1. Barbecue: Nothing says summer like the smell of barbecue. You can find barbecue sauces of all kinds in your local grocery store or make your own. Just combine two cups each of tomato sauce and ketchup, one and a quarter cups each of brown sugar and red wine vinegar, half a cup of molasses and two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add your choice of seasonings and let simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Hamburgers: The great thing about this American classic is you can do anything with it. Try replacing ketchup with barbecue or chipotle sauce. Ditch the Kraft Single for blue or goat cheese. Add a pineapple slice and bacon. You can even replace the ground beef with bison or venison. The only limit to the gourmet burgers you can create is your imagination.

An indoor herb garden is easy and efficient, plus it gives you the benefit of always having fresh herbs at your disposal. Though growing herbs like mint, sage and basil is fairly foolproof, there are a few things you need to ensure to allow your herbs to grow properly. The first, and perhaps most important, is light. Herbs need at least six hours of natural light a day, so make sure they’re placed near a sunny window. Herbs also need a fairly consistent temperature, but luckily, they like the same climate you do: between 60 and 70 degrees.

Herbs require proper air circulation to keep bacteria and pests at bay, and it’s best to use potting soil to keep insects out. You also need to consistently water your herb garden, but make sure you aren’t over watering the plants. No plant enjoys sitting in soggy soil all day.

If you keep your herbs happy and healthy, you’ll be rewarded with fresh ingredients to use in your next meal as well as the clean, earthy scents the herbs produce. An herb garden is a great addition to any kitchen.

Ew.

Do you know where the most germs are living in your kitchen? It isn’t on the microwave keypad or the knobs on the stove. It isn’t on the refrigerator handle or the utensils in the drawers. In fact, it isn’t on any handle at all. The area of the average kitchen with the most germs per capita is in the refrigerator’s meat and vegetable drawers, where all your meats, cheeses and loose vegetables are currently sitting.

This startling fact was discovered during a survey conducted this year by microbiologists at the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based nonprofit public health and safety organization NSF International. So now that we know where potentially dangerous microorganisms linked with E. coli, yeast, mold and salmonella dwell, what can you do to keep your food pathogen-free? Firstly, clean these areas you may not be typically scrubbing more often. Germs spread in areas that are rarely cleaned, especially if they come in direct contact with food. NSF scientists recommend washing your refrigerator’s meat and vegetable drawers monthly with a mild detergent, making sure to dry them completely.

However, if your refrigerator drawers or any other major appliances have cracks or other crevices, it’s best to replace them completely. Germs flourish in these rough areas, which are already difficult to effectively clean. Consider buying new kitchen major appliances if your current ones have cracks or breaks that could allow pathogens to spread.

The new hot water dispenser allows filtered hot water within minutes. You can either choose from one of four preset temperature options, or customize the temperature when you need. When it is ready, you simply turn the knob and fill up your cups or bowls with hot water. This protective knob is child-proof, allowing extra safety and security when dealing with the boiling hot water that this machine can produce.

The four preset temperatures are as follows:

• Warm – 90 degrees
• Hot Cocoa – 150 degrees
• Tea – 170 degrees
• Soup – 185 degrees

These major appliances also produce purified cold water as well, which is tested and verified to remove 98% of five trace pharmaceuticals from water and ice. With the purchase of this new convenient refrigerator and hot water dispenser, you never have to worry about purchasing bottled water or Brita filters for your home ever again.

Size Matters!: Decide how much space you will need to refrigerate all of your perishable food and drinks. If you are living alone, you may opt for a smaller model. If living with a family of four, a larger model may help accommodate your needs.

Make a Blueprint for Your Kitchen: Before making any purchases, make a blueprint of what major appliances you need and where you should put them. Make sure to provide enough room so that you can easily open the refrigerator’s doors and maneuver around it.

Select the Features Your Need: Are you looking for a model that creates ice? How about crushes ice? Do you want your fridge to provide you with drinkable water as well? These are a few bonus features that you may or may not need.

