Are Dishwashers Good Enough For Indian Kitchen? Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Denizens Say Yes

Bhubaneswar: Have you asked your domestic help to stop coming home for cleaning because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Is washing dishes getting on your nerves? There’s actually an easy option – Dishwashers!

Do they work for Indian cooking?

The short answer – yes, absolutely! Contrary to popular belief, dishwashers can clean oily masala stains as well. In fact, some brands such as Bosch have an “Intense Kadhai” mode to prove that.

Sohini Mahapatra, a faculty with National Law University Odisha in Cuttack considers her dishwasher ‘a blessing’. “There’s no dependency on any house help, it is very convenient and thoroughly cleans all kinds of utensils even with greasy Indian cooking,” she explained. Sohini’s family has been using IFB dishwashers since 2003.

The same is echoed by Manisha Mishra, an assistant professor of Rama Devi University. “The dishwasher has proved very useful during this lockdown. It cleans really well. My glassware and chinaware look like new. Hand-washing used to cause fine scratches on them,” she added, saying that she recommends her LG dishwasher to everyone. Seeing dried warm dishes at the end is deeply satisfying, she said.

What About Aluminium Vessels?

This is one demerit of dishwashers. While it can clean aluminium containers properly, the salt used produces stains on it. There is a work-around for this problem. You can add lemon juice and scrub the vessels to restore the shine.

What About Pressure Cookers?

Some people complain about pressure cookers and bent surfaces not being cleaned in dishwashers. “This happened in models ten years back. The trick is to position your pressure cooker at the right angle so that water and steam can properly hit the underside of the bends else manually wipe the underside,” explained Rajesh Sahoo, a technician who used to work at IFB. “Pre-rinsing also is not required in modern dishwashers now but yes for extremely tough oily stains, you might have to,” he added.

Does It Waste Water? How Much Electricity Is Consumed?

No, on the contrary, dishwashers use less water than hand-washing. Bosch says their dishwashers typically use 7 litres of water compared to 40 litres in hand-washing. Electricity-wise, dishwashers use around 1-1.5 units for a typical load. That translates to around Rs 200-300 per month here. Cheaper than bai, isn’t it?

What Brands Make Dishwashers & How Much Do They Cost?

Dishwashers come in 3 sizes typically – 8 places, 12 places and 14/15 places. The prices range from around Rs 35,000 to 60,000 for built-in models. The smaller 8 places ones cost around Rs 20,000. A 12 place setting dishwasher can take wash around 150 items in a single load.

Kamala Satpathy, a writer based in Mumbai, said her 7-year-old Bosch dishwasher has been a great investment. “Especially after parties and on days when my maid doesn’t turn up, I can do two days worth of dishes in one go,” she said.

IFB is the oldest brand selling dishwashers in India. Bosch, Siemens, LG, Kaff, Voltas Beko, Hafelle, Glen, Faber, Hindware also sell dishwashers here. Here are a few models and their prices:

Bosch 12 Place Setting Dishwasher –  Rs 38,000
The German brand has quite a few models including built-ins and semi-built-ins. It comes with a 10-year warranty on motors.

IFB Neptune VX – Rs 36,000
IFB has many models of dishwashers in both 12 and 14 place settings. The brand sells the highest number of dishwashers in India.

LG D1451WF – Rs 52,000
LG has just one dishwasher model in India and comes with 10-year warranty.  It has a direct-drive inverter motor that claims to be extra quiet and low on power consumption. 

Bosch SM125AS00E Built-In – Rs 60,000
Built-in models can snuggly fit into modular kitchen setups. This model comes with hard water compatibility.

Kaff DW-CENTRA 60 – Rs 39,990
The European brand has many built-in and standalone units. The range goes up to Rs 75,000.

Please note that most dishwashers are currently out of stock due to the lockdown and customs blockade at ports. IFB expects to get fresh stocks by the end of this month and Kaff expects most models will be available in the 2nd week of August.