12 Useful Appliance Features You Didn't Realize Existed

Even though you interact with your household appliances every day, there's a good chance that you're not yet aware of everything they can do. Most modern appliances come with a long list of additional features and functions, some of which can be harder to find than others. Some might take the form of an unfamiliar button you never touch, while others might require pressing a particular sequence of buttons or even opening a hidden drawer or pocket.

Even seemingly simple appliances can have lesser-known features, and they don't have to be made by a high-end manufacturer either. That said, an expensive appliance from a reliable, trusted appliance brand is particularly likely to come equipped with additional features, and if you're not making the most of them, you're arguably missing out.

Next time you interact with an appliance in your home, take a quick look to see whether it has one of these lesser-known useful features. You might be surprised to discover just how many additional functions your existing appliances have.

Air conditioners from every major brand perform the same primary function: keeping you cool on hot days. Some also have the additional ability to remove humidity from the air even on days when their cooling capabilities aren't needed. As with most of the hidden features here, the exact name for this function can vary between air conditioner brands, but it's generally referred to as "dry mode."

Dry mode can be used to make a room feel less humid when the temperature isn't especially high. It works similarly to an AC's standard cooling function, using the appliance's cooling coil to remove moisture from the surrounding air. It works best for temporary spikes in humidity, but it's not ideal to use if your home regularly becomes overly humid.

To address long-term moisture buildup, it's worth investing in a dehumidifier. There's a simple test involving aluminum foil that can help determine whether you need a dehumidifier, but if you don't, be sure not to overlook your AC's ability to alleviate that muggy feeling on humid days.

If you've spotted a Sabbath mode button on your refrigerator or any other kitchen appliance, you might have wondered what it does. The answer is that Sabbath mode is designed to help observant Jews adhere to restrictions on the use of electronics on the Sabbath (Shabbat) and on religious holidays. On these days, religious law prohibits work, including the use of fire. This law considers electronic lighting a form of fire, since it produces both light and heat, and therefore prohibits its use.

When a refrigerator or other kitchen appliance has Sabbath mode activated, specific features are usually switched off or altered. Lighting inside the appliance will no longer turn on or off; ice makers are usually turned off, and auto switch-off features in some appliances, like ovens, might also be disabled. The exact list of altered features will vary depending on the types of appliances, with appliance makers collaborating with religious leaders to ensure that each type complies with the law.

The name for this particular feature usually differs between refrigerator manufacturers, but all versions of maximum freeze mode do pretty much the same thing. On a Samsung refrigerator, the feature is called Power Freeze mode, and pressing it maximizes the cooling power of the freezer compartment. As well as dialing the temperature down to a minimum, the mode usually also turns up the fan to maximize airflow, circulating cool air faster.

GE calls this same feature TurboFreeze, while some Frigidaire freezers use the name Freeze Boost. It's best to check your appliance's owner's manual if you're not sure of the name of the feature you're looking for, since some refrigerators have multiple features with similar-sounding names.

For example, some refrigerators with ice makers also have a separate function to temporarily boost ice production. LG calls this function Ice Plus mode, while Frigidaire calls it Quick Freeze. To reiterate, these are often two separate functions, so make sure you know the difference between the two for your particular brand of refrigerator.

Some air fryers feature a meat probe that cooks meat to the perfect temperature, although plenty of owners might never have spotted it (hat tip to the folks at Tom's Guide for pointing it out). This meat probe can be found in certain Ninja air fryers, and it's hidden in a less-than-obvious compartment on the side of the device. It's wireless, and so can be readily inserted into meat before cooking, then placed straight into the fryer's main compartment.

While the meat cooks, the probe sends continuous temperature readings to the air fryer, allowing the appliance to tailor the cooking time to each individual piece of meat. When the probe detects that the meat has reached the optimal internal temperature, the air fryer will turn off to prevent overcooking. It isn't just Ninja that offers this useful, little-known feature in its air fryers; brands like Typhur offer the same functionality in models like the AF14.

Trying to use a microwave while other members of the household are asleep can be stressful. If the sound of the microwave operating doesn't wake them up, there's a good chance the beeping that signals the cooking time is complete will stir them. That is, unless you've muted the microwave beforehand.

Not every microwave can be muted, but if you have a recently manufactured model from a major brand, there's a good chance you'll be able to turn off most or all of its sounds. KitchenAid says that some of its microwaves have a dedicated mute button, which may be labeled "sound" or feature a speaker icon, while others require you to scroll through a menu or use a specific button combination. Maytag offers similar advice, noting that some of its models have a mute shortcut on the control panel. 

Again, Whirlpool's advice is the same, although the brand says some of its models also support a reduced-volume feature and the ability to mute sounds entirely. You'll need to check your microwave's owner's manual to confirm exactly which sound-reduction features it offers and how to find them.

Washers can be expensive to fix, but before calling someone out, it's worth gathering more information about the problem at hand. You might be able to do that by accessing your washer's service menu, which can offer features like a diagnostic mode or a hard restart function that can wipe error codes.

