Heard a pro dishwasher at a diner say forks should all face down, and now I'm second-guessing everything

I was grabbing breakfast at Lou's Grill in Portland last week and the guy running the dishwasher saw me loading a rack at the counter. He straight up said forks pointing up just trap water and food bits that never rinse off, and showed me a rust spot on a spoon from it. It hit different because this guy does 300 covers a day, not my 3 loads a week. Has anyone else switched sides based on a real pro's take?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyg141mo agoMost Upvoted

This whole thing is just another example of how we overthink simple stuff because we hear conflicting advice from "experts." Every dishwasher, every kitchen, every person has their own way of doing things based on what they deal with daily. The diner guy sees water spots, the hospital guy sees germs, and the YouTube guy sees drying issues. They're all right for their own situation, but none of them are living my life with my dishwasher. I've noticed this same pattern with stuff like folding fitted sheets or the best way to load a fridge. People act like there's one perfect method, but really it's just about what works for you and your specific setup.

adam_thompson532mo ago

Hit different because this guy does 300 covers a day" - man, that line got me. I loaded my dishwasher with all forks up for like two years after hearing some Youtube plumber say it was better for drying. Then I visited my buddy who works in a hospital kitchen and he laughed at me. Said they do forks down because of some sanitation code thing about splashback from the sprayer. I switched back to up after that but now hearing the diner guy I'm all confused again. Feels like every pro has a totally different take depending on where they work.

ross.kevin2mo ago

Hear that hospital kitchen bit loud and clear. My cousin works in a school cafeteria and they do forks down for the exact same reason about splashback. But here's the thing that stuck with me - he said the real reason they go down is to stop people from grabbing the handle after touching god knows what. If the fork is up, someone's fingers end up right where your mouth goes. That made me think about all those times I grabbed a fork from the top rack by the prongs without thinking. Now I'm leaning toward down just for that alone, even if it takes a little longer to dry.