refrigerator

We believe that the refrigerator can handle everything, but reheating the same container several times is a feast for bacteria.

by

Something that can be common in many homes, especially when all its inhabitants work daily, is cooking on the weekend for the rest of your life. This practice today is called “batch cooking“and logically it involves a very common practice: take a large container out of the refrigerator, heat it a little, let the rest cool down and put it back in the refrigerator. Everything changes. Although food may look and taste the same to the naked eye, at a microscopic level, each cooling and reheating cycle turns the container into a real amusement park for bacteria. The danger. To understand the problem of reheating the container several times, you must first know a basic concept in food safety, which is ‘danger zone‘. This is nothing more than a temperature range that goes from 5 ºC to 60 ºC, where the bacteria present in food multiply at a high speed. Regarding this, there are different studies that indicate that every time we take the container out of the refrigerator, it heats up and cools down again to consume it later; the food slowly passes through that “danger zone.” If done several times a week, minutes are adding up and hours in which microorganisms have free rein to proliferate. There is more. Although when we get sick we can automatically blame bacteria, the truth is that sometimes the pathology can be generated by thermostable toxins generated by bacteria such as Bacillus cereuswhich produce a characteristic gastroenteritis that many of us have been through. This means that, even if we cook a food and kill the bacteria, its virulence product is still there and causes illness when consumed. Even if it boils. More than one reheated. Different scientific models have studied what happens when cooked foods suffer what is called “temperature abuse.” Here the science suggests that the fluctuations from going from the refrigerator to the counter, heating and cooling again, trigger the microbial load and sink the sensory quality of the dish. The case of rice It has undoubtedly been one of the most listened to, especially because of the danger it entails. Here science indicates that each reheating and cooling cycle exponentially increases the microbiological risk if adequate temperatures are not reached and maintained. One of the big problems of rice it’s in the bacteria Bacillus cereus, whose spores survive cooking and germinate if the rice is left at room temperature. The issue here is the toxins it generates, which end up with very serious gastrointestinal poisoning, which makes it dangerous to reheat rice from one day to the next when it has not been stored correctly after preparation. The chemical problem. Beyond the safety of the food, it is also important to focus on the container that contains it, since the constant cycles of intense cold and extreme heat in the microwave can degrade plastics. With this, it is achieved that the migration of chemical compounds towards food, especially fatty foods. That is why the jump to glass containers can be very interesting to improve food safety at home. How to do it right. To avoid these gastric scares, it is best to divide the food into different containers that correspond to an individual portion, even if it means washing many more pots on a daily basis. Also, when cooking, you should not leave the pot on the counter all afternoon, but rather it is better to cool it quickly and quickly place it in the refrigerator within a maximum of two hours. The temperature at which we reheat is also important, highlighting the need to reach 70ºC throughout the food for a minimum of 15 seconds in order to reduce the risk of contagion. Images | freepik In Xataka | Against tupperware: more and more voices think that storing food in plastic is not a good idea

We believed that raiding the refrigerator at dawn was a lack of willpower. Science has discovered the real culprit

by

When night comes, there are many people who cannot conceive of watching a series without something in your hands to eatand not exactly a little carrot, but a little ice cream or some ultra-processed bun. Traditionally, popular culture and fad diets have dismissed this behavior as a simple “lack of willpower” or a sweet tooth. However, the most recent scientific evidence suggests that it is not gluttony, but chronic stress taking control. Night feeding. Eating at night is not always a disorder, but medical literature has been delineating for decades when the line is crossed. Already in 1955, a researcher defined the bases of the so-called night feeding syndrome (NES), characterized by a curious triad: lack of appetite in the morning, hyperphagia at the end of the day and insomnia with awakenings to raid the pantry in the middle of the night. Today, the diagnostic criteria have been updated and indicate that this syndrome occurs when more than 25% of daily calories are consumed after dinner, or if there are two or more episodes of nighttime binge eating per week for at least three months. The trigger It is none other than the hated stress and emotional dysregulation. Here various studies they point Because this nocturnal snacking is associated with a depressed mood, high levels of stress and the need to eat to find a little comfort after a very difficult day. The biological clock. When we eat late, usually after nine at night, or in the two hours before going to sleep, the reality is that we are sending contradictory signals to our ‘primal’ endocrine system. On the one hand, eating at night prolongs the rise of cortisol, which is the stress hormone, at a time when it should be at its lowest levels to prepare the body for sleep. In this way, the body postpones the secretion of the hormone that induces sleep, which is melatonin, and the serotonin and dopamine receptors are altered to respond to food intake. An explosive cocktail. Perhaps one of the most surprising recent findings is the devastating impact that this combination has on our digestive system, since if we combine a high level of stress with late dinners or nightly visits to the refrigerator, the result is catastrophic for the microbiota. Science suggests that those who combine poor sleep, stress and eating habits are up to 2.5 times more likely to see their intestinal health diminished, and also have noticeably less diversity in the bacteria in their microbiome. The whiting that bites its tail. In the end, we are faced with a textbook vicious cycle, wonderfully documented by the University of Arizona. According to your investigations60% of adults confess to itching at night on a regular basis. Of them, two-thirds admit that it is precisely lack of sleep that triggers junk food cravings. But precisely eating at these hours makes you less sleepy. And so on. Images | freepik In Xataka | We Spaniards love to have dinner at 9:30 p.m. and even at 10:00 p.m. Who is paying the price is our body

