Appliance 101  

The good old days may be behind us, but no one seems too disappointed that they don’t wash their clothes in the river or load coal to get a fire started.

Appliances are what make a frum house go round, and that’s never clearer than when they break, right before Yom Tov, of course. Here, Esther Kurtz speaks to the experts for the rundown on what works, what’s important, and how to keep those all important machines going

The oven will always break right before a three-day Yom Tov. It’s one of Murphy’s Jewish laws. Frum homes live and die by appliances. We’re always looking for the best one, that lasts the longest, that doesn’t break, and has all the doodads and features that promise to add a little glitter to our lives. Sounds good in theory, right? But have you purchased a new appliance lately? The process serves as exhibit A for the concept of paralysis by analysis and options.

I had a long chat with Yoeli of Town Appliance to get to the bottom of what we really need to know and should focus on in each type of standard appliance: the pitfalls, the distractors, the recommendations, the lifespan, the hock, the everything.

First though, he tells me a little about what the process of buying can feel like to the customer. Buying appliances can feel overwhelming. It’s expensive, options are vast, and you don’t necessarily understand the difference between one and the other.

This is often why people choose to talk to salespeople, but then they get nervous about the salesman’s incentives and why isn’t he showing you every option on the floor.