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107 Comments
[email protected]
March 16, 2023
I don’t use plastic much in my kitchen. If it can’t go in the dishwasher, I won’t use it. Seems to me impossible to get rid of dish detergent smell from plastic, especially if grease is involved.
Laura L.
March 15, 2023
Vintage PYREX! I have always hand washed my primary bowl set for nearly 40 years, but made the mistake of putting Butterprint pieces from my husband's family in the dishwasher, and now they have DWD (dishwasher damage). Don't make my mistake - PYREX prices are now astronomical!
Gina G.
March 1, 2021
Pls do not put any item with a rubber gasket in, something like the lid for your Sous Chef or glass storage jar or blender cover or blade seal. They warp or melt and never seal properly. And you won’t believe what a lengthy and expensive hassle it can be to replace that Sous Chef lid!
BoulderGalinTokyo
February 28, 2021
After years of helping exchange students and other foreign language learners I really have to teach dishWASHER soap and Dish washing liquid as soon as they move in. One lady filled the dishwasher soap holder and she had bubbles throughout her entire living room!
Alex S.
February 28, 2021
When I shared an apartment with my college-aged brother, and we ran out of dishwasher soap, we sometimes tried to use a tiny amount of powdered laundry soap. It could cause the same disastrous results as the lady and her living room. Those excess suds really cleaned the kitchen floor though!
Nkolew
December 1, 2020
Sooooo, then basically nothing in your kitchen can go in the dishwasher? The designers should probably change the designs of dishwashers then.
Melissa
August 21, 2020
Silver As in actual "silver" ware
Caroline L.
March 2, 2021
Silver is fine to go in the dishwasher if you follow the rules - no lemon detergent, no heated try, don't let it touch anything stainless steel. Some people don't put the knives in because of the glue holding the blade and handle together, but it takes a very very long time for that to be an issue.
If it's the difference between using it and leaving it in storage, I absolutely encourage people to wash sterling in the dishwasher. Estate silver expert Beverly Bremer gives it the OK, which is good enough for me. It can get a little cloudy over time, but no faster than it would take to tarnish - so I'm happy to polish it off when that time comes.
If it's the difference between using it and leaving it in storage, I absolutely encourage people to wash sterling in the dishwasher. Estate silver expert Beverly Bremer gives it the OK, which is good enough for me. It can get a little cloudy over time, but no faster than it would take to tarnish - so I'm happy to polish it off when that time comes.
Miche
March 7, 2023
I read something of the sort shortly after I inherited my grandmother's silver and started putting it in the dishwasher. It soon started looking terrible and needed a lot of polishing, which is much more onerous that washing. It's relatively easy to handwash flatware, and I highly recommend it for sterling.
Nancy
March 12, 2023
Another way I learned to safely wash silver in the dishwasher is WITHOUT any stainless steel in the same load.
Marla K.
December 29, 2019
I put both my box grater and microplane in the dishwasher, no problem with either.
I also put my wooden utensils in the dishwasher on the top rack. They're cheap enough, so that when one warps and breaks, I can easily replace it.
I also put those 'disposable' storage containers and Tupperware in the dishwasher, again top rack only.
Why have the damn thing, if you're not going to use it?
I also put my wooden utensils in the dishwasher on the top rack. They're cheap enough, so that when one warps and breaks, I can easily replace it.
I also put those 'disposable' storage containers and Tupperware in the dishwasher, again top rack only.
Why have the damn thing, if you're not going to use it?
J
December 31, 2022
I agree, Marla. For box grater, microplane, or the several types of mesh sieves/colanders I use, I just brush off the goop with a scrubbing brush under warm water before I put it in the dishwasher: do this before the goop dries. For plastic food storage containers, the dishwasher is preferable because everything will be far more sanitary than with hand-washing, and sanitized containers are essential for safe food storage. Finally, my wooden spoons and spades, most of which I’ve owned for decades, always go in the dishwasher. Their micro nooks and crannies also need the dishwasher’s sanitization, which simply can’t be achieved with hand washing.
Miche
March 7, 2023
I agree! Wooden spoons never feel really clean if washed by hand. I have a decades-old wooden spoon that has been exclusively dishwasher washed and never split or broken.
Pheline
May 17, 2023
I recall a discussion online years ago where people from humid places said well… if you make sure your wooden stuff dries, it's probably ok while those of us from dry areas said, well … if you oil your wood when it gets too dry you can probably wash it in the dishwasher.
I'd rather make sure my wood tools are genuinely clean than keep them out of the dishwasher for worry about hypothetical damage.