Chinese electric cars already have massages, karaoke and even a refrigerator. The next step is an under-seat toilet.

by

If you can’t hold back the urge to urinate while you’re in the car, the normal thing to do is wait until you make a stop at the next gas station to relieve yourself. That’s normal, and then there is Seres, the Chinese manufacturer of Aito cars, which has patented a rather peculiar solution: add a toilet integrated into the cabin that unfolds like a drawer. Exploring other areas. China has one of the most saturated electric car markets and competitive on the planet. Dozens of brands fight for the same type of audience and differentiation has become a race without limits: from massage seats and karaoke systems, even integrated refrigerators, giant screens…If everyone is doing the same thing in infotainment, why not explore the next territory? And this seems to be the conclusion reached by Seres, the Chongqing-based company that manufactures Aito brand vehicles. A portable toilet. According to they count From CarNewsChina, the Intellectual Property Administration of China granted Seres authorization for this patent on April 10. The device consists of a toilet integrated under the passenger seat that is extracted using a system of sliding rails (something similar to a drawer) manually or by voice commands. When not in use, it is completely hidden under the seat, without taking up additional space in the cabin. How it works inside. According to collect The BBC, which had access to the original document presented to the Chinese authorities, the system includes a fan and an extraction tube to evacuate odors to the outside of the vehicle. The waste is collected in a tank that must be emptied manually. In addition, it incorporates a rotating heater that evaporates urine and dries solids. Is for when the car is stopped. Before too vivid mental images arise, it is worth clarifying: the design is designed so that you stop as soon as possible and start with the task. According to CarNewsChinaSeres’ own engineers specify in the patent report that the objective is “to satisfy the needs of users during long journeys, camping or during prolonged stays in the vehicle.” Endless traffic jams, overnight stops or campsites without facilities are the intended use cases. It’s not as crazy as it seems. Toilets in cars are very rare, but it would not be the first time they have been seen in a car. In fact, just as account BBC, in the 1950s, a special version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith already included a toilet under the back seat. There are also those who have modified their car to include one, such as this owner of a Toyota 4Runner. What Seres is proposing now is, in essence, a more technologically sophisticated version of an idea that already existed seventy years ago. Obstacles. Just because the patent exists does not mean that it will reach production. CarNewsChina points out several important technical obstacles, including integrating drainage pipes into compact chassis (especially in electric ones where the battery occupies a large part of the floor), guaranteeing the durability of the rails or achieving an airtight seal that prevents odor leaks. And then there’s the psychological barrier, which is basically convincing passengers that it’s perfectly normal to use the bathroom just inches from where the rest of the family sits. Seres is not going through its best moment. The company is going through a difficult time. According to data of China EV DataTracker, deliveries of Aito M9its high-end SUV, have fallen 44.2% year-on-year for three consecutive months. Seres and Huawei plan to soon launch a renewed version of the model to stop the decline. And in this context, these types of patents can help the brand, not even to make them a reality, but to try to generate conversation around its vehicles. Cover image | Polestones and Aito In Xataka | You buy a second-hand car, you pay for it and the police confiscate it: this is how the ‘twin’ car scam works

