OT - Dishwasher Review/update

The owner's manual shows regular old granulated dishwasher soap. The man at the store, and samples provided in the machine, recommended the packets/pellets so that's what I've switched to using. Detergent didn't seem to matter as much as the different scrubbing options.

Thanks for update on what a new dishwasher is like. We are going to be needing one sooner rather than later. The "prongy thingies" on the bottom rack are breaking off one by one but I figure as long as we can still stack plates we are ok. Quiet will be nice!! Allison

Is this one of those in which the drain screen is easily cleaned? That is a problem with our current dishwasher (broken).

Bev > Not sure that anyone remembers, or really cares, but we had quite a

... portion snipped ...

lly cares, but we had quite a

Bev, this has a self-cleaning disposer. No need to get in there to clean anything. One of the reasons I elected to get this model.

Howdy!

Wondering the same thing, Roberta. Quiet is good, from a dishwasher; clean dishes is must - after all, it's called a dish WASHER, right?

No more shopping at Sears for us; they don't service what they sell; I love the Bosch dishwasher: quiet, clean, easy to repair the soap dispenser once I found my own repairman. I'd go for the Bosch again, too. If only it were self-loading. ;-D

Meanwhile, as th> Did it recommend a particular type of soap? If you're using what you

We have terribly hard water here as well. Same thing with the film although I've never been able to remove it from any of the pieces that have become stained. The original model KitchenAid dishwasher we looked into did have a built-in water softener that needed specific salt added to it. Not sure if that was last year's model and they no longer do it or if we got last year's model and it's next year's that will have it. I add washing soda to my laundry detergent to get clothes clean. I've resisted so far having a whole house softener installed although I'm seriously considering it more and more. I really was hoping to not be in this house for the period of time that would make that kind of investment make sense. DH finally got a real job a couple of years ago so I guess I'll be here far longer than I really wanted. Guess it's time to seriously look into the softener.

I'll have to try another brand of dishwasher packets/pellets and see if there are any better results. I really think it's a product of our water, however.

We replaced our stove a few years ago and ended up with a Frigidair. Really like it. I think it has a 'sabbath mode' as well but since that wasn't a consideration for us didn't really pay attention as to how it works. I was just happy that the burners work; the oven seems to be properly calibrated and it has a CLOCK! Just because I have 2 others in the kitchen doesn't mean I didn't want the one one the stove to WORK!

Kim in snowy (again) NJ

A little trick I learned when we built several houses- have the water softener installed so the softened water goes right into your water heater intake- and that will make the installation cheap and easy, too, with very little supplies and labor needed. Soft water isn't good for drinking, cooking, watering plants, etc. But having it right before the hot water will give you soft hot water for laundry, washing, bathing, etc. and your water heater will last longer- and the small amount of hard cold water mixed in won't make much difference. And there is often room for the softener beside or above the water heater where you may not have the space where the water lines first come into the house. You can even adjust the amount of 'softness' to compensate for the hard cold water when using warm water. The only 'problem' with that is a cold water laundry load- it wouldn't be soft, but a small handful of softener pellets tossed into the washer will cover that one.

Leslie & The Furbabies > My newish GE oven has that Sabbath mode too. Seems to me like a cheater > way

We have terribly hard water here as well. Same thing with the film although I've never been able to remove it from any of the pieces that have become stained. The original model KitchenAid dishwasher we looked into did have a built-in water softener that needed specific salt added to it. Not sure if that was last year's model and they no longer do it or if we got last year's model and it's next year's that will have it. I add washing soda to my laundry detergent to get clothes clean. I've resisted so far having a whole house softener installed although I'm seriously considering it more and more. I really was hoping to not be in this house for the period of time that would make that kind of investment make sense. DH finally got a real job a couple of years ago so I guess I'll be here far longer than I really wanted. Guess it's time to seriously look into the softener.

I'll have to try another brand of dishwasher packets/pellets and see if there are any better results. I really think it's a product of our water, however.

We replaced our stove a few years ago and ended up with a Frigidair. Really like it. I think it has a 'sabbath mode' as well but since that wasn't a consideration for us didn't really pay attention as to how it works. I was just happy that the burners work; the oven seems to be properly calibrated and it has a CLOCK! Just because I have 2 others in the kitchen doesn't mean I didn't want the one one the stove to WORK!

Kim in snowy (again) NJ

Leslie, thanks for that heads up. I'll have to file that away in the brain that sometimes works. Not sure how soon this may happen but it does make sense. I wash w/warm water so laundry would not be an issue in any case.

My Dad, while being handy, also wanted Mom happy, which meant he had this figured out way back in 1973 when we moved north and built a new house. Cold water to the kitchen sink did not go through the softner. Don't ask me the particulars, but it was accomplished. Likewise in the next house, the same thing, but with the added extension to the refrigerator so that the automatic ice-maker had non-softened water and water dispenser.

He was a wise man.

Steven Alaska

On Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:49:04 -0600, Polly Esther wrote (in article ):

That bread proofer sounds great. I've tried to make bread, but getting it to rise is always a problem for me.

Maureen

Maureen, generally, if the yeast is handled correctly your dough will rise at almost any temp unless it's hot enough to kill the yeast or cold enough to make them inactive. It really isn't all that fussy altho there are optimum temps for the quickest rising and most consistent, uniform shape. If you haven't invested in a candy thermometer to check the water temp that would be my first suggestion. Homemade bread is one of life's delights!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

On Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:49:04 -0600, Polly Esther wrote (in article ):

That bread proofer sounds great. I've tried to make bread, but getting it to rise is always a problem for me.

Maureen

On Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:16:41 -0600, Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. wrote (in article ):

Hmm, I'll give it another try one of these days then. I love fresh bread.

Maureen

Our water softener is under the kitchen sink, where the water pipes come into the house. It is connected to the cold water pipe just after the junction to the kitchen cold tap so that cold water from there is not softened but all the water in the rest of the house is, so all appliances have softened water, and drinking water isn't softened.

Our softener takes brick sized salt blocks - much easier than the granules or pellets.

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk