Dishwashers

Need a new dishwasher that won't break the budget? You can pay as little as $500 to clean your grimiest dishes of baked-on food, and only $100 more to get a stainless tub plus more flexibility in arranging items. More good news: Some premium features, such as hidden controls and half-load wash cycles, are migrating down to the $500-to-$600 range.

All the models we've recommended are energy- and water-efficient, but if you want a model that qualifies for the federal government's most recent Energy Star standards, it's going to take some extra research. The program will raise the bar for energy and water use starting in January, but it's almost impossible to distinguish new from outdated certifications.

Efficiency, though, doesn't matter if you can't trust what you're buying to last. In our annual reader survey, there was a large spike in repairs of models from Amana and Maytag, two Whirlpool brands. Those repairs were largely due to a recent major recall involving the electrical failure of heating elements.

Our tests of dozens of conventional models and several dishwasher-drawer models use dishes coated with egg yolks, chili, raspberry preserves, peanut butter, and other gooey ingredients to challenge models. We found great performance for a brand we can't recommend, a feature starting to appear on more models, and new dishwasher drawers with sorry results. The details:

Higher ranking, same reliability. The previously tested LG Steam LDF7932, $1,000, is now ranked near the top in our full Ratings, behind only the Bosch SHX98M0[9]UC, $1,550, in overall performance. But you won't see it or other LG models among our recommended models because LG remains among the least reliable dishwasher brands. Its 21 percent repair rate is roughly double that of many brands. For more details, see our Brand Reliability for dishwashers.

Water softeners get a hard sell. More dishwashers, including the KitchenAid KUDS30SX, $950, include a water softener to counter spotting on dishes and other effects of hard water. KitchenAid says that some users with slight water-hardness problems might want water softening only for their dishwashers, and claims it can improve washing with phosphate-free detergents. But we've found phosphate-free dishwasher detergents that already offer fine cleaning.

If your water is especially hard, you're probably better off installing a whole-house softening system instead of having it on your dishwasher. That's because water hardness can affect other appliances and showering. At the very least, check with your water utility before paying the extra $100 to $150 for that feature. Some utilities soften the water they supply.

Drawers still fail to impress. The latest contenders are from Fisher & Paykel: the 24-inch-wide DD24DCHTX6V2, $1,350, with two drawers, and the 36-inch, single-drawer DD36SDFTX1, $1,050. The latter holds only nine place settings and was only fair at washing. Because it's wider than a traditional dishwasher, you'd need to remodel your cabinets to install it. Both models' overall scores were dismal, 41 and 20, respectively. Fisher & Paykel is among the brands most likely to break. Though dishwasher drawers in general are as reliable as conventional dishwashers, drawers tend to use more energy and water.

We aren't seeing longer cycle times so far from models that meet the 2012 Energy Star requirements. But some models already take as long as 3 hours for a full cycle. Check our Ratings for cycle times, and use options sparingly if, for instance, you don't want your cycle continuing through the night. Some shopping tips:

Weigh the features. For the most versatility, look for adjustable racks, lots of flatware slots, and if you wash large or odd-shaped items, fold-down tines. Tubs made of stainless steel or grey plastic hide stains better than tubs made of white plastic. Stainless tubs are sometimes available as an option.

Match your cleaning habits. You really don't need to prerinse dishes, and the models we recommend did especially well at leaving no food residue. But if you insist on prerinsing, don't pay extra to get a power-scrubbing mode. Either way, expect to see fewer self-cleaning filters as manufacturers add spray features that can break food into smaller bits that pass through manual filters.

Consider the controls. The Kenmore Elite 1404[3] has interactive touch controls. But touchpads are fine if clearly marked. And if you opt for controls you can't see during operation, make sure you can still see the cycle status on the front.