Sterilize your cell phone in the dishwasher and eat steaks that last 10 days in the refrigerator: Haier redefines household appliances

by

It would never have occurred to me to put a cell phone in a dishwasher, but that is just one of the things he proposed to us. Haier at a press event yesterday in Madrid. It sounds crazy, but it is not, and it joins other surprising and above all very practical ideas with which this manufacturer surprised us. Be careful, household appliances can also be eye-catching technological products. The dishwasher that looks like an operating room. One of the stars of the Haier catalog is the I-Pro Shine Series 7 dishwasher, a dishwasher equipped with technology Biovitae. This system uses visible light of multiple frequencies to sterilize without the need for water or extreme temperatures. dry sterilization. The “dry” program is designed specifically for those objects that we constantly touch such as cell phones, keys or the TV remote, eliminating bacteria and viruses in a cycle that before it was unthinkable and that it was more typical of operating rooms or dental clinics. For these segments, so-called autoclaves based on high-pressure water and high temperatures are used to achieve this sterilization, but the Haier dishwasher takes advantage of this unique technology. Three drums, one wash. While the dishwasher takes care of our devices, the Candy Multiwash solves the traditional logistical puzzle that many have with the washing machine and clothes. Integra three independent drums on a single chassis and allows the 10kg cycle to be used on the main drum for daily laundry while, simultaneously, two small onekg drums handle silk or baby clothes by UV sterilizing them. This appliance is capable of managing water, energy and detergent in the three drums independently and you can activate one, two or all three at the same time. This washing machine is now somewhat larger than the conventional standard of 60 cm, but they are already working on a model of this size to launch at the end of the year. Three better than one. Haier vacuum cleaners arrive. The firm enters the hyper-competitive vacuum cleaner segment for the first time and does so by attacking the floor cleaning market, until now dominated by robotics specialists. Its ace in the hole is Double Roller, a technology that replaces the traditional roller with two synchronized cylinders that rotate in opposite directions. The Z5 model is a wet&dry system that reaches 25,000 pascals of suction and is capable of cleaning and drying its own roller with water at 74º to prevent the proliferation of mold. There are also new robot vacuum cleaners like the v3, which is a wireless model for cleaning and disinfecting mattresses. My refrigerator is bigger than yours. The Cube 90 Water Tank Auto Ice refrigerator solves one of the big problems when installing American models in Spain: plumbing installation. It has a capacity of 706 liters, and incorporates an internal tank for the water dispenser and automatic ice production, eliminating the need to connect tubes to the general network of our house. This makes it possible to place the multi-door refrigerator in any corner of the kitchen. This model maintains the ABT Pro technology to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria, but the efficiency also rises to category C, something that represents notable energy savings. Or what is the same: a more affordable electricity bill. Magnetic fields for steaks. Every year on average a European citizen wastes 130 kg of food, but Haier has proposed a really striking solution to mitigate the problem. It is about NutriBanka technology with Haier’s own patent that, through the application of a harmless electromagnetic field, is capable of preserving the texture and nutrients of meat and fish at zero degrees without freezing them. According to the company, this system keeps 95% of the nutrients intact after ten days, so one can buy these products and keep them much longer without freezing before consuming them. This is not just about preserving, but about taking advantage of a financial tool to protect that part of the purchase that we usually spend on meat and fish. Dry pants, wet pockets? Anymore. The new Horizon range washer and dryer tower reduces the height to 160 cm so that the screen is much more accessible, but the real innovation is inside. Unlike the conventional dryers that use contact sensors, this model employs a “3D humidity scanner.” It is able to detect if the pocket of thick pants is still wet even if the surface appears dry, adjusting the drying cycle in real time. In addition, the dryer intelligently preheats 15 minutes before the end of the wash to save time and energy. I’ll tend when I can. The dryer also has symmetrical rotation, which allows drying to be active in both directions, and has another striking practical improvement: when one finishes doing the washing machine, one usually has to hang it up immediately to avoid or minimize wrinkles, but this washing machine has a system that keeps the clothes spinning and that “ventilates” them for up to 12 hours after finishing the washing cycle so that we can take them out at any time as if that cycle had just ended. Ovens that puncture food. in the ovens Series 4 Flesh Flavor Steam Air tanks of up to one liter are used to inject steam precisely depending on the type of food. Some models have the Preci Probe thermal probe that can accurately monitor the internal temperature of the dish and adjust the heat applied to ensure that the exterior is crispy and the interior is hydrated. The hON application, which already connects millions of Haier devices, is capable of notifying when the food reaches the exact point. In Xataka | The Dishwasher Door Problem: What Manufacturers Recommend to Do When the Wash Cycle Ends

Your refrigerator has a compartment designed for eggs in the door. It’s the worst possible place to keep them.