My baking stones … I always wiped them off with a damp cloth as soon as I removed the food and they were great. My partner, OTOH, I don't know what he does but I don't think he does anything with them and they look terrible. I'm thinking of putting them in the dishwasher with baking soda and see if that helps. I'm not sure if detergent is a good idea though.
I'd rather make sure my wood tools are genuinely clean than keep them out of the dishwasher for worry about hypothetical damage.
My baking stones … I always wiped them off with a damp cloth as soon as I removed the food and they were great. My partner, OTOH, I don't know what he does but I don't think he does anything with them and they look terrible. I'm thinking of putting them in the dishwasher with baking soda and see if that helps. I'm not sure if detergent is a good idea though.
arcane54
December 25, 2019
The cloisonné brasswork your grandfather picked up in the Middle East when he was a merchant seaman in the 1940s. Just. Don’t.
jpriddy
October 20, 2019
Reading through comments, I would add simple advice: Do not allow guests to "help" by loading the dishwasher. They will put things in that you do not washed as well as loading the dishwasher in ways you do not want it loaded. I recall a serious argument when a friend insisted on putting my wooden spoons in the dishwasher and I took them back out. Now we just say no-thank-you to people who offer to help.
Liz C.
December 29, 2019
Your comment reminded me of a story. My grandmother got a dishwasher before the rest of the family. It wasn't until I moved out that anyone else had one. So the next time we were all cleaning up after dinner I loaded the dishwasher. My mother and aunts all stood back and held their breath. I didn't know but apparently, my grandmother never let anyone load the dishwasher. I passed :)
ThePickledFig
March 1, 2021
Everyone definitely has their way to "best stack a dishwasher". The University of Birmingham even codified these bitter arguments in a paper too! They found 42% of people reload their dishwasher because they believe it is done incorrectly. IMO, it is easier to designate who in the family loads it and leave it at that. When I go to my parents house, my mom loads it; when she is at my place she knows I load it. We are both horrified by how we each load our machines (for example, I am not in the camp of overstacking a dishwasher - all items must easily be hit by water; my mom, however, fills every space available before running!). Agreed, it's also ok at to tell guests no to helping or, if quiet spoken, just reload after they leave - no rule the dishwasher must be run after loading =) Honestly when it comes down to it, everyone has items they are ok or not okay going into the dishwasher. For example, the cheap wooden spoons I get at HomeGoods go straight into the dishwasher because they are easy to replace. The pricey and unique wood serving piece that I want to last for years is hand washed.
Roberta
October 18, 2019
Don't wash stainless steel and sterling silver in the same load. Better yet, don't put sterling silver in the dishwasher.
pat
October 18, 2019
salad spinners-
Barbara R.
October 29, 2019
Why not? Just curious what might happen to the salad spinner. It seems like it might be okay?
pat
October 29, 2019
mine says do not wash in Dishwasher.. but additionally i try to avoid putting anything plastic in the dishwasher: i saw this: The chemicals found in certain plastics can be harmful to kids when heated. ... Because heat can cause plastics to leak BPA into our food, the AAP suggests not microwaving food or drink (including infant formula and breast milk) in plastic and to avoid putting plastics in the dishwasher altogether
Liz C.
December 29, 2019
Yes, I'd really like to know how much of the toxins found in our water system came from washing plastics in dishwashers. BPA, formaldehyde, etc.
liz S.
October 18, 2019
Other no-no's include anything with gold rims: the detail on my glass salad bowl almost disappeared after a friend dw'd it without asking me.
leslie F.
October 17, 2019
Anything that has candle wax on it!—the little plates, the glassware candlesticks, any and everything that our lovely wax candles dripped upon LOVES the high heat of dishwashers and spreads a lovely wax coating on every, single, wingle thing in your dishwasher. And once gone through dryer mode, it’s all nearly impossible to clean off.
So do not put candle wax in the dishwasher. (And while we’re on it, not the washer either. Creates a similar nightmare.)
So do not put candle wax in the dishwasher. (And while we’re on it, not the washer either. Creates a similar nightmare.)
Fred K.
October 17, 2019
I read through all the comments looking for this additional reason to never put aluminum in the dishwasher: little bits of it will migrate to china and remain there, waiting to be laboriously scrubbed off!!!
kat
October 17, 2019
How about all the things I put in the dishwasher?? I took a small cat carrier apart and ran it through my dw. Perfect! Also I have some sandals that are made of some extruded plastic/or other strange lightweight material--they are great to run through dw after a trip to Mexico.
AlwaysLookin
October 17, 2019
You should FLAG this, 'not for experienced cooks' ... most aren't this silly to think they should wash these items in a Dishwasher.
Janet C.
