Hot Dogs and the 4th of July

Happy 4th of July Everybody!

Grilling hot dogs on the 4thof July always makes me think of hanging out with friends and family around the pool or running through sprinklers.  Here’s some gadgets that will let you have hot dogs any time of the year.

 The Hot Diggity Dogger is a toaster with holes for the wieners and the buns.  It only makes two dogs at a time.

Another toaster design places a rotisserie on top of a toaster oven.  The Party Maker Oven Hot Dog Griller Rotisserie Oven/Toaster is a rediculously long name but a good space saver.

 

 

 

 

Want some eggs to go with your wieners? The 4-in-1 Hot Dog Makercan steam wieners (and corn), boil eggs,  warm buns and make popcorn. I’m guessing the popcorn is air-popped but I’d rather cook mine the old fashioned way over the stove with oil.

 

If you prefer your wiener be cooked the way it’s done at the ballpark then you’ll surely like the Hot Dog Rotisserie by Giles and Posner. The hot rollers can warm up the wieners and keep them warm for seconds or thirds.

 

The Hot Dog Maker Truck won’t heat buns but it will cook more wieners on it’s stainless steel rollers in style. The Waring Hot Dog Griller has 4 non-stick rollers and a dishwasher safe lid.  It will cook 6 wieners at a time in 8 minutes.  It’s more stylish and twice the price of the Emson Hot Dog Express with stainless steel rollers.

                           

 

If all of this seems like child’s play to you then you may like this Hot Dog Steamer and Bun Warmer from Star.  This commercial cooker will hold 170 wieners but only 18 buns.

Star also makes Broil-O-Dogs Hot Dog Broiler and Bun Warmer. 18 hot dogs are basted on the stainless steel wheel while 12 buns are warmed.

 

  

I like this Tabletop Steamer from FMA.  It’s much less expensive than the Star cookers and it will simultaneous cook 30 wieners and 50 buns

 

 

 

Modern Medicine Cabinet

This Vichy Cabinet from the NAVA collection by Bissonnet has retractable  side shelves with chrome rails that slide behind the mirror to keep grooming products close at hand.

The cabinet is 6.5″ deep and extends 8.7″ from each side. Bissonnet offers a companion vanity as well.

I really like that the mirror is one large uninterrupted piece of glass.

 

Granite & Radon

Recently, a video has circulated online that has created widespread consumer confusion and concern about radiation levels occurring in granite used for residential countertops.

The report from Houston area not-for-profit BuildClean is raising fears about the dangers of granite countertops, and its preliminary results show that while most granite countertops in the study contain very little to no radon at all, the countertops that do contain radon have levels that are frighteningly high.

It has been reported that two major contributors of BuildClean are manufacturers of engineered stone.  One of those contributing manufacturers is said to have a marketing executive on the board of directors.  Is this a marketing ploy to switch consumers away from granite and toward engineered stone? I am not sure.

The Marble Institute of America (MIA) conducted a four-month study of thirteen of the most popular granites used for kitchen countertops in the United States during 2007 to refute claims that granite is harmful to consumers.  

The MIA ’s most recent testing was conducted by L.L. Chyi, a PhD and professor of Geochemistry and Environmental Geology at Akron University, Akron, OH.

Granite and most natural components found in building material, allows vapors to pass through them that might contain trace amounts of radon. However, for a compact rock with no internal porosity and fractures, like a polished granite countertop, only radium atoms in the very surface layer of countertop have a chance to generate radon atoms that escape quickly into the air of the nearby environment. 

The MIA report did show their Crema Bordeaux sample tested higher (292 times) than the others.  The testing methodology was designed to measure the amount of radon which each granite type would add to the interior of a 2,000 square foot, normally ventilated home with 8 ft ceilings. The results show that Crema Bordeaux would contribute a concentration component of less than 0.28 pCi/L, or less than 7% of the EPA’s recommended actionable level of 4.0 pCi/L.

According to the Solid Surface Alliance Blog, Crema Bordeaux is one of the lower level Bordeauxs.  They claim Juparana Bordeaux, shortened to Bordeaux, is one of the stones that must be tested prior to purchase. 

They say rarely do you see a Bordeaux below 50 uR/hr Gamma and that a level of 25 uR/hr Gamma would cause alarm with local officials. 

They also claim the EPA, changed their position in May and now suggest homes with granite have radon testing done.  I could not find anything about countertops on the EPA website but in general they say all homes should be tested for Radon.

So from what may be perceived on the surface as another “going green” ad campaign, seems to be a different slant on the ongoing battle of the engineered stone manufacturers against natural stone.

Metal Tiles

These cute little boxes contain self-stick 4″ metal tiles from Chemetal.  They do not require any grout and you can cut them yourself using common tools.  A box of 54 tiles costs $79. 

