I recently shared the shocking (to me) loveliness and effectiveness of dishwasher cleaner.
I casually mentioned that the chips on my white plates were discolored.
I didn’t mention that the backs of my beloved melamine white plates were downright embarrassing.
Horrifying, really.
I was bumfuzzled. My beloved dishwasher was getting them “clean” still. Food and gunk and all were disappearing as always, but anything with a non-shiny white place was looking horrid. Stained.
The dishwasher cleaner helped. The dishwasher itself looked amazingly better and I stopped having the deposits on the tops of my upturned glasses. But the stained plates were too far gone and needed to go.
I bought Plain Jane white plates on Amazon, and forced myself to accept that my plate-holding cabinet is a container and I needed to trade out the old (hideous, but totally usable in case of a desperate situation) plates one for one.
And then, a week-or-so later, I was loading the dishwasher when I suddenly noticed something that had escaped my Slob Vision for far to long.
See that cookie sheet? It’s technically usable. Yes, it’s discolored, but the part that actually touches food is smooth.
But the back side?
Ummmm, gross.
And suddenly it hit me that THIS was most likely the culprit in the Case of the Hideously Discolored Plates.
So it’s gone.
I don’t have time in my life (or room in my cabinets) for cookie sheets that can’t go in the dishwasher.
Even if they’re technically usable.
Wondering how in the world I didn’t notice this/make the totally obvious connection sooner? I don’t want to talk about that.
And since I mentioned our new plates, I’m going to link to them (with an affiliate link, of course) here. I love them. Yes, they remind me of church youth group spaghetti suppers, but that’s fine with me. And my kids LOVE them because they’re lightweight. All those fancy-schmancy heavy modern plates we have? The kids are not impressed.
--Nony
Bar Keepers Friend (stainless steel cleaner in a Comet-like can) may have worked on the discolored plates. Sprinkle on and scrub with a damp nylon-covered sponge. Our dishwasher has some rusty prong tips that leave little marks on the back sides of our plates (ceramic though, not melamine). Bar Keepers takes them right off (when I remember to do it, that is).
You know Mavis, they do make cabs for those rusty prong tips that you may find are more helpful than cleaning your already clean plates!
One of the extremely few reasons. I don’t have a dish washer is the transfer of nasty to not so nasty.
You can get stuff (some is made by Goop) to paint on those rusty prongs and fix them. There’s also covers you can get for them. Check Amazon for “dishwasher rusty prongs” and you’ll find a lot of solutions. I don’t use Barkeepers (or any abrasive cleaner) on any kind of plastic or resin unless I need a reason to toss it.
I have had Winter White Corelle for 40 years. Got it when it first came out. Added a piece or two here and there after they started making it microwave safe. (The original wasn’t. We proved it a couple of times.) I also have “fancy” dishes, and the thing about the white Corelle is it goes with everything.
I can use my great great aunts fancy pattern plates for big family get togethers even though I don’t have enough to serve everybody. We give the Corelle to the little kids, and a certain good thing he’s handsome brother-in-law, and don’t have to worry about the heirlooms.
Me too! Love my white Corell! Twenty years and going strong (with an occasional Bar Keeper’s Friend polishing!) Love the weight, matchability, and everything about them (except the coffee mug sizes, thankfully, Wal*Mart has large white coffee mugs!)
Wow I have cookie sheets like that. Well not that bad YET but they are going to be… I use parchment paper or foil on them so the food doesn’t touch it. I hate throwing them out because I use them all the time. Worst part? I GOT THEM AT THE DOLLAR TREE. 2 bucks and I can have BRAND new ones! Time to toss the ones I have. 🙂
I bought a set of Corelle Vive Sculptured white dishes about 10 years ago, service for 12. I probably have a few that could stand replacing but they have been the BEST dishes ever. Just a word of warning: While the dishes themselves stand up to being dropped, I’ve lost a platter and serving bowl both to clumsy kids. Otherwise, they were a very good investment. I’ll be replacing those two pieces soon too.
Maybe you should invest in some stainless steel cookie sheets? That might keep that from happening again. I suppose aluminum would too, but I don’t generally recommend it for things used often due to the health hazards.
I think I will do that!
I would not buy aluminium cookie sheet if you want to put them in the dishwasher. The dishwasher soap is too harsh for the baking sheets and it will ruin them. If you do use them I would recommend a silicon mat to go with them. The mat is dishwasher safe and you just store the cookie sheet with no washing most of the time.
Thanks, Karie. I don’t use aluminum, so I didn’t know that the dishwasher would damage it.
