Check Out These Cool Refrigerator Options

Remember when refrigerators were just a cold spot to keep your milk? Well, a few brands are recognizing the changing tastes of Americans and the growing role of the kitchen in today’s home with innovations that are convenient and just plain cool!

If you’re like me, you might start second guessing your current model and cursing it for not anticipating your every beverage or grocery shopping need.

Samsung SodaStream refrigerator

samsungfridge462x347_feature2For others like me who like a little pep in their water, the idea of a sparkling water-dispensing Samsung refrigerator is amazing.

You may select up to three levels of carbonation for sparkling water using the same control panel you would use to select water or ice. The sparkling water dispenser uses a standard SodaStream 60L CO2cylinder that rests in a small, concealed area inside the left refrigerator door, which is easily accessible to change when empty.

No more taking up precious fridge space with bottled and canned sparkling water nor creating all that packaging waste; now water dispenses on demand. In addition, you’ll ultimately save money (ultimately…) because sparkling water gets pricey and the cylinder refills aren’t that bad.

GE hot water dispensing refrigerator

gefridgeJust as easily as you can have cold water at the touch of the button, the GE hot water dispenser fridge means no more microwaving water or heating it on the stove for common needs! Think baby formula for gosh sakes. You’ll pour hot, filtered water from your fridge dispenser in minutes. How easy is that?

With four pre-programmed settings for the most common food and drinks, hot water is dispensed at a perfectly accurate temperature every time.

hotwater_temps

Simply select your temperature setting, then use the knob to dispense up to 10 ounces of perfectly heated water.

Plus, water is purified through the only refrigeration filter tested and verified to remove 98% of five trace pharmaceuticals* from water and ice, offering added peace of mind for your family.

The refrigerator comes in both standard-depth and counter-depth styles to suit your kitchen.

LG WiFi LCD screen fridge

lg-refrigerator-lfx28995st-large01lcd-food-management465x265Don’t you hate it when you’re at the grocery store and you think you have sour cream in your fridge but how old is it really? Wouldn’t it be sweet to access that information and an inventory of all your fridge’s contents from your smartphone? (Answer: yes, it would be sweet).

This LG French door refrigerator uses a 10″ WiFi enabled LCD display to manage calendars, check the weather, download recipes from The Food Channel, leave digital notes (“stop drinking out of the milk carton!” or “save that cake for Saturday’s party!!!”) and display family photos. Oh and yes, the “food management system” will help you remember what you have and how long it’s good for. From there, you can create shopping lists that can also be accessed via your smart phone. Super smart, right?

Discount refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves at the Warner Stellian Warehouse Sale

Yesterday, I previewed our advertised washers and dryers on sale for this weekend’s Extreme Warehouse Sale, but we have pretty much every category represented among the thousands of deals you’ll find.

WHEN:  Saturday, Nov. 12 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  Sunday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Warners’ Stellian Warehouse,  550 Atwater Circle, one mile north of I-94 on Dale Street at Topping Street, St. Paul.

In total, we’ll have thousands of deals on discontinued, floor models, scratch and dent, one-only models — you get the picture.

Demand is such that we even make special purchases from the manufacturers at deep discounts exclusively for this sale.

Here’s a sneak peak of some of those below:

Frigidaire stainless steel dishwasher, now $399 (reg. $599)

FGHD2433KF

7-cycle dishwasher with hard food disposer (FGHD2433KF). While quantities last.

Whirlpool dishwasher just $399 in colors and $449 in stainless steel

GU2300XTVS

6-cycle dishwasher with soil sensor. (GU2300XTVS). While quantities last.

GE stainless steel gas range only $599

JGB3001ERSS

5.0 cu. ft. self-clean gas range (JGB3001ERSS). While quantities last.

Frigidaire side by side refrigerator, now $599 for colors and $699 for stainless steel

FFHS2611LW

Comes in white (shown) or stainless. 26 cu. ft. side-by-side refrigerator. 69-3/8H x 36W x 31-3/4D (FFHS2611LW)

LG French-door stainless steel refrigerator only $1199

LFC25770ST

19.7 cu. ft. French-door refrigerator. 67-1/4H x 29-7/8W x 31-3/4D (LFC20770ST). While quantities last.

