Appliance blues

[Jenise]

So on Sunday night, weary from working out in Sumas to help flood victims, I come home, open the refrigerator door to grab something to eat, and I hear a BOOM when I begin to shut the door. I do not exaggerate, it sounded like an explosion.

Apparently it was, of a sort: there's a cam that attaches to a spring, which sprung. An innocent little $30 part--back when they made it. They don't make it any more. I still have refrigeration, but I don't have any lights inside the refrigerator because it can't tell when the door is open or shut anymore. We can affect that: but if we leave it so that the lights stay on, there will be an alarm constantly beeping.

Here's the little bugger:

https://www.partselect.com/PS11738749-W ... %20Numbers

All the parts places like the one above similarly report No Longer Available. Anyone know of any mom and pop places that might cannibalize old machines? My KA fridge was made in 2006.

Failing this I will have to buy a new one. If it was the compressor or evaporator, that would be a no-brainer. But putting up with a dark cave for a refrigerator isn't fatal, just ugly. Still, might be time to replace it.

I asked the service guy who was just here which he likes based on reliability. Miele and SubZero were his first recommendations, and then he added Thermidor. Both manufacture every part of their refrigerators vs. subbing things out like Whirlpool (which are Kitchen Aid, Maytag, Amana, and Jenn-Air) does which leads to the problem I have now. Miele and SubZero always have the parts.

Anticipating a more urgent need to replace what I have yesterday, I stopped in at the local appliance guy and checked out the wares. They carry Sub-Zero but I have to say: the look is dated. They haven't changed their look at all. I'm a bit surprised.

I don't know what I'm going to do yet but optimum would be: find the damn part. If any of you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

[Jenise]

On a separate note, I have never liked the Breville toaster oven I bought to replace the Cuisinart I had for years. It is not as easy to use, and after only 3-4 years the dial that changes the time and temperatures doesn't work well. What should be a quick turn of the dial to increase or lower either, it now takes 10 or 20 to change it by only a few degrees. It's obviously on some kind of rubber or plastic band, if you will, that has been heat-affected and is now loose.

Yesterday on my way home I stopped at TJ Maxx to look for a replacement 4 qt soup pot (success, I found an All-Clad!) and while there I tripped over a new Cuisinart for $79. Bye bye, Breville, you piece of shit!

Here's the little bugger:

https://www.partselect.com/PS11738749-W ... %20Numbers

I am reminded of the plot of Kurt Vonnegut's "Sirens of Titan".

All the parts places like the one above similarly report No Longer Available. Anyone know of any mom and pop places that might cannibalize old machines? My KA fridge was made in 2006.

I took that photo and searched with it: https://tinyurl.com/dnufjnbe

Maybe one of these is suitable?

Further thoughts: Firstly, this is not a complex item. Do you have a friend with a machine shop? Bring the piece to them and they can probably cut you a new one in a half hour. (I know no one nearby like that but my local locksmith does anything involving little bits of metal.)

Secondly, what is this cold dark cave shtick? There are motion-activated lights you can stick to the side of the main compartment. Ace Hardware, Wayfair, Home Depot, all your friend: https://tinyurl.com/3n8yvcxe

Failing this I will have to buy a new one.

Now you are reminding me of some very old and very prejudicial light-bulb jokes....

No help regarding the refrigerator. We ended up buying a True model (home version rather than commercial) as part of the remodel but it's probably smaller than most people on this forum would want. It had an early hickup with the temp display, which was replaced under warranty. The repair guy said that he rarely got calls on their refrigerators, but it's early days yet. We'll see.

I'm surprised that you disliked the Breville so much. We bought one years ago and really love it. It's now in our granny flat, and we bought another for our house. I use it pretty much every day for something or other.

Jenise, not sure what the Sub Zeros look like now, but when I put mine in the kitchen, the cabinet maker made a door for my SubZero to match the cabinets in the kitchen. I picked out my handle hardware, as well

I love all my Breville products; they are well-made, have lasted a long time, and have never given me any trouble. Sorry to hear of your appliance woes. I hate being a widow and having everything fall on me. Gene was always on top of any issue with the house, cars, and yard.

[Jenise]

I'm surprised that you disliked the Breville so much. We bought one years ago and really love it. It's now in our granny flat, and we bought another for our house. I use it pretty much every day for something or other.

