Shocking Differences Between European & American Homes! - European Reacts

[@willcool713]

This house has very typical low-end apartment appliances and fittings. All that tech is older analog electrical stuff, but it's proven, quantifiable, easy to maintain, and relatively robust and durable. You can commonly find those sorts of furnishings in older and budget rental properties, as well as hostels, residential hotels, shelters, many AirB&Bs, and I'm not surprised to see it in military housing. And though they are older, many, many people have these sorts of appliances and fittings in their homes, because they are built so robustly and have not needed replacing.

[@kathleenlange1823]

We’ve lived in our house for 46 years and that type of stove is what we had when we first moved into this house, in 1978. Good cooks want gas. I’m no gourmet cook and I like the ceramic tops that clean SOOOOOOO easily.

[@mikeb.7068]

My wife and I have a 27 year old GE side by side refrigerator. No electronic controls and I've only had to replace a couple of parts over the years. The new stuff is expensive and unreliable. I have the money to buy whatever I want but I prefer the old stuff. Same with cars.

[@lennybuttz2162]

If you missed it she said they lived in Base Housing. If you have ever been in base housing it's low income, the houses are built fast and cheap.

[@karenholmes6565]

@@kathleenlange1823 I want induction, not gas. I am a good cook.

[@kermitec]

@@karenholmes6565 its all preference.. I'm also a good cook and I spend most of my time cooking on a grill and or smoker.

[@Tabfort]

That stove is pretty much an absolute basic model. There’s definitely many, many more gas and electric options…Also you can definitely replace that shower head with a handheld cheaply, and easily.

[@lkajiess]

Yeah, that stove and fridge are almost standard issue in everyone's first apartment lol.

[@51953bdog]

​@@lkajiess yup it is what my wife and I have right now in our appartment 😂

[@TheCoolwhipped]

I actually kind of prefer that style stove from a functionality standpoint. I cook with cast iron a lot and using a cast iron on a glass top is far less than idea. Cleanup is a pain.

[@jameshobbs1460]

At least its got GE Calrods for elements and the double three bend oven.

[@aggravatedHart]

I’ve changed my shower head in every house I’ve ever lived in.

[@jfife4211]

My dad was in the military for 28 years. Military houses do not have top of the line appliances but more " builder grade".

[@pliny8308]

Our ovens usually do not have an exposed heating unit. The stove top is also very old fashioned. This kitchen is old style and old technology.

[@arthurmoore9488]

@@pliny8308 That's just another way of saying "military housing."

[@TheUselessbuthappy]

Currently live in the exact layout she lives in. Yup it's all cheap models. We have had to get them to replace our fridge 3 times in the last year because they keep replacing them with other used fridges that also break. The door literally fell off our current fridge but my husband fixed it himself just to not deal with the whole process of getting it replaced again. (Not our first house or post, but the first place we've ever had a fridge break) Also I love the backsplash she added. (That does not come with the house)

[@RobertLutece909]

It's the same stuff you get when you're renting in most places.

[@kristend344]

Many of the features she's showing are entry level builder features. They're what builders will install because it's cheap. Builders skip on installing towel racks - again, because it's cheaper. We've always had towel racks in the bathrooms. Including one next to the sink for hand towels. There are different door configurations for standard fridges. The one she shows is pretty standard, and what i grew up with, and had in my first house. my biggest fridge was a side by side that was 29cu ft. (the thing was a monster, and stuck way out.) I could put a full gallon jug of milk (or two) in the door. Now I have what is called "french door" fridge. the top is the refrigerator with two doors that open in the middle to a full width refrigerator compartment, and the bottom freezer section is a drawer. It's counter depth (so barely sticks out past the cabinets) and is typical 22cu ft. in size. I can still put a full gallon jug of milk in the door. Higher end fridges are made to be the exact same depth as the cabinets, and will accept panels to be finished like the cabinetry so it will completely blend in. regarding the oven - that is also pretty standard. They come in gas or electric. The heating element is on the bottom of the oven (now they are "built in" so you don't see them. those will cost more to repair as you can't access a burned out heating element.) range - cooktop/oven in one. they come in electric with the coils or glass top, or electric -induction with a glass top, or gas with grates. there are also ranges with two ovens (shorter, but full width.) standard have four burners, - but you can now get up to six burners on a standard 30" width range. ranges come - all gas, all electric, or dual fuel - gas cooktop and electric oven. (It's what i've had for 20+ years. Love it. my son is buying his first house and already wants to replace the standard grade range. and he doesn't cook. much.) and that doesn't even get into the high end ranges that can be 60" wide . . . fixed shower head is another "standard builder" because *it's cheaper* . I've had removeable shower heads on hoses for years. There are places in the US, that the *overnight lows* would be considered daytime heatwave temps in Western Europe. e.g. 85F/30C. A/C saves lives in those areas. A few years ago, I was in Austria during a "heatwave". To me they were typical daytime summer temperatures, and didn't know what people were complaining about. I live in an area considered temperate/mild.

[@suecorrea]

We have both fixed and a hand held shower head. The plastic walls are 'replacement' bathroom items. In the military housing they do skimp a bit, but they are living for free in them.

[@kilroy2517]

Large frig - many Americans live in sprawling suburbs where it's not convenient to make frequent trips to get groceries, so a large frig is needed to accommodate the less frequent but much larger shopping trips. Large oven - the Thanksgiving holiday. You need an oven large enough to cook a 20 pound turkey.

[@emilyb5307]

3:34 Quick note - fridges are very often large in America because many many families buy in bulk, or have a large family, and also due to distance to the store. If you have 3-4 kids, 2 adults, and its an effort to get to the store? You may shop for two weeks up to a month at a time, rather than show back up to the store every few days. Hence...larger boxes/products, and generally larger fridges and freezer space.

[@mortimerbrewster3671]

We also have more space. The older buildings of Europe are smaller (many without closets) and as more conveniences are invented, they have to make them a size that will accommodate the rooms.

[@emilyb5307]

@@mortimerbrewster3671 That's a good point!

