Non-stick cookwear in the dishwasher.... isn't that a no-no??

[revvinkevin]

Like many people, I own non-stick cookware and aside from the manufactures recommendation that it never put in the dishwasher, I have also heard the same elsewhere. The reason being the non-stick surface will be damaged by the harsh dishwashing detergents.

The reason I ask this question is, since first discovering AW.org the beginning of this year, I have seen numerous photos of dishwasher loads and a number of them have a non-stick pan or 2 in the load ready to go.

My thinking is.... if a non-stick pan or pot has been used properly (NEVER with high heat, but that is another thread), you should be able to clean "whatever it is" VERY easily by hand without resorting to scrubbing or putting it in the dishwasher. It is supposed to be non-stick after all......

What are your thoughts or what have you heard about this??? Thanks!

 

[sudsmaster]

I don't think the reason is that the non-stick coating will be damaged by the DW, but rather that the exterior surface (usually aluminum or anodized aluminum) could be damaged by the DW.

But I could be wrong on that. Maybe the bond between the metal and the teflon could be compromised by harsh dw detergents and very hot water. I tend to doubt it, though.

 

[sudsmaster]

From DuPont (makers of Teflon)

2. "Non-sticks should never go in the dishwasher."
We wouldn’t be doing our job if you couldn’t put all of our non-sticks in the dishwasher. While dishwashers are perfectly safe for our non-sticks, you should always check the manufacturer's care instructions to make sure the pan itself is dishwasher safe.

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache...tick+pans+dishwasher&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

 

[parunner58]

I put my Tefal in the dishwasher all the time. Here is what there website said

7 - Are all T-fal pans dishwasher safe?

Most T-fal cookware is dishwasher safe (check the use instructions that came with your pans). If you prefer to use the dishwasher please keep in mind that this is not a mild form of cleaning. The harsh detergents could dull the exterior finish of your cookware over time. You should re-season the cookware after frequent dishwasher use. (See question #2).

What I wish is that I could put my Calphalon Hard Anodized in. mine specifically says not to put it in.

 

[revvinkevin]

OK... that makes sense as I have Calphalon and their instructions specifically says not to put it in. I figured it was because of the Teflon coating (I had heard that somewhere).... so I stand corrected.

Thanks!

 

[selectomatic]

I never put kitchen knives or pots 'n' pans in the d

I've always heard that dishwashers weren't much good for such items, and besides pans take up too much room.

I have enough glasses, dishes, and flatware to get me through several days without running the dishwasher, but I often need to use the same pans and knives over and over during that time.

Also, the Calphalon thing. My roommate'd kill me if I put his Calphalon in the dishwasher. That or he'd stop cooking for me. That'd be worse.

-kevin

 

[sudsmaster]

Chef's and kitchen knives shouldn't go into the dishwasher for several reasons:

1) It can be dangerous to have sharp knives pointing up out of the cutlery tray.

2) The very hot water will dull the sharp edge.

3) The very hot water may warp the handle, and cause it to separate from the tang, allowing debris to enter and bacteria to grow.

Teflon coatings in and of themselves are safe for the dishwasher (see my quote from Dupont's list of non-stick myths above). The main concern is if the handles or exterior finishes can't take the very hot water and harsh very alkaline detergents. However, if you don't mind a dulled aluminum exterior finish, I've found that dishwashing doesn't ruin the basic functionality of such cookware. But I don't generally put cookware in the dishwasher because, as Selectomatic has pointed out, they take up too much room, and if you don't run the dishwasher every day they may be unavailable when you next need them.

 

[neptunebob]

Actually, my brother has a Cephalon pan that at first he would never put in the dishwasher but eventually it did go in and has been several times. It is no longer a dark color, but almost a bare aluminun color so I guess it did change the pain. The teflon coating is just fine though.

I would actually think the hot water and detergent would have no effect on the nonstick surface. Teflon was developed by Dupont for Manhattan Project, to be used inside pipes and equipment used to concentration uranium for the atomic bomb. It was the only material that would not be eaten away by the harsh chemical used at the time.

 

[danemodsandy]

Cookware and Dishwashers

In my experience (six years as a cooking teacher and housewares buyer), all cookware benefits from being cared for by hand. Some cookware types fare better than others in the dishwasher, but every type of cookware that is "safe" in the dishwasher suffers from impaired appearance and/or performance as a result of dishwasher washing.

Here's what's absolutely not okay to put in the dishwasher:

- Cast iron, unless completely coated with porcelain enamel.
- Anodised aluminium (Calphalon). The finish is fairly insensitive to acids, removing one of the main problems inherent in aluminium. But it's extremely sensitive to alkali, a major component of dishwasher detergent.
- Copper.

