Dear Martha: Is there any way to keep an antique rocking chair from squeaking?
Answer: Squeaks are a natural part of the aging process with all wooden furniture. As the materials swell and contract over time, joints loosen, which in turn causes the wooden pieces to rub together and produce an unpleasant noise. Squeaking tends to get a bit louder during the winter months, when wood is contracting and joints are at their loosest.
Fortunately, there's a quick fix for the problem, says Christophe Pourny, a furniture-restoration expert in Brooklyn, N.Y. It involves applying a coat of wood-swelling solvent (available at most hardware stores) to the chair's joints. The solvent will cause the wooden pieces to expand and form a secure bond. Pourny also recommends waxing furniture once a year to help prevent wood from drying out. Any paste wax will do, but try to match it with the color of your wood.
Finally, rocking chairs always make less noise when they're used on soft surfaces, as opposed to hardwood floors. An area rug, for example, will serve as a buffer between the wooden surfaces. Alternatively, hardware stores sell felt strips that can be inconspicuously adhered to the bottom of the chair's rockers, where they'll provide the same sound absorption as a carpet or rug.
Dear Martha: I'm in the market for a refrigerator. Are there any new features or technologies I should know about?
A: If your last refrigerator was purchased decades ago, you may be surprised by all the innovations. One important thing to look for is an Energy Star label, which indicates the refrigerator exceeds the government's minimum requirements for energy efficiency.
Beyond that, the options are more a matter of preference. For example, you'll find units with three- and even four-door configurations, instead of the traditional two. In some cases, the compartments can be converted from "fresh" to "freeze," depending upon how much refrigerator and freezer space you need. There are also units with interior chambers that will chill a bottled beverage or freeze a package of raw meat in half the time.
Digital controls are everywhere. You'll even find ones that let you program the water dispenser so that you can get exact amounts, whether 10 ounces or 10 cups, without reaching for a measuring device.
From a design perspective, if you have a compact or very contemporary kitchen, you may want to consider buying a counter-depth refrigerator. It has a sleeker, more streamlined profile than units that extend a few inches past the edge of the countertop.
Dear Martha: Whenever I fry a lot of chicken, the first batch always turns out perfect. But the subsequent ones don't cook as evenly. What can I do differently?
Answer: The simplest solution is to have a second pan ready to turn on when the oil in the first one is no longer fresh (usually by the third batch). Of course, this means you'll end up using more oil, but the chicken will cook cleanly and evenly in every batch. I think taste is more important than the few dollars you'll save trying to stretch the oil.
Dear Martha: How can I make prints of pictures taken with a cell phone?
Answer: It depends on the cell phone and the type of service package you've opted for. Some models work with a removable memory card, which you purchase separately (along with an adapter) and insert into your phone. When you're ready to print images stored on the card, simply remove the card, slip it into the adapter, and insert the adapter into a store kiosk, your home printer or the card reader on your computer.
Many mobile phones have e-mail capability, which lets you send images to your computer. Other phones come with a USB cable that can be plugged into a printer or a computer to transfer images. Finally there's the wireless approach. If your phone and your computer or printer have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology, you can use it to beam images to print.
Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Questions may also be sent by electronic mail to: mslletters @marthastewart.com. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column; Martha Stewart regrets that unpublished letters cannot be answered individually. For more information on the topics covered in the Ask Martha column, visit www.marthastewart.com.