To Pre-Rinse Or Not To Pre-Rinse? The Age-Old Dishwasher Argument Has Finally Been Settled

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I don’t know about your household, but mine faces the same debate on repeat: should you rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, or not?

I’d always thought both sides made a valid point ― until I heard from Ian Palmer-Smith, appliance expert at Domestic & General, about the topic.

“One of the biggest dishwasher myths is that you need to rinse items before loading them,” he shared via email.

Here’s his reasons against pre-rinsing, as well as some other dishwasher tips from the pros.

Why shouldn’t you rinse your dishes before placing them in the dishwasher?

Palmer-Smith says that, in short, the practice is just a bit useless: “Pre-rinsing plates is a bit like hand washing your car before taking it to the car wash.”

Then, there’s the added boiler costs of using extra hot water (which, though likely not a huge percentage of your bill, are best avoided if not needed).

“In reality, [rinsing before dishwasher use] uses extra unnecessary hot water and typically won’t improve the results. Modern dishwashers use high temperatures designed to break down stubborn stains with little trouble,” he says.

Of course, that’s not to say you should just lob a loaded plate into your appliance, he adds. Scraping is the way forward, Palmer-Smith says, as too much gunk can clog your machine.

He concedes, however: “If you have a pan with some burnt-on food residue it can be a good idea to give it a soak beforehand.”

Still, it’s bad news for the rinsing regiment.

Dishwashers are more energy-efficient than you might think

In case you think I’m escaping the Dish Debate scot-free, you’re wrong; I’m usually a proponent of hand washing, because I always thought dishwashers used way too much energy.

But according to Palmer-Smith, I’m in the wrong.

“Even without pre-rinsing, dishwashers generally use less hot water than hand washing,” he says (that is, of course, if you have a dishwasher already).

“On average, a dishwasher uses water four times more efficiently than washing by hand so if you are running a load when the appliance is full, this can actually ease your energy bills more than most think,” the appliance pro adds ― and it turns out that science agrees.

Well, that’s a load of stress (literally) off my hands…

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Lee Anderson: Tory MP apologises to doctor over strike tweet

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Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson donates £1,870 to the BMA strike fund to compensate for any upset.

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NHS pay: Health staff win Covid bonus after legal action threat

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Thousands of health workers who were excluded from a bonus will now get the payment, ministers say.

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Our Future Health: One million sign up to help change healthcare

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Largest UK medical research project will be used to change the way diseases are tackled.

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‘Jewish Lives Matter’: Oliver Dowden Condemns Response To Hamas Attacks

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Oliver Dowden has condemned the response by “civic society” to last month’s attacks on Israel by Hamas.

In outspoken comments, the deputy prime minister suggested that the deaths of Jewish people on October 7 differently to George Floyd’s murder in 2020, which led to the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement.

Around 1400 Israelis died in the Hamas attack, with hundreds more taken to Gaza as hostages.

In response to Israel’s retaliatory air strikes on Gaza, which have killed thousands of civilians, pro-Palestine marches have taken place across the UK demanding a ceasefire in the conflict.

Home secretary Suella Braverman caused controversy by describing demonstrations in London as “hate marches”, while a row has also erupted over plans to have another march on Armistice Day next weekend.

Asked about the pro-Palestine marches on Sky News this morning, Dowden said: “I have to say to you, I’m a bit disappointed that if you look at the moral indignation, and the clarity that we saw after the murder of George Floyd in the United States with the Black Lives Matter movement, we haven’t seen across civic society the same kind of moral clarity showing that Jewish lives matter.

“I think that is a cause of hurt to the Jewish community. And it is something that disappoints me and I see it whether it’s on our [university] campuses or elsewhere.

“We need to send a very clear signal that Jewish people are safe in this country, not just for the sake of Jewish people, but for the sake of British society.”

Presenter Trevor Phillips said: “Are you saying that you think that there is a fundamental problem in this society’s attitude towards Jews, in a now famous phrase that ‘Jews don’t count’ in the way that other minorities do?”

Dowden replied: “I think people need to understand that anti-semitism is racism, full stop. And the same abhorrence we show towards other types of racism we should show towards anti-semitism.

“It’s not an acceptable state of affairs when Jewish people don’t feel safe on the streets of this country because of intimidation and the police should take robust action on that.”

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‘You’re Trying To Bamboozle Our Viewers’: Oliver Dowden Roasted Over Covid Revelations

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Oliver Dowden was accused of trying to “bamboozle” the public as he refused to say whether he had read all of the government’s plans for dealing with a pandemic before the Covid outbreak.

The deputy prime minister clashed with Laura Kuenssberg as he appeared on the BBC this morning.

