Dishwashers

[Italiancook]

I had a dishwasher repair person here. I told him I use my dishwasher at least once a day, twice a day on most days, and sometime three times a day. He was surprised. He said most people use their dishwasher only once a day.

Just curious -- how often do you use your dishwasher in a day?

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[BakerAunt]

My husband and I are unusual in that we do not have a mechanical dishwasher and do not want one. I have several sets of older dishes, and they will not tolerate dishwasher soaps that are designed to eat food residue off the dish. I also do not want to give up the cabinet space. My husband and I do the dishes by hand, and with only two of us here, it goes fast. Of course, if we have people over, there will be more dishes (sometimes a lot more!).

[Mike Nolan]

We average less than a load a day, since there's just two of us now. I'm probably more inclined to hand-wash pots and pans, so that lowers the average some. When our younger son was still living with us, we probably averaged about a load a day, when our older son and his family are visiting we probably do two loads a day.

Of course when I do serious cooking (or as I call it, committing kitchen), I can create a couple loads of dirty pots. I made Boeuf Bourguignon on Sunday, with braised pearl onions, mushrooms, and spaetzle, so that takes at least 5 pans and several bowls, plus more bowls for the leftovers. The cast iron pot doesn't go in the dishwasher, everything else usually does.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Interesting... We do about a load a day - we're a family of five.

We hand wash pots and pans. I guess they are dishwasher safe but we still hand wash them.

I also hand wash most of our metal mixing bowls. Yes they can be put in the machine but dishwashers are not designed for bowls and I find it easier to just use my hands.

When we have people visiting we'll usually do two loads a day.

[luvpyrpom]

As it's just my mother and I, we use the dishwasher about once or twice a year. Plus, with my mother's alzheimers, she likes the routine of handwashing dishes. She always interrupts the dishwasher's drying time so it's just easier to handwash.

[cwcdesign]

With just two of us, we run it every 2 or 3 days - we wash the pots and pans and prep dishes by hand. You know I've been cooking up a storm when I pull out the dish rack instead of letting them dry on a towel.

[Joan Simpson]

Just two of us we usually run it every 3 days,all pots & pans & cast iron hand washed and dried.I usually wash up small things as I'm cooking.

[Italiancook]

Hmmm . . . your responses make me wonder what I do to run the dishwasher every day let alone more than once a day, but I do. Skillets and dutch ovens are the only items that are washed by hand. Thanks for your responses.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook: Clearly you are cooking and baking more than the rest of us! (Make that your story and stick with it!)

[Italiancook]

I laughed out loud when I read your response, BakerAnut. Thanks for starting my day off the right way!

Seriously, I don't believe I cook or bake more than the rest of you. I don't know from where all these dirty dishes come. Knowing me, I'll probably create a log to record when I run the dishwasher and what's in it. I think the difference between y'all and myself is that I'm lazier -- I don't want to wash anything by hand that can safely be put in the dishwasher.

[RiversideLen]

I've never enjoyed doing dishes. About a year or so ago when my dishwasher decided to retire and I was waiting for the new one to arrive I was surprised just how fast dishes pile up. I run mine about every 2 days but sometimes once a day if I have bulky pots in there. For what it's worth, a modern dishwasher is very stingy with water.

[Italiancook]

RiversideLen, I'm glad you mentioned water usage. I've always thought I'd use more water by doing the dishes by hand. My grandmother was a nurse, before dishwashers became a staple. She would not fill a sink with clear water for rinsing the dishes. She thought that put germs on the dishes. She washed them in a sink of soapy water then had me rinse them under running hot water over the other side of the sink. I always thought that wasted a lot of water. So when I made the decision to be a dishwasher fanatic, I told myself I'd save water. That probably wasn't true with the machines on the market in the early years of my homemaking, but I think it's true now.

[BakerAunt]

It probably does depend on dishwashing technique. My husband likes to run the water and use soap individually on dishes. (I do not like his method.) I use a small amount of hot soapy water in a dish pan and wash some dishes, then turn on the water (cold is fine) to rise them before putting them in a rack. When I'm baking, I try to work as I go, so that I'm not looking at an enormous pile by the end of the baking adventure.

Riverside Len: It's good to see you posting--perhaps taking out time from watching the Cubs?

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.

[RiversideLen]

Thank you BakerAunt. I know I haven't been active here for a little while. Ah yes, the CUBS, it's been a wonderful season, actually the past two seasons. I thoroughly enjoyed the regular season but post season has me stressed, lol. I consider just getting to the World Series a major victory but I really want them to win it all. I have a sister in law in Toledo who used to live in Cleveland so naturally she is strong for the Tribe. In a few days one of us will be walking on air and the other will be bummed out.

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