I would never put them in the dishwasher, no matter what the vendor recommended. How long does it take to wash silver? My husband and I have used sterling flatware, and only sterling flatware, every meal we've eaten since the day we were married -- as our kids have, every meal they've ever eaten at home, from the day they started feeding themselves. It's not that hard. We're as busy as anyone I know. ;o)

Hi there! This is Laura with Food52 customer care. Great question—these will tarnish over time, which is natural with silver-plated items. As someone else mentioned, they do need to be polished every now and then to keep them spiffy. They are dishwasher safe, as well, so you're all good there. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have any other questions. Thank you!

All silver will tarnish over time and will require a silver polish to restore its luster, although frequently used items (i.e., near daily use) may tarnish very little.

You can wash silverplated items in the dishwasher, but don't combine with stainless steel items in the same load. The dishwashing soap will release some of the silver ions which will transfer to the stainless steel items, irreparably ruining both sets.

Personally, I find running separate loads for each type of metal to be a hassle, so I just hand wash silver.