Chest Freezer or Upright Freezer?:Lastly, you need to determine if you want a chest freezer or an upright freezer. A chest freezer will create more storage space for the money, but may take up more space in your kitchen. An upright freezer is a traditional freezer with vertical doors and shelves. However, these freezers are often smaller and more compact. It all depends on your personal preference.

Temperature Fluctuations 

• Fluctuations in temperature create differences in temperature in solid food and in the air surrounding it which encourages water molecules to migrate. Fill plastic containers with water and put them in the freezer, making sure there is room for expansion. This will help stabilize temperature.
• Don’t put hot food directly in the food. Place it in the refrigerator first to cool down, then transfer it to the freezer afterwards.
• Always keep your freezer below 0°F.

Store Food Properly

• When food is exposed, water molecules have a chance to migrate toward the exposed part. Make sure you close containers tight and snug. When using plastic bags, make sure you suck out all the air before placing it in the freezer. You can do this by zipping the bag closed and putting a straw inside to suck out all the remaining air.

Don’t Store Food Too Long

• The more time food is left in the freezer, the more chance it has of being exposed to freezer burn. When freezing food, search online to find the appropriate storage time.

Center Speaker: Although the center speaker may be optional when setting up your surround sound speakers, it will anchor any onscreen dialogue and will work as a seamless connection between your left and right speakers. It helps to keep all of the audio mostly balanced and natural. You should place your center speaker directly beneath your television.

Left and Right Speakers: For the best results when setting up your left and right speakers, try placing them at ear level. A little too low and it will feel like the sound is coming out of the ground. If you go too high, the sound may also be a bit off.

Subwoofers: The subwoofer handles all the lower bass frequencies in any movies or television shows that you watch. These speakers can go in the front, mid range, or back of your living room. It all depends on personal preference, although placing this major appliance in the back of the room will give you more a dynamic range.

Use a Support Bracket: Keep your air conditioner from plummeting to the ground below by purchasing a support bracket for your window unit. These are easy to install and will provide you with added security for your air conditioners. The last thing you want is one of these falling out of the window before you even have the chance to use it.

Protect the Window’s Frame: Protect your window’s frame by purchasing foam to place around the window unit. This will keep any of the wood framing from cracking or breaking under the pressure of the unit. This will also help to insulate your room and keep it cooler during warmer weather.

Tip the Unit Towards the Outside: Window units periodically drain water out of the air conditioner, which often leak onto your home or apartment. It is a good idea to tip your major appliances towards the outside of your building so the excess water will drip onto the street or lawn below.

A GPS (Global Positioning System) uses satellite technology to pinpoint your exact location on a detailed, computer-generated map of your surroundings. With a GPS appliance, you can easily see the next streets in front of you, and sometimes even a real-time detailed report on traffic and construction work in your area.

Simply type in your destination into the GPS home screen and the device will provide you with the fastest route. It will take into account any closed roads or expressways, and will even reroute your directions if you make a wrong turn or change your mind. You can also save popular destinations into your GPS device, allowing you easy, one-click directions to your most used routes. The best part of navigating with these GPS major appliances is that they are voice-guided, allowing you to keep your eyes on the road. Just think of it as having a navigation sitting next to you, giving you turn-by-turn directions to unfamiliar locations!

The first thing you will want to do is determine if your room will be large enough to fit a projection screen or not. If not, take the proper measurements to install a flatscreen, wall-mounted television. After you purchase your television, it’s time to get your seating arrangements in order. You can either fit a few couches and loveseats, or go all out and purchase comfortable theater seating. You may even want to throw in a popcorn machine as an added bonus!

Now it’s time for the sound. When shopping for major appliances for your home theater, you will want to take a look at several surround sound speaker options. Purchase the one you like the most and install it around your seating arrangements. To make things a bit easier, choose one location for all of your excess cables and outlets. This way, if you ever have a problem with your electronics, you will know where to fix it.

All that’s left is to heat up the popcorn, invite your friends over, and argue over watching a romantic comedy or an action flick!