I finally let go of my glass Pyrex measuring cups that had lost all their markings. I kept them because they are good for other things. But really, they were just making my cabinets overly full!!
Wow! That looks like a well-used cookie sheet. I bet you got your money’s worth out of it for sure 🙂 Maybe it’s time for a new one? My mom has Corelle white plates. I have colored plates that cost a lot more. My dishwasher doesn’t leave food on my plates, but since they are colored the hard water spots show up like crazy and they look gross. I hate having guests over and I always hope they don’t notice…
I did it! I’ve read the whole blog! I’ve been making my bed semi consistently since I started reading (in January). Not much else, but I thinks slob vision is disappearing. I am pretty sure my problem is that I have a ton of surface paper clutter and my stash and dash tendencies leave no room for putting things away properly. Just starting has been an issue because we have been at one of those everything-is-going-on-at-once periods of life. Hopefully after my certification in April I’ll make time to get going(total excuse, but it’ll have to do for now)
I love my Corelle. Way less stress on my hands and arms than the old ceramic dinner plates, and I don’t worry if I hear a ding. I’ve had mine about 7 years now and even though they’ve been dropped occasionally, haven’t had one break.
This is probably an extension of just not seeing. If you can survive with it, it is not a problem.
OH YAY!!!! You just solved one of my problems! I have a heavy stoneware (my mom would call it chipware) 😉 that I bought because I LOVED the bright red color. HA! They are not pretty anymore, the extra edge gives the plate thickness and I lose precious space in the dishwasher. Plus they are heavy and Goodness forbid I drop one on my toe! I’ve been trying to convert back to Corelle, but haven’t found a pattern that I really like. I just ordered the ones you posted. I still had some off white ones I got from the outlet store. But I think white is a good place to start and you can’t go wrong with white! Time to add to my donate box!!!
I know it was a couple of gross pics but thank you for sharing! I routinely keep my pans in the oven per no room but might have used a dishwasher just the same, if I had one. I always have parchment paper on hand since I one only one cookie sheet and one jelly roll pan (can use extra pieces to pre-set cookies on, just remove cooked items using the sheet they’re cooked on then slide the new sheet with your already scooped cookie dough on it.) Per Corelle, had a workmate drop one at work and it was amazing how that thing shattered into a billion pieces, must have been a concrete floor under that carpet! Otherwise I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. Hope you enjoy them and find a good deal on replacement baking sheets.
Corelle is fabulous for everyday eating! Love how lightweight and kid friendly the dishes are. Enjoy your new plates!! 🙂
Just a heads up that while I LOVE my corelle and have had the same pattern (and dishes) for 36 years, they are tricky. While they rarely break, when they do they don’t just break into a couple of pieces, they shatter into at least 6 million little shards of glass. Thank goodness that it doesn’t happened too often. I wanted to buy the white set all those years ago but others thought they were too plain. I think they are beautiful!
And I personally don’t put metal pans, etc. in the dishwasher just because of the rusting. My mixer blades are starting to look pretty bad….hopefully I can find replacements.
Lisa…I’ve experienced the 6 million little shards of glass on occasion, and wonder how something break resistant can shatter so completely.
I try to hold onto old cookie sheets. I use them to haul disposable aluminum pans (full of one casserole or another) to pot lucks. Sad to say, I’ve had some good ones come up missing, so I won’t take anything I care about losing to big gatherings anymore. While I trust pretty much everyone I socialize with, there are always going to be people I don’t know at things like receptions and dinners following funerals, and clearly some of them don’t have a problem taking things that don’t belong to them. So if they’re going to steal my stuff, they’re going to get my garbage. Might be a terrible attitude, but it gets old after a couple of times.
Oops… I meant to add that I don’t blame your kids for not liking the heavier plates. I used to have a set of stoneware. After washing them straight out of the boxes, I thought boulder-wear would have been a better name to call them. After hauling them out of the cupboard, setting the table, clearing the table, and either loading the dishwasher or taking care of them by hand, then putting them away again, it feels like you just spent too long lifting weights. Love my Corelle.
Actually, this made me laugh! “If they’re going to steal my stuff, they’re going to get my garbage.” Hee hee.
OMG! I hate when metal baking sheets rust. I gave up trying to keep the rust at bay. I started tossing them like you did. It’s not worth the trouble and time.
I have this same exact set. Corolle is awesome!
The one and only “party” purchase I have in my house are baking stone cookie sheets from p….c…. They are awesome. You don’t wash them, you just scrape them off with their own little scraper. Oh, and the cookies turn out great.
I have been drooling over the exact same dishes at Walmart! I don’t need them though – still need to de-clutter that cupboard. Happy for you!!! ?