Cook’s Country isn’t just a magazine full of recipes, although you certainly will get plenty of those. The staff explains techniques – and the reasoning behind them – to make you a more skilled and confident cook. You’ll also learn some history about a wide variety of dishes and ingredients.

The recipes are for foods that you’d actually like to eat and the recipes are easy to follow and produce good results. Ultimately, there’s no replacement for hands-on experience in the kitchen. The more you cook, the more confident you become and the more success you have. A reference like Cook’s Country is a great companion for the journey.

If you like to try your hand at making a diverse array of dishes from around the world, then you’re going to like this magazine. It’s not uncommon to find recipes for Cuban sandwiches, Gobi Manchurian, and pasta alla puttanesca all in the same issue.

The editorial team does a fine job of balancing entrees with appetizers, soups, desserts, and beverages. I’ve noticed that most, but not all, of the recipes reflect the nature of the season in which they’re published. This helps when shopping for some of the harder-to-find fresh ingredients and putting together the right side dishes.

I respect a magazine that is willing to come right out and say that they don’t recommend a certain product (or only recommend it with reservations) from a major manufacturer. Unfortunately, this level of honesty is so rare in the publishing industry these days. Cook’s Country can do this and avoid conflicts of interest altogether because there is no advertising anywhere in this magazine. I appreciate that I can trust what they’re writing in their reviews without wondering whether they’re fluffing up a certain product to maintain or attract advertising revenues.

Cook’s Country lends itself particularly well to printed form because of its oversize format and brilliant photography. I just don’t think it would be the same reading it on my phone or even my computer. I keep the latest copy in a drawer in our kitchen and read it while I eat breakfast or have a late-night snack. There’s something about reading this while I’m in the kitchen that motivates me to cook something new.

I still subscribe to a variety of printed magazines because of how they help remind me to slow down. Ever since I was in middle school, I’ve always enjoyed looking forward to receiving my next issues and reading them while I relax for a bit. With this magazine in particular, it’s nice to have a printed copy to bring to the grocery store when I’m shopping for ingredients.

Everything I have made from this magazine has exceeded my expectations. The articles frequently include details about how the test kitchen failed dozens of times before getting the precise result they were looking for. You definitely get the impression that a real, live person has made the recipes and dialed them in.

One of my favorite things about Cook’s Country are the pre-perforated recipe cards from the dishes covered in the issue. You can save your favorites and curate a personal collection without having to save the whole magazine.

I credit Cook’s Country for taking my culinary skills up a couple of notches and for giving me the inspiration to try new dishes that are now in regular rotation in our home. It puts a smile on my face when I stop by the mailbox on the way home from work and see my copy waiting for me. In addition to subscribing yourself, considering gifting a subscription to that fledgling cook in your life in exchange for a future dinner invitation.

The jigsaw is one of those power tools that many people can get by without, but oh does it ever open up options for your projects when you have access to one. Think of it as a precision circular saw. Your designs can be more flowing and eloquent when you’re able to incorporate tighter curves and sharp angles.

Most people think of a jigsaw as a tool that cuts thin pieces of wood. While this is its principal use, did you know that with the right blade you can also cut metal, laminate, plastic, and plexiglass?

When it comes to power tools, I have two rules: 1.) I always buy a name brand, but I’m not beholden to any single brand. The manufacturer that convinces me that their model will outperform and outlast the competition wins my business. 2.) I own one cordless drill for when I need to work on something back in the woods where a cord won’t reach, but other than that, all my power tools are corded. I prefer the reliability and consistent power, plus I don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on batteries over the life of the tool.

The DW331K is a variable speed saw that delivers 500-3,100 strokes per minute. You definitely want a variable speed saw if you’re going to cut metal or do intricate curved cuts in wood. The shoe adjusts to cut bevels up to 45 degrees.

Cheap jigsaws like to pull to one side due to their reciprocal cutting stroke, making it difficult to do straight cuts – not so with the DeWalt. The blade moves straight forward with very little coaxing thanks to the four-position orbital cutting motion which minimizes blade wear and reduces the chattering that is common on cheaper standard-action jigsaws. The end result is a smoother cut that is easier to control.

