Some Thoughts on Dishwashers

Truth be told, I really don’t care about dishwashers. The less I have to do with them the better. I like to cook, not clean. On the other hand (pun intended) life sure would be a lot tougher without them. Just think of all those poor ladies who suffered from the pain and torment of Dishpan Hands. At least they had Madge and Palmolive. Where were their husbands? I guess they were in the den playing Stratego with the kids.

Anyhow, seeing that this is Kitchen Week (!), I guess I’d better address the convenience of dishwashers. The things that you need to think about are as follows:

First, is the dishwasher quiet? We do so much entertaining in the kitchen nowadays. You want to the music to be loud, not the dishwasher. (Which shouldn’t be running during a party anyway – more on that later.)

GE’s Caf?© Line – for cooks who entertain

Second, choose an energy efficient model. Most dishwashers, including the less-expensive versions, have addressed this issue and even include a delay feature so the wash runs at night when water is less expensive.

Fisher & Paykel’s innovative dish-drawer system. I like it.

Finally, here’s a little tip from me. No matter what dishwasher I own, I never allow my guests to help me clean up. The kitchen may look like a tornado. I don’t care. I wait until everyone leaves, do the dishes and weave my way to bed. I’d like to live under the delusion that this should allow me to skate on having to help anyone else with their dishes. Unfortunately, I’m forced to live in reality. But! Perhaps if enough of us apply my rule, maybe it will become a trend and we’ll all be saved. My dishpan hands are hopeful.