Do Not Put These Thanksgiving Dinnerware and Serving Utensils in the Dishwasher
With Thanksgiving comes a lot of cooking, and with a lot of cooking comes a lot of dirty dishes. The average home cook already knows that some utensils just aren’t dishwasher safe , but what about those special items that only get handed out on big holidays?
Here’s what not to wash in the dishwasher after a big meal.
Hand-painted glassware or crystal glassware
The fine cutlery and dainty teacups you pull out for trendy sit-down dinners shouldn’t be next to the dishwasher. According to Apartment Therapy , crystal is more sensitive to heat than regular glass, so even if you’re on the logic that other glassware will do fine in the dishwasher, you’re playing a risky game. If heat doesn’t crack it, detergents can be abrasive and wear down glass, and dishwashers can also strip paint from your hand-painted pieces.
Copper and silver
According to Whirlpool , copper and silver are on the list of things that can’t be washed in the dishwasher. Copper can pit and discolour, and silver can tarnish or chemically react. Stick to hand washing for them.
Tin and aluminum
If, for any reason, you want to reuse the disposable aluminum utensils you used to cook the turkey in, you will have to wash them by hand. According to Today , not only can hot water stain the surface and dull the surface of single-use molds, but small ones (like the one you use for pie) can leave marks on other items if moved around during the cycle.
Something golden
If you have gold-rimmed plates or gold-colored cutlery, don’t put them in the dishwasher either. According to Apartment Therapy , your more fragile gold items can shatter, and even the sturdy gold forks and knives you hold dear can change color after being washed in the dishwasher many times. Again, hand wash only.
All that is isolated
If you use insulated travel mugs or thermoses for food leftovers, they can’t make it through the washing machine after you’re done with them, or you risk breaking their vacuum seal and damaging the insulation inside, according to Whirlpool.
Printed measuring cups
Today also cautions against placing printed measuring cups in the dishwasher after cooking. One cycle may not damage them, but repeated exposures to heat and pressure can damage the outside of the numbers, rendering them useless.