More Ways to Save!

At Judd & Black we strive to offer you the best products and service at the lowest price possible.  In addition to our everyday low prices, you can find tons of manufacturer and exclusive rebates right on our website to help you save even more.  Plus, when you shop our online catalog, it will tell you if a certain product has a rebate.  Or you can find a rebate that you like, then click on the "shop by item" link right next to the description and it will bring up all of the items that rebate applies to. Also, you can click here to get information about our store sales and other promotions.  It doesn't get much easier to save than that!

10 Ways You’re Wasting Money in Your Kitchen

Here are 10 energy-wasting choices to avoid:

1. Making your dishwasher heat up cold water

Run hot tap water before you run your dishwasher it doesn't have to heat up the water as long.

2. Setting your refrigerator and freezer too cold

Your fridge section should be set at 37 degrees to 40 degrees, and your freezer section should be set at 5 degrees. A deep freeze should be set at zero degrees.

3. Using an uncovered pot to boil water

Think of all the heat and time lost without a cover on a pot of heated water. Instead, a cover traps the energy in.

4. Selecting “Heat Dry” on your dishwasher

If you don’t wash a lot of plastic dishes, or lots of dishes in general, choose the “Air Dry” setting or simply prop your dishwasher door open after the rinse cycle.

5. Leaving foods uncovered in the refrigerator

Uncovered foods release moisture, causing the compressor to work harder. Instead, cover all liquids and foods.

6. Prewashing your dishes

Not only will it decrease the effectiveness of your dishwasher detergent, prewashing your dishes is unnecessary and wastes water. Just scrape off the big pieces of food.

7. Ignoring the gasket on your refrigerator

Close your refrigerator door over a piece of paper or dollar bill so it’s half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull it out easily, your door seals aren't airtight.  Try moistening the gasket with a thin layer of Vaseline, which should create a better seal. If that doesn't do the trick, you might need to replace the gasket altogether.

8. Cooking with dirty burners and drip pans

Clean burners and drip pans will reflect the heat better, cooking your food faster and saving you energy.

9. Placing small pans on bigger burners 

Match pans to the size of the element. Otherwise, you’re using energy to heat a bigger burner only to let it escape around the sides of the smaller pot or pan.

10. Barely stocking your refrigerator

It seems backwards, but a full refrigerator holds temperature better than a poorly stocked refrigerator. Just don’t pack food so tight as to block the airflow.

Taken from Warners’ Stellian

How to Sharpen Your Disposal Blades

Just like your kitchen knives, your garbage disposal blades can dull over time from use.

To sharpen the blades, combine table salt and coarse cleanser, then shove the mixture down past the baffle (that rubber thing above the blades) and run the disposal without any water. When that’s finished, run water with the disposal like normal and rinse away the residue.

The coarse mixture should sharpen your blades. Another tip: Always run cold, not warm water when running your disposal. Cold water hardens greasy substances, which makes them easier to grind, and keeps grease from sticking to the drain lines.

Taken from Warners’ Stellian

Tips for the Perfect Marinade

Now that spring is officially here and the sun is shining, it's time to break out the grill!  If you want to be a grill master, you'll need to start with a killer marinade.  Our friends over at Weber have provided an outline along with some helpful tips in order to make your own tasty marinade.  Click here for the whole story.

#1 In Built-In Cooking

According to a leading consumer magazine, Whirlpool Corporation is #1 when it comes to built-in cooking.  Whirlpool Corporation includes Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, and of course Whirlpool.  Check out the chart to the left to see the top 5 wall ovens and electric cooktops and then come into any of our stores to check them out for yourself!

New Frigidaire HE Top Load Washer

The new Frigidaire Affinity High Efficiency Top Load Washer is pretty slick.  It features WaterFall™ jets that soak your clothes thoroughly, ensuring whiter whites and tough stain removal – even with big loads. It is gentle on your clothes too.  Immersion Care™ Wash Action gently spins and moves water and detergent through clothes for more thorough cleaning without being harsh on fabrics.

In addition to getting your clothes fabulously clean, it’s also quite – 20% quieter to be exact.  Advanced vibration control keeps even oversized loads balanced for smooth, quiet operation. Ideal for second floor installation.

And to top it all off, it’s high efficiency so it uses less water and energy than traditional top load washers, saving you money.  Check them out for yourself!

Our Next Cooking Class!

We had another successful cooking class last night featuring Jackie Davison from Pot Luck Kitchen Studio and wine pairings by Silver Bell Winery.  We have so much fun at these classes, we can't wait for the next one!  Here are the details of the next class so you can join in on the fun!

Thursday April 18th at 6pm

Presented By Judd & Black

Guest Chef Chris Bertrand from Johnny Carino's in Burlington

Wine Pairing TBA

Chris will prepare a delicious three course meal and teach you how to create it yourself!  Each course will be paired with a wine as well.  Winery to be announced soon.

Tickets are $35 per person or $50 for two.  They can be purchased at any Judd & Black location starting March 13th.

All of our cooking classes take place at our Mount Vernon store located at 2520 Cedardale Road.  If you have any questions, please call Rachael at 360 336-6515.  Hope to see you at our next class!