Store These Foods In The Freezer

You’re ready to dive into the new year and tackle the things you put off in 2019.

First item on your list?

Cutting down on food waste!

There’s nothing worse than buying fresh produce or baking a few batches of cookies and muffins, only to watch them spoil or go stale. All that work, ingredients, time and money. Wasted.

But did you know your freezer can help eliminate food waste? Store these items in the freezer and have them on hand anytime.

Ginger  — Cover tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.

Bacon  — Freeze the raw, individual pieces.

Bananas — Place them in the freezer whole, peels and all.

Chicken broth — Place in an ice cream tray and freeze, or measure out portions and store in freezer-safe containers or bags.

Avocados — Mash them, add a little lemon juice and put in a freezer safe container.

Berries — Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and then place in individual-size plastic bags.

Fresh herbs — Wash, pat dry, and store in resealable plastic bags.

Make 2020 the year you use your freezer to its greatest capabilities. Freezing these items will help you eliminate food waste in your home, and your wallet will thank you too!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let the Thanksgiving countdown begin!

The big day is almost here. You’re prepping food, welcoming relatives and preparing to feast on your favorite mains and side dishes.

While we all love the fabulous food of Thanksgiving, let’s not forget the true meaning of the day.

Thanksgiving is a time to share our gratitude for life’s many blessings — family, friends, food, shelter, and waking up each day.

We should also remember those who may be less fortunate. So this holiday season, we encourage you to volunteer, reach out, donate and show compassion to the people in our communities who need help or a hand up.

As you gather with your family tomorrow, give thanks for every moment.

From our family to yours,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

The Best Dining Room Set For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is tantalizing close. So close in fact, you can practically taste the turkey and fabulous side dishes whenever you think about it.

You also have a lot to do this year, because it’s your turn to host the family for Thanksgiving.

But you’ve got things under control. You decided on the menu in September and have everything written down — from what you need to prep, defrost and cook, and when. It’s all going like clockwork.

Until you realized you don’t have enough space to seat everyone.

What are you going to do?

Fortunately,  we have a ten-piece dining room set that will transform the vibe of any dining room, and has enough space for your guests. Plus, the rustic, dark brown wood finish will suit any style and decor you currently have.

So fret no more. West Coast Appliance and Furniture has you covered, especially on the most important food day of the year.

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

How To Solve Common Freezer Problems

You love your freezer.

But most of the time you don’t know what’s in it, how long you’ve had it or if you need to throw something out.

How do you solve these storage and food waste issues?

With these easy tips!

Fill at least one half of your freezer to avoid frost.

Choose one day a month to check expiration dates, look for freezer burn and sort through everything in your freezer.

Label your food before freezing it. Using masking tape and a pen, write a short note about what type of food it is, the expiration date and any other pertinent information.

Yes, you can freeze liquids and sauces.  Let the food freeze flat in a freezer bag. Then stand up the frozen bags like books on a shelf so they won’t slip or fall.

Freezers are great inventions. They save space and prolong the longevity of our food. They let us whip out a prepared meal at a moment’s notice or store those temptingly delicious cookies for another day.

Now that you know how to correctly utilize your freezer, the possibilities are endless!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

Do Not Refrigerate These 5 Foods

What’s not to love about your refrigerator? It keeps food fresh, it’s where you store leftovers and it’s the center of your kitchen.

While your refrigerator is awesome, it’s important to know which foods you should (and shouldn’t!) store in the fridge.

We have compiled a list of 5 foods which are better left on the counter or kept in your pantry.

1)     Coffee — If you put coffee in the refrigerator it takes on the flavors of other food. Instead, keep coffee in an airtight container away from sunlight.

2)     Honey — The cool environment of the fridge makes honey unpalatable. Keep honey in its original container in a cool, dark spot in the pantry.

3)     Tomatoes — These love to relax on the counter. Cold temperatures negatively impact tomatoes’ flavor and texture.

4)     Onions — Store whole onions at room temperature.

5)     Avocados — The refrigerator will slow down their ripening process. Leave them on your counter and once they’re ripe, whip up some guacamole!

