We get it—bathroom vanities all seem to look the same, and kitchen cabinets often appear to lack creativity. It becomes tempting to switch them around, and if you find the perfect “bathroom cabinet” setup for your kitchen, why not use it? However, there are vast differences between kitchen and bathroom cabinets in New Jersey that do not make them interchangeable when you remodel your home. Here are five differences between them and some reassurance that, yes, you will find what you are looking for and your kitchen or bathroom remodel will be successful:
- Depth: Bathroom cabinets are made for medication, toiletries and small styling items. Kitchen cabinets store plates, cooking supplies and large serving dishes, all of which require cabinet depth. The average depth of a bathroom cabinet is 21 inches, compared to the 24 inches of a kitchen cabinet. Those three inches make a big difference when you are stacking dishes or making room for that giant salad serving bowl.
- Durability: Kitchen cabinets use heavy mounting material because dishes are heavy. You risk the cabinets collapsing if you decide you love those bathroom cabinets so much that you mount them in your kitchen. Your bathroom items are not heavy, so the mounting hardware for bathroom cabinets is not as durable. It is not possible to switch the hardware around without compromising structural integrity, so buy cabinets appropriate for the room.
- Height: Manufacturers are starting to make bathroom cabinets taller, so homeowners do not have to bend down as frequently. However, most of the time, kitchen cabinets are 34 inches high and bathroom cabinets are set at 31 inches. Even if you prefer taller bathroom cabinets, you can find them without placing kitchen cabinets in your bathroom instead.
- Footprint: Bathrooms are usually much smaller than kitchens, unless you have a particularly eccentric home. When you consider depth and height, kitchen cabinets simply take up more space. This can make a difference even in an expansive master bath, since they are usually never as large as your kitchen. But if you are remodeling a half bath or a full bath that barely gives you room to turn around, the footprint of bathroom specialty items will make the space issue easier to manage.
- Different accommodations: You have different needs in kitchens and bathrooms, and cabinetry reflects that. Bathroom cabinets are built to accommodate plumbing, and sometimes extra electric outlets. Kitchen cabinets are made to withstand heavy kitchen items and the most you need to accommodate is electrical wiring for under-cabinet lights. Also, when discussing under-sink cabinets, the plumbing setup is different in kitchens compared to bathrooms. If you try to mix and match, there will be drilling and sawing in your future, and not all of it will be attractive or work well.
Sunshine Home Supplies is here for you when you need kitchen or bathroom cabinets in New Jersey. We offer a wide selection and we are certain you will find something you love. Call or visit today to learn more!
Summer grill season is about to start, which means it’s time to visit a grill store in New Jersey and learn about Traeger grills. This brand is very popular and for good reason. Here are five reasons to have a Traeger grill on your porch or in your yard this summer:
- It is the crockpot of grills: If you enjoy crockpot cooking with its “fix it and forget it” approach, you will love the Traeger grill. Traegers use wood instead of propane or charcoal, which allows for slow, even grilling. As long as you keep it supplied with wood pellets, you never have to supervise it to maintain a steady temperature. Leave it alone for 30 minutes or even a couple of hours. Run a few errands and you will have evenly cooked or smoked meat before you know it!
- Best for fatty meats: When you cook fatty meats like prime rib on a grill, you are at risk for flare-ups. That is a fact of life with propane, and many people grill cautiously because they prefer to keep their eyebrows. Propane grills require supervision for this reason; flames that become too high or hot produce a fire risk. Traeger produces even grilling and reduced flare-ups even when your meat has a higher fat content. This works great for brisket, too.
- Smoky flavor is wonderful—but difficult: Producing that favorite smoky flavor is an effort with most grills. Many people set aside an entire day to accomplish it, and often need to rely on wood or other accessories. Charcoal or propane alone will not accomplish that unless you use wood planks, and even then, you are basically chained to the grill all day. Using a Traeger grill produces the flavor naturally, since the wood pellets are made from sawdust from all different types of wood. There is also the option of adding different types of pellets to create a specific flavor, like hickory, apple, maple or mesquite. You never have to add wood chips or worry about the long smoking time.
- It works for all foods: Grilling is not just for meat. Asparagus, broccolini, zucchini squash and eggplant grill well. If you want to serve your vegetarian friends at your next barbecue, grill large portobello mushrooms—even your committed carnivores will want to indulge when they see how the “meaty” fungi look after being cooked. There is even a recipe to create fruit pie on a Traeger grill! The abilities of Traeger demand experimentation, so do not forget to indulge.
- Less cleanup: If you are tired of brushing down propane grills or scrubbing sooty charcoal grills, Traeger will be a relief. Its design makes it easier to clean because pellets burn cleanly and each grill comes with a grease collector. All you have to do is remove the ash and dump the grease and you are ready for the next meal!
Sunshine Home Supplies is your primary source for grills, cabinets and other accessories to enhance your home. We are also your premier grill store in New Jersey and would love to show you our inventory of Traeger grills. Call or visit today to learn more!
At our grill store in New Jersey, we provide a wide variety of grill options, many of which are made by Traeger, the premier pellet grill manufacturer. If you are new to pellet grillers, you might be wondering how to choose the best option for your home grilling purposes.
Fortunately, our grilling experts have compiled a list of tips to help you get the right pellet grill for your needs. Here’s some information from our team for you to consider as you’re getting started:
- Price: You likely have a budget you’re working with for your grill, and that’s perfectly fine—just as long as you don’t confuse “affordable” and “cheap.” There are plenty of options for reasonably affordable pellet grills that will get the job done, but there are also reasonably affordable pellet grills that are made cheaply. If you have a lower budget, make sure you also pay attention to the other factors on this list to ensure you don’t end up having to buy a new grill just a couple years from now.
- Quality construction: No matter what price point you’re looking at for your grill, you should aim to get one that has been built well and is made with high-quality materials. Pellet grills do not need to be heavy-duty pieces of equipment, but they also shouldn’t feel delicate or like you’ll break them easily. There should be a good seal when the lid is closed, the hardware and joints should feel solid and you should be able to find plenty of reviews online that testify to the grill’s quality.
- Temperature: The temperature range you need in a grill largely depends on the kind of cooking you plan to do. Pellet grills typically have no problem hitting up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, but might not be able to get the temperatures you need to sear foods. However, there are also performance pellet grills that can have upper ranges of up to 700 degrees, which is also enough to fire-bake a pizza. So keep your kind of cooking and temperature needs in mind when selecting a pellet grill from Traeger.
- Size: How much cooking space do you need? If you have a large family or like to host backyard barbecues, you’ll need a larger grill than if you tend to just cook for yourself. You should also consider the space you have in your yard or outdoor kitchen and how your grill will fit into it.
- Other features: There is a wide variety of add-on features that are common with pellet grills. Some have control boards and meat probes with inputs. Others have secondary cooking racks or WiFi capability. Again, the need for these add-on features depends on how serious you are about your grilling and the kind of cooking you plan to do. If you don’t need these extra features, then don’t waste your money on them.
For more tips about buying the right Traeger grill, contact our grill store in New Jersey.
Getting ready to fire up your wood-fired Traeger grill for the summer? There’s a whole season of delicious grilling not far off. But before you can start your grill for the first time, it’s important to make sure the grill is ready for another season of use.
Here are a few tips from our grill store in New Jersey to help you prepare your Traeger grill for all the use it’s going to get this summer.
Clean it out thoroughly
Cleaning your grill isn’t exactly a fun chore, but it’s a necessary one to keep it in good condition and to keep all your food tasting great. First and foremost, take out the grates and give them a good scrubbing. You can use a simple wire brush and damp cloth to clean off the grates. However, it is not recommended that you use soap—the soapsuds can linger on the metal, and it’s tough to wash them off completely.
There are some types of specialty grill-cleaning products that you can soak your grate in that will dissolve the carbon and leftover food on the metal, leaving it looking bright and shiny once again. But oftentimes a good soak in water and a bit of elbow grease with the right brush will work just fine.
Once you’ve set your grates aside, be sure to clean the inside of the grill as well. Remove any ashes or buildup of burnt food or grease, and wipe everything down really well with a damp rag. Do not use the wire brush on the interior of the grill—you could scratch it up, causing some irreversible damage. Stick to your damp cloth or rag. Take your time, and don’t feel like you need to get it looking like new again—this isn’t going to happen with a grill that’s been used for a while.
Finally, make sure you clean the auger and hopper. All Traeger wood-fired pellet grills have augers at the bottom of the hopper that pull the hardwood pellets into the fire pot. Cleaning the hopper is easy, because it’s a much larger open space, but the auger takes a bit more time and effort. Still, it’s worth it to ensure you have a completely clean grill.
Prepare your grilling utensils
Gather all your grilling utensils, clean them and make sure they’re organized and ready for the new year of grilling. If anything appears to be missing, replace it now—the last thing you want is to throw some meat on the grill and suddenly find you’re missing your favorite spatula or tongs. Look closely at your grilling pits, pads and aprons. If they have been burned, damaged or soiled beyond any hope of repair, consider replacing them as well.
These are just a few steps you can take to help you get ready for a full season of grilling this summer in New Jersey. For more tips, contact the experts at our grill store in New Jersey and we’ll be happy to assist.