I use the just-soiled dinner napkins to wipe the leftover food off a plate directly into the trash. No rinsing required and the dishes come out clean. I never do pots and pans in the dishwasher.

As for purchasing a dishwasher, the last one I bought was a scratch and dent from Sears. It was very attractively priced, not a lot of features, but does clean the dishes. If I were looking for one now, I'd do some research online, look at reviews and so on, and then pick the least expensive dishwasher that meets my needs and has good reviews.

We had always had Maytag w. washers and loved them. A year ago, we went to a Bosch. Love it, except any little thing will stop it from washing. The girls online said the dishes move around and that is what shuts it off. So, I got the book out and that helps.
Love it except for that. Dishes are always clean, it is quiet and doesn't use much water.
Those who also said they have Bosch,--if you can tell me if you have trouble with it shutting off when the dishes touch each other, ect, please let me know what you do to stop that when loading it. Thanks!!
Mariah

I'm glad someone else does this. My mother always told me it was better to run the water so that it's hot from the start and it would get the dishes cleaner. I always have and it does seem to help.

We changed to the Bosch DW. Made a big difference for the dog, the Bosch was much quieter which poor Maggie found much more to her liking. Can't help you with the clean question, I always rinse the debris off dishes. It's my Samsung refrigerator I am disappointed with.

We don't need or want a dishwasher. Just two of us and it is faster and easier to wash and dry by hand.

My Daughter finally got one and she loves it. She is sold on LG appliances.

Kenmore Elite is very quiet and gets dishes clean.

Bosch gets my vote as well. The first few times I used it I would have to stand by it and listen very closely to see if it was actually running. I hope this thing lasts forever.

Do no buy a Bosch!! Whirlpool/Maytag, same company, but very good products. My husband picked the Bosch, which I hate because while it does wash the dishes, it does not rinse them well, so then I have to hand rinse them. I know, I should be having the hubby do them. Dealer and Bosch are in agreement, water pressure is too low. Had the water company send a man out to check the problem and all he found was that the water valve was not turned on all the way. He suggested we replace all the pipes. Yikes. Problem still exist.

I just purchased a Kitchenaid a couple of weeks ago and hope I didn't make a mistake. Our last Whirlpool didn't last very long.

I did a lot of research on dishwashers, including going to Consumers Report magazine about dishwashers. In the end, I was just as confused as when I started. Whether you get the one with all the bells and whistles or you get a midrange dishwasher, they all had their problems.

Considering that lemons pop up in all brands of dishwashers, it is really like picking a 'pig-in-a-poke.' So I am just going to keep my fingers crossed and hope I made a good decision.

My last one was a Whirlpool now I have a Maytag. Both are good. I had a bad G E never again Have had Kenmore that was good. Have had several as we moved so much as a Army wife. Like the Whirlpool and Maytag the best.