an electric fuel type because it has an ‘E’.

Gas dryer

Now, it the next image below you will see the appliance’s model number, WKGX201HRA. From the model number we can see that this specific model is a gas fuel type because it has an ‘G’.

Electric dryer

Check the Cord

Another way you can check to see if you have a gas or electric appliance is by looking at the cord. The electric dryers will have a normal looking three prong cord. The gas dryers will have a thicker cord.

Electric dryer cord.

This is an example of an electric dryer. Notice the size of the cord and how it is very different from the gas dryer below. The cord does not come with the dryer.

Gas dryer cord.

Here is an example of a gas dryer and the cord comes attached to it.

Note that this is the same thing for gas and electric ranges as well! Did you discover if you have gas or electric appliances? Let us know! You can also check out our appliance buying guides for more information on a specific category.

Holiday Prep Guide

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All Warners’ Stellian wants for Christmas is to make sure your appliances are in working order for the rise in cooking and baking that will be happening! So we created a holiday kitchen prep guide to help.

Don’t Self-Clean Your Oven

Holiday Prep Guide #1: However, if you are prepping to cook for Thanksgiving, skip the self-clean function and take the extra steps to clean manually.

You may remember our 10 Kitchen Tips for Thanksgiving blog, which still rings true. However, if you are prepping to cook for Thanksgiving, skip the self-clean function and take the extra steps to clean manually. To quote our Easy Oven Cleaning Tips blog post, “Self-clean ovens have a setting that allows it to reach very high temperatures and burn leftover food mess into ashes.” What we have seen is people during the holiday season clean their oven, but their oven can’t take the heat – literally. Putting our customers in a tough spot needed a new range or repair appointment before turkey day.

Change Your Water Filter

Holiday Prep Guide #2: Every six months, you should change the water filter in your refrigerator.

To start your holiday prep, every six months you should change the water filter in your refrigerator. The build-up from minerals in your water can stop your fridge from working. If your water dispenser stopped working when was the last time you changed the filter? Not to mention, your guest probably wants to drink fresh-tasting water.

Clean Your Dishwasher… and the Filter

Holiday Prep Guide #3: It might come as a surprise for some, but your dishwasher has a filter that needs to be cleaned frequently, depending on how often you use your dishwasher.

It might come as a surprise for some, but your dishwasher has a filter that needs to be cleaned frequently, depending on how often you use your dishwasher. We talk a lot on our social media sites (insert shameless plug here – Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or yes, even TikTok), where we show where to find your filter, clean it, and the benefits of cleaning it which helps keep your dishwasher running smoothly. Also using a cleaning aid can help rinse the hard water build-up and remove bad odors and bacteria.

Furnace Maintenance

Holiday Prep Guide #4: Furnace maintenance might be over looked, but being proactive helps prevent future problems.

Furnace maintenance might be over looked, but being proactive helps prevent future problems. The last thing we want is your furnace to go out while hosting guests! Make sure your filter is changed, get a tune up, and you might find our furnace checklist blog post helpful.

Vacuuming

Holiday Prep Guide #5: All jokes aside, running the vacuum is a core piece in preparing for guests, but having one that truly picks up all the pet hair, dust, and food crumbs makes this chore more enjoyable.

It’s true! When you are excited about solid vacuum lines and getting a new vacuum that gets all the pet hair you didn’t know even existed… you’ve reached adulthood. All jokes aside, running the vacuum is a core piece in preparing for guests, but having one that truly picks up all the pet hair, dust, and food crumbs makes this chore more enjoyable. If you are in the market for a new one, you might want to click here.

What happens if you are in the middle of your holiday prep and something happens to your appliances? Don’t worry, we have a handful of options for you to get ahold of us. While our stores are closed on Thanksgiving day, you can head to our website and schedule a repair.

Furnace Checklist

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It is time to dust off that furnace, and our HVAC team is here to help. To kick off the season here is a checklist to get your furnace ready for the cold season ahead. 

1. Change the Filter

The number one cause of a failed furnace is a cracked heat exchanger. The simplest way to extend the life of the heat exchanger is to routinely replace the furnace filter. Generally, furnace filters need to be replaced every 30 days, including 1” wide premium filters. High efficiency 4”+ wide filters can last from 90 days to 1 year, depending on the specific home.

You should change out your furnace filter every 30 days.

2. Adjust the Thermostat

Most modern thermostats have batteries that need to be replaced annually. If you have a programmable thermostat, check the schedule and temperature settings to provide the greatest comfort and energy savings. If you have a non-programmable thermostat, set the fan operation to “auto” and set the temperature to your comfort. The exception here, would be if you have a high-efficiency air cleaner and a low-energy use blower motor, then set the fan operation to “on”.