by

Almost all refrigerators on the market, when purchased, come with an accessory designed specifically for this purpose: an egg cup that goes on the shelves of the appliance door. This has become the place that many of us look at at first to catch the eggs, but the truth is that it is the worst refrigerator place to save the eggs. The thermal trap. The reason lies not in the fragility of the food, but in a microscopic enemy that surrounds us and can be potentially dangerous: the Salmonella. Here the main problem with the refrigerator door is that it is the area most exposed to thermal changes, since every time we open the refrigerator to get milk, water or simply to think about what to eat, the temperature on the door shelves fluctuates drastically. Here are the regulatory bodies of the United States They are quite clear pointing out that these constant rises and falls in temperature are the ideal breeding ground for bacterial growth. Furthermore, as pointed out by the South Korean Ministry of Food, the door is prone to generate condensation, creating a humid environment that facilitates the proliferation of pathogens in the shell that end up in the food when we break the eggs in the same bowl where we beat them (something also not recommended). The ideal temperature. To keep salmonella at bay, the temperature must be stable and below 4°C – 10°C, since under these conditions, the growth of the bacteria is suppressed by more than 99%. But this on the refrigerator shelves is something that is not always achieved. What the studies say. Here the science is quite clear with different studies that have pointed to the survival of strains such as Salmonella Typhimurium and the Salmonella Enteritidis in very specific conditions. A 2021 study demonstrated that at room temperature the bacterial load increases alarmingly in both the white and the yolk. On the contrary, keeping them at 5ºC limits their multiplication and reduces virulence. But if we come more to the present, a study launched in 2024 found that, under alternating temperature conditions, that is, in cycles of 25 ºC to 5 ºC, similar to taking food in and out of the refrigerator, salmonella manages to migrate to the yolk in 64% of cases. How to preserve them. Taking all this into account, the big question is: what should we do when we get home from the supermarket? In this case, the health authorities point to two strategies, the first being to put them directly on the interior shelves, preferably on the lower or middle ones. In this way, the temperature remains stable below 4ºC, and especially if it is at the bottom of the refrigerator. Do not throw away the cardboard. Although we usually take eggs out of their boxes to put them in plastic egg cups for convenience, the truth is that it is a mistake. That is why the second conservation strategy is to keep them in the original packaging, since the cardboard not only protects them from possible knocks, but also acts as a crucial barrier against moisture loss, prevents the shell from absorbing odors from other foods and protects the egg’s natural cuticular barrier. Images | Onur Burak Akın Katie Bernotsky In Xataka | The internet has become obsessed with drinking hot water in the morning. Science is clear about what it does (and what it doesn’t)

American refrigerator or 70 cm Combi? Be careful with making mistakes when buying liters that you may not be able to use

