More Thermoworks fun: dishwasher edition

[WillTravelForFood]

I also recently picked up the Thermoworks "DishTemp", a product designed for commercial kitchens to help ensure they meet appropriate sanitation guidelines in their Giant Commercial Dishwashing Machines.

Yes, it's overkill for home use. Probably totally not intended for home use. Our dishwasher seems to get plenty hot, based on the steam facial we get when we open the door too early after a cycle. So it's not like we had a true reason for getting one.

But it was on sale, and I have a friend who works in food service, and ultimately this will end up in their hands for something they could actually use in their day-to-day. So in the end, it will wind up doing its intended purpose with the right people.

Still -- I ran it through a normal wash cycle in my home dishwasher, upper rack. Registered a comfy max temp of 149 -- a smidge below the Commercial sanitation recommendation of 160.

If everything I read is correct, a dishwasher's hot water cycle is primarily based on the hot water heater temp -- or if I bother to run the "sanitize" cycle on the machine itself. So it's just a question of whether I should crank that heater dial up a notch or two or leave it where it's at for basic home use.

We don't do commercial cooking at home, so no immediate need to meet that 160+ level. Or is there?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I don't have an answer for you... but I love that you bought the thing. That's something I would do. And yet I turn around and get mad when my wife buys a 20th pair of black flats, because they were on sale

[grantgallagher]

Have you ever gotten sick from clean plates out of a dishwasher?

also, cranking up the heat on the hot water heater usually just ends up with someone getting burned washing their hands or in the shower.

i used the sanitize cycle when we had true infants and were steam sterilizing bottles etc or once every couple of months just to clean the dishwasher itself. Thats about it.

[WillTravelForFood]

Nope. Just bought a gadget and having "fun" with it.

Besides, it’s always worthwhile to know how all the tools in your kitchen work.

[grantgallagher]

WillTravelForFood i get that. I would do the same. I guess i verbally vomited a bit. The point was dont crank up ur water heater heat

[SmokingPat]

I've never had issues with dishwasher plates causing illness. But I have had issues with the water heater being too hot.
I'd keep the water heater at a safe temperature, and make sure my plates were scraped before the dishwasher cycle to minimize possible 'leftovers'.

I have an extra BBQ thermometer, and now know an experiment to run. 🙂

[WillTravelForFood]

Don’t use an extra BBQ thermometer in the dishwasher. It wo t register as accurately, since the temp probe itself is so small that it likely won’t register as accurately as you’d like

[scottranda]

My appliance guy taught me that there is a triangle. Amount of Water, temperature, and time. You increase one of those levels, you can decrease the other two. You sacrifice water (eco friendly), you gotta make it hotter with more time.

I’m not an expert, but I remember that rule he told me about. I hope I remember correctly, haha.

[jfmorris]

For residential use, it is really NOT recommended to set the water heater much above the default 125F. Scalding and 2nd and 3rd degree burns occur in 5 minutes at 120F, but only 30 seconds at 130F. 5 seconds at 140F. 150F water causes serious burns in only 1.5 seconds!

If your dishwasher has a sanitize or water heating mode, use that - don't turn up your water heater.

[jfmorris]

I just checked, and our Kitchenaid dishwasher has a button called "Hi Temp Wash". I usually hit it, as we've found it to clean more effectively with that on. I can't find a spec from Kitchenaid, but Whirlpool says that button on their washers ensures the water temp is a minimum of 130F. The sanitize setting on many newer washers ensures the temperature is at least 150F. I am guessing that they use the heating element used for drying dishes to also raise water temperature before the cycle.