If you’re in the market for some new appliances and don’t know where to start, your first and only call should be to AHC Appliances. Specializing in kosher kitchens, the store has an amazing selection of appliances for just about every brand out there. Whether you’re in the market for a top-of-the-line Sub-Zero refrigerator and Wolf range, or maybe a KitchenAid dishwasher, AHC Appliances has the right products that fit any budget. With terrific promotions from all the major manufacturers that you just won’t find anywhere else, AHC Appliances also offers special financing on qualifying purchases through Synchrony and TD Banks.

Owned and operated by Sandy Tau, AHC Appliances is a certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), and that status has played an integral part of the business. It is a testament to the fact that AHC Appliances is not only a member and proud supporter of the WBE, but as a company, it strives to promote fairness and equity by enabling other WBEs to improve their capacity, connect to opportunities and positively contribute to the local economy. AHC Appliances also works with many charitable organizations to make sure people who cannot afford appliances can get what they need.

The business was originally started by Tau’s father-in-law, whom she calls “an extraordinary man.” A Holocaust survivor, he came to America sponsored by someone who owned an appliance and lumber business. Brilliant with numbers, he became the bookkeeper for the business and quickly learned the language. When the business split up in the ’60s he saw an opportunity and bought the appliance division and built up a successful company whose original headquarters were in New York City. When Tau’s father was niftar, she and her husband followed in his footsteps and opened in the Five Towns in 1998.

The customer service you’ll receive from Tau and her dedicated team of professionals is unbeatable. With decades of knowledge and expertise in the industry, AHC Appliances will not only help you choose the right appliances for your household, but will also patiently explain every feature on it from Sabbath mode to regular maintenance.

To be sure. appliances have come a long way in the last few years, and some features, like WiFi, have become absolutely essential, allowing users to control appliances remotely through user-friendly apps. It is especially important for frum cooks who can utilize the technology to start their ovens remotely from anywhere without having to rely on anyone else starting the ovens.

The sanitize cycle on dishwashers, Tau adds, has become increasingly popular, especially since the pandemic, and appliance manufacturers have vastly improved that feature over the years. She advises shoppers to also consider dishwashers with an “auto-open” feature. “This type of system creates a natural convection with hot air going out and cool air coming in and the circulation of those two temperatures allow for a more efficient drying.”

“Energy- and water-efficient appliances have become a very big deal,” Tau said. “For instance, Bosch has come out with its ‘CrystalDry’ option where crystals are built in to the bottom of the dishwashers so that when the dishwasher enters the drying cycle the crystals mix with the moisture and release a steam within the dishwasher giving the dishes a better dry.” Tau is quick to add, though, that it’s imperative to add a rinse-aid to dishwashers to maximize the cleaning and drying cycle and clean the filters at least once a month if you live in a region with hard water.

Many cooking appliances today also come with an air-fry feature tucked inside the ranges of the ovens for which consumers are going absolutely wild, while GE now comes with self-cleaning oven racks! Dacor has installed a carefully placed camera within their refrigerators that allows you to look inside while you are shopping and see what groceries you need to buy. It’s a new feature Tau simply calls “fabulous.”

“Today, a lot of people are adding beverage centers, especially in a lot of new builds. It’s a wonderful feature to have in a dining room and makes it easier to have everything right inside the room with you.”

“Speed cooking has become hugely popular as well. Instead of getting microwaves, people are opting for speed technology which utilizes halogen, convection and low-wattage microwaves to do cooking.” Tau is also a big fan of warming drawers for their ability to keep food warm while retaining moisture.

Tau is a veritable authority on appliances that feature Shabbos mode and even worked with GE to make those features available on their appliances. In the ’90s, she explained, the appliance industry began changing and started adding the “automatic shut-off” on ranges, which did not exist prior to 1995. But she got together with GE and advised the appliance giant to work with the Star-K Hashgacha Agency and come up with a Sabbath-mode feature. “Fortunately, the manufacturers listened to us and put in the ‘12-hour shut-off.’”

“Although there was a lot of resistance at first, fortunately the individual who was the president of the appliance division had actually been a salesperson for AHC Appliances many years earlier.”

The Sabbath-mode feature proved so successful that the other major appliance companies very quickly followed suit. In fact, GE wrote Tau a letter thanking her for her contribution to the effort, since it gave the company a big sales boost—and edge—to its appliance division. KitchenAid quickly followed suit and today, Taus said, about 80% of major appliance brands have Sabbath-mode features.

The raging debate every Erev Pesach is all about self-cleaning ovens, and posts about ovens breaking right before Yom Tov have become all too common. Tau said that the self-clean cycle can be very harsh on ovens and it’s best not to use it more than once or twice a year. She also recommends keeping the cycle on for only an hour even though it typically defaults to longer. But rest assured, AHC Appliances has got you covered. “Anyone who needs a new oven before yuntif is going to get a new oven. It’s going to happen. I’m not leaving anyone in this situation of not having a working oven before yuntif!”

To buy your next appliance at AHC Appliances visit www.ahcappliances.com or call 516-569-1700.