Month: August 2020

A Visual Guide On Where to Place Your Refrigerator

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Where to place your refrigerator

Choosing the best refrigerator model for you is one thing; choosing where to place it is a whole other animal. Putting the fridge in the wrong spot can ruin the kitchen’s layout; it can also reduce its efficiency – resulting in a higher electricity bill. We’ve created this guide to help you find the perfect place for your refrigerator.

Where to place your refrigerator

Where you’ll place your fridge is largely dependent on the existing layout of your kitchen. Here are some guidelines

The kitchen triangle

The kitchen triangle is the area formed by the refrigerator, the sink, and the stove.

Having these three elements close to one another will make kitchen work more convenient and efficient.

Kitchen Triangle

Don’t crowd them too close though – make sure you have an ample cabinet and counter space so that you’ll have room to work on.

Away from sources of heat

Kitchen Layout

Additional heat can interfere with the fridge’s temperature regulation; keep it away from windows, stoves, and ovens

Near a power socket

Power Socket

Don’t use an extension cord for your fridge – it is a potential fire hazard!

FURTHER READING: Refrigerator 101: How Does A Refrigerator Work?

Refrigerator sizing

Now that you have an idea where you’re going to place your fridge, it’s time to measure the area so that you can choose a model that fits.

Refrigerator dimensions

Know your dimensions

Grab a tape measure to assess the space where you plan to place your fridge.

You should also start to build a list of prospect ref models that will fit in this area.

FURTHER READING: Refrigerator Buying Guide

Ventilation

Give your fridge some breathing space.

If a refrigerator is fully enclosed, it will have a hard time dissipating heat from its body – this will result in a overheating fridge.

Fridge Ventilation
Fridge Front View
Fridge Top View

Keep in mind that different manufacturers have different requirements in ventilation space – check your operation manual first!

Refrigerator Door Swing

Mind your door swing

Measure the space in front of your refrigerator so that the door won’t bang against other fixtures.

Conclusion

From cooking, eating, and socializing – a lot of good stuff happens in the kitchen. We can elevate this experiences to another level by making our kitchen not only more inviting, but also more convenient and easy to navigate in. This is why where you place your refrigerator can make or break the vibe of your kitchen.

Sources:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/kitchen-triangle-best-way-to-design-a-kitchen

Introducing the Refrigerator FAQs Page

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Refrigerator FAQs

Do you still have some questions that need to be answered before you buy a refrigerator? Or maybe you’ve already bought one and you think that something is wrong with it? To help you, we listed down the most commonly asked questions about fridges in the Refrigerator FAQs page.

These questions range from technical matters, to proper usage, as well as troubleshooting and the maintenance of your fridge.

You can access it in the Refrigerator 101 tab in the main menu, or you can click here:

Refrigerator FAQs

Couldn’t find the answer to your question? Send me an email here so that I’ll be able to help you.

8 Items You Should NEVER Put In The Microwave

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Items You Should Never Put In The Microwave

From fires to explosions to carcinogens to nastiness, there are some things that you should never – and we mean NEVER – be placed inside a microwave. Things like:

1. Anything made with metal

Metal in the microwave

You’ve probably heard this one already, but this warrants repeating: never put metals inside the microwave. Here is the science behind it:

Microwave ovens use microwaves to heat food; water, fats, and sugars absorb these waves while most plastics, glass, and ceramics don’t. Metals don’t absorb these waves as well. Instead, they reflect them.

If you put food in a metal container inside a microwave, it will end up not heating the food as the metal container will shield it from the microwaves.

But cold food will be the least of your problems.

See, when microwaves get reflected, it will result in electricity arcing inside your microwave oven. This can fry the electronics inside and destroy your unit, or it may cause kitchen fires. So whatever you do, don’t put cans, metal trays, or spoons and forks inside your microwave.

2. Aluminum Foil

Aluminum Foil in Microwave

This is already covered in item #1, but this deserves special mention since it’s a common material to wrap party leftovers in.

As stated earlier, metal reflects microwaves. But for thin metal materials like aluminum foil will get overwhelmed by the microwaves, causing them to overheat, and eventually to flames.

If the foil is crumpled, it can also create sparks that can damage your microwave oven.

3. (Some) Plastic Containers

Plastic Containers

Not all plastic containers are made equal.

When heated, some types of plastic can leach harmful compounds such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, which can disrupt your hormones and cause endocrine and metabolic diseases. [1]

To be safe, check the plastic container if it has a label that indicates that it’s safe to use in a microwave oven. To be even safer, transfer your leftovers to a glass bowl when reheating.

4. Styrofoam

Styrofoam

Styrofoam is another type of plastic that won’t sit well inside a microwave. Not only will it leach BPA and phthalates in your food, it will also melt in the microwave when heated. Talk about nastiness.

5. Paper Bags

Well, it depends on the type of paper; generally, paper towels, parchment papers, and paper plates are fine.

Brown paper bags are a no-no because they can’t take the heat and will catch on fire. They can also emit toxic fumes.

Newspapers are just plain unsanitary and will leach ink and other chemicals to your food. Don’t do it!

6. Whole Eggs

Eggs

There is a reason why you shouldn’t microwave items in an airtight container; the water in foods can turn to steam, but with nowhere to go out, it will continue to build pressure until it explodes.

An egg is a natural airtight container. Which is why you shouldn’t put a raw egg inside the microwave (and why would you?), and peel and puncture hard-boiled eggs before nuking them.

7. Grapes (And Other Fruits)

Grapes

Another example of naturally airtight containers are fruits. Fruits have high water content which will turn into steam when heated; steam that won’t have a place to come out off. Eventually, this will cause an explosion. While it won’t destroy your microwave, it will be quite annoying to clean.

Fruits are not usually microwaved, but if you have to, then peel them and poke holes in them to let out steam when they’re heated.

Oh, and grapes turn into hot glowing plasma balls when microwaved:

Video from ScienceFriday.com

8. Cup of Water

Cup of water

We’ve all thought of this before.

While yes, your water will get hot quicker in the microwave than in a kettle, it is also more dangerous.

Microwaved water won’t show signs that its boiling. No steam, not rolling waters – but be careful, that water is already super-heated!

When you add another thing to the water (like sugar, tea, or coffee) it could boil all at once – resulting in an explosion that can cause severe burns.

BONUS: Don’t turn on your microwave with NOTHING inside it

It may be a bad case of ‘senior moment’ or just plain curiosity – but turning on your microwave with nothing inside it can destroy a perfectly good appliance.

Since there is nothing inside to absorb the microwaves, the waves will end up bouncing around the cavity, eventually being absorbed by the magnetron – the thing that makes a microwave a microwave – damaging it or even causing fires and explosions.

Sources:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/aluminum-foil-in-the-microwave.htm
https://health.westchestergov.com/bisphenol-a-and-phthalates
https://www.ajc.com/news/national/things-you-should-never-put-the-microwave/vvl2JNyP7i58hvNcwcAD2M/