I was checking out some roasting pans in a kitchen supply store and noticed that in the attached little booklet there's a warning about dishwashers. Yes, you can put this pan into the dishwasher, but it's not a good idea, the warning essentially said. The pan will get pits, and it will discolour.
The dishwasher warnings seem to be popping up on more and more cookware. And some things should clearly have the warning, instead of pretending that they're dishwasher safe. I whined in the past, for example, about the plastic parts for our food processor. Dishwasher safe, the manual said. So I stupidly put them in the dishwasher. And they cracked. The edges of a cheap set of bowls got rough and bumpy thanks to the dishwasher. Same thing is happening to some of our plates.
And I notice that in the user comment area of the small appliances section over at amazon.ca, some folks are rueing their decision to put appliance parts in the dishwasher. Rough words here about the sturdiness of a $69 popcorn popper that's supposed to be dishwasher safe.
Dishwashers essentially sandblast to get dishes clean - that's what the gritty detergent is for. So, I guess we shouldn't be surprised if our dishes come out with a sandblasted look.
I'm brushing up on the art of handwashing.
- - -
Tao Las Vegas - in Las Vegas - is one of the busiest restaurants in America, serving around 1,400 meals on a Saturday night. The Wall Street Journal has a story about some of things the restaurant does to serve that many meals while keeping standards high. There's plenty of advance preparation. The place is staffed around the clock even though it only serves dinner. Everything is cut to portion size well in advance of the dinner rush. Some things are partially cooked. And, to create a "spark," the restaurant invites local women to spend Thursday evenings there, giving them free drinks and appetizers. (Story might end up behind paywall.)
- - -
mouseplanet.com has The Top Ten Things to Eat at Disney World. I had the Dole pineapple whip at Disneyland, and can agree that it deserves to be in the top 10.
- - -
A piece at the age.com, based in Melbourne, Australia, sings the praises of cafés, as opposed to restaurants. Cafés are more easy-going, you're more free do what you want, dress as you like, wander from table to table, says writer Jill Dupleix.
- - -
