More on breadmakers

 

 

Spent the better part of the last two weeks testing bread machines. So forgive me if I seem a bit fuzzy — I think I may have overdone the carbs!

Because I had one or two blips with these machines, I thought this would be a good time to “test” the company’s customer service lines. I also wanted to compare notes on warranties offered on these products. Here’s what I found. (Machines are shown above in order mentioned.)

Hamilton Beach announced earlier this year that it would offer what I believe is the only five-year warranty in Canada on small appliances. The move was prompted in part by research done by the company indicating that an overwhelming majority of consumers feel that durability, reliability and warranty are extremely important or somewhat important when making a purchase decision. No Duh!

 The HB warranty applies to products purchased only in Canada, and covers defects in material and workmanship. If the item goes on the fritz, the machine will be repaired or replaced — the choice of which belongs to Hamilton Beach — and the cost of retuning defective product or receiving replacement product falls on the consumer.

Hamilton Beach also has a consumer help line, which offers the option of leaving a message requesting a return call rather than waiting on hold. Over the course of a week, I left two messages; neither was returned. There is a Q and A section on the Hamilton Beach website, but breadmakers were not listed as a category. On the plus side, if you lose an instruction book, you can find it easily online here and download it.

Breville offers a one year warranty on defects in material or workmanship. The recipe/instruction booklet for the Breville breadmaker I tested this week directed me to a 1-866 customer line. Unfortunately, it was fully automated, and did not offer the option of getting information on this particular item. So I went to the website and sent in an email query. The response directed me to the nearest retailers that handle and repair Breville products, but did not answer my query directly. However, I realized later that the issue I was having with the fruit and nut dispenser was answered in the troubleshooting section of the instruction booklet and was quickly fixed. Which just goes to show — it pays to read instruction booklets all the way through and to hang on to them.

Finally, I called the line for the  Breadman  machine with a bogus question. There’s lots of options to choose from that will direct your call, although if you’re not aware that Breadman is a Black and Decker product, you may get confused. When I did get through to a customer service rep, however, I did get the information I supposedly needed — from a very patience and polite young man with a charming Southern accent. Breadman offers a standard two-year warranty against defects in material or workmanship.

I really must get out more - just not to the mall

Got a pedometer this week, and was told that I should be walking about 10,000 steps a day. To my utter shame, I am averaging closer to 1,500. But it’s not my fault, I swear. It just seems to get easier and easier to conduct life from a chair in front of a computer. For instance, one hardly needs to go out to shop anymore. There is an upside, of course; I can say with confidence that if I never visited another “power centre” again, it would be too soon. So maybe it’s a good thing that the world of online shopping is exploding. This seems to be especially true of sites devoted to design and décor.  News of two more crossed my desk over the past week. Both are well worth a look.

Dering Hall  is an online design marketplace where interior designers, architects, artisans, and design dealers can show their wares in almost 100 permanent virtual storefronts. The lucky ducks have an “a strategic partnership” with Hearst Magazines, which includes financial support, and print and online media collaboration with Hearst titles ELLE DECOR, House Beautiful, and Veranda. Designer products from the magazines and the accompanying websites will be available during “featured sales”.

There are a few cool features: Dering Hall users can:

follow favorite designers (all look to be U.S.-based at this point, but I did see the magnificent Martha Sturdy on there) through storefronts and automatic weekly email updates. Shoppers must check with individual vendors for information on shipping to Canada.

engage directly with individual designers to ask questions, and order product

find talent in a Designer Directory

browse editorial pages with shopping links

post and share news of Dering Hall merchandise and designers on Facebook

I could easily window shop here for a few hours — if I didn’t have to get up and walk around the block ten times! Of course, unless your daddy’s rich, you may want to be sitting down when you look at the prices, which include $425 for a pillow and $12,000 for a lighting fixture. Granted, both are exquisite — but they may be outside the reach of les pauvre schmoes comme moi. (that's French for "poor schmoes like me".)

 A new flash sales website called The Foundary brings to market a curated selection home and lifestyle products — both from brand names and emerging designers — at up to 70 per cent off retail. It’s the latest venture from the folks at Hayneedle, an online retailer that opened in 2002 as NetShops, offering consumers product from niche webstores. It quickly became one of the biggest online retailers of home and lifestyle products. In August 2009, NetShops became Hayneedle Inc., an umbrella for over 250 stores. At this point it seems more focused on selling — there are no inspirational blogs or lists of tips and tricks. But there is an extensive product selection — encompassing everything from tabletop to furniture to toys.