by

I don’t know about you, but when I go to the grocery store, it often feels like I’m preparing for a catastrophe. Many of us live at home and I don’t like going shopping every other day, so I try to put in the cart what I need for at least a week. What’s happening? Then you need space at home to store it.. I have plenty of cabinets and drawers, but my kitchen refrigerator doesn’t have as much space as I would like. Even though I don’t have a kitchenettethis whole situation has made me consider more than once about jumping into an American refrigerator (you know, the ones with two doors with a left-right distribution). But, Is it really worth it compared to a wide combi? Let’s see which one can fit best in your kitchen and your needs. Bespoke AI American Refrigerator 178cm 659L Class E Inox RS70F65QETEF The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Choosing an American refrigerator If you start browsing stores looking for an American refrigerator, you will see that they all have a very large capacity measured in liters. This is something that cannot take us by surprise, although it has a certain “trick”, since it adds the space of the refrigerator to the freezer. What not many people notice is that, although these refrigerators are very large, the reality is that they are also narrow. And that’s where it comes in the pizza box test. There’s not much science to it, it’s just what you think: since the shelves are narrower, a pizza box does not fit horizontally. This is the most visual example, but you can take it to other everyday things that you are more likely to keep in your refrigerator. There we can include food trays, cakes, large tupperware or even watermelons if they are large. Now, what you lose in width you gain in height. This is ideal if you are one of those who practices batch cooking and you cook in one sitting for several days, so you can stack the tupperware without any problem. In addition, you can also take advantage of the more vertical distribution of the refrigerator to your advantage, placing the things you use most at the top and the things you use least at the bottom. More things to keep in mind about these refrigerators. First, the best thing they have: the freezer. The left-right distribution means that we have plenty of room to freeze things of all kinds and have them very well organized. Not only that, but its more vertical distribution also means that we can have a lot of space at eye level and not have to bend down every time we want to check what we have frozen. All this has a price (and never better said), since American refrigerators have higher energy consumption. There is also the issue of the water and/or ice dispenser that these types of refrigerators normally come with. It depends on the model, but there are those that need a water intake to make this workalthough there are others that have a tank that we can fill without the need for installation. And, speaking of installation, be careful with American refrigerators: they are deeper. This can make them stand out from the line of the furniture, something that aesthetically does not look very good. Choose a wide combi The vast majority of vans in stores are about 60 centimeters wide. We would not put one of these to compete in capacity with an American, but things change if we add 10 centimeters to the formula. It seems like very little difference, but from 70 centimeters wide, the combi gains a lot more capacity. And, of course, without taking up as much space in the kitchen as an American refrigerator. These pass the pizza box test without breaking a sweat, since its shelves are much wider. Now, the extra total capacity they gain is not enough to beat the American refrigerators. Not through the refrigerator, but through the freezer. There they clearly lose out, so if you have a freezer full of food, it may not be worth it to go for a combi. There is also the issue of consumption. It will depend a lot on the model we choose, but as a general rule, one of these wide combis It will consume less energy than an American refrigerator. It will not be a consumption figure large enough for us to rule out the Americans, but it will be something to take into account. The good and the bad of both options, face to face American refrigerator wide combi THE GOOD 🟢 Plenty of space to freeze and stack tupperware in the fridge You can have frozen products at eye level so you don’t have to bend down all the time Much more horizontal capacity for large containers and takes up less space Less electricity consumption THE BAD 🔴 Uses more light and has less horizontal space to store large things The “aisles” of the refrigerator are narrow, so if you put something bulky you won’t see what’s behind it Your freezer doesn’t do much, so you may have to juggle if you freeze a lot of food. Ideal for: Kitchens with a lot of space and for large families who need a huge freezer Smaller kitchens and for storing very wide trays or containers without a problem In summary: 👉 Choose an American refrigerator if: You have plenty of space and if you prioritize maximum capacity in your freezer. 👉 Choose a wide van Yeah: You prefer to have wide shelves and you want a large refrigerator, but not gigantic. Recommended models American refrigerator: Bespoke AI RS70F65QETEF As an American refrigerator option, we have this one from Samsung. Here we are talking about a refrigerator with a total capacity of 659 litersdivided into 239 liters for the freezer and 420 liters for the refrigerator. The refrigerators from this … Read more

There are people modifying their router so that ads stop appearing on their refrigerator

by

A man had to install an ad blocker directly on his router to stop his $1,400 refrigerator from showing ads. They tell it in the Wall Street Journal and, although it sounds absurd, it is just one of the experiences of those affected by the questionable decision that Samsung made a few months ago. What has happened? Samsung Family Hub refrigerators (those with a screen built into the door) began showing ads in September last year. Samsung admitted itconfirming that it was a pilot program for some users in the United States. Six months later, the ads are still appearing, some showing Samsung consumables like water filters, but others are third-party ads and in some cases they are full screen. Samsung says that the latter appear when the browser is opened and that it cannot control them. The problem of the official solution. Samsung allows you to remove ads from its refrigerators, but be careful because there is a catch. The advertising is integrated into a widget that also displays news, weather and calendar. To remove them, you have to delete the entire widget and there are users who do not want to lose it. The unofficial solution. Brian Bosworth is one of those affected by this decision, but he refused to give up the widget because he found it very useful, so he took the long route: he logged into his router, installed ad-blocking software, and made sure his refrigerator was included in the filter. Result: You keep the widget and don’t see ads. Discomfort. There are owners who feel directly deceived by this situation. They paid $1,400 for a premium appliance and now it has been turned into an advertising panel, all without their prior consent. One of them wants to return the refrigerator and has said that he will not buy any Samsung device again, which leads one to wonder if Samsung has correctly calculated the benefit of this decision. Making things worse. Cases like this are one more example of the drift that the internet and digital services are taking. It’s what was coined as ‘enshittification’which translated would be something like shit. It is a deliberate degradation of products and services that responds to an economic objective. Advertising is one of the forms of this degradation and we have seen it flood all types of services such as Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Instagram and even apps to control home cameras. We didn’t expect to see it also in refrigerators, but that’s the way things are. Image | Xataka In Xataka | “I take things that are good and make them worse”: Norway has a plan to reverse the decline of the entire Internet

Why does your refrigerator dry out food and when is it worth buying a ‘low frost’ one?