Most modern thermostats have batteries that need to be replaced annually.

3. Test Run Your Furnace

Turn your furnace on in early September, well before you need it. Avoid waiting until a cold fall October morning to turn your furnace on to ensure it works properly. October tends to be one of the busiest months out of the year for Minnesota heating companies, so avoid the rush and potential delay in service by testing the operation early.

Test run your furnace before you actually need to use it.

4. Schedule a Tune-Up

All furnace manufacturers recommend annual maintenance by a qualified heating technician. At a minimum, the tune-up should include the following:

  1. Inspect and test all safety controls
  2. Check and/or replace the filter
  3. Check thermostat settings and replace the battery
  4. Clean and test the ignition system
  5. Clean and test burners 
  6. Clean condensate drain if equipped
  7. Test carbon monoxide level
  8. Inspect heat exchanger

A furnace tune-up can be performed at any time of the year, but many customers prefer the fall, which typically results in paying full price and not getting the most convenient appointment schedule. Savvy homeowners will have the annual tune-up performed in the off-cycle time of the year to get reduced pricing and appointment times of their choice. Once you establish a time of year that works for you, simply stick to that cycle. Another advantage to having annual tune-ups is that you establish a relationship with a heating company resulting in priority scheduling if a repair or replacement is needed.

Schedule a tune-up.

5. Consider Replacement

The Minnesota Commerce Department states that the typical life of a properly maintained furnace is 15 to 20 years. Do not wait for your furnace to fail, consider replacing it as it reaches 15 years old. Not only will you have a more reliable furnace, but new furnaces offer more safety features, higher efficiency, multi-heating stages, and variable speed blower motors resulting in safer operations, lower heating costs, and a higher level of comfort and reliability.

You may need to replace your furnace after 15 years.

Bonus tip:

If your furnace is equipped with a central humidifier, replace the water panel, open the bypass damper (winter position) and set the humidistat to your comfort level.

Whether you need to change your filter or replace your furnace our HVAC specialists are here to help. For more home and appliance tips, explore more on our blog.

Small Laundry Room Design Ideas

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This guest blog was written by Lindus Construction. Lindus Construction is proud to have served over 75,000 happy customers in Western Wisconsin and the Twin Cities since the company’s founding in 1979.  One Call. One Contractor.

While the laundry room isn’t the most glamorous space in the house, it needs to be functional. So if you are short on square footage, maximize space with these laundry room storage solutions.

Wall Storage Works

For laundry rooms restricted by space, look to the walls as a source of storage. This can include wire racks for housing detergent and small hooks for light items that need to air dry. Hanging a drying rack from the ceiling provides a spot for delicate items that shouldn’t be tossed in the dryer. If there’s enough space, repurpose a bookshelf for additional storage. Installing open shelving on the wall utilizes vertical storage space. Peg boards can also be helpful for expanding storage areas.

Consider Curtains

If your washer and dryer are housed in your bathroom, use a curtain to conceal the space from guests. Curtains in vibrant patterns or bold colors can also add interest to the room. While curtains won’t mask the machines’ sounds, the appliances will be less visible than they would otherwise be.

Install Pedestal Drawers

Many washer and dryer models have accompanying pedestal drawers that are designed to fit directly underneath the appliance. Not only does this raise the appliances’ height for user comfort, but it provides an ideal spot for detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets.

Don’t Forget the Door

One often neglected area in a laundry room is the back side of the door. Attaching a closet organizer to it allows for storage that would not otherwise be available. Or use hooks to affix your ironing board to the back of the door. Shallow shelves can also be mounted on the wall behind the laundry room door to allow for additional organizational space.

Stack Your Washer and Dryer

Compact Beko Washer and Dryer in Small Laundry Room
Beko washer and dryer

When square footage is minimal, a stackable washer and dryer can be the perfect solution because they take up vertical space. Another perk of this configuration is that there’s less bending over to retrieve laundry. Beko machines stacked with their universal stacking kit reduce laundry machine footprint to a 2-by-2 square foot area.

Counter Conquers All

Installing a countertop that rests above the washer and dryer creates the perfect spot to fold and sort laundry. Quartz countertops are ideal because they are easy to clean, resist scratching and do not need to be resealed. If quartz isn’t in your budget, butcher block countertops work well because they are resistant to heat, lauded for their durability and come in an array of eye-catching patterns.

What space-saving laundry room tips do you have? Share them in the comments!