Kitchen Deals -> Cookware

When shopping for a new clothes dryer, look for one with a moisture sensor that automatically shuts off the machine when your clothes are dry. Not only will this save energy, it will save wear and tear on your clothes caused by over-drying. Keep in mind that gas dryers are less expensive to operate than electric dryers. The cost of drying a typical load of laundry in an electric dryer is 30 to 40 cents compared to 15 to 25 cents in a gas dryer.

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.

Is the top or bottom element going to perform the self-cleaning cycle? Some ovens only use the top element and others only use the bottom one. Better designed ovens use the bottom element. The reason for this is that most grease spills and splatters (soil) will accumulate on the sides and the floor of the cavity - not on the ceiling (where the broiler is located) and therefore, the element that is the closest to these soiled areas should be the one to work the strongest in order to bake off the soil.