Celebrity Kitchen - Taylor Swift's Nashville Home

Courtesy HGTV

Country music superstar Taylor Swift's former home in Nashville comes with a casually elegant kitchen with a marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a central island with a butcher-block countertop. A copper range hood serves as a functional focal point for the space.

Kitchen of the Week

Using space most efficiently. A small open plan kitchen for lofts, studio flats and small apartments.

Appliances Review - Garbage Disposal

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An efficient garbage disposal will provide you with heavy-duty food grinding. When you purchase a garbage disposal, you’re going to be relying heavily on the device to support your waste disposal needs in your kitchen day in and day out. If you're looking for a replacement food disposer, it's still good to do some research on the horsepower of the motor and the feed type of the unit. 

What to Look For

When searching for a garbage disposal, you will want the most versatile and reliable disposal for your money. We’ve outlined an array of disposal units, and disposal unit accessories and features to consider such as how often you plan to use it and how heavy duty the motor should be. It’s important to make sure your money is well spent and that your product is backed by a strong warranty, considering the regular use of the unit.

Features
These garbage disposals features vary depending on how hard you intend to work the machine. Some of the features range from basic food disposal needs, such as a batch-feed disposal that grinds batches of food, all the way to high-capacity disposals that handle grinding as a continuous feed. The more expensive units tend to come with bigger price tags, but they are also built with state-of-the-art design and material. Other features to look at are a manual reset button, power switches and noise level of the unit.

Quality
Quality is, of course, of utmost importance when choosing a garbage disposal unit because you are going to be using this piece of equipment regularly. It is important to choose a quality piece of equipment that will suit your needs, as some devices are built to be used for longer duration and have a greater capacity to consume more waste. It is best to purchase a garbage disposal that has a food chamber made of stainless steel or glass-filled nylon. These two types of material are easier to clean and won’t rust. This means you can use your disposal for longer with no issues.

Motor
The size of the motor that a garbage disposal has is important depending on what foods you will be grinding. Smaller-sized motors are ideal for soft food, such as fruits and vegetables. A larger motor will work best for more food such as chicken bone. Large motors tend to jam less and don’t clog your drain as much as disposals with smaller motors.

Making the right choice when selecting a garbage disposal ultimately comes down to the motor and quality. It is important to factor in motor size even if you’re initially attracted to a unit that is lower in price. You can use this background information to determine which disposal on our lineup is best for you.

Appliances Review - Trash Compactor

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If your family constantly argues over whose turn it is to take out the trash, you should consider buying a trash compactor. Waste compactors use ram force to reduce the volume of your trash by 75 to 80 percent. This means five times less trips to the curb. There is also an environmental impact. Trash compactors mean less space in landfills and less plastic trash bags. Your kitchen will look nicer and, with built-in air fresheners, smell better. Home trash compactors are easy to use and fit conveniently under your counter. 

What to Look For

Your first concern when it comes to a garbage compactor is finding the space. It’s essential to take accurate measurements before you start shopping. Most compactors are available at a width of 12 to 15 inches and a height of 34 to 35 inches, which will fit under most counters. Once the size is clear, you should consider looking at how much power you need, what additional features interest you, and how much extra time you’ll need to maintain the unit and buy supplies.

Power & Performance
Trash compactors offer a range of 1.4 cubic feet to 1.7 cubic feet and will have a compacting force between 2,000 and 5,000 pounds. In most cases, more force means a higher price. Also, you should look at the horsepower of the motor. A high capacity with a lower horsepower means a louder compactor. The garbage compactor will include a compaction ratio. For example, if the ratio is 4:1, it means the compactor will fit the average volume of four bags into the size of one. Remember, the more trash in a bag, the heavier it will be, so you should consider how much you can safely lift before solely buying the highest compaction ratio available.

Features
Beyond compaction, waste compactors are designed to be safe and convenient to use. One handy feature you should look for is a simple toe bar. This is a switch on the floor that will open the compactor automatically when you click it with your foot. When your arms are full of larger items to throw away, it will make your life a lot easier. The trash compactor you choose should also include air freshener compartments or charcoal filters to reduce odor. If you have small children, you might also want to consider removable key-knob controls, which prevent accidental use, as well as anti-jam sensors to alert you if the compactor is overfilled.

Maintenance & Supplies
Except for the usual cleaning required with most appliances, trash compactors should be maintenance free. You should consider how far the compartment will extend out of the cabinet. The farther it opens, the easier it will be to clean. You will also need to replace the bags as usual. Some trash compactors will use regular bags, while others have proprietary bags that only work with their units.

You should keep in mind that trash compactors are only for compaction. For organic foods, consider using the garbage disposal. You’ll also need to keep a separate container if you recycle. That being said, there is nothing more unsightly than a large garbage can in the middle of your kitchen taking up space. And small, under-the-counter cans need constant replacement. Trash compactors match your décor and keep garbage out of sight, where it belongs.

Appliances Review - Toaster 

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Nothing gets a day off to a great start like a golden piece of toast smothered in butter or marmalade. Quick and easy toast can enhance any breakfast. The best toasters take the thought out of preparing perfect toast. They will brown a bagel, toast a baguette or warm artisan bread just how you like it. A great two- or four-slice toaster will not only toast well but will look great on your kitchen counter, too. Like a throw pillow on a couch or decorative frame on a wall, a toaster is a perfect appliance to add an artistic accent to your kitchen. 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Many toasters will do what you want them to do – toast bread. Yet a toaster can be much more. It can serve as an able chef's tool in any kitchen, helping you make the most of any dish that involves toasted bread. When you are considering the best toaster for you, think about the features in each toaster, the toasting functions each uses, the size and design of the toaster and the help and support the companies will provide if you have trouble using it.

