Can cast iron be washed in a dishwasher and in which cases it is not worth doing

Despite the variety of cooking utensils, cast-iron cookware is still one of the most preferred for stewing, baking and frying food. But cast iron, like any other product, needs to be washed, and in the age of dishwashers, quite rightly for many housewives, the question arises: is it possible to wash heavy cast-iron cauldrons, ducklings and pans in a dishwasher, will the grilles deteriorate under their weight? So far, no one has talked about cases of breakdown of the dishwasher due to cast-iron utensils, but it is still not recommended to wash some types of cast iron in the device. We will understand why.

Why is automatic cleaning dangerous?

Cast iron, like any material, has a number of unique properties that must be considered when leaving:

• Cast iron is a dense alloy with an imperfectly smooth surface, in the roughness of which oil is well fixed, and equally - household chemicals;
• after calcination, the cast iron is covered with a thin film that protects it from rust and does not allow products to burn;
• non-calcined metal is very vulnerable to rust;
• cast iron is very hard and not afraid of iron brushes.

It is customary to think that cast iron products are absolutely unpretentious, and they "do not care", but this is a deceptive impression. First of all, it is very hard, but fragile, and a strong blow will not bend, but will split the dishes. With regular washing in PMM cast iron penetrate microcracks that accelerate the date of destruction of dishes.

Secondly, cast iron rusts quite easily if it is not covered with enamel or if the oil film is destroyed. And the latter corrodes quite easily. How it works: a strong alkali is used in the dishwasher as part of the cleaning agent, and it is supplied with a stream of hot water. These factors soften and wash off the film. Then the dishes “dry”, but remain in a moist chamber for half an hour, or even several hours. As a result, the cauldron or pan rusts.

Thirdly, the alkali very successfully clogs the pores of cast iron and then moves to food, and when heated, it also poisons the air.

Tip from purityis.decorexpro.com/en/
From rust on cast iron or any other dishes, it is worth falling out immediately. You can do this in the following way: rinse thoroughly with water and the hard side of the sponge or scrape it off with a metal brush. Then you need to restore the protective layer: grease the working surface with oil and warm up.

In what cases can cast iron still be washed in a dishwasher?

In the modern world, manufacturers of cast-iron products try to keep up with technological progress and develop utensils that can withstand washing in a dishwasher. Usually, the metal is coated with enamel, less often with more technological protective layers.

Look at the bottom of the dishes or in the instructions: there should be an icon there, saying whether this item can be washed in a dishwasher.

Cast iron cookware can last a really long time if you do not use too strong detergents, and also exclude washing the dishes in the dishwasher.