[@jannibal9273]

Babyboomer here. My parents had 6 of us kids spaced over 11 years. We lived in a 3 bedroom/1 bath rented upper flat in a duplex and shared one bathroom and a large kitchen sink. Yes, back in the 1960s we washed our hair and often scrubbed up in the kitchen sink when the bathroom was being used! We had not only a huge refrigerator but also a separate large freezer in which meat and other goods would be stored when Dad (who did the grocery shopping for the family) would come across bargains and stock up. The normal size freezer on our large refrigerator wasn't large enough to hold much food for a family of eight. That was not uncommon for babyboomer families back in the 1950s and 1960s. Oh yeah, "Happy Days," folks!

[@spirosmith1389]

that's true, also we don't have much time off work to go grocery shopping more than once per week in most households. buying bulk saves a little money

[@janfitzgerald3615]

She said they’re living in military housing so the appliances are very basic, no ceramic or gas cook tops, the oven isn’t a convection style and the broiler element is in the top and is why it doesn’t turn on the same time as the oven. Never set anything on top of your stove no matter the type, my son’s best friend house is a total loss due to a fire that started because something was sitting on the stove top and his wife didn’t realize that the burner was on. US houses are usually well insulated, the climate in the south part of the US is considerably hotter and more humid than Germany.

[@davestvwatching2408]

I have an old style coil top stove like that. Best part is that they are inexpensive, easily repairable by the homeowner and aren't damaged by cast iron pans.

[@toodlescae]

A lot easier to clean too. You don't have to worry about scratching a glass top.

[@etainapgwynnedd827]

@@toodlescae Yes, my glass-top stove that came with my condo is my absolute bane; I wince every time I look at it, cause there is no way to keep from scratching it, and over time, well, not so pretty anymore, lol. But as long as it works, I'm not spending to replace it, lol.

[@curlywhites]

@@etainapgwynnedd827 How do you clean it that you're scratching it? Maybe it's because I'm visual impaired, but I take a razor blade and "shave" the top. I don't noticed any scratches. If I need a deeper cleaning, I use a non-scratch scouring pad and a particular cleaner I don't remember the name of...

[@etainapgwynnedd827]

@@curlywhites Ah, the scratches and other things are not happening when cleaning. I use a mix of dish soap and water, and one of those microfiber-type rags. The scratches come from the fact that it's a flat surface, and all too convenient for me to dump stuff on when I get in from work, lol. Also, I never was sure how some discoloration happened even to this day. As long as it's working, I'm not complaining, lol.

[@dawnelder9046]

I have an induction stove top now. First non coil stove. I use cast iron and the kids are long gone. A non coil stove would not have survived them. We got it because of the cats. Little brats, but we love them. They jump on everything the moment you leave the kitchen. My friend has one she bought because of her mother. Dementia. Cost an extra 1000 back then. Ours cost 100 extra. They do save on power, so will return the 100 easy.

[@Trifler500]

3:10 - This is the smaller size milk in the US. You can also buy it in a gallon jug. :)

[@emmef7970]

And, in some households the gallon only lasts a couple days. That’s why we love big refrigerators, we don’t need to shop as often.

[@squiggyflop]

Our house goes through at least a gallon a day. Those relentless milk ads we all saw at school really changed our habits as Americans.

[@kaiajackson8538]

​@@emmef7970 very true sometimes my big family would go through milk as if we owned a cow😂

[@SuzA8110]

Plus you can buy chocolate flavored soy milk in a gallon size. Yummy!

[@christopherconard2831]

It wasn't until I moved out that my mother remembered milk spoils. She was used to buying around three gallons a week. After I left she poured old milk in her coffee and realized she still had two gallons unopened. Switched to buying the little quart bottles after that.

[@corinnem.239]

Military base housing is usually very basic.

[@humpy936]

The top heat element on the oven is a broiler, it only comes on if you choose the broiler option, and the bottom oven heating element does not come on, which is fantastic for grilling meat, and or vegetables indoors.😊 Simple to unscrew the showerhead and screw on a handheld option, there are many varieties and they are pretty cheap .

[@WhatDayIsItTrumpDay]

Andre, that milk carton was as she said was a ½ gallon. Families that go thru a lot of milk or other drinks quite quickly will buy full gallon jugs. And yes, there's plenty of room in the Fridges for those as well. Not generally in the door shelves, but on the main internal shelves for sure. Although I believe at least one door shelf is big enough to hold a full gallon jug. I'm pretty sure the middle door shelf in my French door Fridge is large enough for a gallon jug. But the bottom line is that the reason our packaging sizes at the stores are so large compared to European package sizes is because we have the storage space at home to put it all in. That includes closets, pantries, cooking utensils (pots, pans, etc), and of course the Fridges themselves.

[@tomwalker8944]

I live alone and go through 2 gallons a week myself.

[@robertfisher3241]

The heating elements on the stove can eventually burn out. You just lift out the old one and put in a new one. Removing the element also makes it easy to clean under it

[@Trifler500]

0:21 - The side-by-side refrigerators are the same width as this one. Just divide the door in half vertically and you have two. This is a less expensive model than a side-by-side or other multi-door variants.

[@TheEvulsockmonkey]

For those who don’t live in the US, one of the reasons why our refrigerators are so big is because depending on where you live you’ll have to drive up to 3 hours/150miles/300km to get groceries. So it behooves us to buy a lot at once. Also we refrigerate most of our vegetables here unlike a lot of Europe.

[@TacticalJackalope]

The appliances in this home are cheap cheap cheap. Usually what you would see in a rental. There are far better options available.

[@dawnelder9046]

Or most lower middle class homes.

[@humpy936]

Cheap does not necessarily mean flimsy, it is affordable, robust, and usually lasts a long time, very good options for us normal lower and middle class people, why would you pay more for fancy appliances unless you have a lot of disposable income and a shitty snobbish attitude.

[@T3nch1]

She did mention she lives on a military base and military housing tends to run the bare minimum as a cost saving method. So while there are better, more energy efficient ovens/stoves, their initial cost is much higher than something build 40+ years ago. The fixed shower head is standard plumbing but you can unscrew it and replace it with something else. Easy enough to replace it with a hand held. Also she mentions how the shower itself is "plastic" but that's almost certainly not correct. It can def look like it's plastic but most are made of fiberglass with an enamel sealant.

