The novelty of the arrival of the new kitchen appliance was a kin to the excitement of getting a new family pet and in fact I have caught my husband stroking it lovingly at times.
So why is it so fantastic?
In the early days it was the obvious freeing up of time. Then it was the excitement of finding new things to put through the dishwasher; tooth mugs, the removable drawers and shelves from the fridge, vases etc. I have known my Mum to put her washing up bowl and brush through the dishwasher to give them a bit of a spruce up! but then again I have also known her to put flower pots in too!
But our affection for the dishwasher has moved on from the honeymoon phase and we still love it. One of the more obvious benefits is the re-assurance of knowing that the temperature of the water used is far hotter than any human hand can endure (and we have all experienced the impromptu steam facial from opening the door mid cycle to prove it!). The high temperatures will kill off far more germs and bugs than conventional washing- a good thought if you have young children. They essentially cook the germs to death but if you want to try cooking something a little more appetizing try cooking salmon in the dishwasher! not done it myself but i hear it gets great results.
The less obvious factor is the subtle effect it has on our family at meal times. Knowing I'm not going to be faced with a mountain of washing up helps you make more of an effort. Sitting down to a simple lunch of salad used to be a raced affair, lasting barely minutes, with us hardly tasting the food let alone savouring it. Now we get out all the condiments, pickles and preserves. The salad is lovingly prepared in a serving dish rather than just thrown on a plate.
Our kitchen actually feels bigger. We lost a cupboard in order to fit in our new pet but the lack of pots and pans precariously piled up on the draining board has given the appearance of a larger more airy kitchen. The kitchen is cleaner and tidyer too. Actually being able to see the draining board means you clean it more often. The clean worktops mean they don't succumb to the "stuff magnet"- that's the natural law of stuff is always attracted to stuff. This is illustrated in many areas of the house. Particularly kitchen work tops, hallways and window sills. For example if you put a piece of post down in the hall, the next time you walk past the table it will have drawn various objects to it. It will have been joined by at least two more bits of paper, a bunch of keys, a piece of Lego and most likely in our house the remains of a biscuit!
Anyway back to the draining board - a clear draining board without objects will stay clearer, for longer without the "stuff magnet".
Cooking is also much more appealing - baking, jam making etc is so much more fun without spending more time clearing up than actually eating the cake.
So what else? The evening meal - We eat less and enjoy more. For a start the table looks prettier, the table mats we usually save for guests come out. Instead of just grabbing our own cutlery on the way past the drawer we lay the table. We even use the gravy boat! - my Mum will be so proud!At weekends we even have candles or a vase of flowers. We eat less because we use serving dishes on the table instead of piling the food high on our plates in the kitchen. We waste less food too, the food we don't eat is still neatly sitting in the serving dishes uncontaminated ready to save for another day.
What's next ? I hear you ask. Well I may even go that little extra step and invest in a milk jug!
