Click on the youtube link below and let me know if you think this voids the washer's warranty. Very funny, especially as a guy who has wanted to actually do this on more than one occasion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=364dzVsBs2o
Monday, August 9, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Baking problems and causes
If you have followed the instructions closely, and still get poor results, try the following:
If your cake is uneven:
The pans may be touching each other or the oven walls.
Batter might be uneven in the pans.
The oven temperature might be uneven (not preheated long enough).
The oven might not be level.
If your cake is high in the middle or cracked:
Your temperature may be too high.
You may be over mixing the batter.
You may be using too much flour.
Pans may be touching each other or the oven walls.
You may have used dark pans.
The pan may be too small.
If your cake falls:
You may be using too much shortening or sugar.
You may be using too much or too little liquid in the batter.
You may have the temperature too low.
You may be using old or too little baking powder.
Your pan may be too small.
The oven door may be opened too frequently.
It may not be baked sufficiently.
If your cake is not done in the center:
The temperature may be too high.
The pan may be too small.
The baking time may be too short.
The pan might not be centered in the oven.
If the cakes, cookies, biscuits are too brown on top or bottom:
Oven might not be preheated.
The pans might be touching each other or the oven walls.
You may be using glass, darkened, warped, or dull finish metal pans.
The rack position may be too high or too low.
You may be using aluminum foil incorrectly.
The oven temperature may be too high.
If you experience excessive shrinkage:
You may be using too little or old baking powder.
You may be over mixing.
Your pan may be too large.
Your oven temperature may be too high.
Your baking time may be too long.
If your pies don't brown:
You may be using the wrong rack position.
You may be using shiny metal pans.
The temperature may be set too low.
If your cake is uneven:
The pans may be touching each other or the oven walls.
Batter might be uneven in the pans.
The oven temperature might be uneven (not preheated long enough).
The oven might not be level.
If your cake is high in the middle or cracked:
Your temperature may be too high.
You may be over mixing the batter.
You may be using too much flour.
Pans may be touching each other or the oven walls.
You may have used dark pans.
The pan may be too small.
If your cake falls:
You may be using too much shortening or sugar.
You may be using too much or too little liquid in the batter.
You may have the temperature too low.
You may be using old or too little baking powder.
Your pan may be too small.
The oven door may be opened too frequently.
It may not be baked sufficiently.
If your cake is not done in the center:
The temperature may be too high.
The pan may be too small.
The baking time may be too short.
The pan might not be centered in the oven.
If the cakes, cookies, biscuits are too brown on top or bottom:
Oven might not be preheated.
The pans might be touching each other or the oven walls.
You may be using glass, darkened, warped, or dull finish metal pans.
The rack position may be too high or too low.
You may be using aluminum foil incorrectly.
The oven temperature may be too high.
If you experience excessive shrinkage:
You may be using too little or old baking powder.
You may be over mixing.
Your pan may be too large.
Your oven temperature may be too high.
Your baking time may be too long.
If your pies don't brown:
You may be using the wrong rack position.
You may be using shiny metal pans.
The temperature may be set too low.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
POOR BAKING
There are three principles that cook food.
The first is conduction. The hot air around the food cooks though conduction, or touch from particle to particle.
The second is radiation. The hot metal in the oven gives off infrared radiation and cooks through that energy. (That is why cookies around the corners of a cookie pan are more done, there is more infrared radiation coming off the sides of the pan.)
The third is convection. Convection is the transfer of energy by movement, which happens when the hot air is moved over the food with a fan.
Several things cause poor baking results in an oven.
1. The oven isn't preheated.
Preheating is necessary for good even heat, and cooking.
To preheat, set the unit to the desired temperature. Wait 15 minutes before placing food in the oven. Many ovens beep after six minutes to indicate that they are preheated. Don't believe the beep. It takes a solid 15 minutes before the oven is really preheated.
2. Poor air circulation around food.
Avoid placing too many pans on the racks. Don't cover an entire rack or the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil. A small square of foil can be used to catch spills on the rack below.
3. Incorrect pan placement on the racks.
If baking on more than one rack, place the pans so that they are not directly over each other, except when baking cookies using your oven's convection bake feature.
Allow a couple of inches around each pan, and a couple of inches from the oven walls.
4. Incorrect rack position.
If a food is cooked too close to the roof of the oven, it may brown too much on top.
If baking on a single rack, center so the food is being cooked in the middle of the oven.
If food is cooked too close to the bottom of the oven, it may brown too much on the bottom.
5. Incorrect Pan finish.
Dark, dull pans absorb heat which results in darker browning. Shiny pans reflect more heat which results in lighter browning.
Shiny pans are recommended for cakes and cookies. Dark pans are recommended for pies and breads. If used for cakes or cookies, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees F.
Glass pans require 25 degree increase.
6. Older oven temperature shift.
As a cooking appliance gets older, sometimes the oven temperature gets hotter.
Oven temperature can be tested with a good quality oven thermometer. Allow 15 to 20 minutes without opening the oven door for an accurate oven temperature reading. Some ovens can be calibrated from the back of the knob. If you remove the oven temp knob and find two screws on the back, it can probably be calibrated on the knob.
Many newer ovens can be calibrated using the control board. See your owners manual for what keys to hit on your model to calibrate the digital display.
7. Altitude.
Bakingand cooking general takes longer at higher altitudes. Some homeowners, moving from low altitude cities may need to adjust to the extra several minutes it takes to bake in higher parts of the world. Much of northern Utah is over 4000 feet high, the level that calls for high altitude cooking.
The first is conduction. The hot air around the food cooks though conduction, or touch from particle to particle.