Alas, the Foundary only ships a few items to Canada. For an extensive online selection that ships to both Canada and the U.S., check out HomeSav, which offers great deals on a wide range of home decor items.  And, ahem, you might want to make a special note to visit their virtual store on Nov. 8, which is when a sale of tabletop and entertaining items picked by me, moi and myself will go on sale. It will be a great opportunity to stock up on lovely additions to your dining/entertaining arsenal, without busting your budget before the gift-buying even begins! 

 

 

 

My best al fresco dinner yet

One of the things I love about the Stok barbeque I’ve been testing is that the interchangeable grills means you can pretty much cook the whole dinner outdoors, without running in and out of the kitchen. And I’m all for dialing down the stress meter during entertaining which is, after all, supposed to be fun for everybody, right?

I recently wowed a gang (if I do say myself) by starting off an al fresco dinner with Persian flatbread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and Herbes de Provence that I cooked on the pizza stone that comes with the grill. It went beautifully with a melted Brie that I had plopped in a small cast iron pan and topped with Garlic and Hot Pepper jelly from Jelly Boys, a fantastic line of all-natural, home-made jellies that I just discovered at my local farmer’s market.

If you're lucky enough to live near a Longo's, you could also use their house Brie, topped with one of their compotes, which are stellar (see pic below). As a matter of fact, you could do a terrific outdoor party with cheese from Longo's  (they have an excellent offering), olives and artisnal breads.

While we chatted and enjoyed the starter, I shoved a second, larger cast iron pan on the grill, closed the lid and let it heat up for about five minutes. Then I stuck a whole chicken in the heated pan, scattered some garlic around it and shoved a lemon cut in half in the cavity, closed the lid and left it alone for just short of an hour. More chatting and laughter and wine (see below). Just before serving, I squeezed the lemon juice and some salt over the bird, (Thank you Mark Bittman  for the easiest and BEST roast chicken recipe ever.)

While this was cooking, I gathered cherry tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, and mixed them with pearl Bocconcini cheese before drizzling the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

For dessert, we grilled fresh Ontario (natch) peaches  (just skin ‘em, cut in half and brush lightly with melted butter — and grill for a couple of minutes.) Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla-flavoured Greek yogurt from President’s Choice. Next time, I’ll make fresh raspberry ice-cream with my Hamilton Beach ice-cream maker. 

My new fave tipple for summer meals is Farnese Monepulciano d”Abruzzo Cerasuolo 2010, a lovely rosé at just $8.95 a bottle.  (Thank you, Beppi Crosariol, for the tip. This die-hard rosé lover is so grateful!)

Keep outdoor entertaining simple

Tom Filippou, the executive chef for President’s Choice, and the friendly face you’ve seen on CBC’s Live Right Now nutritional spots, thinks that keeping it simple, and planning ahead for outdoor entertaining, pays dividends for you and your guests.

 “Some folks get over-motivated and try to do too much, which means they are too busy to mingle,” he says. “But if you choose the right menu for your barbeque, you can be become part of the party.”

Mini sliders and sausages are a good choice because they’re easy to handle, and allow for lots of variation. "I always serve them,” says Filippou. “You can have a bunch on one side of the grill while something else is going on the other, and if you have lots of garnishes, guests can experiment and have fun.” Caramelized onions, sauteed peppers and grilled mushrooms make terrific toppings, although I've been known to just plop on some PC tomato-basil bruschetta sauce when I'm feeling lazy.

Indeed, President’s Choice mini portions have been a big hit with shoppers this summer, including me. We went through a lot of the Angus Sliders and the Smokin’ Stampede Brisket Sliders. Also loved the Sweet Italian mini pork sausages. (Make sure to grill extras of these and use leftovers in pastas salads, sandwiches or frittatas.)

All have great flavour, and I love that they’re a manageable size, making it easy for kids and adults to juggle one in one hand, and a glass in the other. Pair them with the mini Ciabatta buns (which you’ll of course toast lightly).