Here's what can be damaged more than you think in the dishwasher:

- Aluminium. It etches, as well as darkening. The darkening will affect heat transfer (making it absorb more heat), and etching will encourage foods (especially baked ones) to stick.
- Bakelite handles. These are made of phenolic resin and wood flour. The wood flour is an organic material, and dishwasher detergents are made to dissolve organic material. Now you know why Bakelite handles get so dull and etched in the dishwasher.
- Pyrex and Pyroceram (real, vintage Corning Ware). Dishwasher detergents often do an incomplete job of removing burned-on grease, leading to hot spots where the dark grease build-up is. And the alkali in dishwasher detergent etches the bejabbers out of Pyrex, especially the coloured stuff like vintage Cinderella bowls.
- Stainless steel. Same as for Pyrex and Pyroceram, but with the added problem that dishwasher detergents don't do a good job of removing starch film (the white film that remains after you cook starchy foods like rice). Starch film promotes sticking.

Teflon itself is very okay in the dishwasher, but the base material of the cookware may be affected, as has been noted by other posters.

Basically, conscientious hand care of cookware is the best way to get the most out of it- cookware that looks like new cooks like new, is what I used to tell students. If you don't want to do that, then looking for cookware that is as little affected by dishwashers as possible is the best way to go. Or you can just accept that your cookware may not perform as well as it might, and enjoy your work savings. It's really an individual preference.

 

[frigilux]

I put non-stick pans in the dishwasher all the time. Haven't noticed any degradation.

Other non-stick items, like muffin tins, for instance, don't much like the dishwasher. The non-stick surface will peel, eventually.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Calphalon and similar cookware exteriors will change color over time in the dishwasher. It develops an almost white, cloudy, pasty looking appearance that can't be removed. I can't speak for its performance as I really don't notice any difference in how it cooks but others may have had different experiences.

LeCrueset and stainless and Corning Ware do fine in the dishwasher....have had my sets for years (Corning Ware going on 40 years now), and they still look great. Thing to watch out for with LeCrueset is the weight of the pots can actually damage the dishwasher racks and tines, especially cheaply constructed racks.

Be careful with pots that have wood handles attached with screws. The dishwasher will cause those screws to rust and the wood handles to eventually fade, dry and crack. Older LeCrueset with wood handles really aren't dishwasher or broiler safe, like newer LeCrueset.

Since I always manage to cut myself handwashing knives, they all go in the DW now. Less blood spilled this way!! They are Sheffield knives from the 1970's, and still look perfect in every way. Buy you're not going to get that from all knives, and wood handled knives, like wooden spoons, really should be hand washed. My Cusinart santoku knife definitely dulled a bit from use and dishwashing, and just doesn't look as good after only 9 months of use as does my 30+ year old knife set.

 

[Hometechdoc]

I put everything in

The only itmes in my kitchen that don't go in the dishwasher is my cast iron skillet, and a wooden cutting board. I put Calphalon in, both with and withoug a florocarbon finish. I also put in the Vera Wang wedgewood and waterford, as well. I also have some wooden bowl for Ceasar Salad that does not go in either. I am more concerned about time and if I have it I want to use it and I hate washing dishes by hand.

 

[sudsmaster]

I recall back in the 70's an incident where a housewife died as a result of a chef's knife placed in the flatware basket on a front loading dishwasher. The door was down, the bottom rack was out, and she tripped over the family dog and fell onto the sharp knife.

If you don't mind resharpening your knives after every cleaning, or if you don't mind dull knives, then I guess dishwashing is ok, esp if the handles are Santoprene and relatively impervious to harsh washing.

Alkali dishwashing detergents should not etch stainless steel. However the chlorine in older DW detergents might pose a slight problem, if it is not rinsed away (as in an interrupted cycle or a defective dishwasher. But since top of the line dishwashers are made with stainless steel interiors, and we wash stainless flatware all the time in them, I doubt very much that run-of-the-mill stainless cookware should have any problem in a dw, regardless of detergent era. However I have to laugh when I see a dishwasher with a "pot scrubber" setting. To really get a pot clean, one must scrub by hand, or use powerful chemicals that are not allowed in a dishwasher (lye, or other grease dissolvers).

I have noticed that the newer enzyme dw detergents do a much better job of removing starchy foods, like rice, than the older chlorinated dw detergents. The one food item that seems to stick like glue and resist even repeated dishwashing is mashed avocado or guacamole. That stuff is very good for you health-wise, but it could probably be used to install glass in windows. When I have a spoon used for mashed avocado, I handwash it.

