I put an aluminum wok lid in the dishwasher and it came out with black marks on it. I’ve also seen other aluminum cookware come out with some kind of white powder specs on it.
So apparently aluminum is dishwasher unsafe. But obviously it’s not the water that’s the problem. It must be the detergent. So the question is, what can a lazy motherfucker like myself do? Why don’t I see aluminum-safe dishwasher detergents on the shelf?
Possibly related: Bailey’s creme liquor turns black underneath an aluminum cap. Is that a chemical reaction or spoilage, or something else?
Ditch your aluminum cookware and get stainless steel stuff instead. Treat your dishwasher like the Thunderdome: anything that can’t survive it is unworthy of your use.
laundry rather than dishes, but related
It’s a good approach. But the aluminum I have is part of a whole. A rice cooker inner pot and a wok lid. Maybe I can find a replacement wok lid.
But what about knives? Dishwashers are said to dull knives. So far I only buy middle of the spectrum chef’s knives (~<$60) so abusing them isn’t a big deal. But that means I give up the benefit of a sharp knife that keeps a long-lasting edge. If I buy high-end (which likely runs a few hundred $), then it’s a bit wasteful to abuse it in the dishwasher. I suppose there are some things that I have to accept as high-maintenance. I wonder what pro chefs do.
Honestly, that’s more than you need to spend. Get restaurant knives with tapered stamped stainless steel blades, e.g. Victorinox Fibrox. Cheap yet decent (recommended by America’s Test Kitchen, Alton Brown, etc.) and NSF certified (which basically means dishwasher-safe even for heavy-duty commercial dishwashers).