How to Prepare Your Kitchen for Heavy Duty Cooking

Bam! Christmas carols everywhere!Have you heard? The “Holiday Season” started last Friday, Nov 1. Seems that as soon as Halloween wraps up, everyone jumps right into holiday mode. Whether you’ve already tuned your radio to “All Christmas, All the Time” or prefer to enjoy apple cider for a while longer, we support your decision. We’re not advocating rushing anything. We are, however, advocating that you get your home in order, well before the holidays actually arrive. If you plan on cooking and entertaining, you want to make sure all of the appliances you rely on are in tip-top shape! Here’s our handy list of what to inspect.

Is Your Oven/Range Functioning Properly?

Sure, it may be a little off, but you manage to get by on the day-to-day. However, if you’re planning to prepare lots of dishes, for a holiday meal, to feed a crowd, you want to make sure your stovetop and your oven are at 100%. Are you having any of these issues?

  • Is your oven maintaining its temperature?
  • Is your oven getting as hot as it should?
    → How do you know? It takes longer to cook than it used to; baked goods don’t’ rise like the should.
    Are your cookies almost baked through but burnt at the bottom? Could be your oven isn’t heating evenly.
  • Is your broil function working?
  • Do your range burners click but not light?
  • Is the clock functioning properly? Does it have a dim display? Are any of the button not working?
  • Do you find your dish is under cooked or burnt, when you’ve followed the cooking instructions properly?

Any of little issues can trip you up, when it’s time to get in there and cook; any of these issues has the potential to turn into a bigger (and costlier) repair. Let’s nip those issues in the bud.

Is Your Dishwasher Functioning Properly?

Loading the dishwasher with ditry dishes

Has your dishwasher been giving you problems? Such as:

  • The soap dispenser is not opening?
  • The soap isn’t completely dissolving?
  • Are your dishes not getting fully cleaned?
  • Is your dishwasher not draining completely, or drains slowly?
  • Are the dishes not dry, after running the dry cyle?
  • Are the racks sliding in and out smoothly?
    → This could be a sign that the rollers are starting to wear out. Rollers on their last legs aren’t going to support a full load of heavy dishes.

These are the beginnings of a problem. Don’t ignore it! It’s only going to get worse over time, and is almost guaranteed to fail, right when you need it: as you go to start it, packed with dirty Thanksgiving meal dishes. Don’t let this happen to you!

Is Your Undercounter Ice Machine Working Properly?

Got ice? It may not be a priority during the summer, when you’re out at the beach every weekend. But, when the holidays roll around and you’ve got entertaining on the agenda, you’ll want that ice maker in prime condition.

Is everything working smoothly? What about …
undercounter ice machine

  • Is your ice machine producing as much ice as it should?
  • Does the ice smell or taste bad?
  • Is the ice machine making a funny noise?
  • Is the ice machine rattling or vibrating?
  • When was the last time you cleaned your ice machine?

Although this is about undercounter ice machines, these troubleshooting areas can just as easily apply to your freezer ice maker. If that’s giving you grief, we can help with that, too.

With the holidays right around the corner, now is the time to be proactive and get those appliance quirks looked at. Give yourself peace of mind, knowing that everything will be in proper working order when you need it the most and avoid expensive repairs down the road when that appliance fails. It’s a win-win!

So your kitchen appliances aren’t quite up to 100% functioning? No problem! Give Appliance Doctor a call — we’ll get that appliance sorted out for you so that you can start your holiday cooking with confidence.