3 Ways to Do Dishes – Plus a Chance to Win a Kitchen Makeover

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

There are three different ways to do dishes. You can make your kids do them – but unfortunately, my little girl is only two. She’s not even tall enough to reach the sink. You can make your partner do it – but that doesn’t work for me either. He doesn’t believe in pre-rinsing anything, and it leads to a dishwasher filled with not-so-clean dishes. So that leaves the third way, the one moms end up with more often then any of us would like – do it yourself. But this doesn’t work for me either. I absolutely – more than any other task in the house – hate washing dishes. I sometimes look at an overflowing sink filled with dirty dishes and wonder how much it would cost to just buy new ones…

There’s a better way

Luckily for me, I was recently introduced to a new product that is a huge help at solving this dilemma for me. They’re Cascade Platinum Pacs, and they are rocking my socks. The Mister doesn’t mind doing the dishes, it’s just that his, um, style of dishwashing didn’t work so great with our old dishwasher. But the Platinum Pacs solve all of the problems – they eliminate the need to pre-rinse, and they work even on dishes with stuck-on food that’s been left for 24 hours. Score! He’s been using them for a couple of weeks now, and there is such a serious difference in the way the dishes turn out. Like, it used to be that when he did a load, there was still stuck-on food and film, and the dishwasher itself just looked dirty. But these little super powered pacs get in there like little ninja cleaners and leave the dishes crazy-clean. They also have a solution in them that helps prevent hard water build-up, and leave your dishwasher cleaner than before. I love products that solve my mom-challenges :)

It’s not all about avoiding the dishes

So, yes, I admit that the first reason I fell for these Cascade Pacs is because they work so great that I can pass doing dishes off to the Mister. One less to-do on my mile-long list is always appreciated. But, I’m also loving that my dishes look…. Newer? Brighter? Just better. We entertain a lot, so of course I want sparkling wine glasses and serving dishes. {Do you know how embarrassing it is to hand someone a wine glass that has gunk stuck in it that was missed in the dishwasher? Ugh.} And as a blogger and sometimes-food photographer, I’ve learned that the presentation of the food is almost as important as the preparation! So the better my dishes look, the better the food looks. {And when you’re prone to kitchen disasters like I am, your food needs all the help it can get, lol.}

Watch Top Chef’s Gail Simmons give tips on food presentation and entertaining!

Top Chef judge and Food + Wine Magazine editor Gail Simmons is partnering with Cascade and wants to prove why presentation is just as important as preparation when getting a meal on the table.  Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook are proving more and more  that people eat with their eyes first, so you need sparkling dishes, spotless glassware, and shiny flatware to enhance your meal – putting your best food forward.  She says, “The easiest recipes pop with unexpected gourmet presentations.  Drizzle bright sauces on sparkling white dishes or layer desserts in crystal clean glasswear.” I so agree!

And speaking of Instagram…

To really show off how much sparkling dishes can enhance your favorite recipes, Cascade is running a fun contest – Get registered on the website, then upload a photo of your fave foods and dishes to Instagram, and tag them with #MyPlatinum and @MyCascade. {See mine above? How sparkling that glass is? I love how you can see every little water drop from that icy cold champagne!} You’ll get a chance to win a KitchenAid^® Kitchen Makeover and a 1-year supply of Cascade^®!

Weekly entries also have a chance to win a KitchenAid^®Dishwasher and six-month supply of Cascade^® too. How awesome would that be, right? So get your entries in today! And don’t forget to follow them on Facebook for more tips and tricks too. And good luck to everyone who enters!!

Tell me – how do you feel about doing dishes? Love it, hate it, pass it off to someone else? Any favorite tips to share? Let’s chat in the comments below – I love hearing from you guys.