Dishwasher Cooking

Have you ever wanted to cook a whole side of Salmon, or even a whole salmon, perhaps a coulibiac ( sans Pastry) and haven’t been able to? No fish kettle? No pan big enough. The end is nigh! Use your DISHWASHER,!

I can hear the GASPS across the ether, but yes it is true!

When I want to cook a whole salmon fillet, into the dishwasher it goes! ( More Gasps)

You might be wondering how on earth a dishwasher can be used to cook fish. Well, the answer lies in the consistent and regulated temperature that dishwashers offer during their cycles.

Most dishwashers operate at temperatures around 120-150F or 49-66 C while these temperatures are typically used for cleaning, they can also be utilized for cooking or rather steaming.

Cooking fish in a dishwasher may be an unconventional method, but when done correctly, it can yield surprisingly delicious results. The steady temperature and steam inside a dishwasher makes it an ideal environment for gentle cooking. Just remember to choose the right fish, season it well. If you have a vacuum sealer then PERFECT, add any marinades etc and seal, or alternatively use several small portions individually packed for perhaps a dinner party, cooked ( dishwashered ) for a shorter time. Otherwise wrap your fish in several layers of aluminium foil making sure it is well sealed. Select the correct dishwasher cycle. I use my 40 C wash which takes just over an hour. Do not use any detergent and place the fish in the top shelf then sit back and enjoy the unique and energy-efficient experience of cooking fish in a dishwasher!

Then you can serve at once with maybe a Beurre Blanc or serve it cold, nicely decorated as part of maybe a buffet supper.

Other useful tips, which might or might not be conventional are:-

GINGER, don’t let your ginger become shriveled, don’t throw it away, slice and freeze it!

GARLIC, again, if you have for whatever reason a glut of garlic, turn it into confit garlic, ready to use at anytime.

AVOCADOS, I usually buy mine from Spain via Crowd Farming. Avocados only ripen after they are picked, so when they arrive, I put a couple out to ripen and the rest put into the refrigerator until needed! However, they do freeze well. Simply peal, slice or smushed along with some lemon juice, bag and freeze until needed.

POMEGRANATES, they are currently in season and are available as they are or sold as Rubies, ie just the bits. However once again, they are not difficult to get the pips out of the shell of a pomegranate, flat freeze and you are ready to go, especially for decoration. And an added piece of information, in France a popular cordial, which even to this day I import regularly for my adult children is Grenadine!

And finally Chillies, somehow I was at a local ethnic street market and the chillies were too good to pass up, so once again, they were flat frozen and bagged, ready to use when needed!