When your food is stored correctly, the flavors will shine and you’ll have less food waste. A win-win situation!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

An Easy Holiday Appetizer

The holiday season is here. Office parties, cookie swaps and holiday dinners — you are busy!

On top of your crazy schedule, you have guests visiting almost every weekend through the end of the year, including for your big Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties.

That’s a lot of time spent on prep work and cooking.

If you want a way to reduce your workload so you have time for more holiday fun, we have the answer.

An easy, delicious recipe.

Whether you’re hosting or bringing a dish to a potluck, you want something simple, quick and tasty.

Potato latkes fit the bill perfectly.

Latkes are salty, crispy and fluffy little bites of heaven. These fried potato pancakes are usually served during Hanukkah, but they are a good appetizer anytime.

When you’re ready to eat, serve the latkes with applesauce or sour cream.

Your family, friends and guests will love biting into the tender center of a potato latke, and hearing that satisfying crunch. You’ll be the star of the party!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

Easy and Healthy Freezer Meals

It’s back-to-school season and your family is moving faster than ever. 

By the end of the day, you’re exhausted. Making dinner is the last thing on your mind. You have no energy for it.

Luckily, you have a quality fridge and freezer. You just need to use them right!

Healthy freezer meals are a necessity during the school year.

You have a freezer with ample storage space. Now it’s time to fill it up with these ready-made meals.

Try these recipes and always have a nutritious dinner ready to go.

●       Beef Ragu — Who doesn’t love a little Italian flare?

●       Korean BBQ beef — So much tastier than takeout!

●       Stuffed Quinoa Peppers — A filling and healthy dinner for the whole family.

Freezer meals are the ultimate solution to a busy schedule. Don’t spend another night searching the cupboards for a dinner idea, feeling too tired to cook or relying on delivery. Fill your freezer with fabulous food, relax and enjoy a healthy meal.

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

Grill Like A Pro

It’s summer grilling season!

Time to dust off your “Kiss the Cook” apron, grab your grilling tools, and buy your favorite brand of

hot dogs and hamburgers. But when you roll out the grill, it looks a little...worn out. And when you start it up? Let’s just say there’s not enough power to grill much of anything.

You need to take action before the best days of the grilling season pass you by. With backyard parties, the 4th of July and family cookouts, you need a grill that’ll make the best food you’ve ever eaten.

At West Coast Appliance and Furniture, we’ll fulfill your grilling desires. Our selection of grills have many options available. Search by everything from grill size, fuel type, the option for a rotisserie and so much more.

Grilling is an integral part of summer. Nothing compares to watching the sunset with a hamburger in one hand, a cool drink in the other, and the lingering aroma of your food wafting from the still-warm grill.

Don’t miss out on this quintessential summer experience. Visit our store today and buy the grill of your dreams!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980. 

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

The Season of Freezers

With back to school freezer meals, bake sale treats, holiday parties and family gatherings, you need more space to store food. Fall and winter are the seasons of freezers. And when you can’t find another inch of available space in your fridge or freezer to store more food and treats, we can solve that problem.

Sometimes you need another freezer, but a good one can cost a small fortune. With school starting, and the holidays on the horizon, you don’t have the money to spend a fortune on an additional freezer. But at West Coast Appliance and Furniture, we have freezers starting from $179. Now you can buy a quality product at an affordable price.

Many of these freestanding freezers have an adjustable temperature control and removable basket so

you can store more food for a longer period of time.

We’re at the precipice of an extremely busy season, especially for cooking and baking. By buying extra freezer space, you will gain a ton of peace of mind this season.

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point. 

How to Grill Like a Pro

Who’s the ultimate grill master in your family?

Now that it’s summer, the alluring aroma of grilled meat hangs heavy in the air. You can smell it almost every night when you arrive home from work. The neighbors to your left are grilling hot dogs, and to your right, they’re cooking hamburgers. Unfortunately, you are grill-less and sandwiched between these delicious, dueling smells.

