Q&A: How do I recycle my old cookware?

I just bought a new set of cookware. What's the best way to get rid of my old pots and pans?

Selecting the right cookware is easy, but getting rid of an old set, especially a 10-piece ensemble, isn't so obvious. You can donate usable pots and pans to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or list them on Freecycle. If the cookware is unusable, contact your municipal department of public works to ask about recycling.

Now, if you buy Calphalon's new Unison cookware, you can send your old set, no matter its condition or manufacturer, to Calphalon for free recycling. You pack your old set in a box that comes with your new cookware, attach the prepaid mailing label, and drop it off at a FedEx location.

Calphalon will take nonstick and uncoated cookware. (Glass and plastic items are not accepted.) After sorting, the pots and pans are sent to a company that processes the metal for reuse. 

Among other corporate recyclers, some Walmart stores [...]

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Q&A: Should I buy a stand mixer based on its wattage?

I've read that more watts are better. Is that true, or am I just wasting my money?

Don't buy a stand mixer based on wattage. It’s usually the power used, not produced. A stand mixer with high wattage may be powerful or may just operate inefficiently. But be sure to check the warranty as they vary. Also consider:

• Examining the mixer before buying. Look at the proportion of the beaters to the bowl. If the bowl holds 7 quarts but the top of the beaters only reach half way up the bowl, then the true capacity of the bowl is about 3.5 quarts. This is especially important if you frequently work with lots of flour

• Buying an extra bowl, for around $50, if you make two-step recipes so you won't have to scrape and rinse between steps.

• Checking Websites for rebate information. KitchenAid is offering $40 back on select 5- or 6-quart stand mixers (the KitchenAid Classic K45 has repeatedly been our top-rated model).

Most of the tested models have one beater that spins [...]

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Because front-loading washing machines spin so rapidly—up to 1,200 revolutions per minute—and their drums rotate on a horizontal axis, the vibration and noise these machines produce can be a nuisance for users, especially when a front-loader is used near main living areas or on a second floor in a home.

Our testers have seen plenty of front-loaders that produce a lot of vibration and noise, though no front-loader has ever actually moved from its spot during our vibration testing. Until now. In a recent vibration test on a wood floor, the $550 LG WM2010C[W] front-loader turned on an angle and moved forward about three inches when it had an 8-pound evenly distributed load . And when we repeated the test with a 1-pound unbalanced load, the LG again slid forward several inches.

LG offers a solution with the “SpinSense” function, which the manufacturer says “can be used to help reduce or eliminate vibrations, especially on wood floor installations.” When our testers [...]

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I’ve read that more watts are better. Is that true or am I just wasting my money?

Don’t buy a stand mixer based on wattage. It’s usually the power used, not produced. But be sure to check the warranty as they vary. Also consider:

• Buying the biggest bowl available if your recipes frequently call for lots of flour

• Buying an extra bowl, for around $50, if you make two-step recipes so you won’t have to scrape and rinse between steps

• Checking Websites for rebate information. KitchenAid is offering $40 back on select 5- or 6-quart stand mixers (the KitchenAid Classic K45 has repeatedly been our top-rated model).

Most of the tested models have one beater that spins in one direction and moves around the bowl in the opposite way. The bottom-rated stand mixers have two beaters that spin against each other, just like a hand mixer.

While these models were the least expensive, they were also mediocre or worse at mashing potatoes, mixing cookie dough, and kneading bread. We also found [...]

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With recent projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicating that prices for “food at home”—that’s all the stuff you buy at supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and convenience stores—will rise 2 to 3 percent this year and 2.5 to 3.5 percent in 2010, you might be more inclined to buy a stand-alone freezer, figuring that freezing food that you buy in bulk or cook in big batches might save you some money.

See our September 2009 report on freezers for news on and ratings of the latest models (ratings available to subscribers) and read our free buyer’s guide for freezers and shopping advice for refrigerators. (The photo shows freezer testing in our labs.)

Now’s also a great time to freeze summer produce in your refrigerator’s freezer or stand-alone freezer, whether it’s the bounty from your own garden or fruits and vegetables you pick up or at local farm stands.

