Technology Connections viewers already know this somewhat related bit: Consider switching to loose powder instead of tabs, or having both. The dishwasher runs three cleaning cycles (pre-wash, main, rinse), and the tab only goes in for the second phase. The first phase tries to get all the food and grease off using just water… which isn’t ideal. Adding like 1⁄2 a teaspoon of the loose powder directly onto the door / into the tub at the bottom will greatly support the pre-wash phase and should deal with most things.
Since I started doing that, I don’t bother scraping at all (obviously? still discarding loose food remains in the bin first) and basically never get stuck bits. (Every couple of months stuff like strongly baked-on cheese from e.g. a gratin may stick to the dish, but that’s it.)
Also, for people in the United States, consider running the hot water from a nearby faucet until the hot water is hot. Then, turn off the faucet and turn on the dishwasher.
As always, check your dishwasher’s manual for specific recommendations.
Technology Connections viewers already know this somewhat related bit: Consider switching to loose powder instead of tabs, or having both. The dishwasher runs three cleaning cycles (pre-wash, main, rinse), and the tab only goes in for the second phase. The first phase tries to get all the food and grease off using just water… which isn’t ideal. Adding like 1⁄2 a teaspoon of the loose powder directly onto the door / into the tub at the bottom will greatly support the pre-wash phase and should deal with most things.
Since I started doing that, I don’t bother scraping at all (obviously? still discarding loose food remains in the bin first) and basically never get stuck bits. (Every couple of months stuff like strongly baked-on cheese from e.g. a gratin may stick to the dish, but that’s it.)
Also, for people in the United States, consider running the hot water from a nearby faucet until the hot water is hot. Then, turn off the faucet and turn on the dishwasher.
As always, check your dishwasher’s manual for specific recommendations.