GeekSugar

Worth It or Waste: Common Household Appliances

Diana Nguyen — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:20 PDT

From designer jeans to gourmet meals, most of us enjoy the finer things in life. But where do we draw the line? How much money does it take for the practical to become impractical? When it comes to common household appliances, like trash cans and toilets, simplicity is expected. However, added benefits like a cleaner surface area or more comfort may be worth the extra cash. Check out the following eight common-turned-luxury household items and decipher whether the value justifies the price.

Do Tell: What Appliance Could you not Live Without?

DearSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:00:00 PDT

When you go home from work tonight, think about all the home appliances you use on a daily basis. Everything from your dishwasher to your toaster, your Tivo to your blow dryer. We are very fortunate to have all these gadgets at our fingertips, most of the time not even realizing how trivial they are to our everyday routine. so ladies, do tell, what appliance could you simply not live without?!

Source

Knob Pours Music Into Your Shower

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:28:26 PDT

Bathrooms must be the trendy room to "geek out" in. From colored lights that illuminate your shower water, to luxurious waterproof TV sets, there's no gadget or trick too extravagant for the most die-hard geeks.

Slightly more natural than waterproof MP3/speaker combos is this music system that was made to look like a shower knob. It doesn't tout MP3 or CD abilities (it's only an AM/FM radio), but its discreet shape and $25 price will likely attract some geek on a quest to trick out his or her powder room. It’s being sold by Korea’s Funshop for about $32 bucks.

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Source: Crave and Technabob

LG Refrigerator - TV, Remote Control, Kitchen Sink

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 10:00:44 PDT

If you've ever had the burdensome task of buying a major household appliance, you know it's not any fun. There is an alarming variety of models, features and wacky specs you didn't even know existed (seriously, who worries about refrigerator sound decimals on a regular basis?). LG's new Side-by-Side refrigerator offers far too many specs to mention, but caught my eye because it includes a built in 15" LCD TV with FM Radio, remote control, as well as a special Weather & Info Center that provides a five-day forecast for your area (where service is available).

Need to whip up an appetizer in time for your party? This bad boy comes pre-loaded with recipes and can store your favorite digital photos and anniversary reminders. The touch-sensitive digital controls also allow you to manage temperature in the refrigerator and freezer compartments as well as monitor room temperature and reset the water filter status indicator. Oh and if you're dieting or putting your better half on a diet - you can even set the door alarm. Looks like it costs about $3,500, but you have to remember you're getting a gazillion gadgets in one.

To check out more pictures of the fridge,

View 6 Photos ›

16 Memorial Day Discounts to Look Out For

Emily Co — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:35:29 PDT

As always, when it's time for a holiday weekend, everyone's looking forward to the extra day off - as well as the sales and discounts. Memorial Day is no different. Although we've given you the lowdown on which products you should keep an eye out for, here are a couple of great sales going on:

Amazon: Up to 60 percent off select women's, men's, and children's clothing.
Macy's: 15 percent off and free shipping with the code MEMDAY.
Pottery Barn: Save up to 60 percent on hundreds of items, such as umbrellas, lanterns, outdoor rugs, and more.
West Elm: Extra 15 percent off sales items with the promo code MEMDAY12.
Nordstrom: Nordstorm's half yearly sale on women's and children's items.
Bloomingdale's: Bloomingdale's Big Brown Sale offers discounts ranging from 20 to 65 percent.
REI: Save up to 30 percent on clothing and outdoor and sports gear.
Ikea: Deduct your restaurant charges when you purchase over $100 worth of home furnishings.
Quiznos: Small Sub, regular fountain drink, and chips combo for $2.99 if you show this coupon.
Tumi: Up to 40 percent off select items.
Sears: Over 300 Memorial Day deals.
JC Penney: Free shipping if you use the promo code JCPSHIP.
Puma: 30 percent discount if you use the code PUMASAVE30. Also, for every $50 spent between now and May 31, you get $25 to spend during the month of June.
Best Buy: 10 to 25 percent off major appliances.
Kohl's: Up to 75 percent off select home items, and if you use the promo code SUMMER20, then you get 20 percent off.
Ralph Lauren: Free shipping with promo code MAYFS12 and 25 percent off select sale items.
Perry Ellis: 40 percent off all online purchases with the code PEMEMORIAL40.