Also have some older Magnalite cookware. Don't use it much anymore, but I put the lids (heavy solid cast/machined aluminum) and they did dull/discolor. Work just as good, just not as pretty as before. I believe it's the phosphates in dw detergent that are most active in attacking aluminum (they see it as dirt to be gotten rid of).

 

[petek]

I put everything in the dishwasher otherwise I don't want it. I have all sorts/makes of non-stick, Calphalon, TFal, etc and never had any problems

 

[neptunebob]

But Rich, would knives in a restaurant have to be washed in a dishwasher to be sanitary? I only worked at a fast food, and even though we didnt' have a dishwasher (used the wash/rinse/sanitize sinks) the owner bought cheap knives, knowing they would never last long.

 

[sudsmaster]

A professional chef keeps his knives well sharpened at all times and secured and most likely would never allow them to be put into a dishwasher. They are his personal tools of the trade. I can't speak for greasy spoon or fast food restaurants, though. But putting a good knife through a dishwasher can create crevices and cavities between the handle and the metal, creating a contamination problem where there was none before. A good knife will also have a full tang and a ground heel to the blade, so that food is deflected away from the handle (and hand) in the first place. The metal itself is quite cleanable and simple hot water and soap will sanitize it.

In the hands of a professional, a dull knife is considered a dangerous knife. It must be sharp to cut in the direction you want it to cut, with a minimum of pressure and effort. A dull knife must be forced, and will follow some internal feature instead of going where you want it to, and that's where slips and accidents can happen. A good knife should also be cleaned immediately after use, and not left sitting around waiting for the next DW run. If you let it sit around then food will dry and stick to it, potentially causing staining, corrosion, pitting.

 

[andrewinorlando]

I have to laugh when I see a dishwasher with a "pot scr

Rich, I don't know man....I've been washing pots and pans in the dishwasher for decades, and I can say they clean as well in there as I can do by hand. Except for burned on stuff, which a dishwasher may not always get clean, I've never seen the need to wash pots and pans by hand because a good dw should clean just fine. Granted, I've pretty much always had TOL dishwashers, but have not scrubbed anything by hand in I can't remember how long. The only exception may be a burned, nasty broiler pan, but pots, rarely, unless I really burned something. I also don't have problems with heavy starches like rice, potatoes, oatmeal, or baked on cheese, either, unless of course it burns. But even some of those burned on soils surprisingly come out, or just require light cleaning with a wet dishcloth after the cycle. Ain't no dishpan hands in this house!! Proper loading is, of course, essential to good cleaning of pots and pans. Actually, did a large pot load tonite and thankfully, everything came out spotless. Some of it may depend on the type of water you have in your area...hard, soft, moderate, very hard...can affect your results, even with glassware.

 

[neptunebob]

Yes, it was a fast food, the roast beef sandwich that has "I'm thinking" as the tag line. The roasts we used were not a solid piece of meat but a pressed meat. That is pieces of meat that were pressed together. I'm not saying it is not good but that something is holding it together and it is not good for one's waistline. Most of the employees were lazy kids who would do things like sit in the drive thru so that the person pulling up would see their rear. So of course, they bought cheap knives and mostly we used them to cut buns, the meat was cut with electric slicer (A Hobart unit that I understand cost $20,000). BTW, Wolfgang Puck has a set of all metal stainless steel cookware on QVC. I have it and it goes in the dishwasher. Since it is all metal, no problem with the handles. As for nonstick, I guess if Teflon could resist uranium hexafloride (see Rich I know big words too!)gas in the Manhattan Project, I don't see how a dishwasher would bother it.

 

[laundromat]

Silverstone interior/stainless steel cookware(Chef's Cho

Fourteen years ago,I went to GAYFERS (Now known as DILLARDS)and bought a beautiful 11 piece set of cookware.It came with a lifetime gauranty and,after 7 years of normal use,some of the interiors had worn out from other people using metal spatulas instead of plastic.I still had my receipt and returns the set to Dillards.They,without a question,replaced my entire set and because it was less than what I originally paid for it,they credited the difference which gave me enough credit to buy a deep frying skillet(12")that matched.I still have them and if anything I use Pam to pretreat the non-stick feature but not always and I DO wash them in my dishwasher and they come out sparlong loke the day they were bought.I haven't seen them lately but when I would sell new ranges to customers especially the ceramic top models,I would send them to Dillard's specifying which set to but.They retailed for $149 for an 11 piece set and were sometimes on sale for $99.

 

[sudsmaster]

I am slowly changing over to all-stainless cookware. I prefer stainless for steaming vegetables, making soups, etc. However I can't argue that nonstick is very good if not better for griddles, frying and omelet pans, etc. And I like the heavy steel non-stick coated Hofritz bakeware set I got at Costco a few years back.