One of my friends wants to cover the ceiling at her entry with them.  The possibilities are endless.

  

Murano Glass Hood

Futuro Futuro has some of the most striking range hoods on the market.  The Murano Collection features tempered glass panels internally lit for a dramatic effect.  The body is made of stainless steel with 4-speed electronic controls.  The grease filter is removable for easy cleaning in the dishwasher and the blower is only 3.2 sones. Choices include island or wall mount and vented or recirculating with a carbon filter. Futuro Futuro hoods are made in Italy and come with a 3 year warranty.

   

Small Kitchen, Many Cabinets

This picture is from the June issue of Dwell Magazine.

It proves that you can add lots of storage to a small space without it looking boring. 

The article didn’t discuss the details of the kitchen but it made me think of when people buy kitchen displays or cabinets from someone who is remodeling and they try to come up with ways to use all the cabinets in their own kitchen.

A Special Thanks goes to mod*mom for giving me a peek at the digital edition of Dwell Magazine. 

Tropical Round Coconut Tile

 I’ve written about the penny round glass mosaic
tile from Zaijan in a previous post. 

Now I want to mention their Tropical Life series
of tile that combines coconut shell tile with marble mosaic tile. 

The raw texture of the coconut precisely cut into
medallions and borders with traditional stone
makes these tiles irresistible.

I’ve seen these tiles in person and the pictures do
not do justice to their beauty. 

These tiles are perfect for turning a master
bathroom suite into a tropical oasis.

 

 

 

 

ReLED Replaces Your Flourescent Lamps

ReLEDSystems, from Huntington Beach, CA offers an LED replacement for fluorescent T5, T8 and T12 lamps. 

The extruded aluminum linear lamp conforms to the dimensions of a typical fluorescent lamp.  It provides an efficient heat sink and uses bright Lumiled K2 diodes.  The fluorescent ballast is replaced with the Re Driver.  It’s skinny profile helps to make retrofitting the ballast easier.

In addition to the energy savings, the benefits of utilization of LED lighting technology include a 10 year service life (more than half a billion fluorescent tubes are disposed of int he US each year), no infrared or UV light emissions, no mercury or PCBs, high quality light and wide  operating temperature range.

This is great news for people who have fluorescent fixtures in place and want and to utilize LED lighting. 

 Check out this Video

Appliance News and Gossip

In a report from Reuters, General Electric names 5 non-US appliance manufacturers as potential bidders for the company’s appliance business. The list includes Haier from China, LG Electronics from South Korea, Electrolux from Sweden, Controladora Mabe from Mexico and Arcelik from Turkey. Jeff Immelt, General Electric Chief Executive, stated that he believes Haier and LG are most likely to be interested.

KitchenAid is rumored to be switching the stainless steel they use in manufacturing their appliances from 304 grade to 403. It’s unsure how this rolling change will be implemented but differences in the materials may be evident in different lighting situations.

Whirlpool’s Magic Chef line is rumored to become a Lowes-only brand. Other Whirlpool discussion centers on their elimination of including connector hoses with their washing machines in all but the HE series.

Marvel, owned by AGA, will be closing their Indiana plant. In other plant closing news, Fisher & Paykel will be closing the plant they purchased from DCS and will be shifting their manufacturing to Mexico. Other companies currently manufacturing in Mexico include LG, GE, Whirlpool and Electrolux just to name a few.

Fisher & Paykel announced they will have a price increase in September (perhaps to pay for the move).

Miele has recalled about 3,100 T 9821 Gas Dryers due to risk of gas leak or fire. These dryers are super-large capacity white dryers with serial numbers 66461685 to 89921848 sold between March and December 2007. For additional information contact Miele at (800) 420-1813.

Frigidaire has recalled about 7,500 Kenmore Wall Ovens due to fire and burn hazards. There have been reports of gas building up and flames escaping through the oven door. The 24″ oven model numbers are 790.30472400, 790.30473400, 790.30473401, 790.30474400, 790.30479400 with serial numbers NF401xxxxx through NF601xxxxx. Frigidaire says the ovens are safe to use in the “bake” setting but do not use the “broil” feature due to risk of injury. For more information contact Sears at (800) 479-6408.

 

Small Kitchen Idea: Blind Cabinets

The largest design dilemma in an L-shaped kitchen is “What do you do in the corner?”

A great way to add sleek functionality to your kitchen is by incorporating the Le Mans swivelling shelves in not just a blind cabinet but a Tall Blind Cabinet.

Rows of tall cabinets are very popular right now - espeically with interesting wood grains.  By keeping the tall cabinets on the short side the room actually feels bigger.  Extra tall cabinets in a small space feel a bit too towering.