How does the bread mold look like?

In the erliest stage you will see nothing, later some white points will develop on the surface very similar to flour. Taste of such bread is unchanged, aflatoxins are tasteless, odorless and colorless yet very powerful toxins.

Based on the mold type, an old fungus can have variety of colors from white to dark green and contains various amounts of mycotoxins (an experiment has shown that the largest amount of aflatoxins was found in a 7 day old bread stored in a plastic bag at a room temperature).

Why does bread mold?

Molds can be part of the ingredients used to produce the bread (storage of the wheat grains or flour in dry places is probably the most important factor) and can survive the baking process.

And molds also are part of the environment (there are millions od spores flying around you right now, are you scared?) and get into bread after its production.

There are specific conditions that help molds develop and grow - molds will grow better in wet, warm and dark environment.

Mold-proof storage of bread?

It won´t help if you put the bread in your refrigerator (8 degrees C isn´t low enough), in contrary, if the bread gets wet it will spoil even faster.

Also you won´t help yourself if you make toasts of your 4-days old bread as neither 100 Celsius degrees neutralize the toxins that already developed.

So how to avoid molding of bread?

Buy as much bread as you can eat in 2 days. Store it in a breadbox (wooden, plastic, stainless steel). If you happened to buy too much bread, freeze it in a freezer (at -18 Celsius degrees) wrapped in a plastic bag.

Defrosting of such frozen bread is best done if you unwrap it from the plastic bag and place it a clean tissue (fabric, towel… whatever).

Bread older than 2 days should not be used (neither for toasts and crumbs).

Actually there are two alarm systems used with refrigerators. The first one signals (beeps) when the door is open longer than set period of time (usually 1-5 minutes). The second one alerts you when the temperature in the fridge exceeds certain limit (10 – 12 Celsius degrees).

Do I really need fridge door/temperature alarm?

No, you don´t . That is something for blood banks, biomedical labs, institutional kitchens or (sorry) morgues.
Standard household absolutely doesn´t need alarm powered refrigerator.

Refrigerator alarm verdict:

Instead of spending money on alarm equipped fridge, teach your family members always to check if the refrigerator door is really closed after they used it.

So much for the promotional materials. Now little reality…

Go to the kitchen and try to open your fridge. How much strength you must have used to accomplish it? Do you think your toddler will be able to use the same strength? Come on…

Unless your refrigerator gaskets are totally worn, your children will not be able to open the door without adult person´s help. As soon as they have enough power to do it (let´s say 3-4 years old), they are also intelligent enough to outsmart any child lock safety system.

Child-lock refrigerator verdict:

Don´t waste your money. Show your children what is in the fridge to feed their curiosity. Explain them why they should not open the fridge alone and what happens with the food if they leave the fridge door open.

Children are very smart and even smaller ones will understand if you tell them that their favourite cake will turn bitter or sour if the refrigerator is open for too long.

Ice/water dispenser advantages

Ice or cold water dispensers have two main advantages. The first one is that it is sooooo comfortable just to take the glass and fill it with ice at the button. The second one is that the in-door icemakers actually reduce your energy outpayments.

Ice/water dispenser disadvantages

Their main disadvantage is their price. Fridges with ice dispenser are usually more expensive than their no-dispenser twins.

Ice or water dispenser verdict:

Refrigerators with built-in icemaker are OK. If your family likes ice cubes in their drinks then I would definitely recommend buying a fridge with the dispenser. To reduce the number of door openings (shut fridge = low energy bills) you should prefer refrigerators with an in-door ice dispenser. The dispenser of your choice should also feature a built-in filtration system to assure the water used for ice cubes will stay fresh.

The TRUTH REALLY IS that the 40 W bulb´s power consumption is considerable compared to 100 W consumed by the whole refrigerator.

The TRUTH ALSO IS that such 40 W light bulb - when on - heats the inner space of the refrigerator making the compressors work more and so consumimg even more energy.

