Ed. note: Authors Gever Tulley and Julie Spiegler's Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do) builds on the premise that "dangerous" things we avoid are often eye-opening and educational. One such dangerous thing: Cooking food in your dishwasher.


We've examined using the dishwasher to poach salmon and clean potatoes in the past; here's another take on the unusual oven.


An oven is an insulated box with a heating element inside. Looked at that way, is the dishwasher that much different? Sure it has spray arms for water and uses soap, but it is also insulated and has a heating element. That makes it an oven—with a few extra features thrown in.

G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe and Get Your First Bag Free Promo Code AtlasCoffeeDay20

Cooking in the dishwasher is not much different than baking; you just need to keep the food from getting soapy. Here's how to make dishwasher chicken, hot dogs, or vegetables:

…

Aluminum Foil

Raw Chicken, Hot Dogs, or Vegetables

Butter

Salt or Spices (optional)

Meat Thermometer (or Adult)

How to:

Prepare food. Cut chicken into strips about 1⁄2 inch wide. If you don't like chicken, hot dogs, vegetables, or apples work just as well. Place food in center of a sheet of foil. Dab with butter and add salt or spices if you like. Seal it up. Fold up, then carefully roll the edges of the foil to create a watertight packet. You can add another layer of foil if your foil is thin. Place packet in top rack of dishwasher (middle if you have three racks) and finish loading the dish- washer with dirty dishes. Do not let packet get punctured by the rack or any dishes. Cook it. Run the dishwasher on the hottest setting (at or above 160 degrees F). After the wash cycle finishes, make sure the dry cycle completes before opening. Check it. Carefully remove the foil packet from the dishwasher and examine for punctures. Discard and try again with the next load of dishes if any holes are found. Open the packet and check to make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked. Enjoy. Toast goes particularly well with dishwasher chicken.

Note: Undercooked chicken can be unsafe to eat. Check your food carefully before consuming. Use a meat thermometer


Now, if only there was a way to make toast without using the toaster....


Fifty Dangerous Things explores the idea that many "dangerous" things that are interesting, eye-opening, enlightening or just plain fun! And while there are aspects of danger in virtually everything we do, the trick is to learn how mastery actually minimizes danger. Walking is dangerous when we start as babies, but we persevere and it becomes safe. Next we learn to negotiate stairs. Why stop there? Why not practice and become proficient at walking on the roof or walking on a tightrope? These are just a few of the Fifty Dangerous Things the book invites you to try.