Photo: Georgia Glynn Smith

When it comes to dinner and a show, I'm all for lighting food on fire or dipping it in a pot of bubbling cheese. It isn't really the season for either of those toasty treats, though, so here's a cool kitchen caper you can impress guests with: dinner in your dishwasher.

Stefan Gates, author of The Extraordinary Cookbook: How to Make Meals Your Friends Will Never Forget, is something of a pro at playing with food--he throws sushi-rolling parties, serves polenta right on the table (no dishes to do) and frosts his margarita glasses with Pop Rocks. He knew that the dishwasher's heat--between 130 and 150 degrees on most models--is enough to poach salmon and gently infuse it with the flavors of aromatic herbs. To make salmon, asparagus, noodles and mixed vegetable parcels, Gates keeps everything wrapped tightly in foil, skips the detergent and runs the dishwasher on the highest and hottest cycle (choose the "pots and pans" option). And he promises nothing tastes like soap. Get the recipe here.

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