What's to love? This one hasn't held up. 1) It takes a zillion turns of the dial to increase the temperature on the oven. I'm serious, 20 turns may only get me another 50 degrees higher if that, and I always gave up before I got to where I really want to be. It would not hold my choice as a pre-set and even then it would sink back to a lower number. Whatever piece of rubber it is that holds tension in that dial has failed. And 2) even when it was working better, I disliked that it had certain defaults--the oven wouldn't stay on for more than 30 minutes without a very overt override. And lastly, the 'dimensions' I purchased it for didn't include the bulbous front handle which, however attractive, prevents the chain mail curtain that covers my appliance bar from closing properly.

[Jenise]

Jenise, not sure what the Sub Zeros look like now, but when I put mine in the kitchen, the cabinet maker made a door for my SubZero to match the cabinets in the kitchen. I picked out my handle hardware, as well

You're right, many do this. But the interior hasn't changed an iota either.

We've been quite happy with our 10 year old Kitchenaid appliances, including fridge.

If you have a machine shop near you they can likely make a new part for you if you take them the sample. If you don't, try the local high school or Tech school and offer to make a donation to them if they can make up what you need. Shop teachers like that sort of challenge. Also ask your repairman if they have had to trash any similar models and where they send them to the junkyard - one can sometimes scavenge parts from appliances that were junked when some other part went wrong.

[Jenise]

We've been quite happy with our 10 year old Kitchenaid appliances, including fridge.

If you have a machine shop near you they can likely make a new part for you if you take them the sample. If you don't, try the local high school or Tech school and offer to make a donation to them if they can make up what you need. Shop teachers like that sort of challenge. Also ask your repairman if they have had to trash any similar models and where they send them to the junkyard - one can sometimes scavenge parts from appliances that were junked when some other part went wrong.

I hate my fridge. If it were a Sub-Zero, it would have a compressor for each side. But it doesn't and while yes the stuff in the freezer freezes, they are not frozen as effectively as the cheapo Kenmore in the garage. Freezer burn occurs much earlier, and anything that's been in there awhile acquires a certain flavor. I've already had to replace my KA wine cooler too. It had one particular part that went bad, but you couldn't replace just that one part--it's in a closed system and the whole system has to be replaced--for the same cost as a whole new unit. Built-in obsolescence. I won't buy another KA.

[Jenise]

On a separate note, I have never liked the Breville toaster oven I bought to replace the Cuisinart I had for years. It is not as easy to use, and after only 3-4 years the dial that changes the time and temperatures doesn't work well. What should be a quick turn of the dial to increase or lower either, it now takes 10 or 20 to change it by only a few degrees. It's obviously on some kind of rubber or plastic band, if you will, that has been heat-affected and is now loose.

Yesterday on my way home I stopped at TJ Maxx to look for a replacement 4 qt soup pot (success, I found an All-Clad!) and while there I tripped over a new Cuisinart for $79. Bye bye, Breville, you piece of shit!

Though my new Cuisinart isn't like the greatest, I can't tell y'all how happy I am to have a nicely toasted piece of bread in two minutes instead of the 8ish it was taking that Breville!

[David M. Bueker]

My Cuisinart has taken two cycles for a total of 4 minutes from the day I bought it. Toasters are fickle.

...
Yesterday on my way home I stopped at TJ Maxx to look for a replacement 4 qt soup pot (success, I found an All-Clad!) and while there I tripped over a new Cuisinart for $79. Bye bye, Breville, you piece of shit!

Can I ask what model you bought? I've now tried 3 different toasters and they have all been horrible. I'd like to get one that just works and doesn't require fiddling with the settings. I prefer "long slot" as I don't usually buy supermarket bread ("Junk bread" as my father called it.) but all I see recommended are two short slot models.

[Robin Garr]

We haven't had a pop-up toaster for many years, but I've been pretty happy with modestly priced toaster ovens. We had a DeLonghi for probably more than a decade. When it finall gave up the ghost that model was no longer available, but this one from Breville was virtually identical, and it's been providing good service for six or seven years. So no complaints about Breville from here. Also, it's an inch or two narrower than most of the competition, which is very important for us thanks to the obviously limited space next to the range top.

[Jenise]

...
Yesterday on my way home I stopped at TJ Maxx to look for a replacement 4 qt soup pot (success, I found an All-Clad!) and while there I tripped over a new Cuisinart for $79. Bye bye, Breville, you piece of shit!

