Summer got off to a slow start in much of the U.S., but some features in our just-posted September issue will pay dividends during the dog days of August and far into the upcoming year and beyond.

• Freezers are hot. Freezers have been the only appliance to post sales gains this year, and federal, state, and local utility incentives make it even easier to trade your old clunker for an efficient new model. Our latest report on freezers found that upright models were more convenient than chest-type models. But upright models also cost more, and during our tests manual-defrost upright models couldn’t keep a consistent temperature in door shelves.

Our ratings (available to subscribers) include four excellent chest-type models ranging from $250 to $400. (A downside to these models is that you’ll have to bend to reach the Ben & Jerry's.) Recommended upright standouts cost from $600 to $800.

• Safer, better cookware. As our latest report on cookware shows, nonstick sets from Emeril and Calphalon provided good performance and value for under $200. Testers also found three under $190 sets whose manufacturers claim they’re free of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)—a potentially harmful chemical. A Swiss Diamond Reinforced set also claimed to be PFOA free, since its cooking surfaces are lined with a nanoparticle composite of diamond crystals. But while it was a top performer in our tests, its $500 price tag kept it from being recommended (ratings available to subscribers).

• Paint colors proliferating. As paint sales rise, so does the number of sometimes oddly named colors. In "Hue Name It: How Pink Paint Became ‘Marry Me’," you’ll find out why purple, gray and yellow . . . oops, mimosa, are this year’s hot shades—and how you can pick the a perfect personalized tint from this ever-expanding palette.

• FDA targets celebrity endorsements. If you feel that celebrity pitchmen and women have been painting too rosy a glow on some products, you’re right. Our past reports on kitchen knives and cookware have shown that a celebrity endorsement doesn’t always make for a top-performing product. Proposed guidelines from the Federal trade Commission will further regulate what’s allowed in such endorsements. The celebs’ informal mentions of products in media appearances or  blogs will also be regulated for the first time.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you’re sending your kids off to school in September, see the many smart buys we’re collected into our recently published Back-to-School Appliance-Buying Guide.