by

Nowadays most refrigerators are “No Frost”, but… what does this really mean? Perhaps what you have heard the most is that they do not make frost, but they also have other peculiarities with respect to the more traditional models. For this same reason, today we are going to review the differences between both types of refrigeratorswith the advantages and disadvantages in each case. How a No Frost refrigerator works No Frost refrigerators use fans that constantly remove the coldwhich prevents water vapor from condensing on its walls. Since there is a constant, dry air flow, moisture does not accumulate in the form of ice, which prevents us from having to remove it ourselves. In addition, many models have a system that allows you to eliminate small traces of ice if they appear. This No Frost system has some especially interesting advantages beyond not forming frost. By having a constant air flow, this cold air reaches all corners of the refrigerator equally, homogeneously, which allows all foods to be preserved better for longer. Now, it’s not all advantages. When using a No Frost refrigerator, it is advisable that we take into account that your air system is dryand by reaching all corners evenly it can dry out food, especially fresh items such as fruit, sausages or vegetables. We must also pay special attention to another point: No Frost refrigerators consume a little more because they have a resistance that heats up to melt the ice automatically. For this reason, we recommend looking at the annual consumption in kWh, and not only at the letter of energy efficiency. How a cycle refrigerator works Cyclic refrigerators (also called Low Frost either Less Frost by some brands) are the traditional ones, the traditional ones. They work through a refrigerant gas that travels throughout its circuit until it reaches the desired temperature, at which point the air flow stops. It does not work using fans, so they can generate less noise than No Frost. As the cold of these refrigerators is humid and they do not have a fan that constantly stirs the air, plaques of frost can form on the walls, which forces us to remove them manually so as not to compromise their efficiency and durability. Additionally, if too much frost forms, the refrigerator motor may have to work harder, which means possible increase in electricity bill. The good thing about these refrigerators is that by having a system that generates humid cold, food is usually better hydrated, preserving it better for longer. This occurs especially in fresh foods such as vegetables, which hold up better without drying out. The good of both worlds We can also find refrigerators that bring together the best of both worlds: hybrid refrigerators. In this case, they come with both systems, but separate: the No Frost system in the freezer and the cyclic system in the refrigerator. This prevents frost from forming in the freezer and allows the fresh food in the refrigerator to stay moist for longer. In other words: mixed models come with a No Frost freezer which prevents us from having to chip away at the ice that forms every so often and they also have a cyclical or dynamic refrigerator that prevent fresh foods, such as lettuce, from drying out. The good and the bad of both options, face to face No Frost Cyclic (traditional) THE GOOD 🟢 You do not need to remove the ice manually, the temperature is more homogeneous on all shelves and the food tends to cool faster thanks to the fan air system. They keep food fresh for longer and are usually quieter and cheaper. THE BAD 🔴 Their dry air can dry out fresh foods and they tend to be noisier due to the operation of the fan. Plus, they tend to be more expensive. They can form frost on your walls and can cause uneven temperatures on different shelves. Ideal for: Storing a lot of food in the freezer without the ice blocking the drawers or for families that open and close the freezer constantly, thus recovering the optimal temperature in a short time. Eat a lot of fruits or vegetables without losing moisture in a short time or if you want a refrigerator that makes little noise. We do the math to see which one can compensate you more. Each of the refrigerators has its advantages or disadvantages, so to see everything much clearer we are going to give a couple of practical examples. If you are looking for a refrigerator that allows you to use it without further ado, without worrying about removing frost every few months, a refrigerator with a No Frost system will compensate you much more. Actual use: Let’s say you usually freeze a lot of food. The accounts: No Frost refrigerators allow you to better recover the temperature by opening and closing the freezer many times. In addition, you avoid emptying it to defrost the ice every few months. So? It is a choice that lies in both the comfort and the usefulness of the freezer: fresh foods dry out more, but in exchange we have a freezer that better maintains its ideal temperature. If you opt for these refrigerators, at least have one or more drawers with humidity control, generally called VitaFresh or BioFresh. Although there are fewer of them in stores today, refrigerators that are cycled or have a traditional system can be very attractive, both for the preservation of certain foods and for other characteristics. Actual use: You don’t usually freeze a lot of food and you usually eat a lot of it fresh. The accounts: Having a cycle refrigerator allows fresh food to last better. In addition, by not using a fan constantly, they tend to make less noise. So? It is ideal if you consume more fresh foods than frozen foods or if you have the refrigerator next to, for example, the living room and you are looking for as little noise as possible. … Read more