8 Cool Uses For Lemons

Emily Co — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:05:41 PDT

You can make more out of lemons than lemonade. In fact, lemon juice is a really useful liquid that can be used to clean your home, can treat cold symptoms, and can even be part of your beauty regimen. Here are a couple of other uses for the yellow fruit:

Wash your hands: When you're serving messy food like crabs or ribs, put out little bowls of lemon water for guests to wash the smell and gunk off their fingers.
Relieve flu symptoms: If you have a sore throat or a cough, mix lemon with honey and water for a drink that will soothe your throat.
Clean a chopping board: Add some lemon juice or use a lemon slice to wipe the chopping board to deodorize and sanitize it.
Lighten blemishes: If you have some blemishes or you notice your face darkening in pigment in some spots, put some lemon juice on it every day until it lightens.
Brighten white loads: To make the whites even brighter, add a quarter cup of lemon juice with the clothes that you throw into the washing machine.
Brighten fingernails: Soak your fingernails in a lemon water mixture to whiten and brighten them.
Freshen household equipment: Make your appliances fresh by adding lemon juice or lemons to them. For example, microwave slices of lemons to freshen it up. Add lemon juice to the dishwasher when it's empty and let it run a cycle and clean itself with the lemon juice. Add a bit of lemon juice to the humidifier or vacuum bag if those appliances are getting a little smelly and old.
Disinfect wounds: Stop bleeding and clean small cuts and scrapes with lemon juice.

Mario Batali Shows Off His Kitchen, the "Second Favorite Room" in His House

Susannah Chen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:40:02 PDT

We thought there was nothing more enviable about Mario Batali than his signature orange clogs - that is, until we saw his kitchen. On Monday's The Chew, the Italian culinary maestro offers a lens into his home life, showing off an enviably enormous cooking space with not one, but two stoves (one for baking and roasting and the other for keeping things warm). Keep watching to spot his kitchen quirks, learn about the most important appliance in his house, and learn all about his favorite room in Casa Batali.

How to Select Dinnerware For Your Registry

Sara Yoo — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:30:01 PDT

The scanner gun is unholstered and a store full of kitchen delights spreads out in front of you. But before you pull that trigger, have you done your research? While wedding registries may seem like a green light to sign up for every dish, appliance, and throw pillow of your dreams, making smart list choices will help ensure that your generous guests buy the items you can really use . . . and eliminate the need to rent a storage locker to stockpile your new stuff.

First up, we're serving up some tips on how to select the best dinnerware for your needs and lifestyle. Those plates, bowls, and coffee cups may seem awfully plain next to that shiny chrome espresso machine, but you'll end up using them more frequently than virtually any other item in your kitchen cabinets, so you'd better love them for the long haul. Ready to dish on dinnerware? Just read on.

Call Yourself a Healthy Cook? 26 Must-Have Tools For Home Chefs

Michele Foley — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:06:14 PDT

One of the easiest ways to adopt a healthy lifestyle is to start cooking for yourself. The more you learn about food and what it does to your body, the more likely you'll lean toward fresh, whole foods. And while getting into the kitchen can seem like a feat at first, having the right arsenal of tools will make every meal a cinch to whip up. Here are our picks for the appliances, gadgets, and cookware every healthy home cook should own.

5 Things I Wish I Registered For (and 5 I Wish I Hadn't!)

Sara Yoo — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:15:01 PDT

Though we may be loathe to admit it, one of the most exciting - and frenzied - moments of wedding planning is setting up a registry. While deep down I knew that marrying the man of my dreams was the best present of all, other visions, like that of a perfectly appointed home, turned me into Dirty Harry with the scanner gun. A fondue set? I'll take two. The enormous countertop convection oven? We'll make room. Salt and pepper shakers shaped like mated doves? You get the picture.

It's easy to go crazy when registering for wedding gifts, but ending up with a pile of things you'll never use results in annoying trips back to the store for returns or very full storage closets. Eight years after my perfect wedding, I can't help but think that I should have provided my generous guests with better direction as I watch the dust collect on the paella pan I've never used. Every bride's needs are different, but I've come up with a list of five items from my registry that are highly underutilized and five items for which that money would have been better spent. Tell us: what are your must-have registry items, and what do you wish you left off your list?

Five Things I Could Have Done Without

Preassembled cookware sets. Those 10- or 12-piece cookware sets may seem like a great deal with many stores advertising "deep" discounts vs. buying individual pieces, but I found that I ended up with pots and pans in sizes I've never used. Take the time to register for individual pieces (you may even find that you like pieces from a few different cookware lines) in standard sizes that make sense for your frying, sautéing, and simmering needs.
Cooking utensils. Basic utensils like rubber spatulas and wooden spoons are a wedding-registry must have. But I've found that many of the specialized tools I thought I would need have gone untouched. There are so many variations of potato mashers, strainers, ladles, and whisks that you ought to take your time finding the perfect one for you.
High-ticket single-use tools. Cookware companies would love to sell you pasta cookers, egg poachers, asparagus pots, and butter warmers, often at a few hundred dollars a pop. My pasta pot rarely sees the light of day, because I opt instead for a standard stockpot and colander (which drains much better, IMO). By investing in the right standard pots and pans, you still can cook any of these items and save room in your kitchen cabinets while you're at it.

For the rest of the list as well as a list of items I'd register for instead, just keep reading.