The all-metal tool-less blade change lever is a major selling point for the DW331K. It’s conveniently located right on the front of the unit. It eliminates having to touch a hot blade when changing it out or losing the allen wrench that is used on many other saws. This lever can get a bit hot if you’re making a lot of cuts, so always let it cool down before you put it back in its case.

I have cut a cat door (link to KittyPass XL door), the body of my son’s pinewood derby car for Cub Scouts, and numerous crossbars for my garden arbors. The powerful 6.5-AMP motor powered through still-wet pressure-treated lumber of the latter with no problem.

The DeWalt 331K is the Goldilocks of jigsaws and represents a great value in relation to its performance. It’s light enough to easily maneuver in tight spaces, which is the nature of cutting with a jigsaw, but it’s heavy enough to not bounce around on your work.

Overall build quality on this jigsaw is good. The polymer on the handle feels durable and provides a stable grip. An all-metal gear case protects the internals.

I narrowed down my choices to the DeWalt and a similarly-priced Bosch barrel grip. I have a Bosch planer that has served me well over the years and I have an overall favorable opinion of their products. In the end, I liked how the DeWalt top handle felt more balanced in my hands. I’m sure I would have become accustomed to it, but I didn’t feel like the barrel grip gave me the control that I was looking for.

My only complaint with this unit is the “air blaster” feature – it’s OK, but not great. I didn’t notice a big difference between when it was on vs. off, but this seems to be a constant complaint with smaller power tools. Manufacturers continue to include this feature because it sounds like a good idea on paper and consumers have come to expect it. The reality is that a jigsaw just isn’t big enough to generate the volume of air needed to clear sawdust from the path of the cut. You actually don’t want a strong flow of air in front of the blade when cutting metal, as the airflow will blow away the oil from the cut line.

I was surprised to see there isn’t an LED light on a tool of this price. Inadequate light can be a problem with jigsaws since the tool and the operator’s hands naturally cast a shadow over your work. I solve this by cutting outside most of the time, as I have natural light from the sun and a quick pass with my Stihl leaf blower makes quick work of the sawdust.

If you don’t need quite as much power and want a slightly smaller saw body, then I recommend the DeWalt DW317K. It still has all the same important features as the 331K but the motor is 5.5-AMP instead of 6.5-AMP and it comes in a cheaper canvas tool bag instead of a molded case.

Note that this jigsaw, like most others, doesn’t come with blades included. I purchased this DeWalt 14-blade set to go along with my new jigsaw. It includes a wide variety of blades for just about any material that you will ever find yourself having to cut. The two-sided case fits conveniently in the carrying case for the jigsaw so you won’t waste time looking for the right blade.

“American Sniper” is a thrilling eyewitness account of the Iraq war that only Chris Kyle can tell. It’s not one of the better written war memoirs and you’re not going to get a ton of history, but it will hold your attention and give you a unique perspective from a sniper’s point of view.

As every good war memoir does, Kyle’s story starts with his life prior to military service. This gives the reader a frame of reference. It’s harder to relate to someone who is lining up bomb-strapped insurgets in his crosshairs if you don’t understand who he was when he was an underpaid ranch hand sleeping in a frigid shack in Texas while he was figuring out what to do with his life.

Special Forces and SEALs are in a class of their own. Even rank-and-file service members don’t really understand them. Kyle’s account gives just enough of a glimpse into the life to understand why SEALs have such a high divorce rate and how demons can follow a man home from war.

“American Sniper” is not all about 1,000 yard headshots, urban warfare, and IEDs. I enjoyed when Kyle’s wife, Taya, chimed in. These are the moments that are unfortunately missing from too many historical accounts of war. Her words gave me insight into the perspective that my now-wife, Lindsey, must have had while we were dating during my own deployment to Iraq. The importance of maintaining your relationship with your partner and your children during and in between deployments must not be understated to any young man who is considering enlisting.

There are plenty of asides throughout the book that talk about the weapons and vehicles to keep the reader engaged. Veterans and civilians alike will enjoy hearing about the human elements that take over when equipment invariably fails. My favorite was when the SEAL team’s vehicles were dropped by helo outside an enemy air base and immediately became stuck in deep mud and became immobilized while under fire.

There are some indications that Kyle almost certainly embellished and exaggerated parts of his story, although interestingly enough, all the events in question are non-combat related. However, in no way do these indiscretions detract from his service to his country and to his brothers in arms.

