Rating Your Toaster's Lifetime Costs
31.12.69
Jabara buys products himself and sends them for testing to the University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering. Savenia is selling its subscription service to hardware and appliance stores and is currently available in the Bethesda/ Silver Spring area in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. The company plans to go national by next year.
Jabara's startup firm does market research on each appliance, surveying consumers about how many cups of coffee they make a day or week, for example, and then taking that information into the University of Maryland lab. There, engineers put the appliances through tests for everything from corrosion and insulation, to thermal heat loss and electrical failure.
"We want to help companies improve the reliability and internal investment for all kinds of electronic products," said Diganta Das, a research scientist at the UMD Center. "The point is not that in every single item you need to worry about electricity use because it varies so much," Das said. "I make five pots of coffee a day, versus some people only make one pot a week. But without making an informed calculation, we do not know the answer."
Source: Discovery News
Parisian Ham-and-Cheese Sandwich (Croque Monsieur)
31.12.69
Main Dish
Parisian Ham-and-Cheese Sandwich (Croque Monsieur)
For testing purposes and nutritional analysis, we used Hormel Natural Choice honey deli ham. There are no preservatives, nitrates, nitrites or MSG added. Start to finish: 10 minutes
2 ounces natural honey deli ham (see Cook's note)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) Gruyere cheese, shredded, divided use
2 slices country white bread
1 tablespoon bechamel sauce, recipe follows
Place ham and half of the cheese between bread slices. In a toaster oven, toast sandwich on high for 3 minutes or until bread is golden brown. (I line my toaster oven with foil so I can use the toaster function without having to flip the sandwich to toast both sides. If you prefer, you can use a pan and turn the sandwich to make sure both sides are toasted.) Remove sandwich from toaster oven and switch it to a broiler mode to preheat. Place the sandwich on the broiler pan and spread 1 tablespoon bechamel over top of sandwich, and top with remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly about 90 seconds. Serve immediately.
Source: MiamiHerald.com
Toasters, toaster ovens, microwaves and coffee makers were all appliances that Consumer Reports said started fires after turning themselves on. Ranges, dryers, air conditioners, refrigerators and dishwashers were also appliances at the top of the rap and more »