[@beckypetersen2680]

We can definitely get these here in Poland. I also think she's behind the times on people with a/c in Europe in general.

[@gmunden1]

She has an electric oven. There are a variety of styles of ovens and stovetops. Don't take her example for the standard. There are more advanced and higher technology from what you see in this video. She mentioned that she is living on a military base. She probably cannot change appliances since military bases are temporary housing.

[@carissadallke1345]

Yeah I'm so glad to hear her say this doesn't reflect all of American homes just what she has

[@gayleroberts-stewart3016]

I stash my discard citrus peels in the freezer, and throw a frozen peel into the garbage disposal occasionally. Freezing makes the peel act a bit scrubbier, and cleans away grease a bit better. 🌻

[@machone539]

A lot of Americans (especially those that live in small cities and in the country) throw clean (eg. NON greasy) scrapes in a compost.

[@ZAWAACESSPACECASE]

There are movable shower heads in every state. Every type of house people buy has different everything! Also just buy a new shower head from the closest Home Depot! Even if it’s far away! If you have a car just drive!

[@jannibal9273]

You can get everything online these days too, and just have it shipped to you. I'm not a "hand-held shower sprayer" fan. I like standing underneath a standard U.S. shower head and have the water pour over me without having to use my own arm and hand to do it!

[@christopherconard2831]

I've replaced the standard shower head with a handheld one in every place I've lived. They aren't expensive and only takes a couple minutes. I do it for two reasons. 1) I'm tall and don't like having to duck down to get wet. I swear every appliance is designed by midgets. 2) So much easier to wash a dog with a handheld shower. Have you ever had to pick up an angry, wet 60 pound Husky and hold it under the stream?

[@giornikitop5373]

@@jannibal9273 hell yeah. save those precious calories.

[@PPKGaming-um5il]

That right rear exhaust is also great for keeping sauces and gravies warm while using the oven and the other three burners.

[@susanhuber1932]

I am from Wisconsin and many people from Germany settled in our state. My grandparents spoke German and later learned English in school. Common foods popular in Wisconsin are cheese, milk, bratwurst, beef and pork dishes. We also manufacture beer. Some towns celebrate German Fest, October Fest and Christmas Markets. Just for your information.

[@Trifler500]

8:21 - If you hire someone to put in tile, they literally charge many thousands of dollars to do it. A plastic surround is like $300. Plus, having to clean tile grout is a pain. There's a huge variation in quality of tub and shower surrounds, as well. You can get super nice ones. If you get a surround with the rounded corners, like she has, then fungus doesn't grow in the corner, like tile. Avoid 3-piece surrounds, because then you do have that 90 degree corner again.

[@christopherconard2831]

Military housing probably rips out the shower and replaces it was a new one whenever someone moves. It sounds wasteful, but is cheaper than trying to maintain tile.

[@KristinaL1698]

So true. I was given a quote of $10k to install tile around one tub about 9-10 years ago. That was almost my entire budget for redoing the whole bathroom, so I did it myself. Surrounds (usually made of fiberglass, not plastic) are much cheaper. In quality, too. The house I’m in now has the 3-piece surround, and it wasn’t sealed properly, and water is getting behind it, ruining the wall. Good thing I know how to tear it out, do the repairs, then install tile!

[@Trifler500]

@@KristinaL1698 I wasn't saying there aren't quality surrounds. There are, especially if you can get a one-piece.

[@andrewmlopez1]

There's a saying... Some people are built like a fridge. That's the fridge people refer to.

[@mikitymike]

As an engineer who used to work for a company that builds ovens, NEVER use the self-clean feature, it releases toxic fumes and can damage your oven

[@brin3m]

or like us, use it in the spring on a warm day with open windows. it never damaged our oven.

[@Trifler500]

I would say the "standard" in the US is to have a fixed shower head AND and handheld connected to it. Then you don't have any exposed vertical pipe, as it is in the wall. You can attach a handheld yourself in just a few minutes. Renters often buy a handheld and take it with them when they move. New house construction will typically include one, but most apartment rental units will not.

[@Vallyrah]

The reason that the hotplate and the heating elements are exposed is so that it is easy to repair or replace those parts. They are the parts that stop working the most and this makes for an easier and less expensive repair. The other oven/stove repair issues are the thermostat this can be a much harder repair as they are not a simple 'plug-in' feature and the glass oven door fronts. If you aren't buying a 'smart' stove/oven they can really last if you know these basic plug-in repairs.

[@revgurley]

One day, my oven decided to die DRAMATICALLY. It wouldn't shut off! We had to cut the power at the breaker to the oven. Took hours to cool off. So I've been wanting a "dual fuel" oven/stove for a long time (oven is electric so you can broil easier, stove top is gas, for more even cooking), and got one. Love it. It still only has 4 "eyes," so not huge, but the oven has to be big enough to cook a turkey.

[@CKaffeineIVStat]

lol that was my comment, too, ovens have to be big enough for a turkey! I know smaller ones exist especially in small apartments not designed for multiple people but it’s weird to see an oven too small for the average thanksgiving turkey!!

[@JesseLJohnson]

I am out of town. Called the neighbors to go into my house to look for something earlier. They said the microwave was on. No idea how it happened never heard of one going on all on its own. I have been out of town since early June no idea how long the thing has been on. They said they hit stop and it started again so they unplugged it. Good thing they went in damn thing could have burned my house down. I just bought that one a few years ago guess its time to replace it again when I get home

[@cathybannister6743]

The pull out element on the electric stove top is to clean under the element if the cooking pot boiled over any other mess under the element.

[@RoniFromTN]

Side-by-side refrigerators aren't typical. The most common unit has a freezer on top and fridge below.

[@TacticalJackalope]

This is not correct. French door refrigerators represent the largest segment of the market in the U.S. followed by side x sides and then top mounts.

[@RoniFromTN]

@@TacticalJackalope That's probably true, but I've yet to live in a single house or apartment that has had one. They're certainly not typical in rental properties.

[@5stardave]

@@TacticalJackalope New refrigerator sales maybe, but the number of everyday apartments and rental houses that have them is tremendous. The French door fridge is a little upscale for a lot of people. Since the 70s, the houses I have lived in have always had a top freezer style fridge.

