I think it is the most misunderstood appliance in the home. Sure it washes dishes and all, but its primary purpose is to store dirty dishes and keep them out of site. That’s why it’s there. We have hundreds of visitors, drop-overs and neighbors in and out of our kitchen. But here’s the deal. When you have a dirty dish, cup, knife, anything … you don’t even have to rinse it. Just open the dishwasher and find a slot. You have now completed your official duty toward said dirty item. Close that dishwasher door and walk away with pride. DO NOT leave alleged item in the sink or (heavens to Betsy) on the counter. No. No. No. What are ya thinking?
And now here’s something I just learned. Since we are selling our house, for someone unknown reason one of us thought it was necessary to buy a brand new dishwasher. Maybe to impress people? You ask if there was anything wrong with the (now) old dishwasher and there wasn’t. Listen, I don’t pry. Do as you want, well in most situations. So the guy installing the new one tells me never to rinse your plates or other items prior to putting them in the dishwasher. Why? Apparently the detergent needs something to attract it and activate it. Is this new? No. Is this popular knowledge. Well it wasn’t to me. Up until last week, I was a crazed pre-rinser. When I think my hands could look five or ten years younger had I known, I pop out another age spot.
So there ya go. Dirty stuff goes directly inside the unit. It’s as simple as that. Leaving it in the sink is unsatisfactory. Store it and leave.
Now there are preferences for stacking dishes, but leave that up to the owner. If they take issue with your choice, they’ll fix it. I for one, ain’t that nuts. Just get it inside the thing. If something breaks, believe me we have about one hundred understudies per item just waiting to hit the performance stage.
So please, it can’t be any simpler. Don’t rinse. Open door. Stick it in. The technique cannot be any easier. However, be aware that for some reason the inside of my refrigerator is a showcase. There’s major protocol going on in there. So when you take something out, study its designated place. I’ve employed a color schematic, a label schematic, expiration date schematic, height and/or width schematic and more. Don’t piss me off. Like here’s a worst case scenario pour moi: you take out the pitcher of Crystal Lite, pour yourself a glass, return the pitcher with the spout pointing to the left instead of the right, then consume the goods and leave the glass in the sink.
You may as well just kick me in the nuts. Bonus point: leave the glass in the sink half full so if it’s knocked over it’s certain to shatter thanks to weight of excess liquid. Don’t test me please. You will never win.
PS: Regarding coffee cup or red wine rings left behind on my pristine white quartz countertop … as Jackie Gleason said to Alice … BANG – ZOOM!
PPS: Martha Stewart suggests you store your sponges inside the dishwasher. This way they’ll get sanitized every time you run it. With all the chaos in the world, give kitchen etiquette a chance.