It came after a week of damning revelations at the Covid inquiry over Downing Street’s handling of the early months of the pandemic.

Dowden was a Cabinet Office minister at the time and responsible for how the government dealt with emergencies.

Referring to a clip of the inquiry’s most shocking revelations, Kuenessburg said: “It’s hard to watch any of that and conclude anything other than the government’s handling of Covid was a disaster.”

She added: “You were minister of state for the Cabinet Office at the beginning and part of your job was making sure that the government was ready to deal with big emergencies.

“Had you read all of the plans that were prepared to deal with a pandemic?”

“I said all of this during my evidence session at the Covid Inquiry” responded Dowden.

“I’m sure our viewers want to hear it now too” pressed the BBC host.

Dowden replied: “I gave evidence for over three hours at the inquiry.”

As Kuenssberg told him she was asking a “straightforward question”, a clearly-agitated Dowden said: “Laura if you wish to know the answer to this question, I have to be able to set out the facts of it.

“The department for health had a responsibility for pandemic preparedness. The role of me in the Cabinet Office was to make sure we had a full analysis of all of the risks.”

Kuenssberg hit back: “You’re giving us a very long, technical answer and I’d like you to give a straightforward answer to our viewers.”

“All of the areas under my responsibility I was across them,” said Dowden.

The presenter responded: “And had you read all of the plans? That’s a straightforward question.

“It sounds like you’re trying to bamboozle our viewers this morning with a very technical explanation of the fact that you didn’t read every single part of the pandemic preparedness plans.”

But Dowden said: “I’m not trying to bamboozle your viewers and I can say categorically that I read the relevant Covid plan.”

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Suella Braverman Sparks Tory Civil War Over Plan To Stop Rough Sleepers Getting Tents

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Suella Braverman has triggered a Tory civil war over her plans to stop rough sleepers being given tents.

Moderate Conservatives accused the home secretary of “ill thought out policies that divide” after she confirmed the controversial move.

Braverman accused rough sleepers who use tents for shelter of “living on the streets as a lifestyle choice”.

She said: “Unless we step in now to stop this, British cities will go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor.”

But the Tory Reform Group – which includes senior party figures such as Damian Green, Ken Clarke, John Major and Robert Buckland – condemned the home secretary’s remarks.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) they said: “The UK’s streets are not being taken over by tents. We are not San Francisco.

“If this is a sign to come of the King’s Speech, it is a missed opportunity for the government to focus on those issues that really matter to voters – not ill thought out policies which divide.”

Braverman has also come under fire from opposition politicians, with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham describing her plans as “frankly abhorrent”.

Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael said: “It is a new low for Braverman to criminalise homeless charities for simply trying to keep vulnerable people warm and dry in winter.

“The British public raise millions of pounds for homeless people at this time of year, and the government’s response is to criminalise those charities trying to help.

“This policy will do nothing to stop rough sleeping and will leave vulnerable people to face the harsh weather conditions without any shelter whatsoever.”

On Sky News this morning, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden defended Braverman by claiming her comments – in a series of four posts on X – had been taken out of context.

He said: “If you look at what she said, she did talk about addressing push factors as well.

“And if we get to a position where those factors are removed, I do think the tents and other things that that we see on our streets are not acceptable if we’ve got somewhere else for these people to go.”

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‘A New Low’: Suella Braverman Slammed Over Plan To Stop Rough Sleepers Using Tents

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Suella Braverman has been savaged after she announced plans to stop charities giving tents to rough sleepers.

The home secretary claimed that many people using tents for shelter are doing so “as a lifestyle choice”.

She said failing to take action would lead to “an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor”.

But her plans have sparked a furious political backlash, with Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Manchester, describing them as “frankly abhorrent”.

Under the policy, which could be included in next week’s King’s Speech setting out the government’s plans for the year ahead, charities could be fined for giving tents to rough sleepers.

Braverman said: “The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless. But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.

“Unless we step in now to stop this, British cities will go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor.

“Nobody in Britain should be living in a tent on our streets. There are options for people who don’t want to be sleeping rough, and the Government is working with local authorities to strengthen wraparound support including treatment for those with drug and alcohol addiction.

“What I want to stop, and what the law abiding majority wants us to stop, is those who cause nuisance and distress to other people by pitching tents in public spaces, aggressively begging, stealing, taking drugs, littering, and blighting our communities.”

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, said: “This is grim politics from a desperate Conservative government which knows it’s day are numbered.

“It is a new low for Braverman to criminalise homeless charities for simply trying to keep vulnerable people warm and dry in winter.