But worry no longer, because West Coast Appliance and Furniture has all the grills and grill accessories you need to satisfy your outdoor culinary cravings. We have grills that give you the ultimate power and precision control needed for perfect grilling.

Dust off your favorite dry rub recipe because this is your time to shine. The season of smoke, char, flame and grill marks. Slip on your “kiss the cook” apron and grab the tongs: it’s grilling time.

You love the classics—hamburgers and hot dogs—but you’re stepping up your grill game. Filet mignon, salmon and hearty vegetables; you are going to grill them all.

Now your neighbors are green with envy because of all the luscious aromas emanating from your backyard. 

To all the grill masters out there—become the master of your culinary destiny. Gather your friends and family for a season of summer favorites. Don’t let another summer evening or weekend pass by without partaking in the flavors and fun of grilling.

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.  

Be Smart About Your Freezer

Save an average of $750 a year by buying in bulk.

Freezer meals. They’re more than a food trend; they’re a practical way to buy a lot, cook a lot and waste nothing. Freezer meals are a busy family’s best friend. You buy and prepare everything ahead of time, then defrost and cook when you want to eat.

When you have a top of the line freezer, such as the #Frigidaire Gallery 2-in-1 freezer/refrigerator, every make-ahead meal is a success. This duo has extra thick walls so food stays frozen longer.

What can you freeze? Practically everything! A few items don’t take well to freezing: lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, raw potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Also be wary of egg-based sauces such as mayonnaise. They can separate and curdle when thawed.

We know your next question. How should you freeze food? If you have strong freezer-safe bags, Tupperware, mason jars, aluminum foil or your own baking dishes (with lids), then you can pop it in the freezer without a second thought.

We said buying in bulk could save you over $700 a year. You know which foods to freeze and how to store them. But what should you make?

We have a delicious freezer dinner recipe: chicken enchiladas!

Remember, your freezer is your friend. Buy in bulk, freeze food and enjoy all your favorites throughout the year.

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.

Holiday Party Must-Haves

You survived Thanksgiving. The relatives are gone, the leftovers eaten and the kitchen clean.

For now.

Thanksgiving is only the beginning of the entertaining season. There’s still Christmas, New Year’s Eve, office parties and neighborhood gatherings. If your cooktop barely survived turkey day, upgrade your kitchen before the next party.

A watched pot never boils. Not with these cooktops! The #Electrolux induction cooktop boils water in a mere 90 seconds. You’re in complete control with an induction cooktop; it’s more responsive than gas or electric. Choose a delicate simmer, quick boil or any temperature in between. Food cooks evenly and thoroughly.

Hard-to-clean surfaces are a thing of the past too. Have you ever melted chocolate and it somehow drips, forming a chocolaty crust on your cooktop? Then you know the pain of trying to scrape it off. Induction cooktops generate heat in the cookware while the cooktop stays cool, so it’s easier to clean. You’ll never slave over a dirty cooktop again.

Don’t forget about the oven, either. If you’re a baker, you want an oven with convection heating. Air

is circulated evenly and cooks your food better than a standard oven, which may be prone to hot or cold spots.

Entertaining is integral to the holidays. You need appliances you can trust. Don’t risk caked-on food or uneven cooking. The induction cooktops by #Electrolux work behind the scenes to ensure all your meals are scrumptious.

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.  

Black Friday deals galore!

The big day is almost here. The day when your food is the star, and your kitchen appliances the backup singers. We wait 11 months for Thanksgiving and prepare for the big event with research, recipe planning and smart shopping.

Even if your appliances aren’t up to par this year, never fear! There’s never a bad time to shop for new appliances. And if shopping for a new kitchen is wrong, we don’t want to be right.

So let’s get down to it. Once Thanksgiving passes, it’s time to shift gears to Black Friday shopping and deal-seeking mode. And do we ever have deals for you!

Our GE ranges come in all shapes, sizes and prices. The ranges by GE produce evenly dispersed heat so your food cooks thoroughly. If you’re a baker, then you’ll love the full-width storage drawer which has room for baking racks and cookie sheets.