We have been filling the refrigerator with kefir and high-protein yogurts for years. It turns out that the solution was invented in the year 874

by

For decades, the Mediterranean basin has held an absolute monopoly on nutritional health. They convinced us that olive oil, wheat and southern ferments were unbeatable. In the dairy aisle, this hegemony translated into the undisputed reign of Greek yogurt, a product that went from being a traditional food to becoming in the supermarket star thanks to its thick texture and high concentration of complete proteins. However, nutrition science has turned its sights toward much colder latitudes. Today, the undisputed protagonist of healthy diets, recommended by both sports nutritionists and metabolic researchers, does not come from Athens, but from Iceland. Is called skyrand although its appearance deceives us, it is rewriting the rules of what we consider a perfect breakfast. At first glance, the skyr It looks like some kind of ultra-creamy Greek yogurt, but it’s not technically a yogurt. Actually, it is about of a fresh, skimmed whipped cheese, made through a double fermentation process. From the Vikings to the supermarket shelf The history of this product begins with the first Viking settlements in Iceland, around the year 874. The Norwegian settlers who arrived on the island encountered an extreme climate and unfriendly lands. In that scenario, the skyr It became a real life insurance: a food ultra-concentrated in nutrients that allowed them to survive the harshest winters when there were hardly any resources. The traditional process starts with skimmed and pasteurized cow’s milk that is heated to 75ºC and cooled to 37ºC. Lactic acid bacteria are added to this base (such as Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) and, crucially, rennet. After hours of fermentation, the product is carefully strained to eliminate the liquid whey. The result is a dense paste, with hardly any water, that requires three to four times more milk to produce than conventional yogurt. Today, the skyr has conquered supermarket shelves such as Lidl, Mercadona, Aldi or Alcampo. Nutritionist Blanca García-Orea points out that success in the supermarket lies in their clean labels: the best commercial options contain only two ingredients, pasteurized milk and lactic ferments, without added sugars or sweeteners. The clinical fascination with skyr It is based on its macronutrient profile. According to data collected by Healthlinea typical serving provides between 11 and 19 grams of protein, practically double that of a standard natural yogurt, while maintaining an almost non-existent level of fat (between 0% and 0.5%). But how exactly is it different from its direct competitors in the refrigerator? Nutritionist Laura Parada clears up the usual confusion between the skyrhe kefir and the yogurt. While the kefir stands out for a microbiota very diverse that includes yeasts and acetic bacteria, and normal yogurt It is based on lactic fermentation simple that leaves a light texture, the skyr It makes the difference because it is a fresh fermented cheese with a very high protein concentration and very thick texture. Added to this are other physiological advantages. The rigorous casting process of skyr eliminates approximately 90% of its lactose contentwhich allows many people with mild intolerance to consume it without experiencing digestive discomfort. At the micronutrient level, the portal Ingredia Food highlights that A 150-gram serving covers about 15-20% of the recommended daily intake of calcium, essential to protect against osteoporosis, and 19% of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), linked to the reduction of oxidative stress. What happens in your body when you eat it When you eat a tub of skyr, you’re giving your muscles exactly what they ask for. According to the magazine Nutrition & Metabolismits proteins are loaded with leucine and other key amino acids that trigger muscle synthesis. Basically, it’s an excellent tool for shielding lean mass when you’re looking to lose weight or prevent muscle from deteriorating with age. As if that were not enough, it takes away your hunger suddenly. The Aarhus University in Denmark did an experiment in 2024 pitting the classic breakfast of bread and jam against a bowl of skyr with oats. The conclusions of researcher Mette Hansen were resounding, the Nordic mix boosted mental concentration and satiety throughout the morning. Some women in the study were so full that they couldn’t even finish their portion. Science continues to find medical applications. Last year, the International Dairy Journal published a discovery very revealing about him skyr fermented with strains such as L. plantarum. It turns out that these formulations are capable of stopping blood glucose spikes after meals, while helping to reduce cholesterol and acting as a powerful shield against cellular inflammation. Not all the skyr it’s gold However, you have to put a magnifying glass on the shadows of any fashion product. That a container has the word printed skyr It does not make it a safe passage to comprehensive health. Magazines like Men’s Health warn that the industry is already marketing ultra-processed versions, such as ice cream skyrwhich although they provide protein, camouflage glucose syrup, fructose and added sugars in their ingredients. In addition, Healthline remember thatbeing made from cow’s milk, the skyr It is strictly not recommended for people with allergies to casein or whey protein, as it can trigger severe reactions. On the other hand, the debate about fat arises. Although the original version of skyr is applauded for being skimmed, a deep analysis that we did in Xataka We explain the historical demonization of dairy fat. Modern science is rehabilitating natural whole dairy products thanks to the “dairy matrix” (the membrane of the fat globule), which appears to have a cardiovascular protective effect and greater satiating power. This suggests that, although the skyr It is an excellent tool due to its protein density, completely dispensing with dairy fat in our diet based on ancient dogmas could be a mistake. The emergence of skyr in the global diet is not a marketing accident, but the convergence of an ancient tradition with the demands of modern metabolic medicine. Contemporary nutrition has stopped looking for shortcuts in laboratories to fixate on food matrices dense, real and fermented. Although it is not a magical food nor … Read more

