# Is it true that you can cook/bake a turkey in the dishwasher?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 2, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039 "2002-06-02T20:58:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/1 "2002-06-02T20:58:01Z")
I’ve always heard this is true. Anyone know if you can do it, and if you can, how?
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/2 "2002-06-02T21:10:49Z")
Hey, it was in that Tim Daly movie, “Seven Girlfriends.” I don’t see why you couldn’t in theory cook in a diswasher like you could under the hood of a car. It can get fairly hot in there. It would be like dropping instant meals sealed in plastic bags into boiling water, more or less. I would think a whole turkey might be difficult just because of the amount of time it would take to cook through. It would be much easier if you cut it up and put it in several plastic bags.
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### Author:  [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/3 "2002-06-02T21:19:03Z")
Probably you should omit the dish soap.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/4 "2002-06-03T00:04:26Z")
Where’s it going to fit?
How do you keep it from getting “boiled” instead of baked? (Meats have quite a different flavor and texture when cooked in water rather than broiled or roasted.)
Given that it takes, what, 4-5 hours to cook a turkey in an oven at maybe 350 degrees, how long do you figure to be manning the dishwasher? It would have to be restarted after each cycle, the water is maybe 140 degrees, the warmer/dryer is a far sight from 350–got a few days?
Do I know for a fact that it’s impossible? No. But I’d take the bet that it’s not feasible. Sounds like urban legend/silly rumor/hoax material to me.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/5 "2002-06-03T00:37:23Z")
Unless it’s a new machine, it’s going to taint the meat with the soap residue from previous washes.
My vote is ‘remotely possible, but most unlikely to produce an edible result’ - mostly for the reasons **Gary T** outlines above.
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### Author:  [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/6 "2002-06-03T01:11:49Z")
I don’t know about a turkey but I do know you can cook [salmon](http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails/recipe_688.asp) in a dishwasher.
Keith
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/7 "2002-06-03T01:56:24Z")
Obviously, you’d have to wrap it in plastic.
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/8 "2002-06-03T03:53:41Z")
Well I’m not sure about a dishwasher but someone once told me that you could do it in an oven. Never tried it myself though, so proceed with caution.
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### Author:  [@Wazza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wazza)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/9 "2002-06-03T05:46:05Z")
I don’t know about Turkey,
but a quick google turned up
[Dinner in the dishwasher](http://www.surrealgourmet.com/html/recipes/ditdaal.html)
WAZ\>\>\>
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### Author:  [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/10 "2002-06-03T06:15:12Z")
OK so I’ve e-mailed all my in-laws the recipe (including MIL) and invited them over to dinner in 3 weeks time to try it.
Now to see who accepts the invite. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/11 "2002-06-03T13:55:46Z")
I don’t know how a turkey can become fully cooked when most water heaters are set for 120°-140°, and the internal temperature of a fully cooked turkey should be 170° in the breast or 180° in the thigh.
Maybe you can warm up the leftovers in the dishwasher.
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### Author:  [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/12 "2002-06-03T14:27:35Z")
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it the drying part of the cycle that is intended to cook the boid?
I thought that dishwashers have a heating element that raises the internal temperature to dry the dishes more quickly. It can melt your, er, [dodging trademark infringement] resealable plastic kitchenware [/dti] if you put in in the wrong rack, no?
Disclaimer: IDNHAD (I do not have a dishwasher. Other than the hubby, I mean.)
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### Author:  [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2002, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-you-can-cook-bake-a-turkey-in-the-dishwasher/112039/13 "2002-06-03T14:46:24Z")
I don’t see why you couldn’t (It goes without saying that I don’t see why you would want to).
A dishwasher is a big insulated box designed to hold in heat–think oven on a lower temperature scale. If you supply all your heat from your supplied hot water then you are limited but the set temperature of the water heater (I’m ignoring losses from the piping etc.). However most units (everyone I have ever owned) have a water heater option. You can often see the heating unit near the bottom of your dishwasher (it’s designed to be either immersed during water heating or left uncovered for the drying cycle). Dishwashers have an advantage over conventional washing in that they can use hotter water that you can safely use with hand use.
If I were to do it (and again I don’t see why I ever would). I would take out the top rack (to have room to fit the turkey in), fill the unit with water (you don’t dry out the bird as much), disable the water pump (to get rid of the unneeded washing action), override the timer to stay on “heat water” mode, set the thermostat at around 190F. and let the sucker sit for a long time. In 12 hours or so you should get a moist slow-cooked bird. Not to mention a lot of startled guests.