Product Features

Gabberts Design Studio is looking pretty good at 50.

The Edina home furnishings institution is throwing a party in celebration of Gabberts' half-century in interior design. And if you're considering a makeover for your manor, you'll probably want to RSVP for the event, Thursday Sept. 17 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Maybe you're lost on how to accessorize or you need new window treatments. Perhaps your entire main floor is a '70s throwback. Help is on the way.

If you attend the party, one of Gabberts more than 20 highly qualified and accredited designers will come to your house for a complimentary one-hour, in-home consultation.

Design by Karlene Hunter Baum, Senior Interior Designer, Gabberts

Even if you don't walk out with one of 50 $50 Gabberts gift cards, you can still nosh on the hors d'oeuvres and beverages -- I know we will be.

Angela Warner and Chuck Bulson of our Edina showroom (located across from the Galleria) will be on hand to answer questions, offer tips and show off the eco-friendly Liebherr built-in all-refrigerator unit and wine storage-freezer combination unit, the stylish red Bertazzonni range and a True undercounter refrigerator.

Other representatives from design industry retailers also will be on hand.  Reserve your spot  -- and free goodies -- today either online or by calling (952) 928-3123.

As anybody who’s ever owned a freezer has known, getting the frost that builds up over usage is a bit of a chore. To help relieve the pains of yearly defrosting, manufacturers have developed frost free freezers which continually defrost the interior. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, frost free freezers have been plagued by a series of myths, which we hope to dispel.

Myth One – Frost Free Freezers Cause Freezer Burn. According to the Food and Drug administration website, www.fda.gov, “(Freezer burn) can happen when food is not securely wrapped in air tight packaging.” Most supermarket wrapping, due to its permeability, is not suitable for long term (over 90 days) food storage. Proper vacuum sealing is the most effective means of preventing freezer burn.

Myth Two – Frozen Foods Don’t Last As Long in a Frost Free Freezer. According to the FDA, “Safe food that was properly handled and stored at zero degrees Fahrenheit will remain safe.” As storage temperature is the most critical factor in preventing food spoilage, the defrost system will have no impact on how long frozen foods will last.

Myth Three – Frost Free Freezers Repeatedly That and Re-Freeze Foods. Most frost free freezer defrost cycles operate only long enough to melt frost off of the evaporator. As a result, the highest the internal storage compartment will ever rise in temperature is two and a half degrees. At normal operating temperature, food remains well below freezing point and thus safe from thawing.

Whether you are looking to store four hundred pounds of freshly purchased cow, or simply keep your grandchildren’s treasure trove of frozen treats safe and sound, Warners’ Stellian has a variety of freezers in all shapes, sizes, and configurations to provide sub-zero storage for years to come.

Anybody who’s replaced a dishwasher more than ten years old knows that the performance of today’s dishwashers has advanced by leaps and bounds.  But while cleaning, quietness, and energy efficiency has improved substantially, many customers have questions about the operation of their new dishwasher.  Here are some nuggets of knowledge to help you get the most out of your new dishwasher.

Most dishwashers run for longer:  Old dishwasher cycle times were approximately 45 to 60 minutes, while most models purchased today require over two hours to complete a cycle.  The biggest reason for this increase in time has to do with the composition of modern detergents.  Older dishwasher detergents were phosphorous based and very potent, however they were not as environmentally safe.  Modern detergents are much more environmentally safe than earlier incarnations, but are weaker at cleaning as well.

In order to compensate for weaker detergents, most dishwashers must run for longer in order to properly clean.  Contrary to most people’s beliefs, today’s dishwashers are still substantially more energy efficient even with longer cycles. In fact, part of the impaired cleaning suffered by older dishwashers stems from the fact that their programs were calibrated for a much stronger detergent, and do not run long enough to properly clean.

Avoid prewashing:  Another component of modern dishwasher detergents is that the cleaning enzymes are activated by residual proteins found in leftover foods.  If you’ve cleaned all or most of the food off of your dishes, detergent cannot activate and stays in its crystal format, scratching your dishes on a microscopic level.  This is the number one factor that contributes to etching and fogging of glassware.

People with old dishwashers face a Catch-22.  If you don’t prewash, the dishwasher doesn’t run long enough to clean properly, but if you do prewash, detergents can’t activate resulting in etching. With any new dishwasher, scrape off the large chunks, but put them in dirty. Your faith will usually be rewarded.  In addition, eliminating prewashing can save over 55,000 gallons of water over the life of a dishwasher!

A new dishwasher relieves us from the tiresome chore of hand washing dishes, and modern Energy Star dishwashers use 41 percent less energy than is mandated by the Federal Government.  If your dishwasher is delivering results that leave you considering a switch to paper plates and plastic ware, investigate how much an Energy Star dishwasher can save you, and shop Warners’ Stellian’s line of Energy Star dishwashers.

Have you ever baked a tray of muffins and noticed that one half of the tray was slightly underdone compared to the other side? Have you ever attempted to bake multiple sheets of cookies and been frustrated with one pan’s results when compared to the other? What about the Thanksgiving turkey that turned out so dry you swore you’d order takeout for the next holiday gathering? If you’ve experienced any of the above situations, it may be time for you to enjoy the benefitsf of a convection oven.

A convection oven has a fan implanted in the rear of the oven cavity. When in operation, the fan circulates the air so that from side to side, front to back, and top to bottom, the oven is one even and consistent temperature. By eliminating natural hot and cool spots, the convection oven yields much more even and consistent baking results. When preparing meats, the convection fan has a tendency to sear skin, trapping juices inside. Not only does this speed the baking process, but it also traps the juices inside for moister, more flavorful meats.

Many people think they need to sign up for cooking classes at their community college to figure out their convection oven. Cooking with convection is incredibly simple. Follow the “25 rule” which states that you reduce your recipe’s cooking time 25 percent and temperature 25 degrees. For those who can’t or don’t want to convert, many of today’s ovens offer built in convection conversion modes. You can also bypass your oven’s convection function and bake traditionally if necessary.

Another misconception about convection ovens is that they are only available in electric. Today, more and more gas ranges are offered with the convection fan. Several ranges, such as the Bosch HGS7052 or the Frigidaire PLGFZ397GC wrap a 110-volt heating element around their convection fan, so as to force heat from the back for better multi-rack baking. This feature is sometimes known as “true convection” or “European convection.”

While many years ago adding convection to your home was very expensive, today it is more affordable than ever. The Frigidaire gas range GLGF376D (or its electric equivalent GLEF384H) offers speed bake convection for as little as $799! If your oven is delivering more furrowed brows and frustration than delicious baked goods, stop into Warners’ Stellian today and treat yourself to one of our many convection ovens!