Some vegetables aren’t freezer friendly because they become limp and soggy when thawed. The do-not-freeze list includes celery, endive, lettuce, parsley, [...]

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Carpenters live by the adage, Measure twice. Cut once. The same advice can apply to ordering appliances and equipment for a kitchen remodel, says one New Jersey homeowner who recently undertook a top-to-bottom makeover of the 300-square-foot kitchen at her 1960s Cape Cod house.

Because Helaine W.’s new kitchen includes a bank of windows on the exterior wall, the plans called for an island vent hood—a wall-mounted hood with through-the-wall venting wouldn’t fit the design. What’s more, the hood had to be 24 inches deep or less so it wouldn’t overhang the counter.

To find the right-size hood, Helaine, her kitchen designer, and a salesperson from a local appliance store searched the Web sites of several major manufacturers and found the Franke FDF 367 1XS 36-inch-wide island hood. The Franke site indicated a depth of a little more than 19 inches, ideal for the application. An order was placed for the unit.

When the hood arrived four weeks later, the contractor notified Helaine that the Franke FDF 367 1XS was deeper [...]

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Your grill might have served you well so far this summer, but a little bit of servicing now will ensure safe and effective cooking and protect its looks far into the fall and beyond. Here’s how:

If your grill has become hard to light or the flame isn’t as strong as it could be, check for blockages in the tubes that lead to the burner. Clear obstructions by using a wire or pipe cleaner and pushing debris through to the main part of the burner. Spiders love to build webs and nests in these areas; be sure to check for these, especially if you’ve just returned from vacation. You’ll also want to inspect the hoses for cracks, holes, and sharp bends and replace it if necessary. Then do the following:

• Check the grills for gas leaks by mixing a small amount of dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle. Spray the hose and connections, and with the hose connected to the propane tank, open the gas. If bubbles appear, you need to replace your hose or fix a loose connection.

• Have your grill serviced if the burner flames are not blue. [...]

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As a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Obama administration is encouraging the purchase of energy-efficient appliances through an appliance-rebate program that will soon dole out money if you buy Energy Star-qualified models. Appliances that qualify for Energy Star use roughly 10 to 25 percent less energy than the maximum allowed for that category by the U.S. Department of Energy, which runs Energy Star with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Unlike cash for clunkers, you won’t have to turn in your old appliance to get a rebate. But states are expected to have recycling plans for the flood of old appliances the program could unleash. And while the money is coming from Washington, how much you get [...]

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Much has been written about the painstaking detail that goes into every costume, set decoration, and cocktail on Mad Men, the hit drama on AMC about the advertising industry in the early 1960s.

We’ll leave it to the fashion scribes to decide whether the lapels on Don Draper’s suit and the furniture at the Sterling Cooper ad agency were appropriate in the season-three premiere on Sunday, August 16.

What we’re interested in are the appliances you see on the show. From that admittedly narrow perspective, a standout image from the premiere had to be the electric cooktop that Draper, played by Jon Hamm, is seen standing over in the opening sequence as he warms some milk for his pregnant wife, Betty (January Jones). The photo, courtesy of AMC, shows the Drapers’ kitchen.

The way the camera lingers over the glowing-red coils, the appliance definitely conjures a specific place in time. (As do those knotty-pine cabinets and the plaid wallpaper in the kitchen.) We didn’t test cooktops [...]

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While there are signs that the economy is starting to recover, the appliance industry may be among the last sectors to see any green shoots. That’s according to the Consumer Reports Retail Index, one of several indices used to create the newly minted Consumer Report Index.

As reported in “Consumers Aren’t So Upbeat, New Consumer Reports Index Shows,” retail data from the last 30 days shows that consumer purchases declined, and small appliances and large appliances posted the largest percentage drops out of the surveyed product categories comprising the index.

Over the next 30 days, appliance purchases are expected to dip again relative to the prior month. The Consumer Reports Index findings reinforce dismal shipping numbers for the appliance industry in June, when year-over-year shipments of major appliances fell 30 percent.

Appliance purchases relate to another figure from the Consumer Reports Index: the percentage of homeowners who have postponed a home-improvement project. That figure peaked in July, when 27 percent of respondents said they put a project on hold. For August, the percentage decreased to 26 percent.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | [...]

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