[@gmunden1]

Exactly. It's a matter of preference, what fits, and what you can afford. There are 3- door and 4-door refrigerators as well, including high-tech "smart" appliances that you can control from your computer or mobile device.

[@lightningcat82]

I worked in an appliance store a few years ago, and the French-door fridges were more common to be sold, and were also the most expensive. But since fridges last for a long time, I can see most people still having the older style top mounts.

[@RJsCave]

There's a concrete sheet rock wall behind the plastic wall. The plastic wall is there to prevent moisture seeping into the walls. It's also part of a conversion that happened in that house and was very common in the 1970's and 80's because the old way of doing tubs was prone to failure over time. I'm not sure what they were made of or how they failed, I was a kid.

[@LiveFreeOrDieDH]

Most "American house" videos on the internet are higher-end homes that cost far above the local average home price. I'm glad that you're seeing a more "typical" American home form a European perspective.

[@AzraelThanatos]

For fridges, there's several different layouts. Ones like the one in the video, ones with the freezer on the bottom, ones with freezer on either end and double doors, the freezers as drawers, ones where the freezer/fridge sides are on the left and right, and ones with a cold water/ice dispensor built in

[@richj120952]

Current range technology has either infrared burners under a glass top, or induction under a glass top. In the bathroom, all in one fiberglass enclosures with a tub are the basic and least cost units. Never had one leak, unlike some tile installations (not installed properly). They work quite well. Also, that shower head is easily replaced with a wand type, cost is about $20 for a pretty standard one that has various spray settings to $100 for some more extensive units that have both a shower head (rain type overhead) an a wand. On air conditioning (AC), it depends upon where you are in the U.S.. Europeans because of the latitudes in Germany or the UK, really don't need air conditioning, heating yes, AC no. The same in the U.S.. I lived in Vancouver, WA, and in general, the need for AC was minimal. There were a couple of weeks here and there when we would have liked it, but our home came without it. (House size was 2000 sq ft, or 185 sq meter.) Mostly, we opened windows in the morning, then shut them before the temp raised to the day's highs. Opened them at night, and used a fan. We did eventually get some window units for upstairs bedrooms, and then got a mini-split heat pump. Total AC 1200 BTU.

[@s.jamessavell6995]

Open a window without a screen gets a person bit by mosquitoes, especially in the summer.

[@karladoesstuff]

Her stove was the standard electric stove through the '60s and '70s. That's what I grew up with. Many American homes, mine included, have natural gas (methane or propane) stoves, and that's what I prefer. Yes, we can tilt the fixed shower head, and hand-held shower heads are also readily available and are easy to install.

[@sdstewart100]

She’s living in military housing, so it’s going to be basic accommodations. Fridges can be much larger than this. There are more advanced ovens/stoves than what she has. Pulling off the stove heating element is so you can clean/replace the pan under it.

[@bethdabruzzo7112]

5. I switched out my gas stove & cooktop for an electric stove & an induction cooktop. It took a little while to get used to it, but I won't go back. It's very easy to use now & so much easier to clean.

[@mbourque]

That would be considered a medium sized fridge. This is a common size but many people are starting to go bigger these days. My current fridge is 32.2 cubic feet with double doors on top (french doors) with freezer on bottom (I also have 2 stand up freezers and 3 large chest freezers as I hunt deer and boar and turkey) so I stay stocked up on meat both beef and others.

[@johnathansaegal3156]

08:10 ... that shower head is adjustable for direction, yes, but it is very easy to drive down to Home Depot or Lowe's hardware superstore (or Walmart) and buy a flexible shower head and they just unscrew and screw on the new head. She mentioned she lives on a military base. I grew up living in military housing until I was 10. You can modify the house a little, but when you get transferred to a new base (every 2-4 years on average) you have to put the house back to the original condition you got the house. So, if you changed the shower head you would have to keep the old one and put it back on when you move out. The same would be if you painted a room a different color, you have to repaint the room back to the color the house had originally. Change the stove? Put the original one back. Get a different toilet seat, put the original one back... if something breaks... tell the housing officer and they will send a crew out to fix or replace it. You do not own on-base military housing. I'm sure you get it now regarding military housing. When you leave it has to be in the exact condition as when you first moved in.

[@rmur4820]

I was in Lisbon, Coimbra, and Avelar, Portugal last week. I found it to be the same temperature as Virginia at this time. Many places we went to did not have A/C, to include restaurants and two homes that we visited. We slept with the doors open to get the night air which was nice with a fan blowing. Bigger establishments did have A/C. It was a beautiful country with so much to see. The refrigerator's were different sizes with small, under the counter types and tall thinner one's that what you would see here.

[@WhatDayIsItTrumpDay]

Andre, that Fridge she showed there is a Medium sized Fridge. It's an older Top Freezer model and it's White. The most COMMON models today are Stainless Steel and they're either French Door Fridges up top with Freezers on bottom, or models with the Freezer on the Left.

[@jennifer1329]

Maybe in your world, good for you! But when you can get the fridge she has for around $500 and stainless steel with all the bells and whistles goes for $3000, guess which ones are most common...

[@baneblackguard584]

that's a smaller refrigerator. double door refrigerators are pretty common these days. The stove/oven unit looks like a 20 - 30 year old oven. pretty good sized, but yeah pretty old. the plastic shower walls is pretty common. tiles are either older or in more expensive homes. they are easy to maintain/replace, and pretty cheap. still it's usually something people like to replace with tile if they can afford it.

[@CKaffeineIVStat]

Remember our ovens have to fit a thanksgiving turkey!! So most are designed for a big turkey 🦃. And many homes have double ovens so you can make your turkey and pies and such at the same time since turkeys take so long. We can take off the things on our gas stove, too, it’s for cleaning or fixing things. I’m trying to think between my home and various apartments or friends/relatives and I think every one I’ve been around electric or gas you can take off the thing the pots sit on (whether it’s a heating element or not) so it can be cleaned if a pot boils over. Side by side fridges are slightly more likely to have a built in ice maker but pretty much everyone wants a built in ice maker. My dog loves ours, we’re surprised she doesn’t jump up and get her own ice but she’s too lazy for that she’s more likely to just keep strongly hinting she wants some ice. The most basic fridges (like hers which is an older basic model) don’t have ice makers but that’d be something that’d be interesting for you to see as a difference!