But…

The purpose of a light bulb in the refrigerator is to illuminate the interior of the fridge… when the door is open. The light is only on if the door is open and is switched off as soon as the door closes. The amount of heat that gets into the refrigerator through the open door many times exceeds the amount of heat produced by the light bulb.

Replacing a refrigerator light bulb with a LED light will save you couple of cents a year but it will not solve your problem.

The 2 most important refrigerator energy efficiency rules are as follows:

1.) Try to open the fridge door as seldom as possible and
2.) Keep it open as short as possible.

First there were independent refrigerator and freezer units without any successful attempts to combine them into one appliance.
Little later a compact refrigerator was born with micro-freezer compartment in the upper part of the refrigerator.
When the developers started to think of a (real) combination appliance, they only followed the existing trends and put the smaller and lightweight freezer on top. Was it wise? Who knows? Top-mount refrigerators have their advocates as well as foes and both groups have their own arguments why to use or not to use this type of fridges.

Top-freezer advantages

- The top position of the freezer provides easier access to frozen foodstuff. You don´t have to go down on your knees when looking for your favourite vanilla ice;

- Compared to side-by-side models, the top-freezer type offers more or less the same space but as both refrigerator and freezer compartments are full-width, the top-freezer are better for accommodating oversized items (e.g. giant pizzas) which sometimes are too wide to be put in side-by-side fridges;

Top-freezer disadvantages

- On the other hand, the bottom position of the refrigerator compartment is far from being ergonomic. You will have to go down on your knees if you want anything not frozen (especially the fruits and vegetables from the bottom crisper). Think about it as the statistics say that people open their refrigerators 10 times as often as their freezers;

- The second disadvantage of the top-mounts may be considered speculative and it definitely depends on more than just the position of the freezer. Nevertheless, the hot air always tends to rise and in any room there is certain difference between the temperature under the ceiling and the one right above the floor. Even though we are talking about just couple of centimeters here, my opinion is that - in, say, 10 years span - a top-mount refrigerator will be less energy efficient than the same-sized and feature-rich bottom-freezer.

Top-mount refrigerator brands, series and models

At the time of writing this article (June 2007), Amazon.com reported following best selling top-mount refrigerators:

1.) Summit FF1320W, 10.4 cu. ft. Freestanding Counter-Depth Top Mount Refrigerator with Interior Light, Adjustable Glass Shelves and Adjustable Thermostat: White;

2.) Avanti RA757PST, 7.5 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator with 3 Glass Shelves, Full Range Temperature Control & Integrated Door Handle Avanti RA757PST 7.5 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator with 3 Glass Shelves, Full Range Temperature Control & Integrated Door Handle;

3.) Maytag MTF2193ARB, 21 Cu. Ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator with Cool Flow Ventilation and Icemaker: Black.

As the best selling product list change every hour I would rather suggest you check your current freezer-on-top refrigerator bestseller chart here.

With its dimensions of 19,4×9x9cm (approximately 7,6×3,5×3,5 inch) and weight of 362g (approximately 0,8 pounds) it cools (only) one can of your favorite beer or beverage at the time.

Brando sells this USB mini fridge for $33 (+$3 shipping) via its e-shop.

These mini-fridges (called Nfridges) are fully independent from each other and use the “green” magnetic refrigeration method which, I hope, will soon replace all currently used ozone-depleting technologies.

They can be stacked on each other or placed next to each other so that you practically design you fridge yourself based on the space available in your kitchen, you current needs or just emotional state of mind.

Let s hope that this invention once leaves the Electrolux labs and will be introduced to the mass market as well.

If you have something to show as well, do not hesitate and submit your entry by August 1, 2007, via Electrolux Design Lab web site.

A limited number of finalists will be chosen by the end of September, they will present their work to the jury in Paris in November, after which the winner will be announced and the prizes awarded.

The requirement is that the project must be “green”, commercially viable and must help people live in harmony with the nature and environment.

The Design Lab 2007 winner will be granted an EUR 5,000 prize and a six-month internship at the Electrolux global design center.

For more information please contact Electrolux Media Hot line, +46 8 657 65 07 or Electrolux Design Lab.

Found via PRWeb.