Kitchen Deals -> Cookware

By law manufacturers must disclose the energy efficiency of their appliances, rated A to G. These are usually displayed prominently in showrooms. The better the rating, the more energy efficient the appliance is - good for both the environment and your pocket.

The importance of high quality knives can't be stressed enough! Buy the best you can and expect to spend some serious money. It is better to buy a couple of excellent knives and slowly add to your collection rather than buying an entire set of low quality knives. Start with a chef knife and paring knife. You will also want to buy a sharpening steel.

You can also maximize the efficiency of appliances you already own through regular maintenance and tune-ups and system upgrades. Examples of some things that you can do are:

• Check air filters in heating and cooling systems monthly during the seasons they are in use and clean and replace them as necessary.
• Clean air vents, baseboards, and radiators regularly and keep them unrestricted by furniture, carpets, or drapes.
• Release trapped air from hot water radiators once or twice a season by opening the valve until nothing but water comes out.
• Follow prescribed maintenance (e.g., maintaining certain water levels in steam heat systems).
• Install an insulating jacket on your hot water heater, insulate hot water pipes, and lower the water heater temperature.
• Clean refrigerator coils yearly and maintain internal temperatures between 36 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) and 38 degrees F (33 degrees C) for the refrigerator compartment and between 0 degrees F (17.8 degrees C) and 5 degrees F (15.0 degrees C) for the freezer compartment.
• Move the refrigerator if it is currently located near the stove or dishwasher.
• Regularly defrost refrigerators that do not have a completely automatic defrost capability to eliminate ice build-up on interior coils.
• Clean dryer filters after each use or as necessary.