Christmas dinner hack that involves cooking vegetables in the dishwasher has people baffled
An unusual hack for cooking Christmas dinner vegetables in the dishwasher has been shared by a TikTok user.
While we might traditionally turn to TV chefs like Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver for Christmas dinner tricks and tips, one woman has caused quite the stir online after sharing her unique vegetable cooking method to the video-sharing platform.
In a simple demonstration video, TikTok user Shannon L. Doherty explains that it is possible to cook vegetables in the dishwasher and shares how it is done.
The clip, which she captioned ‘The Cooking Hack you need to know this holiday’, explains how it is possible to put vegetables in mason jars, add water, tightly secure the lids and run them in a normal dishwasher cycle.
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Since Doherty shared the unusual cooking trick, it has been viewed over 313K times and received more than 13K likes.
However, some viewers were left a little confused as to why you would want to cook food in the dishwasher, when an oven or hob already does the job.
“Girl, boiling water in a pot don’t take that long,” one person wrote.
“Just a reminder that just because you can does not mean you should,” another added.
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Others wondered whether the trick may use more water and energy than cooking vegetables in the usual way.
“This doesn’t even save time? A dishwasher cycle is much longer than just steaming broccoli? Are you ok?” one person commented.
“This is a huge waste of water and energy,” another agreed.
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Some people, however, were pretty intrigued with the unique suggestion.
“So strange but awesome,” one wrote.
“OMG I will try this,” another commented.
While it might not be for everyone, Ligia Lugo, culinary expert, recipe developer and co-founder of The Daring Kitchen says it is possible to cook vegetables in the dishwasher.
“If you are curious if vegetables can be cooked in the dishwasher the answer is yes,” she says.
She suggests cutting the vegetables up and putting them in a sealed jar with a bit of water, then placing in the dishwasher for one cycle.
The result, she says, is cooked vegetables as if they were steamed.
“This effect is not limited to veggies, you can also cook white meats, red meats, fish and eggs really well in the dishwasher too,” she adds.
Lugo says it is important to test the meat by cutting it through the middle and checking there is no pink meat left.
“The meat should be also steaming hot in the middle,” she adds.
But not everything can be cooked in the dishwasher, and Lugo says we should avoid cooking pasta, rice and foods that require long cooking times in this way, “for those switch on the oven instead,” she says.
She also suggests that any food cooked in the dishwasher must be placed in hermetic containers (an airtight container with a hermetic seal like a mason jar) to avoid contact with the detergent.
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AO.com’s in house cooking hacks expert, Phil Parker, also confirms that it is possible to cook vegetables safely in the dishwasher.
“Make sure you have a glass jar with a sealable lid that is suitable for both microwave and dishwasher use,” he reiterates.
“This will not only keep the flavour locked in but will make sure the veg will stay soft, if you also add a dash of water.”
To add flavour he suggests adding some marinade or seasoning to your veg.
“I would advise placing your dishwasher on an higher setting for this task to ensure your food is fully cooked through. However, this might result in extra energy consumption if you normally tend to use the quick cycles on your machine.”