Troubleshooting for Icemaker Not Making Ice

When your refrigerator’s icemaker isn’t making ice, perform icemaker troubleshooting before calling repair. Chill out and try the following.

Icemaker Troubleshooting

1. Make sure the metal arm on your ice maker is DOWN and any control is set to “ON.”

Refrigerator Icemaker

2. Ensure the water supply is properly connected and turned on.

3. Tighten your drain cap. A loose drain cap leaves you with thin ice because water will empty from the water pan.

4. Examine the drain tube. The drain tube could be clogged from sediment. Flush out sediment by shutting off the water line, waiting and turning back on. Next, ensure there are no kinks in the drain that could prevent the flow of rejected water out.

Those are just basic tips everyone should try before calling for icemaker repair. Hopefully they works for you.

Featured image via KitchenAid

When To Break Up With Your Refrigerator

break_up_advice

The average refrigerator lasts about 12 years, but what if yours is still humming along?

A week ago, we got an email from the sweetest lady EVER (don’t even try to debate it). It began:

My husband purchased a General Electric refrigerator on May 20, 1949, 6 days after our brand new daughter, Mary, was born.  One of the features I liked about it was a “butter conditioner”.

This Model MF8F General Electric refrigerator is still running.  But there is the possibility, it could seize to function one day.

The ‘butter conditioner’ in the door is intended to keep butter at the temperature I desire.

Thus far, I don’t know where to look for a refrigerator with this feature.  I’m almost sure you can help me.

Clearly, this woman — bless her heart — should’ve replaced her refrigerator decades ago. That wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing butter conditioner, though source of such creamy deliciousness, really is just a black hole of energy.

That thing probably runs on $300-$400 worth of electricity per year, versus $50 or so of a new Energy Star refrigerator.
referstat2

I’m not hating on this woman (on the contrary; I want to adopt her), as it’s hard to tell when to just break up with a “perfectly good” refrigerator.

The New York Times mused on the topic in 2008, and decided that 15-years-old is a pretty safe retirement age for your refrigerator.

What if you inherited appliances from the previous owner? If you’re like me and your home was sold to you with so-called updated appliances, you can use Energy Star’s Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator, a handy tool that lets you input the model number of your current fridge to see how much more you’re spending on energy use annually versus a new, Energy Star refrigerator.

6 Surprising White Vinegar Uses

Vinegar is quite the cheap, green cleaning wunderkind. Ditch the store-bought cleaning products laden with chemicals, and try using vinegar for the following.

1. Vinegar as Rinse Aid

bottle of white vinegar

We have recently blogged about the benefits of a regular vinegar cycle in your dishwasher, but we’ve also heard of using vinegar as a dishwasher rinse aid substitute.

There’s really no harm in using vinegar in your dishwasher, but we suggest only using it in lieu of rinse aid between trips to the store. Rinse aid should be called drying aid, and modern dishwashers need it to properly dry dishes.

2. Clean Microwave with Vinegar

Heat a microwave-safe cup of vinegar in your microwave and let it boil, so the steam can loosen up all the stuck-on splatters for a minute or so. Wipe down the interior immediately, while it’s still moist inside – no scrubbing necessary!

3. Clean Washer with Vinegar

Just like  your dishwasher, your washing machine benefits from a regular vinegar cleaning. Run a cup through an empty cycle using the hottest setting.

4. Vinegar as All-purpose Cleaner

Equal parts vinegar and water work well for cleaning windows or glass. Also try the solution for an all-natural way to clean the inside of a refrigerator.

5. Clean Coffee Maker with Vinegar

Run a full coffee pot of vinegar through your coffee maker every few months. It’s satisfying to watch all the grime flake off into the pot, and you’ll be amazed how much faster your coffee brews without all the sediment slowing it down!

6. Vinegar as Stovetop and Oven Cleaner

Apply a paste of vinegar and baking soda to your stovetop to scrub out those stubborn brownish discolorations and food splatters.

Do you have any other creative white vinegar use ideas? Let us know in the comments!