October 18, 2019
You would be surprised what experienced cooks don't know. I have a friend that would think nothing of doing most of the above and she's been cooking for decades. Yes, she lives under a rock, but then I have another friend who argued with me about how many tsps make up a T. She's also been cooking for years. I bought her a conversion chart.
Pheline
May 17, 2023
Hence my reference to the know-it-all who apparently thought her black grime-covered griddle was seasoned and not just icky.
t
October 17, 2019
Not sure on the advice on not washing Cast Iron pans w soap. My Grandmother is 96 years old and the pans she has were her grandmother's and we have been washing them with Soap for years...still the best cooking pans.
Must be the " new and improved " Cast Iron pans...
No matter, they last lifetimes !
Must be the " new and improved " Cast Iron pans...
No matter, they last lifetimes !
Irene
December 29, 2019
Have always washed my Cast Iron with soap. Just need to put on the stove top on high heat to dry, rub with oil and you're good to go!
Drew
March 16, 2023
The advice to never wash cast iron with soap comes from the days when dish soap was often lye-based and would strip the seasoning right off. Today, going over it with mild detergent is fine, just add a quick coat of oil to maintain the seasoning afterwards.
That said, I'm pretty sure the conditions in a dishwasher would de-season your cast iron like it was never there to begin with, and add a high likelihood of rusting if you don't immediately pull the pan out and dry it when the cycle is done.
That said, I'm pretty sure the conditions in a dishwasher would de-season your cast iron like it was never there to begin with, and add a high likelihood of rusting if you don't immediately pull the pan out and dry it when the cycle is done.
Pheline
May 17, 2023
I wish a dishwasher would strip the seasoning, but it doesn't, at least not when I've wanted it to. I've bought cast iron that smelled bad, probably from the never wash with soap “rule,” and tried to use a dishwasher to strip it. I don't recall everything I did, but a single cycle wasn't sufficient to save the suffering pan from nasty seasoning.
I also dealt with a griddle “seasoned” with the “allow it to be coated w/blackened grime technique,” which didn't come off readily either. Eventually, I managed to chip through the layers so water could reach the surface and lift it, uncovering pristine cast iron. Never underestimate what someone who “knows” everything will do when they don't, like coating a pan with old eggs, onions, and vegetable oil and dubbing it seasoned.
Using drying oil, which means the oil cross-links, not that it physically evaporates, is supposed to be the easiest way to season cast iron. The best oils are, IIRC, flax and old-school lard. Olive oil works, too, as will most, but not as easily. Apply thin coats after heating, and you'll build up hard layers. At some point, you can start using the pan, but it won't be as nonstick as a thoroughly seasoned pan. If you add oil to a cold pan and don't heat it, you can wind up with a sticky mess.
I don't treat my tools as so precious I won't make them work for me, so I have no problem breaking the rules. I've always washed my cast iron as soon as I remove the food, so yes when it's hot. All I do is turn on the hot water, add a drop of soap, and give it a quick swirl with a brush or dishcloth, after which I put it upside down on the burner I just took it from. My cast iron is beautiful and rarely needs attention.
That's so cool you get to use your great-great-grandmother’s pans! They really are indestructible.
I also dealt with a griddle “seasoned” with the “allow it to be coated w/blackened grime technique,” which didn't come off readily either. Eventually, I managed to chip through the layers so water could reach the surface and lift it, uncovering pristine cast iron. Never underestimate what someone who “knows” everything will do when they don't, like coating a pan with old eggs, onions, and vegetable oil and dubbing it seasoned.
Using drying oil, which means the oil cross-links, not that it physically evaporates, is supposed to be the easiest way to season cast iron. The best oils are, IIRC, flax and old-school lard. Olive oil works, too, as will most, but not as easily. Apply thin coats after heating, and you'll build up hard layers. At some point, you can start using the pan, but it won't be as nonstick as a thoroughly seasoned pan. If you add oil to a cold pan and don't heat it, you can wind up with a sticky mess.
I don't treat my tools as so precious I won't make them work for me, so I have no problem breaking the rules. I've always washed my cast iron as soon as I remove the food, so yes when it's hot. All I do is turn on the hot water, add a drop of soap, and give it a quick swirl with a brush or dishcloth, after which I put it upside down on the burner I just took it from. My cast iron is beautiful and rarely needs attention.
That's so cool you get to use your great-great-grandmother’s pans! They really are indestructible.
Ray
October 17, 2019
Most melamine is labeled "not dishwasher safe" which makes it a non-starter for me. Sometimes I put my heavily soiled Bourgeat copper cookware in the dishwasher. The handles come out rusty, but I scrub the handles and exteriors of the pots and pans with Barkeepers Friend and wax the iron handles - poof, good as new. Never had any issue with graters, and some of them are decades old.
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