It’s been said before that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you necessarily should do something. Like cooking a mug cake in a microwave, or using a coffee maker to make ramen. But Brit + Co’s latest DIY recipe suggestion actually makes a decent case for cooking a lobster dinner in of all things, your dishwasher. After all, writer Nicole Iizuka points out, “The dishwasher is basically a giant hot water bath circulator with the internal temperature reaching between 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, more than hot enough to cook… let’s say a lobster tail.”
This idea isn’t exactly new; in fact, horror movie star and noted domestic gourmet Vincent Price was blowing Johnny Carson’s mind with a dishwasher meal on The Tonight Show decades ago:
But where Vincent and Johnny were content to have their trout cooked in foil, Iizuka opts for more air-tight containers like firmly sealed jars. She uses the containers not just for the lobster tail, but also the accompanying butter, and some assorted vegetables. She even claims that you could run some dirty dishes at the same time, but we’d caution against even the chance of detergent flavoring your meal.
She also calls the meal a resounding success: “I’m not going to lie — this might have been the most tender lobster I’ve ever eaten. It was succulent and moist and cooked to perfection!” Obviously, as Vincent Price also points out, this method would work best for fish or something that can be cooked rather quickly. Even though a quick YouTube search shows that of course some people have attempted steak, and the Mythbusters guys (accompanied by Alton Brown) tried lasagna. While we may not totally be won over to the advantages of this cooking method, we have to admit that cleanup would definitely be a breeze.