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Home » Kitchen » Dishwashers » Dishwasher Cycles

Dishwasher Cycles, Dishwasher Capacity

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Dishwasher Cycles.

High-end dishwashers with brand names such as Miele and prices beyond $2,000 come equipped with as many as 19 dishwasher cycles, including super-specialized settings such as cheese/starch and plastics. Even the cheapest models have at least three dishwasher cycles, usually some combination of rinse only, quick/short, light, normal, heavy, and pots and pans. Most cheap dishwashers -- including the Bosch Ascenta SHE5AL02UC (starting at $469, Amazon) and the Whirlpool DU1301XTV (starting at $360) and DU1055XTV (starting at $340, Amazon), as well as the Maytag Jetclean Plus MDB4709AW (starting at $326, Amazon) -- also offer a sanitizing wash cycle, which raises the water temperature to 160 degrees to get rid of any bacteria.

Electronic soil sensors, once found only on top-end dishwashers, help control water temperature, clean water flow, and cycle duration based on how dirty the dishes are. Several low-priced dishwashers, including both Whirlpool models on our list, also offer this environmentally friendly feature. The rinse-only cycle found on the Maytag Jetclean Plus and the GE GSD4000RWW (starting at $359, Amazon) is handy if you have only a few items in the dishwasher and don't want to leave food caked on until you're ready to run a full load. The Bosch Ascenta can also run a half-load, a useful option for small households.

The best budget dishwashers have at least two spray/wash arms, one below the bottom rack and one below the top rack. Some relatively cheap models have a third arm positioned above the top rack. In addition, water comes out at different levels -- the more, the better. The Frigidaire FDB520RHS (starting at $200, Amazon) has four and the others on our list have five.

Dishwasher Capacity.

These days, dishwashers are built to accommodate more than just plates and cups. The Whirlpool DU1301XTV and DU1055XTV and the Bosch Ascenta SHE5AL02UC, as well as the Maytag Jetclean Plus MDB4709AW, have tall tubs so you can load taller items in the upper rack. The dishwasher capacity on most inexpensive models is the equivalent of 12 full place settings. The Bosch Ascenta has a dishwasher capacity of 14 place settings.

Dishwasher Loading.

Regardless how many place settings a dishwasher can hold, many families would have trouble fitting all their daily dishes into a dishwasher without adjustable racks. Consumers who routinely wash oddly shaped platters, large bowls, long-stemmed wine glasses, and big pots appreciate wash racks that can be reconfigured for specialized needs. Virtually all but the very cheapest dishwashers allow for some sort of reconfiguration, with tines that fold down or even a removable top rack. Dishwasher loading is also easier if there is no tower in the middle of the lower rack taking up valuable real estate that could hold dirty dishes. The GE GSD4000RWW has such a tower and no folding tines, which limits dishwasher loading. The Frigidaire FDB520RHS also lacks folding tines. While both are supposed to hold 12 place settings, they seem small to many purchasers.

A removable rack, found on the WhirlpoolDU1301XTV and the Maytag Jetclean Plus MDB4709AW, offers the ability to load tall items such as stock pots with ease. While more expensive Bosch machines offer more flexibility, the only such feature on the Ascenta SHE5AL02UC is a row of tines that flips down on the top rack. Despite the dishwasher's deep tub and room for 14 place settings, that inability to rearrange the racks makes it difficult to accommodate larger items, generating complaints in user reviews on the website of appliance retailer Abt.

Flatware baskets come in various shapes and sizes and sometimes can be moved from place to place. Users are fussy about these baskets, noting in reviews the size of the holes at the bottom and where the basket sits in the machine. The silverware caddies on both Whirlpool dishwashers on our list can fit into the door or the bottom rack or clip to the front of the rack. Putting the flatware basket in the door leaves more space in the racks for dishwasher loading, but there are downsides to this arrangement. In a review of the Whirlpool DU1055XTVQ at Best Buy, a user notes that the basket interferes with the soap dispenser if you put in tall items such as wooden spoons. Many consumers posting reviews of the Whirlpool DU1055XTVQ or DU1301XTV at Sears like the fact that you can put the silverware caddy on the door; however, one user says the DU1301XTV doesn't hold enough silverware. One of the main gripes about the Bosch Ascenta is that the flatware basket is in the back. As one consumer points out in a review at appliance retailer AJ Madison, it's rather a pain to pull out the lower rack every time you want to throw in a spoon. Both the GE GSD4000RWW and the Frigidaire FDB520RHS come with standard silverware racks that are removable but can't be reconfigured.

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Maytag Jetclean Plus MDB4709AW
GE GSD4000RWW
Whirlpool DU1055XTV
Frigidaire FDB520RHS
Bosch Ascenta SHE5AL02UC
Whirlpool DU1301XTV

GE GSD1300N
Whirlpool DU1055XTS

 

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