Dishwasher Safe Cookware

Most people love dishwashers.  They make cleanup easy and tidy the kitchen all in one go.  However, some cookware is not safe to be used in the dishwasher. 

In order to give the sparkling clean finish that we have come to expect and love, the dishwasher has to use water at very high temperatures.  The cleaning agents need to be strong to deal with all that baked-on food.  On top of that, the drying cycle needs to be at a high heat so that our dishes don’t come out damp.

It is the combination of very hot water, strong cleaners and dry heat that can spoil the surface of cookware.  The surface is damaged because the cleaning agent can tarnish, remove or pitt it.

Repeated often enough, it can compromise the surface so much that food can start to stick and burn – and cleanup becomes even more difficult.

The general rule is that the following are NOT safe in a dishwasher

• Hard-Anodized Aluminum cookware

• Cookware with a Porcelain Enamel exterior

• Cookware with a Copper Bottom

• Plain Aluminum cookware

• Any cookware with wooden handles as they will split over time.

The following types of cookware ARE usually dishwasher safe

• Stainless Steel cookware (with or without non-stick coating).  This may be washed in the dishwasher but if repeated regularly, the exterior may become dulled by the detergents, leading to food sticking and burning.

• Hard-Anodized with titanium cookware.  This is dishwasher safe if you use a mild dishwashing detergent like Palmolive , Electrosol or Sunlight.  The water should not be hotter than 140 ° F.  as anything over that can make the surface color fade.  Hard water can also cause fading.

• Aluminum cookware with a color coating (with or without non-stick)

Cookware Brands and their lines which ARE dishwasher safe

If in any doubt, always check the product information and/or labelling before purchase.

All-Clad
Copper Core (note that the copper band will tarnish)
Stainless Steel

Anolon
Anolon Nonstick Dishwasher Safe Titanium

Calphalon
CS Nonstick
Contemporary Stainless Steel
Enameled Cast Iron

Simply Stainless Steel

Try-Ply Stainless Steel

Circulon
Infinite Circulon

Emile Henry
Ceradon
Flame
Flame Seasoning

Farberware
Accents
Classic Series
Millennium Stainless Steel

KitchenAid
Gourmet Distinctions

Hard Base Porcelain

Le Creuset
Enameled Cast Iron but hand washing is recommended
Stoneware
Tri Ply Stainless Steel
Forged Hard Anodizes

Lodge
No products are currently dishwasher safe, as it would strip the seasoning layer(s).

Pyrex
All Pyrex glass products are dishwasher safe.

Viking
Professional Series VSC but hand washing is recommended

Find the top dishwasher safe cookware sets here...