If you enjoy this book, you should check out the 2014 film of the same name with Bradley Cooper. It’s one of the better movies about our current conflicts. The movie couldn’t resist taking some liberties with the original story, such as inventing a fictional competing enemy sniper, but all in all it is a good watch.

You can get a free 30-day trial to Audible as well as two free audiobooks that are yours to keep. Audible is an affordable way to enjoy your favorite books and discover new ones when you can’t make time to sit down and read a physical book. You’ll also help out The Pilanesberg Project when you follow my link.

I’m actually not a science fiction fan at all. This is the only Stephen King work I’ve ever read, although I’ve seen a number of movies that were adapted from his novels. His superb character development, the way he builds the story arc, and his attention to detail in creating the settings have persuaded me to start exploring some of his other writings. Derry, Maine feels like it’s a real place that you could actually visit and recognize when you get there based on King’s descriptions.

The narration by Steven Weber is top-notch. It is obvious that he rehearsed and was really into it because his delivery and poise is flawless. The sheer number of characters would make narrating this novel a formidable challenge, but Weber makes them sound believable.

At times, I felt like the narration was a little too intense, which left me with the uncomfortable feeling of being confused as to whether I was watching a movie or listening to someone read the book.

At 48 hours long, you are getting a lot of value for your money compared to a typical audiobook, most of which are well under 20 hours. Due to its length, I would suggest listening to it in at least 30-minute blocks, otherwise it will take so long to finish that you might forget important details from earlier in the book.

I give my students an interest questionnaire at the start of every semester to give me some insight into their backgrounds, motivations, and interests. One of the questions is about their favorite book. I was pleasantly surprised to see that two of my students who proudly declared themselves to be non-readers had indicated that “It” was theirs. At 1,138 pages for the paperback and considering the fact that this wasn’t a book that was assigned in school, I think it’s fair to say that these students just haven’t found enough other books that interest them.

I really look forward to listening to “It” again in a few years after I have read some of King’s other works, perhaps on a long solo road trip. I’m sure that some of my perspectives will have changed and that I will pick up on new details that I missed the first time.

You can get a free 30-day trial to Audible as well as two free audiobooks that are yours to keep. Audible is an affordable way to enjoy your favorite books and discover new ones when you can’t make time to sit down and read a physical book. You’ll also help out The Pilanesberg Project when you follow my link.

One of my “laws of life” is that debt is a form of slavery and that you should choose to live in freedom. “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey tells you how to do this. This isn’t a theoretical book about how to think and grow rich through the power of attraction or some other metaphysical BS. Dave teaches you how to break the chains step by step. If you forever change how you think about money – specifically, debt – then this book has done its job.

Just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. The concept of not spending more than you make and saving for emergencies is not a difficult concept to understand, but by the numbers, Americans struggle with this. I don’t know how “The Total Money Makeover” isn’t required reading in every high school in America.

Wouldn’t we live with less stress, have stronger marriages (finances are the number one cause of divorce), be able to change our family trees, and be able to give more generously to others if more of us followed Dave’s words? “Don’t be normal. Normal is broke – be weird”.

Through an easy to understand six-step system that he calls “working the baby steps”, Dave will teach you money management strategies that lead to financial independence and the ability to live and give like no one else. You’ll learn how to see exactly where your money is going when you create a zero-based budget and give every dollar a name. My father always said that money goes where you tell it to go, regardless of whether you’re aware of where you’re telling it to go.

There is a saying that goes something like “you can have anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want”. Dave Ramsey has done exactly that. After going bankrupt and losing everything due to overleveraging a series of real estate deals when he was in his early 20’s, Dave started his financial coaching business from a folding card table in his living room. He’s now worth about $60 million and is responsible for helping more people get out of debt and become financially free than any other single person who I’m aware of.

The concept of debt freedom is about more than a single book. Start with “The Total Money Makeover” and then check out the other books that he and his team have written. His podcast, “The Dave Ramsey Show”, is a bit formulaic if you’re a long-time listener, but it’s an excellent accountability partner for your journey to debt freedom and also teaches general financial literacy. Over five million people have taken his Financial Peace University course. One in three high schools has used his Foundations in Personal Finance: High School Edition curriculum.

I find Dave Ramsey to be a trustworthy person who has the heart of a teacher and genuinely wants to help people. I love his advice for getting out of debt, but I think his investing advice of just buying four different classes of mutual funds without regard to what the market is doing is too one-dimensional and limiting. To not get out of the way of an oncoming freight train or to dismiss the value of purchasing a well-researched single stock at the right time is shortsighted. It’s kind of like how Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time, but was below-average at baseball.

The good news is that if you work his system for getting out of debt, you can put your most powerful asset – your income – to work for you and invest how you see fit.

You can get a free 30-day trial to Audible as well as two free audiobooks that are yours to keep. Audible is an affordable way to enjoy your favorite books and discover new ones when you can’t make time to sit down and read a physical book. You’ll also help out The Pilanesberg Project when you follow my link.

“Killing Kennedy” is a well-researched account of the events that lead up to the 1963 assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the political turmoil of the times.

O’Reilly describes the assassination in gripping detail. This event happened 20 years before I was born, but the way O’Reilly drew me in made it feel like something I had lived through. The listener also gets enough of Kennedy’s personal life to put his assassination into context. O’Reilly goes to great lengths to show the side of Kennedy not seen by the public.

I’ve never been particularly interested in JFK and probably wouldn’t have dedicated the time to sit down and read a book about him, but I’m glad I checked this out. After listening to this, I would consider this work to be a good JFK or Cold War “starter book”. I learned a lot about what went on behind the closed doors of the Kennedy administration. His presidency, and particularly his character as a man, is a complicated legacy. As always, it’s the little pieces of history such as Jackie noticing the wet footprints on the concrete decking of the White House pool from one of her husband’s mistresses that never seem to make their way into the textbooks that have always drawn me in.

O’Reilly and Dugard take an objective look at the assassination and present evidence without steering the listener to any particular conclusion. While O’Reilly is solidly conservative and has been known to be rather bellicose with his political opponents over the years on Fox News, I didn’t detect any partisan bias in his writing.

If you’re hoping to hear about some of the more radical conspiracy theorists about who killed JFK, this isn’t the book for you. This book is based almost 100% on the Warren Commission’s report. There is no significant mention or analysis of the many other plausible theories. Personally, I believe that Oswald was indeed the lone shooter, however I think there is credible evidence to conclude that he didn’t act alone in orchestrating the assassination.

My wife and I listened to this book in the car on the way back to Ohio from a vacation in Hilton Head. I usually feel the need to take a break after listening to nonfiction audiobooks for more than a couple of hours during such trips, but O’Reilly’s “Killing” series have always been an exception. “Killing Kennedy” was no exception – it took us through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia and really made the time fly.

I consume dozens of audiobooks per year, and I don’t hesitate to say that Bill O’Reilly is the best narrator I’ve ever listened to. His stentorian voice maintains your attention throughout the entire book and draws you into the story – and, like every good storyteller does – he leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. I was disappointed when I listened to some of his other audiobooks when I learned that he had only recorded the foreword to these. Fortunately, he narrates all of “Killing Kennedy”.

You can get a free 30-day trial to Audible as well as two free audiobooks that are yours to keep. Audible is an affordable way to enjoy your favorite books and discover new ones when you can’t make time to sit down and read a physical book. You’ll also help out The Pilanesberg Project when you follow my link.

“Kitchen Confidential” is one man’s odyssey through his career in the industry, from dishwasher to executive chef and television producer. The author warns us early on that he is going to tell the truth – the good, the bad, and the just plain beautiful.

As the subtitle of the book states, this is an uncensored look into the culinary underbelly of American restaurants. The casual American restaurant-goer doesn’t see the fatalism, hard drugs, or the transiency of the workforce from the “front of the house” (the dining room side).

I’ve always believed that everyone should work at both a retail establishment as well as in a restaurant at some point in their lives to learn how to treat one another better.

Some of the stories are downright hilarious, and if I hadn’t worked at several different restaurants in the past, I’m not sure I would have believed them myself. I’ve worked with some of the types of characters he describes in this book.

Bourdain writes in the coarse language of someone who has come up in a professional kitchen. I’ve never seen any of his t.v. shows, but he strikes me as a very authentic person who has exceedingly high standards and little patience for incompetence or laziness, yet is willing to go to the mat and mentor someone when he recognizes raw determination and talent.

