Updated on 13 October 2026. The original 2007 post is kept below.
Dishwasher cooking is (sort of) real
The dishwasher-lasagna joke went on to have a surprisingly serious sequel. Italian food writer Lisa Casali wrote a whole book on cucinare in lavastoviglie, cooking in the dishwasher, and US public radio station GBH and The Telegraph covered the trend in 2013.
The trick is that the food never touches the water or the detergent. It goes into sealed canning jars or vacuum bags, sits on the top rack and cooks gently while the dishes get washed. Because a dishwasher runs at fairly low temperatures, the method works best for things that like gentle heat, such as salmon, vegetables and fruit. It’s basically sous-vide with extra plates.
We’d still leave a meaty lasagna to the oven, where it can safely reach a proper cooking temperature. But a lemony salmon fillet that cooks itself while you clean up? That’s not ugly food, that’s genius.
More kitchen hacks: carrot bacon and a disposable grill feast.
From the 2007 original
Are you in the mood for some delicious Lasagna, but the oven and microwave are both broken? Well, if your dishwasher is still functioning, there is no reason to give up! Partselect.com website has a convincing looking tutorial on how to cook tasty lasagna on your regular dishwasher!
The full dishwasher lasagna cooking instructions here!