With the fashion of American kitchens, a refrigerator that makes noise can be torture when watching TV. How to choose well to avoid it

by

How cool American kitchens are. You have, without walls, doors or partitions in between, the kitchen next to the living room and dining room. I love the concept itself, but there are two things that have always raised doubts in my mind. One is the smell, because imagine starting to do something that doesn’t smell good (like cooking cauliflower or making some fried fish, for example) and going to the couch to watch TV while you do it. And then there is the issue of noise. Of course, here you may think that it is the price to pay for having everything in the same space and you are right. If everything is together, you have to assume that, while you cook, you will have noise next to the TV. But the stove, the extractor or the oven are not the only things that make noise in a kitchen. What’s wrong with the refrigerator? This appliance makes noise and is not like the rest of the things in the kitchen: it is always working. For this reason, if you have an American kitchen, It is essential that you choose carefully which refrigerator you are going to place in it. Yes, it’s about looking at what decibels it emits, but there is something to it. I explain everything you need to know about the subject. Two or three dB more than necessary are enough to ruin your movie night A refrigerator is not as noisy as a washing machine when it starts spinning like crazy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sound. In houses or apartments with traditional kitchens, this is not a problem. I have been living in my apartment for more than 20 years and, since the kitchen is at one end, I barely know the noise my refrigerator makes. Things change if the kitchen is American. I put you in situation. Imagine that you are on the couch watching a movie with a blanket and popcorn. During shootings and explosions you will not hear anything other than the TV, but things change when there is dialogue or even nothing at all. There, if your refrigerator sounds more than necessary, you are going to hear a hum that is anything but pleasant. Okay, but how do I know how loud a refrigerator sounds? If you take a look at the technical data sheet of any refrigerator, you will find the sound it emits measured in decibels (or dB). It is obvious that the higher the dB number, the greater the noise it emits. What is not so obvious is that A difference of just 3 dB will make us perceive twice as much noise.. To put it bluntly: a refrigerator that emits 40 dB or more in a kitchenette can be really annoying when watching TV. The ideal is to search for this type of spaces a refrigerator that emits 39 dB or less. But of course, since two or three dB less is noticeable, the less the refrigerator emits, the better. The noise comes from the compressor, but not all are the same We have talked about the noise, but not its origin. The sound that refrigerators emit comes from their compressor, which is responsible for keeping your food and drinks very cool. And what does that matter to me for my American kitchen? The answer is very simple: depending on the type of compressor or motor, the type of noise is not the same. Refrigerators that are a few years old have a traditional motor or compressor. This, in summary, only has two modes: either it’s off or it’s on. If the refrigerator detects that the temperature inside is too high, it starts the compressor at full speed to cool down. This means that, when this happens (which often happens if you open the door too much, for example), we will hear a loud noise when starting, followed by a humming noise that will last until the compressor stops. That changes with Inverter motors. These are basically always on and they regulate their speed depending on the temperature. If you open the door and it gets a little cold, speed up a little. However, if your refrigerator has been closed for a long time, it will run very slowly, so the noise will be less. This way, the noise made by the refrigerator will be quieter most of the time. And of course, you get rid of the “noise” of the traditional compressor when starting up. If you are looking to save as much as possible, refrigerators with traditional compressors are cheaper. In price, because traditional compressors consume significantly more energy than inverter motors. However, I would only place one of these in a conventional kitchen and away from the living room or bedrooms. For an American kitchen, in 100% of cases, I would always recommend a refrigerator with an inverter motor. Not only because they tend to emit, on average, less noise. It is due to the fact that we are not going to hear them start suddenly, something that does happen (and very often) with those that have a conventional engine and that can be annoying if we have the refrigerator next to the TV. Therefore, with that clear, it is time to take a good look at the dB. The good and the bad of both options, face to face 36 dB or less between 37 and 39 dB THE GOOD 🟢 You won’t hear it even when the protagonists of your movie look at each other without speaking. They are cheaper and, at the same price, you get a refrigerator to store more food or drinks THE BAD 🔴 It is a more expensive option that may cause you to have to cut back on capacity or features You will hear a slight hum while watching TV that can take you out of the movie Ideal for: Do not hear any type of hum or vibration when watching TV Families who … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.