[@Tijuanabill]

If your plugs are loose, just bend them outward, to make them fit tighter. The prongs don't have to be perfectly straight, and if the receptacle is worn out, they can be loose like that. Taping plugs that are still loose, is a fire hazard and not worth dying over.

[@anthonycochran6492]

4:58 An exposed heating element on the bottom of an American oven is less common now. They are only found in the less expensive models anymore. It is common to still find one in the top of the oven. It is called a broiler and is used for toasting, broiling, and (in my house) making nachos for game day. 6:07 This one had the high output coils. (You can tell by how tight the coils are wound.) as far as coil-top ranges go, this is a decent one...although it'll never compare to gas. (I miss my gas range.)

[@bigapplebucky]

Typical of Madison Wisconsin we have two refrigerators. The one in the garage is for beer and bait as well as overflow from the other. And we also have a chest freezer in the garage.

[@TacticalJackalope]

I've worked in the U.S. Appliance industry for 30 years. We laugh at European appliances and consider them basically toys.

[@annebokma4637]

And we laugh about the American ones untill we realize that you dont have the freedom to get groceries around the corner and have to spend a fortune to keep your stuff refrigerated 😂 Let alone that finding a laundromat here is much harder because all of us do laundry in our home 😂

[@drmachinewerke1]

It is 30 minutes round trip for me to get groceries . However I live on 40 acres in a 4-k sq ft home with my two dogs . Nearest neighbor is one mile away . And I'm 35 miles from City hall in Kansas City Missouri . We have to have plenty as we do not all live in the cities .

[@annebokma4637]

@@drmachinewerke1 that is understandable, living in the country side will fo that in any country. If you live in a suburb and have to take those distances/time, then something ain't perfect.

[@Longbow6625]

​@annebokma4637 I've lived in Southern suburbs all my life and shopped for a few homes. The distance you're talking about is to the nearest Costco or department store, but there's always a chance a store closer with a smaller selection and slightly higher prices. So, no one is really missing out unless they choose to live in an area that for whatever reason, can't support a business.

[@TacticalJackalope]

@@annebokma4637 I'm not sure where you get your information (KZbin most likely) but that is completely false. Not only do we pay less for electricity at least in my home state. I have no less than 6 grocery stores with 1-2 km of my house. Which I can drive to in 5 minutes or less with gas I paid .72 cents per liter for. Modern refrigerators use less than a 60 watt light bulb does all year btw.

[@williamcashman3655]

You can easily replace the heating elements in that kind of stove / oven and is cheaper. Garbage disposals are mostly only used in locations with public sewer vs private septic.

[@mbourque]

Tip for outlets when traveling. Buy a really good quality adapter and bring a multi outlet strip to plug your stuff into. This way you only need one adapter.

[@ddruprup12ify]

The other reason for the larger refrigerators. We Americans buy food for at least a week or more. The grocery stores usually are not down the street and are a little distance away.

[@johnathansaegal3156]

06:00 ... in the US we have (mostly) two types of ovens/stoves: gas and electric. She is showing the electric oven/stove. The layout is pretty much identical regardless of what type you have. The oven is below the stove. That's it. Gas or electric, this is how 90% of oven/stoves are made. The designs and function can be different (sealed convection or open like she has, radiant or induction) - and yes, even electric stovetops are called "burners" even without the flame of a gas stove.

[@dblgonzo]

Here in the US, quite a few homes in the North East do not have a Central A/C system. When I was in Connecticut, I had a fuel oil burning forced hot water radiators for heat and no A/C. In the south where I live now you would die without A/C. Most US stoves are natural gas or ceramic flat-top electric cook surfaces. I was in the Navy for 10 years and base housing for enlisted had the basic contractor-grade appliances. And was not much better for officers unless you were the CO of the base.

[@OzarkMountainKing]

You would absolutely freak out over my brothers kitchen. He's got two Sub-Zero stand-alone fridge and freezers integrated into the cabinets. Each one is bigger than the fridge and freezer combo unit she has in her house. His stove is a gas Vulcan with dual ovens and either 6 or 8 burners, with a bread warmer. His wife really likes to cook, so he built her a dream kitchen with marble tops for candy making. It's over the top, but they use it every day. My kitchen is typical with a side by side french door fridge and a stainless steel double oven. Practically everyone has a garbage disposal.

[@gimesamis]

Couple comments… Side by side refrigerators are more modern than the freezer on top or bottom. My LG side by side has double doors on top with storage in doors. There are double freezer drawers on bottom for lots of freezer space much easier to get into and organize and FIND THINGS. I freeze a lot of food. Stoves are that big to accommodate either multiple dishes at the same time (cooking or reheating) and of course to roast a big turkey for Thanksgiving. The exposed bottom heater makes it very simple to replace the heater when it goes bad. Just order the replacement type and easy to install yourself. That’s an old stove design. Also, garbage disposals are ONLY for food waste - never put anything hard or non food in them.

[@janetmoreno8909]

Keep in mind this is military housing, lots of people are moving in and out of these houses all the time, so basically things like appliances are replaced with they wear out. In the case of the shower, it's an inexpensive one that is easy to replace if needed. I haven't seen a stove that old in ages, or an oven like that for that matter, most electric stoves don't have that type of heating element anymore they are smooth top. Hand held shower attachments are cheap to buy and attach. They are places in the US where you really don't need AC that much, but there are a lot of places in the US that gets VERY, VERY hot and humid. Germany's average summertime temperature is 23C or 70F, that's springtime temperatures where I live and our Summer temperatures are moderate 30C or 86F compare to a lot of other States that literally have summertime temperatures that are 100F (38C) in the shade and that's not adding in the humidity. So yeah bitch about us wanting AC all you like.

[@MoonlightSonata214]

She is in millitary housing, so things will not probably ne the latest models, but the house is still very well set up. Her refrgerator/freezer is with the freezer on top is one model - I have a similar one out in my arage. I have the dide-by-side refrigerator/freezer in my kitchen. Then there is also a style where the freezer is a larger pull-out drawer in the bottom third or so of the unit, and it has a shelf-basket in the top that pulls out with it when you open the freezer drawer. Her stove is a basic builder-grade stove with coil burners that would be the lowest price range of syoves. When it is time to replace that one they might replace it with a flat cooktop. I have to say, though, she keeps that stove so clean it looks brand new.

