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In Conclusion…

So. As I may have mentioned, I have a new oven.

And a new microwave.

And they are sweet.

As I thought about what to write in my last appliance post (don’t worry, you’ll still hear plenty about Jenny’s new washer and dryer), I thought about the change they’ve made in my kitchen (to quote Casey, “Your old oven gave me hives over the Internet.”), but also the change they’ve made in my habits.

As in, I actually cook now. Sometimes. (Not tonight when I strolled in from work at about a quarter after 8. But I had good intentions and pork chops thawing in the refrigerator. There’s always tomorrow, right?)

But seriously, I have started to kind of enjoy this cooking thing. And I’m getting the slightest bit better at it.

Here’s what I’ve discovered. Becoming a good cook requires actually trying to cook. Not that I am a good cook yet, or even a moderately proficient one (I mean, let’s think about the level at which I started), but my new appliances have inspired me to give it a go, and that’s the first step, right?

And because they are idiot-proof work so well, it’s given me the confidence to keep going. Which really, if you think about it, has a big impact on our family and our health – not to mention our wallet.

Speaking of wallets, I’ve also discovered something else during this little experiment. Before, I would have never bought an appliance from the “professional” line. I’m more of a one-step-up-from-the-bottom-of-the-barrel kind of girl. However, now I know it’s worth putting a little more money in things like this.. things we use every day. When the refrigerator we inherited from the previous owners of our old house finally bites the dust (which, judging by the noises it makes, isn’t far off) I will strongly consider replacing it with the one from the Frigidaire Professional Series.

So there you have it – the last of my range/microwave review posts. I cannot promise, however, that this will be the last time you hear about my cooking.

Because, really, I am still pretty incompetent.

Case in point: the pizza dough I brilliantly rolled out onto wax paper.

Stay tuned.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Range/Microwave to facilitate my review.

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I’m Melllllltttttttiiiinnnnngggg…

Why yes, it is that hot here in Ohio. But that’s not what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about how I’m melting all kinds of stuff in my microwave!

My Frigidaire over-the-range microwave has all sorts of buttons that do cool things, but the one I’m currently obsessed with is the melt/soften button.

It gives you the option to melt butter or chocolate, or to soften cream cheese or ice cream. Which, coincidentally, covers all four main food groups.

I discovered the beauty of softening cream cheese when I made taco dip for a baby shower a few months ago. I had always “softened” my cream cheese by smooshing it around in the foil pouch before unwrapping it, but that day I gave the button a try. I was surprised by what a difference it makes – it blended together with the sour cream so well, and there were no cream cheese chunks, just creamy smoothness.

I just tried out the other soften option – ice cream – the other night. Kate and Andy wanted some ice cream (I didn’t have any, I swear! I only ate a couple bites out of the carton to test the melty-ness. And also what was left of Kate’s. *ahem*), and the new half-gallon carton was frozen solid. I put the whole thing in the microwave and hit the “soften ice cream” button twice to indicate that it was a half-gallon, not a pint. Had I been using the timer alone, I would have set it for 10 seconds, so imagine my surprise when the timer started counting down from 2.5 minutes. I thought for sure I was going to have ice cream soup on my hands. Speaking of my hands, I practically had to sit on them to keep from pressing “stop.” But I decided to let the microwave do its thing, and I was glad I did – the ice cream was perfectly softened. Not too much, not too little.

From this experiment I learned two things. 1) the microwave is smarter than I am; and 2) soft, creamy ice cream is freaking good. I had no idea! Apparently I’ve always scarfed it down so fast that I haven’t given it time to get to the proper consistency.

Finally, the “melt” button. I’ve been using it to melt butter for a while now, and it works perfectly, but I had been wanting to try out its chocolate-melting skills. I googled “melted chocolate chip cookies” and came up with this recipe for chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I had to be able to give an honest review of this feature, you know! I made them for you! But since you weren’t there, I ate them all.

Anyway, when I took the chocolate chips out of the microwave, they still looked like chocolate chips. I was slightly confused. But when I stirred them up, I found that they were perfectly melted, and not the slightest bit scorched. Very impressive.

I still can’t believe how many features this microwave has. It’s pretty amazing, really. It can do it all – from melting chocolate to steaming ears of corn – with the touch of a button. Even I can’t screw it up.

Most of the time.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Range/Microwave to facilitate my review.

P.S. we have a totally unrelated and awesome giveaway that your kids will love going on over HERE so check it out!!

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The Laundromaniac

Wednesday the week before last, I got THE call I’d been waiting months for.  The call from Frigidaire saying my new Affinity washer and dryer, which I’m receiving as part of the Frigidaire Mom’s Test Drive Team – were on their way.  I was SO EXCITED!! Better yet?  They wanted to bring them the NEXT DAY!

So now, these two beautiful babies are making my basement look a WHOLE lot prettier:

my new babies

Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL!!?? (now, who wants to give me a basement-laundry room makeover?  IKEA?  Target? Kmart Design?  C’mon, somebody!!)

As soon as the door hit the delivery men, I was all about trying out my new toys.  So I loaded up the washer, and threw in some detergent.  And then, while it was running, I read the manual and discovered that there is a little compartment that you are supposed to put the detergent in. WHOOPS!  So, I ran that load again. 🙂

Here’s what amazes me thus far about the washer:

1) It’s SO QUIET.  When I ran that first load, I had to press my face to the glass door to see that it was actually on.  Really, standing two feet away from it, it was so quiet I couldn’t tell!!

2) It’s SO SMART.  I turn one little knob, say to “delicates” and it automatically picks what water temperature, length of cycle, etc. will be best for those clothes.

3) It’s SO FLEXIBLE.  Should I decide I’d rather change one of those settings my washer so kindly picked out for me, it’s super easy with just the touch of a button.

The other thing I LOVE about my new Affinity washer is that it’s so efficient!  As I learned at Fabric Care University last week, the average top-loader washer uses 32 gallons of water per cycle.  The average high-efficiency like my new Frigidaire?  USES 5!!!  Five gallons!! That’s IT!  I cannot WAIT to see the reduction in my water bill!

What I love about the dryer is similar to what I love about the washer: SMART, FLEXIBLE, and also oh-so-quiet.  The only disadvantage of this quietness is that I can no longer stick my head in the basement door and hear whether the dryer is still running or not.  I actually have to go all the way downstairs, because it’s THAT quiet!  Another great feature of both machines is the “quick” wash and dry cycle – if you need something washed and dried fast, you can get it done in less than an hour!  Oh, and did I mention the MASSIVE amounts of STORAGE in the pedestals under each machine??  It rules my world!

storage!!!

With all I learned about the science behind laundry detergents and HE washing machines last week at Fabric Care University, combined with my amazing new Frigidaire laundry machines, I have been a laundromaniac this past week! Doing laundry like a crazy person and I LOVE it! Unfortunately, I still HATE the folding and putting away. But the actual process has been much more enjoyable.  If these Frigidaire machines can get ME excited about laundry and get Emily excited about COOKING, then they must be pretty incredible!!

You’ll hear more about my adventures in laundry in the upcoming months -next up – hopefully a little video tour!  Stay tuned!

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If you didn’t already figure it out, Frigidaire provided me with an Affinity washer and dryer in exchange for my honest reviews.  Thanks Frigidaire and Mom Central for making me a part of the Frigidaire Test Drive Team!

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