Hot outdoor looks for cool evenings

Face it – no matter how summery is still feels, evenings are cooling off. You can still enjoy them outdoors though, with the help of firebox (check your municipal by-laws for what’s allowed). Or you can opt for a heater, quickly becoming the de rigeur outdoor accessory for the cool kids. Napoleon’s  new Outdoor Torch (shown above – top) is a fully enclosed single flame in a sexy stainless steel mounting. It doesn’t require venting. There are two on/off switches, one for the burner and another for optional accent light for the base, which is filled with decorative glass embers. It sells for, gulp, around $2400. If that hasn’t made you faint, you might also consider the Kindle heater (also shown above), which I wrote about for this week’s Hot Home Products column. It’s available at Andrew Richard Designs  in a similar snack bracket.

New curated series kicks off at HomeSav

Since launching earlier this year, HomeSav.com has been quickly picking up speed, rapidly attracting both consumer and media attention. The members-only shopping club offers brand-name home décor, furniture and accessories at up to 80 per cent off, with new sales starting every day at 10 a.m. Items, (such as the Crescent Chair above) are available for three days in limited quantities. To become a member, shoppers must register. It's easy to do - and free.

Since learning about HomeSav, I have frequently found items on it I'd like to include in my Hot Home Products column. I tend not to, though, because I feel sure the stuff will be gone by the time I go to print.

Now HomeSav is launching a Designers Picks series; monthly sales featuring products and brands selected by well-known interior designers, artists, and experts. Each will focus on a specific theme or room. The first event begins Thursday, August 25th, and will be curated by Karl Lohnes. Metro newspaper’s national décor columnist, and Home and Decor expert for CTV’s Canada AM.

Karl has lovely taste, and I’m excited to see what he’s chosen for his signature look. And I'm dying to know who else has signed up for the series. I'll keep you posted.

Loving the DeLonghi

Cooking healthy meals is often a huge challenge for student living on their own or time-crunched singletons. One way to help the kids discover their inner gourmet is to give them a counter-top appliance that’s versatile and easy to use. My kids use our Breville Smart Oven all the time and over the years, have begun to make (slightly!) more sophisticated meals with it.

It sounds like De’Longhi’s new Toaster Oven and Panini Press/Contact Grill (shown above) fits the bill, too. It does all the good stuff a traditional toaster oven does, but there’s also an integrated Panini grill. Pressed sandwiches are high on my go-to week-night menu; I tend to grill extra veg — onion, zucchini, pepper, mushrooms — and leave them in the fridge. My veggie-loving daughter can then use them, along with a slice of cheese or meat to make a quick bagged lunch for work or school (see healthy meals above!). Recently, I've noticed that the kids have been adding globs of President’s Choice Smokin’ Stampede Mayo, which does add a nice flavour to paninis.

The cavity for this oven can fit 12-inch pizzas, six slices of toast, an entrée and, I’ll bet, a small chicken. About $220.

I also like the de’Longhi hand-held mixer from I tested this week. Great for salad dressings, quick chopping, whisking eggs, whipping cream, and blending sauces. It comes with a wire whisk and blender attachment, a chopper bowl and blade, as well as a beaker. The bowl lids are good-quality and fit nicely, so you can easily store what you’ve made. That means there’s really no reason EVER to buy bottled salad dressing again. If you’re unsure, start simply; plop some mustard in the beaker, add the vinegar and oil of your choice in a 1/3 ratio, toss in some herbs, garlic, or shallots and blend. Sometimes I use lemon juice instead of vinegar. This baby would also be great for making home-made mayonnaise. 

There are five speed settings, plus a “turbo” setting for hard-core blending. A little tip – if you do buy this item, hang onto the little plastic blade covers that come with it. Using them will help you avoid cutting your fingers accidentally when you reach into the cupboard to fetch it.

I looked into the future and saw...more laundry

While researching a Hot Home Products column about laundry appliances, I learned some cool things that I just didn’t have room for in my piece. For instance, Philippe Meyersohn, general manager for GE Appliances Canada, told me that the future will belong to smart appliances, which will be able to do fancy stuff like adjust the water temperature of the washer based on electricity prices. This generation of machines will require shape-changing municipal infrastructure, but GE has already tested the technology with good results in Vancouver. Meyersohn also said that while there are currently no Energy Star regulations for dryers, the company expects to see something in place by 2015.

“These changes will come about as people more concerned about environment, and because water and energy costs will keep going up,” says Meyersohn.

