Do you have a compact tabletop dishwasher?

Burlesque_Babe

I've been thinking/researching getting a table top dishwasher for about a year.

I have literally no space for an undercupboard one so it has to be a table top one.

I did have a space problem, but I've had a eureka moment today, had a shift around of stuff and now I have space to fit one on the worktop :T

I've looked at all the ones on the market and most seem a bit rubbish for one reason or another. The only one which gets a continual thumbs up is the Bosch, but it is an average of £270 or so against the cheaper models which all come in around £120 or so.

So, my question is:

Do you have one/used to have one? Which one? What are your thoughts on it??

Also, stupid question of the day. Apparently the water inlet hose can be fitted into the tap. If the water is turned on to fill it - do you have to stand there until it is full - and - how do you know it is full if filling it this way? I guess the alternative is to have a hole drillled into the work top somehow?

I do loads of batch cooking, home baking etc and I have a huge pile of pots every day. I work from home self employed and I've worked out that doing the dishes during the day is costing me nearly £700 a year in lost self employed work!!

Well, that's my justification anyway.....;)

moo2moo

Ummmm can you even fit a baking tray in a table top dishwasher????

I have a slim line one. My husband insisted on it 5 years back. I'm on my second pack of dishwasher tablets. To be honest I find it a bit annoying. I can wash up quicker than it. I'm not selective about the size of things and the number of things I own that can't be washed in it, either because they don't fit or they have wooden bits, makes it very impractical on a daily basis. It gets used Christmas and birthdays and when theres more than 6 for dinner. Other than that it barely gets used.

pigpen

I don't have a counter top one but I do have a bosch one and it is fabulous.. before this I had a hotpoint (which was rubbish as all hotpoint appliances are) and a hoover one.. which was good.. but veyr old so maybe not as good as a newer one would be.

I've never have anything but a bosch again.

I wash everything in mine.. why don't you put wooden things on it? .. mine have anyways been fine.. I sling everything in.. even the cats dishes.. and potties!

Burlesque_Babe

moo2moo wrote: »

Ummmm can you even fit a baking tray in a table top dishwasher????

No I'm guessing that pans also have to be hand washed (I'm a very naive dishwasher kind of gal - I've no knowledge of them!)

The Bosch is definitely number 1 on my list. The others range from 'bits keep falling off' , 'everything needs a second wash' and 'dinner plates don't fit in it'. :rolleyes:

moo2moo

I have Le Creuset pans (a wedding present). I'd need a second mortgage to replace them. The slightest bit of water and the wood starts to look like it needs treating. My MIL dishwashed hers to the point the handles split. Which at £60+ per pan is an expensive mistake to make

buxtonrabbitgreen

Are you sure you haven't got room for a normal dishwahser. I sacrificed a cupboard for mine. The thing is that when it is full you don't need so much cupboard space. Though I do have a dining room with a sideboard otherwise I couldn't manage.

Burlesque_Babe

unfortunately not buxton. My kitchen isn't tiny, but is poorly designed. The only thing I could do is move all my cookery books, flour, cereals, beer making equipment and plastic containers out of one cupboard, but there is literally nowhere to move them to!

I've only got quite a small house (2 bed bungalow with 1 reception room) and storage space is like gold dust.

System

I had a table top dishwasher but i found it didnt really hold much at all. When i put too much in, obviously i found it didnt wash properly and i couldnt be bothered to handwash half of the crockery/saucepans after our evening meal so i didnt use it much. I dont have it now, i gave it away and gained extra work top space.

glynisrose

I have a table top dishwasher I wouldnt be without it! I hate washing up so its 90 minute program is ideal. Its a cheap Currys one it cost £100 and its been a lifesaver.

CheshireBumpkin

I had a Bosch table-top dishwasher years ago, that was just 'OK' and then it keeled over not long after the warranty ran out.

I replaced it with a Zanussi one, which washes far more effectively than the Bosch ever did. It does struggle with 'baked on' food if I've made a casserole or similar, but standard day-to-day stuff still comes out gleaming. I must have had it for around a decade now.

You can fit a baking tray in - it's like Jenga at times, but I can fit a surprising amount in mine. As long as I'm careful that nothing drops below the base and stops the spinny thing (technical term!) at the bottom from turning, everything comes out clean.

I've never understood why the Bosch one comes out so well from reviews - maybe I was just unfortunate, but in my case I thought it was vastly overpriced and inferior to the Zanussi. I've no idea if Zanussi still sell a tabletop version - I just dread the day I need to replace mine.

MallyGirl

moo2moo wrote: »

Ummmm can you even fit a baking tray in a table top dishwasher????

I have a slim line one. My husband insisted on it 5 years back. I'm on my second pack of dishwasher tablets. To be honest I find it a bit annoying. I can wash up quicker than it. I'm not selective about the size of things and the number of things I own that can't be washed in it, either because they don't fit or they have wooden bits, makes it very impractical on a daily basis. It gets used Christmas and birthdays and when theres more than 6 for dinner. Other than that it barely gets used.

I also have a slimline one and it is a pain. It is a decent sized kitchen so whoever designed it to not have room for a full sized one should have been shot. There are only 3 of us so it can take enough plates etc but it is limited on pans/casseroles etc, and can only support 3 wine glasses at a time. Christmas/dinner with guests has it running several times back to back.
I also have Le Creuset pans that I would not put in there, or my decent knives.