As with the other audiobooks I’ve reviewed, “Kitchen Confidential” wouldn’t have the same impact in printed form. It feels like Anthony Bourdain is right next, telling you his story, while you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing while you listen to this book. He not only has a great voice for narration, but his sincerity comes through.

I couldn’t help but empathize with the wear and tear and the many lows that Bourdain (much of it self-inflicted). The reader gets the impression that .

This is a must-read for anyone working in or connected to the restaurant industry, but it’s the type of book that anyone would enjoy. I left with a better appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes at a restaurant and among the pirate crews that run the kitchens. While this isn’t an instruction manual – there are no recipes anywhere in it –, I learned a lot about various foods he mentioned and researched them further. The next time I’m in a French restaurant, I’m definitely ordering a medium rare côte de boeuf.

If you enjoy “Kitchen Confidential”, you would also like his follow-up book, “Medium Raw”, although the former was more captivating in my opinion.

You can get a free 30-day trial to Audible as well as two free audiobooks that are yours to keep. Audible is an affordable way to enjoy your favorite books and discover new ones when you can’t make time to sit down and read a physical book. You’ll also help out The Pilanesberg Project when you follow my link.

I researched the Makita 5007MG more than any other power tool I owned before making my final purchasing decision. I was replacing a cheaper Craftsman 18v cordless and wanted something that I could use for an extended period of time.

Every homeowner needs a circular saw. You can cut almost anything you need for indoor or outdoor projects if you have a circular saw and a jig saw.

The best circular saws have magnesium shoes (the flat plate that guides the blade over the material) for their strength and light weight. Aluminum is also used for its light weight, however it can crack easily.

Steel shoes are common on less expensive saws, and have several downsides. First, they bend easily when you drop them (not that you should be in the habit of letting your power tools fall to the ground), which will cause your saw to cut poorly. Second, steel shoes have rolled edges, which can be a problem if you’re using a thin straightedge (such as a rafter square) to guide your cut. Makita sells this same 15.0 amp saw with a steel shoe for about $50 less, but for how long the typical person is going to own a name brand circular saw, the lighter weight, durability, and increased accuracy make the price difference worth it.

The balance and ergonomics of the Makita 5007MG felt better in my hands than the comparable DeWalt that I was considering. This is important to me, as I hate ruining good lumber by not being able to control the tool. Two built-in LED lights illuminate the cutting path for improved accuracy.

A 15.0 amp motor delivers 5,800 RPM, which is more than enough power and speed to cut a variety of wood without straining the motor. It does all of this and only weighs 10.6 pounds. My first experience with my new saw was cutting several 4″ x 4″ pressure-treated posts to make the posts for my raspberry and blackberry trellises. These posts were heavier than usual, indicating that they still had a high moisture content from the pressure treating process. Lumber that contains more moisture in the cells of the wood can be considerably harder to cut than wood that has been kiln-dried or otherwise aged.

Adjusting the depth of your cut and maintaining it cut after cut should not be difficult, but this is an area where cheaper saws fail. Makita’s gauges are accurate and very easy to adjust. Cutting capacity is 2.5″ at 90 degrees, 1.75″ at 45 degrees, and 1.375″ at 56 degrees, which is the maximum bevel angle that this saw can cut.

The included 24-tooth carbon-tipped saw blade is a quality general purpose framing blade that is ideal for the majority of lumber that the typical homeowner is going to cut. Some trim pieces and specialty woods that require a finer cut call for a blade with more teeth.

The heavy-duty carrying case is no afterthought. It’s made of thick blow-molded plastic and closes securely with the two oversized latches. There’s even a pocket inside the case to store and protect additional blades.

Makita’s warranty only lasts for one year, which is less than the DeWalt and Bosch saws that I was also considering. In reality, there is very little that can go wrong with a corded circular saw unless you abuse or neglect it. It’s one of those products that will have problems straight out of the gate that you’re going to know about immediately and will be covered by the warranty.

Detailing your vehicle with clay is a lot of work. It involves first washing the car, running the clay over every square inch of painted surfaces, and then applying at least one coat of wax. It’s pretty much an all-day process when you factor in the drying time for the wax, but you will not be disappointed if you take the time and do it right. The effects will last for the better part of a year and it’s the single most effective way of making your car look like new again.

