Different cultural preferences: In Europe and America, dishwashers are large boxes that we integrate into base cabinetry. In Japan, they're smaller boxes that sit atop the counter. A new type of dishwasher, designed by a Chinese company to cater to Chinese preferences, takes a third form factor: It's built into the sink.
The Fotile 3-in-1 Sink Dishwasher, by the Ningbo Fotile Kitchen Ware Co., "is designed for the cooking habits of China," the company explains. The 3-in-1 moniker is because the unit is designed to wash not only dishes, but produce and seafood. Chinese food preparation practices make it desirable, in NFKWC's view, to locate the unit next to the sink and built into the counter.
You'll notice one of the design variants shown features a window in the lid, whereas in the other, the lid contains touch-sensitive controls. The company indicates that this latter variant is designed to register button presses even when one's hands are wet.
Do you reckon this would ever catch on in the 'States? I think the capacity might be too small for us Yanks, but there was also a point where nobody thought we'd ever drive Japanese-style cars.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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A New Form Factor for the Dishwasher, Designed for Chinese Cooking Practices
I guess pots and pans are hand wash? I'd probably wash the 6 dishes that way too.
This article also mentions how this product can be used to clean vegetables. A pretty cool addition for people in extremely small apartments, condos or micro homes and a time saver for everyone else who can begin prepping other parts of a meal while their veggies are cleansed.
Going out on a limb here to say all people, everywhere, have a 'cultural preference' for having more usable counter space next to a sink rather than less.
So when your dishwasher needs to be replaced in 5-8 years... you also replace your sink? This seems exceedingly shortsighted.
Also, considering the size, you probably won't need a replacement so soon. Most dishwashers break down due to users putting dirty cooking items like pans and baking trays in without getting all of the cooked food off. These residuals end up clogging vital portions of the system, making it work harder to finish the same task and often necessitates people turning their device onto a more extreme cycle to boot. After awhile, things don't get clean when put in in a half rinsed state and people deem the dishwasher "broken" and get a new one.
Personally I think years of watching detergent commercials where a baking tray with a few mm of baked on food is CGI'd with a quick and perfect clean passing in a second or two is to blame.
Does anyone really think a layer of burnt grease is coming off of a pan from a spray of barely pressurized water?
You'd be lucky to get that stuff off with a pressure washer. Clean your cooking items in the sink and I bet you'll find your dishwasher will last you a lot longer.