The second is radiation. The hot metal in the oven gives off infrared radiation and cooks through that energy. (That is why cookies around the corners of a cookie pan are more done, there is more infrared radiation coming off the sides of the pan.)
The third is convection. Convection is the transfer of energy by movement, which happens when the hot air is moved over the food with a fan.
Several things cause poor baking results in an oven.
1. The oven isn't preheated.
Preheating is necessary for good even heat, and cooking.
To preheat, set the unit to the desired temperature. Wait 15 minutes before placing food in the oven. Many ovens beep after six minutes to indicate that they are preheated. Don't believe the beep. It takes a solid 15 minutes before the oven is really preheated.
2. Poor air circulation around food.
Avoid placing too many pans on the racks. Don't cover an entire rack or the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil. A small square of foil can be used to catch spills on the rack below.
3. Incorrect pan placement on the racks.
If baking on more than one rack, place the pans so that they are not directly over each other, except when baking cookies using your oven's convection bake feature.
Allow a couple of inches around each pan, and a couple of inches from the oven walls.
4. Incorrect rack position.
If a food is cooked too close to the roof of the oven, it may brown too much on top.
If baking on a single rack, center so the food is being cooked in the middle of the oven.
If food is cooked too close to the bottom of the oven, it may brown too much on the bottom.
5. Incorrect Pan finish.
Dark, dull pans absorb heat which results in darker browning. Shiny pans reflect more heat which results in lighter browning.
Shiny pans are recommended for cakes and cookies. Dark pans are recommended for pies and breads. If used for cakes or cookies, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees F.
Glass pans require 25 degree increase.
6. Older oven temperature shift.
As a cooking appliance gets older, sometimes the oven temperature gets hotter.
Oven temperature can be tested with a good quality oven thermometer. Allow 15 to 20 minutes without opening the oven door for an accurate oven temperature reading. Some ovens can be calibrated from the back of the knob. If you remove the oven temp knob and find two screws on the back, it can probably be calibrated on the knob.
Many newer ovens can be calibrated using the control board. See your owners manual for what keys to hit on your model to calibrate the digital display.
7. Altitude.
Bakingand cooking general takes longer at higher altitudes. Some homeowners, moving from low altitude cities may need to adjust to the extra several minutes it takes to bake in higher parts of the world. Much of northern Utah is over 4000 feet high, the level that calls for high altitude cooking.
Friday, April 9, 2010
My clothes take too long to dry
There are many variables that determine the amount of time it takes to dry a load of laundry. Most loads should dry in under an hour. Maytag estimates that six bath towels (about 5 pounds of cottons) will dry in about 40 to 50 minutes. 12 pieces of permanent press (slacks, shirts, shorts, dresses) weighing about 5 pounds will dry in 30-40 minutes, including a cool down (to reduce wrinkling). Front load washers using max-extract will generally reduce drying time by 5 to 10 minutes. As load size increases so does drying time.
Many things increase drying time. Most of them have to do with heat and airflow.
1. Overloading. One washer load is one dryer load.
2. Obstructions in exhaust duct, or long exhaust duct.
A dryer duct can be up to about 40 feet long. It must be 4 inch ducting the entire way. Every 90 degree turn counts as 5 feet. Every 45 degree turn counts as 2.5 feet. No two turns should be closer than two feet apart because that causes turbulence and increases drying time.
The vent cover on the outside of the home should allow the full 4 inches of air flow to escape. It should not be restricted by plants or snow. The cover should remain on the hood to avoid birds, wasps, and rodents from building nests inside the vent.
Use only rigid vent material. The plastic or corrugated vents collect lint faster.
3. Mixing loads
Avoid mixing heavy and light clothes in loads.
Avoid washing only one item like a small rug, add a few things to that load to balance the washer and improve how much water is extracted in spin.
4. Not cleaning the lint filter.
A clean lint filter is essential to good drying times.
5. Wrong temperature setting.
There is no heat during an air fluff cycle. Use the correct temperature setting for the materials being dried.
6. Washer not spinning properly
If the washer doesn't extract most of the water, the dryer will take longer to compensate.
7. Check dryer settings for extended cool down settings.
Your dryer may be air fluffing at the end of the cycle, which is good for permanent press fabrics but slows drying for cottons.
Many things increase drying time. Most of them have to do with heat and airflow.
1. Overloading. One washer load is one dryer load.
2. Obstructions in exhaust duct, or long exhaust duct.
A dryer duct can be up to about 40 feet long. It must be 4 inch ducting the entire way. Every 90 degree turn counts as 5 feet. Every 45 degree turn counts as 2.5 feet. No two turns should be closer than two feet apart because that causes turbulence and increases drying time.
The vent cover on the outside of the home should allow the full 4 inches of air flow to escape. It should not be restricted by plants or snow. The cover should remain on the hood to avoid birds, wasps, and rodents from building nests inside the vent.
Use only rigid vent material. The plastic or corrugated vents collect lint faster.
3. Mixing loads
Avoid mixing heavy and light clothes in loads.
Avoid washing only one item like a small rug, add a few things to that load to balance the washer and improve how much water is extracted in spin.
4. Not cleaning the lint filter.
A clean lint filter is essential to good drying times.
5. Wrong temperature setting.
There is no heat during an air fluff cycle. Use the correct temperature setting for the materials being dried.
6. Washer not spinning properly
If the washer doesn't extract most of the water, the dryer will take longer to compensate.
7. Check dryer settings for extended cool down settings.
Your dryer may be air fluffing at the end of the cycle, which is good for permanent press fabrics but slows drying for cottons.
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