[@TheValarClan]

there are two types of stoves pretty common in the US one of which is natural gas and of course the other one is electric. The big oven is usually big enough to hold something like a 30 pound turkey because of Thanksgiving. Anything smaller than that than the oven makers have a hard time selling. In terms of showerheads it’s a very common to see a new home with the standard fixed showerhead but one of the things that most homeowners do is go to your local Home Depot storeand replace it with something else because that’s very common

[@IcyTorment]

The good news about the power plugs is that most things you'd take when traveling run off of USB connections these days, so just having one or more USB wall plugs will take care of things like phones and tablets. For things that use barrel plugs, etc. with various specifications, most of them are rated for 100-240V and 50-60 Hz, so you just need an adapter for the physical plug, not a voltage convertor (which would be much more expensive). You can also typically order U.S. AC adapters for your devices that were sold with the German versions. Since very few modern devices actually run on AC anyway, that makes all of this relatively simple. It's just the adapter that converts AC to DC that needs to be replaced or plugged into a convertor.

[@EA-oy1mc]

Very old Oven! Something from the 60's! I haven't seen one of those in decades...American fridges come in all different configurations, depends on the manufacturer. You can spend $200 to $5,000 on a fridge - that will determine what the fridge look like . Garbage disposers are used for just the SMALL leftovers you haven't already recycled - we don't put ALL the food waste down the sink! And Shower heads! You can change it within 5 minutes - ANY type of shower head at any home improvement store, bring it home, screw it on and enjoy whatever luxury you want. Heat/AC - a single unit to control the temp is the best. You just tell it what temp you want and it will either heat or cool - how much easier can it get? Love to watch your channel - hope you get to visit America soon but just know that June through August are about the WORST times for awful weather. And save up LOTS of money if you are going to do all the tourist traps - and then save up twice as much!

[@alisonflaxman1566]

Put most all my food waste in the garbage disposal. My mom always did too. Except for something like bones.

[@Trifler500]

6:26 - It's mainly still a thing in the US because it is a LOT cheaper. So, budget stoves still use these. We have the following types: - Exposed electric element (like this one) - Sealed electric element, under either a ceramic top or a glass top - Induction electric, often the most expensive - Natural gas

[@corinnem.239]

I prefer natural gas.

[@Trifler500]

@@corinnem.239 Yup. It's on the list :)

[@jackhogston6119]

The stove is an older type, but still available. Ours has a solid glass cook top. Our refrigerator is similar to hers, but I think ours is a bit smaller, because we have a smaller kitchen.. Our oven is is very much like hers. We have both a hand-held shower head and a fixed one.

[@jeandiatasmith4512]

Pretty standard kitchen & appliances. What she hasn't realized yet, is the door will hold gallon jugs of milk. Aside from our just having more space for appliances. One thing that I've always checked when renting an apartment is if a turkey will fit in the fridge and the oven. Some apartments have small appliances that won't fit a 20 lb bird, or much of anything else. But fitting that turkey, and the Christmas ham or beef roast, cookie sheets or a dutch oven - is pretty important. I lived with the small appliances and it was terrible. Even for just every day stuff - always had to go shopping weekly instead of stocking up for the month. Gas or electric stove options vary by location. Some places don't allow gas in apartments or connected houses. Some houses were built electric only, some gas only, and some you can choose because it has both a gas hook up and the 220v electric. Same goes for washers/dryers. Running electric or gas lines can be pricey - so you just weigh that restriction against how much you like the house. Random fact: I grew up in a duplex built before refrigerators - so someone built a nook in the back hallway/stairway for them. It was ridiculous at first, having to open the back door in the kitchen to get to the fridge. But in the end, it did keep the hallway a bit warmer in the winter, and created a buffer between the outside back door and the kitchen back door. And in the summer all that heat it put off, stayed out of the living areas.

[@jsnavely76]

There are several styles of refrigerator. Some are like hers with a separate freezer on the top. Others have the freezer on 1 side with a thin door on the freezer side & a larger door on the other side. Yet another variation has the freezer as a huge drawer on the bottom that pulls out and two doors for the regular refrigerator section at the top. If you need more freezer space, you can even buy a "deep freeze" freezer that is like a refrigerator laying on its side with one large door that opens on the top. There are also variations for ovens and stoves. She has a combination stove and oven in one unit called a range. They can be gas or electric. We have electric ranges like that in the units at the apartment complex where I work. At home, I have a cooktop (a flat piece of dark glass and ceramic blend with burners embedded inside the material so that it is just a smooth surface (like the burner on the bottom of your ovens) for easier cleaning. My oven is a separate unit called a wall oven that is built into a cabinet next to the stove that also has a microwave oven attached above the regular oven in a single unit. You can also but separate ovens and microwave ovens. I've never had a garbage disposal in my own house, but lots of other people have them. My shower head is fixed to the wall like hers, but you can tilt the head to aim it and people can choose to buy handheld shower heads too. Just like everything else, there are options available. The shower wall is probably fiberglass, not plastic. If she doesn't like the fiberglass, she could replace it with tile. If she doesn't have any towels in her bathroom, that's her own fault. She should go to Walmart or any number of other similar stores and buy herself some towels. Sometimes the mirror is just a mirror fixed to the wall, but often they can open up to reveal a hidden cabinet for storing your toothbrush, medications and other supplies like unopened bars of soap or extra bottles of shampoo. In a larger full bath, the sink will probably be built into a cabinet like hers. In smaller bathrooms, they might be built into a smaller cabinet or free standing. The free standing sink is actually a requirement for handicap-accessible apartments. One thing she didn't mention in the bathroom is the option of a walk-in shower or a tub shower. The tub shower is a combination of a bathtub plus the shower head giving you the option of taking a shower or sitting down and having a bath. Those have some time of toggle switch or knob that you pull up on to switch the water output from the tub faucet to the shower head. Sometimes the toggle will also open and close the drain. Other times you have to manually insert and remove a stopper from the drain. I always thought that duvet was the British word for what we call a comforter. After Googling it, it sounds like the difference is that a comforter is just a very thick cover for the bed, whereas a duvet is stuffed full of down. I think some comforters might have down in them, but most are just a layer of batting inside.

