Choosing A Dishwasher
from Italian Traditional Food

Choose the right dishwasher

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Dishwasher owners can't imagine how they ever managed without them. People who don't own a dishwasher swear that its quicker to wash up by hand (true), that dishwashers don't get dishes clean (false), that by the time you have prepared the plates you could have washed up yourself (false - you don't have to clear up scraps more than you would before washing up in the ordinary way).

Dishwasher choice

There are more than sixty different dishwashers on the market, costing from about £95 to well over £300, depending on the size of machine and number of washing programmes it performs.

The average price is between £120 and £170. Outlined below are some of the general factors to be considered before buying a machine.

First things first

You must first check the plumbing and power points in your kitchen - you need a 13 or 15 amp power point. Dishwasher machines need not be permanently plumbed in, but they must be near a water supply (usually the cold tap if the machine heats its own water), and near a sink or drain so they can drain away.

If you live in a flat or bungalow you should check that the water pressure is right for the machine. And, of course you will want to fit the machine into your kitchen, or build it into a unit, so measurements are also important.

Unless you heat your water by off-peak electricity there is no great advantage in having the machine operating off the hot-water supply, although the washing operation will take less time than if it were heating the water, and the dishwasher itself will use less electricity. But if you have a copious and inexpensive amount of hot water, you may save on electricity if you can use some of it for the machine.

The holes of washing jets can get blocked with scale from time to time, so if you live in a hard-water area it may be worth using a chemical water softener, or installing one (which could add considerably to the cost of the dishwasher), or choose a more expensive model with a built-in softener.

You will also have to look at your crockery and find you have to match your dishwasher to your dishes - or buy new dishes. When dinner plates are over ten inches in diameter, for example, some machines will take only a limited number, or none at all; with heavy hand-organ pottery a full load may be more than the machine can cope with efficiently. Elegant, tall-stemmed glassware could have a high rate of breakage because of toppling over if not fitted in exactly the right position.

All this sounds a lot of trouble, but it is worth buying carefully and taking time, rather than feeling resentful because the machine does not do what you had expected.

Operating the dishwasher

The most popular type of dishwasher is front-opening, in which case you can use the top as a work surface, or build the machine in. Top-opening types are also available. The snag with the former type is that in some models the dropdown door makes it difficult to get at the jets and filters, etc., for cleaning; so it is a good idea to get the shop to go through the instruction book with you and demonstrate what is involved in regular maintenance.

On the other hand, front opening machines are usually easier to load, particularly if they are built in above knee-level.

With fully automatic machines there is a choice of washing programmes, from lightly dirty dishes to really dirty dishes. These may take up to an hour and forty minutes to complete, most of the time being taken to heat the water, when the machine is silent.

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