If you think your paint looks good and feels smooth after you wash your car, you’re going to be blown away by how it looks and feels after you put a clay bar to it. I remember running my hand along the fender and wondering how paint could feel that smooth the first time I detailed my Z28 with clay back in high school.

There’s a lot more nasty stuff sitting on your paint than you’re probably aware of.

New vehicles are transported by rail from the manufacturing plant to distribution facilities, before finally making their way to the dealership’s lot. A fair amount of rail dust accumulates on the surface of the cars even though they’re shipped in semi-enclosed auto racks. The painted metal surfaces of your car attract these magnetic particles, and it’s not uncommon for your “new” car to still have this dust on it for years after you’ve taken delivery unless you have removed it with a clay bar.

Brake dust, pollen, industrial fallout and plain old dirt bond to your car’s paint over time. Every time you wax, you’re just covering these things up. Detailing any car with a clay bar will make a noticeable improvement in its appearance, but it’s most pronounced in lighter colors and metallics. My wife drives a white Toyota 4Runner. I took it from looking like a yellow-tinged polar bear to a pure, bright white. Did I mention that it’s 13 years old?

You will be amazed by how much dirt and how many tiny particles are left on your “clean” car after you’ve washed it. While a clay bar isn’t going to remove scratches, it will remove light marring and swirl marks. Use a polishing compound such as Nieto Number 7, which I reviewed in detail here to remove any light scratches and oxidation.

It’s important to wash the vehicle thoroughly before you start, as the clay will quickly become dirty and unusable if you don’t. This is the only time you should ever use liquid dish soap to wash your car. Dish soap is strong enough to remove any wax that is left on the paint so that you can get to the contaminants on the surface of the paint itself with the clay bar. Use a liberal amount of soap and warm water.

Do not put off waxing the car after you’ve used the clay. Between the dish soap and the clay, there will be nothing left on the paint to protect it from acid rain, UV rays, bird droppings, etc.

Mothers California Gold Clay Bar System is a good mid-quality clay and spray detailer that will allow you to attain professional results. Stay away from the cheaper clay bars, as they smear on the surface of the paint and create more work. A good clay bar will glide with ease over the paint if you keep the surface sufficiently lubricated with the spray detailer.

I like the entire line of Mothers detailing products. They use quality ingredients to make products that the average guy, as well as the more experienced detailer, can use to get great results to protect their vehicles and enhance their appearance without the boutique prices.

I’m not by any means one of these people who’s obsessed with essential oils, but I acknowledge that the right ones can calm us, put us in a better mood, and even cure certain minor physical ailments. I know for a fact that smelling lavender makes me sleepy, mint makes me relaxed, and any citrus oil makes me feel refreshed.

You’re obviously not getting real wood hand-turned on a lathe for this price point, but the plastic is very convincing and comes in four different tones. Most people wouldn’t know it wasn’t real until you touched it.

Capacity is where this diffuser stands out above its competition. Even at its highest mist setting, it’s still going to diffuse for over 10 hours. You can expect a run time of 12 to 14 hours on the lowest setting.

There is a waterless shutoff switch that activates when the diffuser runs out of water so that you don’t damage the unit. I recommend using only distilled water, as minerals will damage the ultrasonic components over time and your diffuser will die a slow death as it eventually just spits water instead of creating a fine mist. A gallon costs around a dollar and you can find it at any grocery store.

Expect a very low level of white noise from the mist depending on which setting it’s on. Personally, I prefer this sound over total silence. Water in any form – flowing, trickling, or steam – has a calming effect for most people, as it represents life to our reptilian brains.

There’s a total of seven different colors of lights you can choose to display. You can keep it on one color or set it to rotate among all of them. Each light has a bright and a dim setting.

While a diffuser’s primary job is to diffuse essential oils into the air, a unit with this capacity also serves as a small humidifier. It’s not going to make much of a difference in the relative humidity of an open floor plan house, but you’ll notice it for sure in a small office or bedroom. Increasing the humidity during spells of dry and cold winter weather is better for your skin and makes the air feel warmer than it actually is.

The timer is conveniently located on the front of the unit. You can set it to run constantly or for one, three, or six hours.