Can I ask what model you bought? I've now tried 3 different toasters and they have all been horrible. I'd like to get one that just works and doesn't require fiddling with the settings. I prefer "long slot" as I don't usually buy supermarket bread ("Junk bread" as my father called it.) but all I see recommended are two short slot models.

Dan, sorry but no help as mine are/have been toaster ovens, not slotted toasters. Some here love to harp about single-use kitchen gadgets. Well, IMO a slotted toaster is one of the worst examples of that. It does one thing. Whereas the toaster oven, besides having multiple uses (oven, broiler, salamander), allows me to butter my toast before toasting it, which browns the butter and produces a deliciously nutty flavor you can't get buttering after.

[David M. Bueker]

I brought a Black & Decker toaster over to college in 1985. It finally died in 2022. Every modern toaster oven I have interacted with (i.e., using other people’s when visiting, or in a rented home) has done nothing but dry out the bread. Garbage! That’s why I broke down and bought a plain old toaster.

[Jenise]

I brought a Black & Decker toaster over to college in 1985. It finally died in 2022. Every modern toaster oven I have interacted with (i.e., using other people’s when visiting, or in a rented home) has done nothing but dry out the bread. Garbage! That’s why I broke down and bought a plain old toaster.

That's typically because it uses convection, and I have hated that too. In fact, the only B&D I ever bought did that, and I returned it for that reason. The Cuisinart I mourn did not, but I think this new one does. It's not a setting per se, it's just the only the way it works--hence the two minute toast. I don't know yet if I can live with that or not. (I don't make a lot of toast.)

I have not owned a slice toaster in ages, but I think they do a good job. At my previous house we had a B&D toaster oven that was far too cheap to have a fan in it... so it worked pretty well, too.

But now everyone tells me to forget all that and run, run, run to buy a Ninja Flip.

...
Yesterday on my way home I stopped at TJ Maxx to look for a replacement 4 qt soup pot (success, I found an All-Clad!) and while there I tripped over a new Cuisinart for $79. Bye bye, Breville, you piece of shit!

Can I ask what model you bought? I've now tried 3 different toasters and they have all been horrible. I'd like to get one that just works and doesn't require fiddling with the settings. I prefer "long slot" as I don't usually buy supermarket bread ("Junk bread" as my father called it.) but all I see recommended are two short slot models.

Dan, sorry but no help as mine are/have been toaster ovens, not slotted toasters. Some here love to harp about single-use kitchen gadgets. Well, IMO a slotted toaster is one of the worst examples of that. It does one thing. Whereas the toaster oven, besides having multiple uses (oven, broiler, salamander), allows me to butter my toast before toasting it, which browns the butter and produces a deliciously nutty flavor you can't get buttering after.

Yes, I remember you railing at me about potato mashers. It sill stings. BTW: They aren't single use. I use it for mashing whole peeled potatoes and cooking ground meat. But to each their own.

We looked at toaster ovens years ago and dismissed them. They were just too limiting and counter space was at a premium. Currently, the toaster resides in the pantry where it isn't taking up too much space. At some point I found a combination microwave/convection oven. It's larger than any toaster oven I've had but sill small enough to not take up too much counter space. It can heat a cup of milk for hot chocolate then roast chicken chicken.

[Jenise]

Dan, me rail at anyone about potato mashers? I can't imagine. I own one that belonged to my mom when I was a tiny kid. It's a favorite tool and it mashed all kinds of things--probably avocados more often than potatoes or anything else, but I wouldn't be without one or suggest anyone else do either. Oh, and I've defended such esoteric devices as asparagus peelers.

[David M. Bueker]

I brought a Black & Decker toaster over to college in 1985. It finally died in 2022. Every modern toaster oven I have interacted with (i.e., using other people’s when visiting, or in a rented home) has done nothing but dry out the bread. Garbage! That’s why I broke down and bought a plain old toaster.

That's typically because it uses convection, and I have hated that too. In fact, the only B&D I ever bought did that, and I returned it for that reason. The Cuisinart I mourn did not, but I think this new one does. It's not a setting per se, it's just the only the way it works--hence the two minute toast. I don't know yet if I can live with that or not. (I don't make a lot of toast.)

I have whole grain toast every single morning.

FWIW, the old Black & Decker toaster over I had was decidedly not convection.