The exact method for bringing up the service menu can vary considerably between washer makers and models, so be sure to check your owner's manual for the specifics. Usually, it involves pressing a specific combination of buttons or holding certain buttons down for a few seconds. 

Even if you prefer not to venture into any hidden menus, it's always worth noting down any error code that appears on your washer. Many brands have online support libraries that provide additional information about specific codes and help you determine whether you can fix the problem yourself or need to call in a professional to get things running again.

Despite what its name suggests, you don't necessarily need to use Vacation mode every time you go on vacation. In fact, most refrigerator manufacturers suggest that the mode is only worth using when your trip is set to last several weeks. This mode reduces cooling in the refrigerator compartment while keeping the freezer at its usual temperature, which helps reduce energy consumption but means you shouldn't store food in the refrigerator compartment while you're gone.

Many refrigerators won't have Vacation mode at all, since many modern appliances can detect the compartment's temperature and the number of times the door is opened, and adjust their power consumption accordingly. 

GE says that none of its current refrigerator models offer the mode, although some of its older models previously did. However, some modern Samsung refrigerators do feature this mode, although they're usually side-by-side or French-door models. As with all the other features here, the tip is the same: check your owner's manual to see whether your refrigerator has the feature and, if so, how to turn it on.

Simply putting a bottle into a standard dishwasher rack and hoping for the best is a risky bet. Sometimes, you might end up with a clean bottle after the cycle finishes, but more often than not, the inside won't have been properly washed. Some dishwasher manufacturers have devised a clever solution to this problem, but many owners may not even be aware of it.

Certain dishwashers from leading brands like GE have bottle jets that ensure the inside of bottles, mugs, and wine flutes gets properly cleaned during a cycle. If you leave a bottle upside down on one of these jets, it will remain securely in place during the cycle, and the jet will distribute water and detergent directly inside the bottle. It isn't just GE either: plenty of dishwasher models from brands like Samsung, Midea, Frigidaire, and LG also have the same feature.

You might reasonably assume that you would need an air fryer in order to air fry things, but that's not actually the case. Some modern ovens have a built-in Air Fry mode that offers all the same functionality but without the need for a separate, bulky countertop appliance. Air Fry mode in an oven works the same way as a standalone air fryer, circulating air at speed through the oven's interior. Granted, using a conventional oven to air fry food will likely use more electricity than a dedicated air fryer, but if you only plan to use the feature occasionally, it's still arguably more cost-effective than buying a separate appliance.

If you decide to try Air Fry mode for the first time, keep a few things in mind. Firstly, be aware that an oven's Air Fry mode might take longer to cook food than a standalone air fryer, and you may need to raise the temperature slightly. Secondly, there's usually no need to preheat the oven when using this mode. It might take a bit of trial and error, but with some extra care, you can join in with the air-fried food trend without needing an actual air fryer.

Working with melted chocolate is a skill that's notoriously difficult to master, in part because it's hard to keep its temperature consistent. To help make the task a little simpler, some cooktops feature a Melt function that uses lower heat than normal. It's designed to warm chocolate and other meltable goodies just enough, then keep them at that ideal temperature for as long as needed.

Some KitchenAid cooktops include this function, which is simply called "Melt." Thermador also offers a similar feature for some of its cooktops, although it calls it ExtraLow Levels. There are five different low levels on these cooktops, with each being ideally suited to a particular culinary task. Similar features are available on other cooktops from brands such as GE and Whirlpool. Certain models might require you to navigate through a list of modes or functions to access Melt mode, so it's worth checking whether your cooktop has this functionality hidden away without you realizing it.

Air conditioners need to measure ambient temperature to adjust their cooling cycle, but where they measure it can vary. Some systems feature a Follow Me function that, when enabled, usually takes temperature readings from the system's remote control rather than from the unit itself. If you regularly find that your preferred spot in the house gets warmer even when the A/C is set to a low temperature, using this function can help.

Simply turn on the Follow Me function, bring the remote into the room you're sitting in, and the air con will automatically adjust its cooling until that room reaches the target temperature. There are a few caveats, though: the function usually switches off after a set period of time if the remote loses its connection to the main unit, and it might take a couple of minutes for the remote to send a signal back to the unit if you move it to a new room.

There are only a limited number of reasons to turn off the turntable in your microwave. The main one is that you need to microwave food in a large or awkwardly shaped container that is too big to rotate but still just about fits inside the appliance.

Brands like Whirlpool and GE offer the ability to temporarily shut off the turntable's rotation in certain models, and Whirlpool has even made a helpful video (linked here) showing you exactly how to do it. Some of the brand's models have a dedicated turntable on/off button on the control panel, but you can also scroll through the functions menu to bring up the turntable off option.

Owners of all other microwave brands will need to consult their owner's manual to find out exactly how to turn off the turntable. After you've microwaved the oversized container, you'll want to check that you've turned the turntable back on again for other foods, since some models won't automatically reset to their normal settings after use.