I also chatted to Steve Preiner, director of marketing for Bosch Appliances, about his company’s decision not to introduce steam,  which  is a hot (get it?!) feature on many lines, into its laundry products.

According to Preiner, steam adds cost to the machines and may not actually add that much functionality. “If you get a high enough temp in the wash, you don’t really need steam,” he says. “As for the dryer, you can get the same effect by spritzing a garment with water and using a gentle cycle.”

It’s a good tip, one I’ve frequently used. In fact, even with older or basic machines, good laundry “habits” can produce cleaner clothes. For example, do you:

• Shake clothes out before you put them in the wash, and turn them right side out?
• Make sure you’re not overloading the drum?
• Add detergent to the water before adding clothes, rather than loading the machine and pouring detergent on top?
• Treats spots and stains as soon as they happen, rather than letting them dry?
• Sort clothes appropriately, separating, for example, natural from synthetic fibres?

   

  Don’t forget that this hot, dry weather is perfect for line-drying clothes. At these temps, they’re ready in a snap, and the sun helps to bleach and sanitize whites.   Pic courtesy of Bosch
  For more laundry tips and advice, check out Clorox’s Dr. Laundry site.

   

  Pic courtesy of Bosch
  

A well-designed laundry room (and some good tunes) makes the job just a little easier

The efficient laundry room requires more than just good appliances. Perhaps that’s why Whirlpool enlisted the help of Clare Kumar, professional organizer, to design what it calls an "intuitive” laundry room (see example above).

Here are a few tips from Kumar:

Create an efficient layout with enough counter space to have a prep station for laundry products, and to serve as a folding surface when needed.

Use under-counter space to store hampers, and add shelves or baskets for supplies

Paint the walls a fun colour, and keep a radio or I-Pod nearby to listen to music while  working. My current fave song for folding laundry is by Fitz and the Tantrums 

Whirlpool Duet laundry pair (see pic below) also has some features that will save you time and trouble, including a “sixth sense” technology that measures the size of each load to determine how much water and detergent is needed, a built-in fan that  tumbles wet clothing for up to 16 hours, and an anti-vibration/noise feature. The set comes in white, red and silver. Prices start at about $2,500.

 

 

They're baaack - eco energy grants add incentive to make household upgrades

It was pretty much a no-brainer that the federal ecoENERGY Retrofit program would be reinstated in the last budget. Why not continue a plan that’s good for the environment, and the economy?

Naturally, that's being applauded by manufacturers such as Owens Cornings, who make EcoTouch Pink Insulation batts and AttiCat expanding blown-in insulation system and Roxul, which makes stone wool batt insulation (shown above).

According to Owens Corning, an attic insulated to the recommended standard of R-50 will save a half-ton of greenhouse gas emissions annually. It will also make your home more comfortable.

Insulation is just one route to a more energy efficient home. If you want a larger plan, consider having an energy audit done by an organization such as GreenSaver, Ontario’s oldest not-for-profit provider of energy audits and services.

What does a home energy audit entail? To get the full story, go to GreenSaver’s website. Basically, it’s a review of your home’s energy efficiency — inside and out — and includes a “blower test” to measure air leakage. After the review, you get a report detailing suggested improvements and after they’re made, GreenSaver comes back to measure your efficiency gains. That document can be used to apply for various grant programs. 

For more information on government grants and rebates for home improvements, as well as how-to guides for making your home more environmentally-friendly, go to Show Me the Green.

If it’s cooling you’re looking at (and who isn’t during this blast of heat), you might consider whether a ductless system, such as that made by Daikin, would work for you. Many models qualify for eco-retrofit grants, information about which can be found at Natural Resources Canada.

If I had extra money sitting around (dang! why did my 1992 Mercury Sable have to die this summer, forcing me to buy a new car?), I think I’d invest in venting skylight window or a roof window (shown below) from  Velux. (I already have one of their sun tunnels, which has become one of my fave features of my house). If I did, I bet I could pretty much turn off the central AC (which I only use on the hottest of the hot days) as opening a skylight allows hot air to escape. I've been told that some models qualify when they are used to replace inefficient skylights and that each reno that includes an Energy Star skylight is eligible for $40 per skylight. The company’s solar water heaters, which save CO2 from the atmosphere and can lower water bills by up to 60 per cent, would also qualify.

Best to get moving on all this, though. The grant program will close by March 2102, or when the $400 million runs out, whichever comes first.