Extended Warranties

Are Extended Warranties Really Necessary?   Over the years, we have all been put in the position where – after making a major purchase for a household item – we have to make a decision about whether or not we should buy extended warranties.  

Here at Barber and Haskill, we do not push warranties on our customers.  It is always totally up to you if you feel an extended warranty is something that will add a level of comfort and value to the total purchase. Often, I am asked my opinion on whether to buy an extended warranty.   So, here are my thoughts: When it comes time to decide about the warranty, I would strongly advise it on major appliances like refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, wall ovens, cooktops and laundry.  These items are the most expensive to purchase and in turn the most expensive to service, both in parts and labour.  And, unfortunately, it is true that appliances do not last as long as they once did.  These days, it is estimated that an appliance’s lifespan is anywhere between eight and 10 years. This last fact may have you wondering with all the advances in technology and improved materials, how is it that appliances are lasting for a shorter period than their predecessors?  A good question and the answer starts and ends with – technology.   Yes, appliances work better today than they ever have and are more efficient than they ever have been, thanks primarily to technology.  However, all of these advances lead to having more things that can go wrong.  It is something that can bring both advantages and potential problems.

French Door Refrigerators

There are four popular questions I am regularly asked by people as they start their search for a new French Door Refrigerator.   I thought it would be a good ideas to share these questions – and my answers – with you.
Q: What brand of French Door Refrigerator is best?   A: Almost every appliance brand we carry now makes at least one French Door Refrigerator, so there are lots to choose.  I feel that Kitchen Aid, Maytag or Samsung have the best value based on the many years of dealing with these brands.  Above that, however, these three brands separate themselves from the competition by offering a 10-year compressor warranty.  I like that added piece of mind when investing in a great new fridge.  

3 Reasons to not miss out on KitchenAids new dishwasher.

Watch our video of the new and innovated KitchenAid Dishwasher  which was revealed in Las Vegas 2015

We'd love to hear your dishwasher review on this video clip; are these features that are valuable to you?

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Why Cook with Convection Ovens?

Convection ovens are the most flexible oven in the marketplace today. 

They are more than just ideal for cooking. You have so many more cooking options such as convection warming, roasting, re-heating, baking and more. No matter what you are cooking whether you’re roasting a turkey or baking croissants, convection ovens cook/bake more evenly and thoroughly than the conventional oven.

Why cook with Convection Ovens

With convection cooking, you have the convenience of being able to place several trays of foods in the oven at the same time and get even results on everything. You also don’t have to worry about the transfer of flavours from other foods.  You can cook salmon and apple pie at the same time with confidence. Convection cooking can roast, brown and crisp food more efficiently than a conventional oven but with the speed of a microwave. Convection cooking also reduces food shrinkage. Anything that you have cooked in a conventional oven can also be cooked in a convection oven but with much better results.

How to limit frost build up in your freezer

You bought a Manuel Defrost freezer did you?

  

So despite the pros of a frost free freezer you have chosen the more energy efficient and easier on your wallet manual defrost version.
Good news right?  
Well, the bad news is that you are in for a little more work when it is time to defrost.

Here are a few things you should know about  to minimize how often you have to dig out your defrosting tools. 

Chest Freezer vs Upright Freezer

Why I bought a Frost-Free Freezer

Background

In 2006, I made the leap from Chest Freezer to Upright......for my  household it was an easy decision....WonderBread use to have an extra shift on just because of the number of hotdog bun packages that I lost in the bottom of my Chest Freezer. So even though a chest freezer is more energy efficient than an upright it was all about organization and

floor space in my “pantry room” in the basement.   The only thing I miss about my chest

freezer is the surface to wrap Christmas presents on.  And for those people that still

prefer a chest freezer Frigidaire does have a couple of models that have an

organization system in them.

Dirt on Dishwashers

Have you washed your dishwasher today?

Really!!!! Who knew right.

It might seem strange to worry about cleaning an appliance whose job is washing dishes. But these handy machines need routine cleaning just like your other kitchen workhorses. That's because the door attracts fingerprints every time you load it with dirty dishes, and the interior (especially the corners and crevices) accumulates residue comprising food particles, grease, and soap scum. Not only do these deposits look bad, they eventually begin to give off an odor because of bacteria that thrives in warm, moist, and dark places. A monthly cleaning can keep your dishwasher looking like new.

Ditch the Dishes

Summer is here and with long warm sunny days.... 

Well most of the time anyway. 

As a dwellers of the "Snowbelt" area, we need to be appreciating every day that isn't blanketed in snow.
We like our days to be filled with fun and relaxation, standing in the kitchen washing dishes, I know is not what I want to be doing on those warm sunny days.