“The British public raise millions of pounds for homeless people at this time of year, and the government’s response is to criminalise those charities trying to help.

“This policy will do nothing to stop rough sleeping and will leave vulnerable people to face the harsh weather conditions without any shelter whatsoever.”

Reacting to her comments on X (formerly Twitter), Burnham said: “It is frankly abhorrent for the home secretary to be proposing banning tents for rough sleepers in the King’s Speech. I hope all decent people will unite in opposition to this obscene proposal.”

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Rough sleeping is not a ‘lifestyle choice’.

“A toxic mix of rising rents and failure to end no-fault evictions is hitting vulnerable people. After years of delay the Tories are failing on their promises. Now after 13 years, they’re blaming homeless people rather than themselves.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “How low can this morally bankrupt government go? We need to boot them out of office.”

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Dolly Parton Explains Why She’s Passed On The Super Bowl Halftime Show ‘Many Times’

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Dolly Parton isn’t ruling out a Super Bowl halftime show in the future, despite turning down invitations to perform at the big game on a number of occasions.

The Jolene singer, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, shared that she’s received offers to play the halftime show and explained why she has ultimately had to decline them.

“Oh, sure. I’ve been offered that many times. I couldn’t do it because of other things, or I just didn’t think I was big enough to do it — to do that big of a production,” said Dolly.

“When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I’ve never done anything with that big of a production. I don’t know if I could have. I think at the time, that’s what I was thinking.”

The iconic country musician nearly took part in the Super Bowl halftime show when Katy Perry was the headliner in 2015.

She told GQ in 2020 that she would have done the show because she loves Katy but revealed that her husband, Carl Dean, “was not doing good” at the time, so she didn’t want to leave him for the performance.

A future halftime show isn’t out of the question, however, with publication noting that she “looks at the epic performance slot a little differently” with the upcoming release of Rockstar, her first rock album.

“It would make more sense. That might change. I might be able to do a production show,” claimed Dolly, whose album drops in two weeks.

Dolly Parton is set to appear at a different halftime show later this month as the Dallas Cowboys announced that she’ll perform at the team’s Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Commanders on 23 November.

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="804" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":12,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

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Rockstar is set for release on November 17th and will be available as a 4 LP set, 2 CD set, digital download and on all streaming services. \n\nFollow Dolly on:\n\nFacebook: https://dolly.lnk.to/Facebook\nTwitter: https://dolly.lnk.to/Twitter\nInstagram: https://dolly.lnk.to/Instagram\nTikTok: https://dolly.lnk.to/TikTok\n https://dollyparton.com\n\nOfficial “World On Fire” Lyrics: \n\nLiar, liar the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down\nFire, fire burning higher\nStill got time to turn it all around\n\nNow I ain’t one for speaking out much \nBut that don’t mean I don’t stay in touch\nEverybody’s trippin’ over this or that \nWhat we gonna do when we all fall flat\n\nLiar, liar the world’s on fire \nWhat we gonna do when it all burns down\n\nI don’t know what to think about us\nWhen did we lose in God we trust\nGod Almighty, what we gonna do\nIf God ain’t listenin’ and we’re deaf too\n\nLiar, liar the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down\nFire, fire burning higher\nStill got time to turn it all around\n\nDon’t get me started on politics\nNow how are we to live in a world like this\nGreedy politicians, present and past\nThey wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ‘em in the ass\n\nNow tell me what is truth\nHave we all lost sight\nOf common decency\nOf the wrong and right\nHow do we heal this great divide\nDo we care enough to try\n\nLiar, liar the world’s on fire \nWhat we gonna do when it all burns down\n\nBilly got a gun, Joey got a knife\nJaney got a sign to carry in the fight\nMarching in the streets with sticks and stones\nDon’t you ever believe words don’t break bones\n\nOh, can we rise above\nCan’t we show some love\nDo we just give up\nOr make a change\n\nWe know all too well\nWe’ve all been through hell\nTime to break the spell\nIn heaven’s name\n\nLiar, liar the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down\nFire, fire burning higher\nStill got time to turn it all around\n\nLiar, liar the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down\nFire, fire burning higher\nStill got time to turn it all around\n\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down\nLiar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down)\nShow some love\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire,\nStill got time to turn it all around)\nLet’s rise above\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down)\nLet’s make a stand\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down)\nLet’s lend a hand\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nStill got time to turn it all around)\nLet’s heal the hurt\n(Liar, Liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down)\nLet kindness work\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down)\nLet’s be a friend\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do when it all burns down)\nLet hatred end\n(Liar, liar, the world’s on fire\nWhatcha gonna do)\nLiar, 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