Why using the dishwasher is the latest cooking phenomenon
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The oven has long been the conventional cooking method of choice, but how about using the dishwasher?
Using a dishwasher to cook meals has become an increasingly popular cooking technique, and the results are reportedly surprisingly good.
Italian food writer Lisa Casali has said that food can be cooked within a normal dishwasher cycle as long as it is tightly sealed.
According to Casali if the food is contained in a vacuum packed bag or an airtight container it will not be touched by the dishwasher tablets or dirt from the crockery.
She says that the method is enviromentally friendly because it enables you to clean your dishes while cooking at the same time.
Casali has herself written a book about the idea called "Cucinare in lavastoviglie" translated as "Cooking in the dishwasher” and posted several videos of her demonstrating the technique online.
Watch video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMqU5eMn7GU
According to the Telegraph's Xanthe Clay, the best food to cook in the dishwasher is fish because it steams in the heat of the water.
The dishwasher works similarly to a steam oven, and while some foods can be cooked on an 'eco setting', most will need more heat to cook properly.
Salmon requires a relatively low temperature to cook through but raw meat, such as medium rare beef, needs to get to a temperature of nearly 50 degrees.
This would make a dish like lasagne, a popular choice for dishwasher cooks, more difficult to get right.
Plenty of amateur cooks have tried it however, as the increasing number of dishwasher recipes posted online show.
Casali's own recipes for dishwasher dishes include couscous, veal, sea bass and apple pie.