Fashion Week a la Brizo-Jason Wu

Brizo, the high end designer division of Delta Faucet Company, the household name in faucets, is assembling a team of Bloggers and designers from all over the country,to meet in NYC for Fashion Week. Its's startling and flattering all at once, and an unexpexcted treat to get to see and meet the people who bring us our props, what we recommend and sell to the public everyday.

Brizo has built in a natural highlight to our trip, in between the Product Training Session, that helps us match their products to our customers, and the other activities, we'll attend the Fashion Show of acclaimed designer Jason Wu who designs a product line for Brizo, as well as Michelle Obama's inaugural gown, and a stunning couture line.

Mother nature has challenged almost all coming to NY with delays and flight cancellations as she pounded the east coast all day yesterday with weather ranging from blizzard conditions to hail. Living 25 minutes from NYC, I can tell you we have 10" of snow and there was hardly a moment all day thet we didn't have something white and wet falling on us.

But today, with sun out, and flights coming in, plans are back, on a slightly adjusted schedule, and the anticipation is even more heightened as we'll fit just as much learning and fun into a slightly shortened amount of time.

Looking forward to it all, and sharing it here!

Garbage Disposals, Batch Feed vs. Continuous Feed

The first kitchen I ever had a part in the technical design of, was my own, it was the start of the love affair I have with well designed kitchens. I thought I was going to have fun with the window treatments, and the dining table, after all, interior design was my field. Boy was I wrong, it was the appliances that charmed my socks off! Looking back, I did things in that kitchen that I will never do again, without a sign off of course!



One appliance that had me on the fence was a garbage disposal. I hadn't grown up with one, but had managed to feed nearly an entire set of cutlery to one in an apartment I had in college. So even though the designer was recommending I install one, I was skeptical. True also is that I was looking at the sweet plump fingers on my baby's hands, and the thought of her reaching in at the wrong moment, well it made me squeeze my eyes shut real fast!



When I caught my breath the designer gave me a little lesson in batch feed vs. continuous. Most people have continuous feed disposers with the black plastic flaps that give way to the food as it slides through the opening. This type usually has a switch on the backsplash or countertop that you simply flip as you are feeding the unit, it can run this way at any time, and if you drop a knife or spoon it's going in! I know it's a longshot but as a young mom, I could just envision my for year old son chucking his Thomas the Tank Engine down to here the cool noise, and well the possibilities of his retrieval method was of most concern.



What my kitchen designer recommended was what they call a Batch Feed Disposal. It has a plug that covers the opening but allows water to pass through it, the plug must be in and turned for the power to run to the unit. therefore there is zero risk of little fingers intruding on the blades, and it only slows down the feed process slightly, and just enough that you have very little risk of losing cutlery or jewelry or any of the other fun stuff that slips by.

I took his advice, and bought the Kitchen Aid Batch Feed Disposal. I was so happy for the convenience and peace of mind it offered, and I recommend the very same unit to my clients today. Batch feeds are made by many manufacturers and they all work fairly the same way.

As with all disposers, the recommendation is that you use cold running water and do put bones down. It's generally thought that this does the best job of preventing grease from buuilding up and clogging the waste line. Check with your town before installing one, as not all municipalities allow them, and if you are on a septic system check into the special enzyme treatments to assist in the decomposition of the food matter.