. I had my tree guy over the other day to ask him to prune some rather large limbs of my enormous silver maple because they are growing right into an equally large hemlock about 25 feet away. So much so that you can see how the crown of the hemlock has begun growing tilted to get away from the encroaching maple branches, which are stealing the light.
Since they are both native trees, I want to keep them both. It will cost me $900 to have the pruning done, and believe me, there are many outfits that would charge double that. Treework is not cheap. But it's also dangerous work.
There goes the tax refund.
So, I got my air quality monitor a few weeks back. It measures about 6 or 7 different things. Everything has remained in the green/healthy/normal range except for one thing: my VOC count...whenever I cook something on the stovetop, it shoots up to a sometimes unhealthy range, even when I'm running the exhaust fan. You usually think of VOCs when it comes to furniture outgassing or painting something, but you can also create them when heating food, even just boiling water to steam veggies, releasing gases like aldehydes, benzene, and fatty acid.
Which is a little alarming; truth be told I rarely used my exhaust fan in the past, but while i have started to since getting the AQ monitor, it doesn't seem to reduce the VOCs at all. Truth be told, I have NEVER attempted to replace the grease filter on the range hood; I didn't know you were supposed to! And anyway, the grease filter does not trap VOCs; to do that, you need a charcoal filter, so I've just ordered some "cut-to-size" choarcoal filters since I can't seem to find any that fit my particular Broan hood. They fit behind the grease filter and should be pretty easy to install. I will be VERY curious to see how and if using these filters lowers the VOCs based on my air quality monitor readings.
I'll make note how the exact level of VOCs generated by simering water for 10 minutes before, and then after inserting the charcoal filter.
If they do work, I will add range hood filters to my current list of filters in this house that need regular replacement. This includes my furnace, the furnace humidifier, my bedroom air purifier and the heat pump hot water heater (this one is just a rinse and then reusable). It's a lot to keep track of!
One filter in the hood could last me a year, as I really don't do that much cooking these days, and I try to do as much as possible in the microwave, which I've noticed doesn't spoke the VOC readings on the AQ monitor. I rarely use the big oven anymore, maybe a few times a year. I do cook things on the stovetop, mainly to steam veggies or fry an egg but always try to avoid cooking anything at high temperatures, especially oils and meat.
February 15th, 2026 at 11:25 pm 1771197900
It's good to know that the microwave doesn't spike the VOC.
One of my best household purchases the past several years has been a set of Anyday microwave cookware. It's mostly replaced my Instant Pot for "wet" cooking. I use my air fryer for "dry" cooking, like baking, broiling, and roasting, and the IP or the Anyday for everything else. The only time I use the Instant Pot now is when I am making a large batch of soup, or I suppose, if I were going to cook a turkey breast (which happens maybe once every couple of years).
I gave a set of this cookware to my terminally ill friend Jim about a year ago. He is still here, but has been going downhill faster the past six months, and this week will be moving from an apartment (where he has had 4 hours a day of a care attendant) to an assisted living facility, where there will be help available 24/7. This is a VA facility and he is not allowed to bring much in the way of personal possessions, so he's been downsizing. He unfortunately had to give up his kitty (although he found her a good home and she seems to be adjusting well) and his cooking gear. He said of all the stuff he gave away, the Any day was the most wanted item after his La Creuset cookware.
February 16th, 2026 at 12:07 am 1771200456
I will have to look into the anyday cookware, but if it’s some kind of plastic, I know I won’t use it
Yeah, getting Tree Work done Doesn’t exactly do much to help this place appreciate in value or make my life better in someway like maybe a couch would, but I try to just think of it as one of many costs that come with the territory. I value my privacy, including outside in my yard, so that’s one of the benefits I get for owning a single-family home.
February 16th, 2026 at 01:38 am 1771205916
February 16th, 2026 at 01:52 am 1771206739
I know a lot of food storage companies say that silicone is not plastic, but if you google it online, they say it is.
I tried steaming my frozen broccoli in the microwave tonight and the only thing I was really lacking was a cover for it so it took kind of long maybe about seven minutes. Although I could’ve put a plate or something over it I guess.
One company I really like is Weck because their lids are actually glass with only the rubber gasket. I don’t have any of their stuff… Yet.
February 16th, 2026 at 02:09 am 1771207762
February 16th, 2026 at 07:37 am 1771227433
As for Anyday stuff, someone on here actually recommended those to me too. I’ve tried it, and I do have to say it works as advertised. Of course, it also has a rubber gasket, so maybe you will not prefer it.
February 16th, 2026 at 01:51 pm 1771249910
It's handy to be able to come home and take a frozen fish filet and some veg and have dinner on the table a few minutes later.
I looked up Weck and those appear to be jars, which are probably not the best shape to be cooking in, as they are higher than wide. The AnyDay have some nice cooking area to them, since they are wider than they are tall.
February 16th, 2026 at 02:29 pm 1771252149
February 16th, 2026 at 03:37 pm 1771256268
February 16th, 2026 at 03:44 pm 1771256647
February 16th, 2026 at 04:59 pm 1771261147
I do like that they work well for storage as well as for cooking.
I'm about to start working on cleaning and reorganizing and decluttering my kitchen, so I'll what I end up getting rid of. I have more storage and cooking things than I use for sure.