Features
A precise shade setting can be the difference between a perfect golden brown and an inedible charred black. Look for a toaster that has a wide variety of shade settings to choose from, and more importantly, a precise way to choose between setting levels. Some toasters only allow you to select a fixed number of shade settings with no variance between those preset settings. This can be frustrating if you prefer a browning level between the shade settings or if you toast artisan breads that vary greatly from piece to piece.

You should also be thinking about the convenience of the toaster. Some newer toasters provide an automatic toasting feature. You won't have to lower a toasting lever anymore to start a toasting cycle. Automatic toasters are motorized to complete the toasting cycle at the push of a button or by sensing toast when it's inserted into a slot. Some toasters allow you to toast four or six slices at once. Others let you toast longer or wider pieces of toast or bagels. The best toaster for you makes it simple to get the perfect crunch on your breads just the way you want it.

Toasting Functions
A toaster can have amazing features, but if you cannot easily use it, then it is essentially useless. Many toasters have standard setting buttons: bagel, warming/reheat, defrost and cancel. Yet, some do provide additional toasting functions that will make it much easier to toast the perfect slice of bread. Look for toasting functions that let you observe the toasting of the bread mid-cycle and add more time if needed with a single button.

Design
For a modern toaster, how it looks on the counter is almost as important as how well it toasts bread. You won't be happy if you have to hide it deep inside a cupboard any time you have company because it looks like a something you just pulled off a scrapheap. You also won't be happy with your toaster if it burns you every time you mistakenly touch its sides while trying to use its controls. A great two- or four-slice toaster will aesthetically add to any counter it sits on, and give you great use, cleaning and storage features.

Help & Support
For small appliances, especially oft-used kitchen appliances, it is nice to know you have a warranty if something happens to it. Most toasters come with strong warranties that cover the appliance for at least a year. You should also be looking for a company that provides user support if you have questions about different advanced toasting features.

Ultimately, the best toaster for you will help you to get toast the way you want it every time you use your toaster. You should be able to use your toaster to accommodate the breads, bagels and pastries you like to eat. Consider the features, toasting functions and design you need to get just the toasting experience you’re looking for.

Appliances Review - Sandwich Maker

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The best sandwiches are those enriched by throwing them on a grill. Whether you like a good old-fashioned grilled cheese or tuna sandwich, or prefer a combination of meats and veggies for a panini, you need a device that will evenly toast your sandwich bread, warm the interior ingredients and find other uses in the kitchen. This simple combination makes the panini press one of the most popular and sought-after kitchen appliances. After all, when it comes to making sandwiches, you should have the tools needed to master even the most basic tasks.

While the most obvious use of the sandwich press is in toasting bread, these devices establish their usefulness in a variety of other recipes. You can cook anything from pancakes to omelets to pastries with these devices due to their ability to provide an even level of cooking. Instead of being forced to master the problematic art of flipping a pancake, you simply open the press and your breakfast is ready to serve.

Sandwich Makers: What to Look For

Creating the ultimate grilled sandwich depends on the best grilling machine. Depending on the type of sandwich you want, whether it is a consistent level of toasting across the sandwich’s exterior or the striped lines of a panini, you’ll need to pick a device suited to the end product. In addition, you’ll need a device designed to deliver the best and most consistent results in toasting your bread and cooking the ingredients within.

Features
Sandwich grills come in several different designs to facilitate a variety of toasting needs. The most simple and low-cost designs come with cooking wells to fit four sandwich halves. The next type of grill offers a single grill plate for both the top and bottom of the device to provide an even level of toasting for foods like grilled cheese sandwiches. The most popular model is the panini grill, which features a ridged press to create the popular valleys and peaks across each slice of bread.

Capacity
The size of the sandwich toaster allows the device to cook anywhere from one slice to as many as eight. Each slice of bread qualifies as a single slice, meaning that with the largest toasters, you can only press four full sandwiches. Standard sandwich makers should be large enough to fit at least two slices at a time, allowing you to simply insert the sandwich as a whole or cut it in half to fit into specially shaped cooking wells.

Cleanup
The most appealing part about sandwich makers is how much work they cut out of the process of grilling sandwiches. You don’t have to flip the sandwich when you’re done cooking one side. And once you’re done preparing your meal, the device should be easy to clean rather than take up all of your dishwasher like traditional griddles or pans. Sandwich makers require that you only wipe out the grill surfaces with a cloth. While the devices that use cooking wells may prove more difficult to clean due to the myriad of ridges to clean around, standard panini presses and grills will only require a single wipe before they’re ready for storage.

While at a glance the panini grill may appear like a straightforward and frivolous expense, it contributes largely to the experience of a good, toasted sandwich. Rather than using a simple grill or griddle, which cooks one side of your sandwich at a time, this device promises to create toasted sandwiches or paninis of the same quality found in sandwich shops. Simply pick the device suited to the type of sandwich you want, and you’ll be making grilled sandwiches like a pro.