You have another option with the Jenn-Air dual fuel range. This range offers a whopping 17,000 BTU burner, brass burners and optional duct-free filter kit that allows for installation nearly anywhere. The range boasts downdraft ventilation which was developed and refined by Jenn-Air. It uses proximity ventilation to capture smoke, steam and odors at the cooking surface. Those are whisked down, out and away, leaving a cleaner and fresher kitchen.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

When life gives you Black Friday deals, you go shopping! Search our website, visit our store and chat with our friendly staff.

We are thankful to serve and help you make all your home wishes come true.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point. 

Congratulations, Ashland Culinary Festival winners!

The annual Ashland Culinary Festival celebrates Southern Oregon’s bustling food scene. Every attendee delights in food, wine and competition.

There were several competitions at the 2016 festival and a winner emerged from each.

The Top Mixologist competition was one of two new additions to the festival. Four local bartenders from Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, Brickroom, Larks Restaurant and Smithfields Restaurant & Bar fought for the title of Top Mixologist. After a rigorous -- and delicious! -- contest, Blake Henry of Brickroom won the Top Mixologist award.

The Junior Chef competition was the other new event. Teams from Ashland High School and South Medford High School’s culinary programs went head-to-head; a head chef and sous chef on each team. Albacore tuna was the secret ingredient and the teams were required to create a starter and an entree. Rose Eschtruth-Harrison and Gabriele Livni from Ashland High School were the winners of this inaugural event. Congrats, girls!

The Top Chef competition played out in four rounds over two days. 12 chefs competed, each round containing a secret ingredient the chefs showcased in their dishes. After four vigorous matches, Josh Dorcak of Scarpetta Prima took home the honor of Top Chef 2016.

The Ashland Culinary Festival is a staple of Southern Oregon and an event which highlights our amazing restaurants and chefs. We’re honored to sponsor it. We offer a hearty congratulations to the winners and all those who competed. See you next year!

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point. 

Home on the Range

The biggest food day of the year is a mere 15 days away. Of course we’re talking about Thanksgiving!

Relatives will arrive, and stay, at the house (luckily you just redecorated the guest room!). You finished the Thanksgiving grocery list a couple weeks ago and you’re going to start shopping for ingredients soon. The house is clean and the appliances are ready to cook.

Or are they?

You’re going to be using it all -- oven, microwave, crock pot and stand mixer. But your range is the star of the show. You need the best range available. Fortunately there's still time before Thanksgiving to swap out the old for the new.

The GE Profile Range is everything you need. These ranges come in every shape and type; freestanding dual-fuel, electric, gas, induction and more. Each type of range in the series offers unique attributes. Extras include everything from baking drawers to room for pots and pans of all sizes.

Your new #GE Profile range will be the shining star of not only your Thanksgiving dinner, but each holiday meal after that. Your food will be a masterpiece. You are the hero of the holidays, with help from your trusty GE Profile range sidekick. 

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point. 

Tantalize Your Taste Buds at the Ashland Culinary Festival

If you have exquisite taste in one area of your life (such as furniture), that extends into other areas too. You’re a trendsetter; you can spot the best painting in a gallery and are a connoisseur of elegant food and fine wine.

We understand a taste for the finer things transcends into all parts of your life. We enjoy eating an exquisite and expertly crafted meal and know you do too. That’s why we’re truly honored to be a lead sponsor for the Ashland Culinary Festival, Nov. 3-6.

Food, drink, local talent, competition and fun blend together to form the ultimate culinary adventure. Whether you sip and sample or watch the Top Chef competition from start to finish, you’re guaranteed to have an unforgettable experience.

Each of the chefs has been brushing up on their skills for the big Top Chef event. A few of them have made appearances on our very own West Coast Flavors! Check out their videos here. Prepare to be wowed and inspired.

If you’re craving more food knowledge (and food!), buy your tickets today for the Ashland Culinary Festival. Watch the masters compete, take part in a workshop and sample food from the best vendors in Southern Oregon. Your taste buds will thank you!  

Answers, price, selection. West Coast Appliance and Furniture locally owned since 1980.

Located at 6439 Crater Lake Highway, Central Point.