[@phxjaguar5207]

I don’t think it’s unusual to have more than one refrigerator in the house. Having a second full size refrigerator or freezer in a garage or non main room for holidays or just overflow space. Additionally having a smaller just for beverages is just plain helpful

[@33MarciS]

I've just been following you for a few months, but you've quickly become one of my favorites because you're so nice and have such a positive attitude. ❤,

[@robertthompson7242]

Oven -- heating elements are at the top and the bottom. They are electric; a gas oven has a heating rack under the main oven, and it also has a drawer under that so you can broil things. The electric oven bottom element is for baking; the top one (did you notice?) is for broiling.

[@tomray8765]

Fridges are so big as we shop for food usually every week or so at the supermarket. It has to hold a week or more worth of food. Europe has lots of local markets and near daily shopping.

[@factsoverfeelings1776]

The fixed shower head is just 1 of many types you can have in your home. Its the basic setup. We have always had the detachable sprayer type.

[@Eniral441]

When I lived in Northern states we put a blanket between the top sheet and the comforter/beadspread. We also have a bottom fitted sheet (it has elastics on the corners to hold it in the bed.)

[@PierceThirlen2]

I live in a studio apartment and I have a small refrigerator by American standards. But I can still fit Three 1 gallon jugs of milk inside the door. In the USA we have gas stoves, electric stoves, and also induction stoves, so you can take your pick.

[@anjoleeeickhoff6800]

I have a gas cooktop with 5 burners and a double oven(2 ovens) that are electric. If the power goes out during the winter then I can still cook on my cooktop as it’s gas. We only go to the store once every two weeks for groceries so need a big fridge. We actually have 2 refrigerators and 3 deep freezers at our house. But we hunt deer so need a freezer for our deer meat and my mom and dad raise beef cattle so have a freezer for our beef and the third freezers for our hog meat, chicken, fish and Turkey, and all the produce from my garden that I can can/freeze.

[@grammysal]

I’m from Kansas and my youngest daughter is in England for several years to get her doctorate. The small refrigerator size was one of the hardest things she had to get used to.

[@moniqueleroux2198]

As she said, this is military housing which means appliances are tough, easy to repair and no frills. Those are pretty outdated.

[@notabot3375]

My sister recently moved into a really nice smart house. She can put a frozen casserole in her oven in the morning and set a time for it to cook so it will be done when she comes home. It will cook it and then keep it warm. If she is going to be late, she can use her phone and change the time, or cancel it, or whatever. It also sends her a message before it starts and when it ends. Everything in her house is accessible from her phone, including water heaters, air conditioner, refrigerator, washer and dryer, and yard sprinklers..

[@bambamnj]

Shower Head - yes the fixed shower head it not really fixed, you can certainly move it around. It just has a limited range of motion. Also, it is very simple to unscrew that type of showerhead and you can go to your local big box store (Lowes, Home Depot, even Walmart) and buy a fixture that will screw right back onto the stem and give you the hand held showerhead option. It takes literally 5 mins to swap them out.

[@user-to2sc3cm6m]

The plastic or fiberglass shower is an all in one thing. So like it cuts down on mold because there's no ridges or areas to caulk or grout. It is considered a cheaper option though. And same with the giant mirrors. They're called 'builder grade' mirrors... the cheaper option and they just glue it to the wall. If you want nicer mirrors or you want tile in the shower, you have to pay more.

[@Tijuanabill]

We have radiators in some parts of the US, and here and there sort of all over. I prefer them to forced warm air systems, because they provide a much more stable temperature. Forced warm air systems tend to get too cold, then when the air is blowing, they get too hot, then it slowly repeats that cycle, with a limited amount of time spent in the range of the target temperature.

[@jenniferburkhammer837]

As far as the "lower tier" appliances in the military housing... The US military takes meticulous care of the equipment and buildings! It might be " out dated" by decor standards but it still works perfectly good!!! So if it ain't broke don't fix it!!!!! Love your videos...god bless from WV USA🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸❤❤❤

[@lifebeyondthesalary2458]

Yeah the US military doesn’t do right by the military personnel. The houses are basically filled with mold. I’ve met more than a few people who’ve lost all of their belongings after moving to base housing because the mold was so bad in that house that it infected everything they owned. The government treats our military horrifically.

[@Trifler500]

My main gripe with the "typical" European fridges that I've seen on KZbin is that they just waste the space above them. I understand the width, but I don't understand why they don't make them as tall as in the US. I have yet to see a European fridge in a KZbin video with a cabinet above it, eitiher. Also, before anyone mentions it, we're not talking about custom built-in fridges.

[@o0Silverwolf0o]

Im an American who for 40 years had comforters before learning about duvets, I love them now, so snug and warm.

[@laurahudson8210]

I have 2 duvet covers, but no duvets! Lol. I never get cold enough to put in a duvet... even in winter when I keep my heater around 65F at night.

[@BTinSF]

She said she's in military housing and in such housing the appliances tend to be basic. The top-freezer model like she has is pretty much the low end but does come in different sizes to fit different spaces. Her stove is very old technology; almost impossible to buy now. The standard is probably smooth top ranges but induction , which I know is popular in Europe, is also available. I recently bought 2 stoves and I went with smooth-top because I have lots of non-ferrous pots and pans that don't work with induction.But both stoves have lots of fancy technology like not just self-clean but two kinds--steam and regular. And one of the stoves has 2 ovens that text me to clean them when they think they need it in spite of the fact I usually don't. Air conditioning: The US Olympic team was very upset to find no A/C in the athlete housing in Paris and they got portable units. So while A/C may be becoming more popular in Europe, there's a ways to go.

[@johnlabus7359]

Her fridge is one of the models that was more common 20 to 30 years ago. These days, the most common fridges are the French door/bottom freezer type models. These top freezer models are definitely still available, but they aren't what people in the US typical buy these days.

[@BalletMum14]

The stove on the video is one of a few styles of stoves available. I have a ceramic stove top, some stove tops are induction and also some are gas stove tops. The one the video shows is the most common and also the cheapest to buy.

[@IcyTorment]

This refrigerator and stove are typical of what my grandmother had when I was a child (I'm 51 now). These days, most of what's being sold would be glass top or gas stoves and double-door refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom and ice/water dispenser in the door. Some places (including military bases) would still be maintaining really old things as long as they still work, though.

[@sandirobinson6966]

Not necessarily old, but these are a basic economy model.

[@bambamnj]

This type of electric stove with the coil burners is the older type. Most newer electric stoves are "smooth" top. The top of the stove is similar to a piece of tempered glass. It is very easy to clean. Some of then have decals that show where the burner are. In other styles, you really can't see the burners at all, until you turn them on, then the round area glows red. On these stoved the area will remain red until the stove top is safe to touch.

[@galerad7254]

One great advantage of american wide bed is that when one spouse is sick, there's plenty of room and so

[@galerad7254]

Cancel delete I can't clear this out,b. Jchiyffgjutedvjitrdcjitdv. Huh

[@harrymaciolek9629]

Refrigerators have grown over the years. The huge ones often won’t fit in an older kitchen. But people will also have a second refrigerator in the garage or basement. Also freezers are common, either upright of chest type.

[@tomray8765]

Yes, lots of Germans here from the beginning. The USA is really a British/German culture. My Mother's people came here in the 1840s.

[@elischultes6587]

First of mine was in the 1880’s. Last was 1904. That is 3/4 of my ancestry. The rest is a mix of English, French, Scottish & Swedish. When Grandad married into the German Mennonite community in Denver he was referred to as the Englishman for a long time.

[@roriemarie2968]

What depends where you live in America.I was born in raised in tampa florida and it's very american /spanish culture because from the foundation of this city most were Spanish speakers.

[@secolerice]

I grew up in military housing back in the 60s and 70s. The housing is definitely better now! But the oven/stove is an older model and the shower is basic. Most home builders will put in stationary shower heads. I had to get a handheld one to install in my house. Unfortunately, you can’t alter military housing features like you could if you owned the house. US fridges we had were the freezer top/fridge bottom when I was growing up and that is what I still have. My next one will be the French door top fridge/bottom freezer drawer kind.

[@MannyLoxx2010]

That frig is average in size compared to the restaurant-size ones many of us have in the U.S. I have a 32 square cubic foot fridge, which is considered a small, restaurant size fridge with two-doors on top and a giant freezer at the bottom. We, Americans, like big appliances, cars, things, etc!

[@bookworm4174]

Hey Andre, her stove is definitely different. I don't think I've seen one with an exposed thing at the bottom. There is a wide variety of stove tops too. Ours is a gas stove, which we love because we can light the burners with a match if the electircity is out because of snow, ice, or a storm. Those milk cartons were kind of small. Our family bought it by the gallon when all three of us kids lived at home. Mom usually got two gallons of milk at the store, one with higher and one with lower fat content.

[@jannibal9273]

A friend owns a home in Las Vegas that was built in the early 1960s and has in-floor hot water radiant heating. Fast forward to 2016, the piping in the concrete floor needed to be replaced. CHA CHING. The entire concrete flooring throughout the 3 bedroom/two bathroom house had to be torn out, the in-floor heating piping replaced (with the "newest" technology, that seems to change every 5 years) and new concrete floors poured. I'll just say that it cost a LOT more than replacing a gas-fired furnace with forced air heating ducts. I'll take a gas-fired furnace with forced air heating any day, thank you!

[@kenbo80]

There is a wide variety of appliances available in the US. The appliances shown here appear to be “Builder Quality” which means as cheap as possible. These also look like old models.

[@amynix2632]

I am a military wife, and the home she's showing you is very, VERY typical for military families across the country and branches of service. They are very nice and neat and quite adequate for our needs, but they have the less expensive, older, more basic appliances and features. One thing I really like about this woman's video is that homes like these are ALSO much more common across the country than the more affluent, decked out, celebrity-looking homes you see on most television programs and in movies. Yes, the US has many very high-end/expensive homes like that, too, but the majority of us live in homes that look much more like this one. Americans who own their own homes typically live in places like this. They may purchase nicer appliances or install prettier cabinetry & flooring, but this woman's house is an excellent example of the kind of spaces that *most* of us live in. The average American home has larger rooms and more living space than a typical European home, but the absolute mansions you see on television are not nearly as common as people outside the US have been led to believe.

[@jonathanryan9946]

The thing on the bottom of the oven is a heating element in an electric oven. Essentially it puts a ton of electricity into a metal so it heats up. So don't touch it with and pans, metal grates, or dripping food. As pans and the grate could create a new electric circuit and destroy the oven or pan... and any food that gets stuck on it could catch fire. Honestly she has kinda a cheap oven by our standards here. Not surprised though considering its a house on a military base. They don't exactly buy them the best but cheap and reliable.

[@brettbuck7362]

The outside of the heating element is not "live" can cannot short. It's what is called a "calrod" element, there is a nichrome element that the electricity goes through. That is embedded in a insulating ceramic grit, and the entire thing is sealed up in an outer metal tube (the coil you see) with ceramic plugs to seal it up. Nothing on the outside of the metal tube is electrically live, it is very well insulated.

[@dragonweyr44]

I was a soldier in the US Army, stationed in West Germany in Fulda in1990-92. We didn't use adapters for our electronics back then, we had to buy small transformers to convert your 220 volts to our 110 volt electronics or buy locally made stuff

[@erichallada910]

Andre you have to remember she is living in military housing on a base somewhere. I served in the Army and the houses on my base looked a little dated/old on the outside and didn't have top of the line appliances either. One doesn't join the U.S. military to get a large fancy house with the best of everything inside it.

[@Trifler500]

I can tell you that small refrigerators waste a LOT of electricity compared with larger ones, at least in the US. I can't imagine it's too different elsewhere.

[@payersystempro]

The kitchen appliances in the video are lower end due to the home being military housing. Side by side refrigerators are more common, and there are several brands that sell refrigerators you can put cabinets panels on. The cooktop displayed is quite old; most are gas fired or convection.