In our modern world, there are plenty of nifty kitchen devices designed to help us save time and effort in the pursuit of finding the best way to fill our bellies.

Microwave ovens are old news by now. Many homes boast bread-makers that eliminate the guesswork. We have shredding-chopping-mulching food processors that make knives nearly obsolete.

And, as one friend recently found out, it’s entirely possible to use familiar kitchen appliances in a manner that most wouldn’t consider.

“Like what?” you ask.

Like this: Have you ever cooked with your dishwasher?

Don Corey of Holden has. And he has a story you may think is pretty interesting.

Corey’s tale began a couple weeks ago on East Grand Lake, where he enjoyed a weekend of fishing with some friends. One of his pals caught a 4-pound salmon. Corey was the lucky angler who won the fish, and got to take it home.

Then Corey – who, along with being a member of the Penobscot Fly Fishers is also one of the Bangor Daily News’ computer gurus – logged on to the Internet to get some advice.

“I’ve got non-fish eaters in my house, besides [daughter] Erika,” Corey said. “So I went on the Internet one evening, thinking I could [find a recipe] to stuff and bake it.”

There were, he quickly found, several other options.

“When I did a Google search for ‘cooking salmon,’ I came up with several choices, and one of them was ‘Dishwasher Salmon,'” he said. “I decided I’d try it. I’d never heard of it, and I figured it must have been a joke.”

Still, the good-natured Corey decided to play along. He filleted the fish, placed it in a layer of tinfoil, added butter, onions, and seasoning, and wrapped it up tight. Then he opened the dishwasher door.

“I put it on the top rack. No soap. No pots-and-pans cycle. Just a normal wash cycle and a normal, hot, hot dry,” he said with a chuckle.

In 45 minutes, Corey ended up with a deliciously poached salmon … with a couple of added benefits: No dishes to clean up, and no fish odor emanating through the kitchen.

“I wasn’t sure [how it would turn out],” he said. “I thought it would be all soggy, but it was perfect. It was very painless, with no mess. Everybody loved it. It was a big hit.”

Corey, who builds his own fly rods and is an accomplished fly-tier and tying instructor, isn’t above tinkering with the recipe, however.

The success of the Dishwasher Salmon already has him thinking … about side dishes.

“I was gonna do potatoes, but Erika decided [we should] just do the fish and try that,” he said. “But we always cook them on the grill in tinfoil, and I figured if you can cook the salmon in the dishwasher, you must be able to cook potatoes, too.

“We’ll save that for next time,” he said.

In addition, Corey points out, he hasn’t even come close to tapping the full potential of his new hot-water cooking device. That 4-pound salmon? It looked pretty lonely on the top rack of his machine. And though Corey will never find the information in the owner’s manual, he knows the dishwasher’s salmon capacity hasn’t been approached yet.

“You could probably cook six or eight salmon at a time in there,” Corey said with a laugh.

News item: Hot off the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s presses on Thursday afternoon: Moose permits may increase next year.

According to a DIFW press release, a rule is being considered that would add 550 permits in eastern Aroostook County. The Wildlife Management Districts that would be affected are WMDs 3, 6, and 11.

This year, 900 permits were issued in those WMDs, which stretch from Route 11 east to the Canadian border. The proposed 161 percent change would raise that to 1,450, and would boost the statewide total of moose permits from 2,585 to 3,135.

The grand total would be the highest number of moose permits issued by the state since the modern moose hunt began in 1980. The previous high was 3,000, which were issued from 1999 through 2002. Permits were decreased for this season amid concerns that the moose herd may be shrinking.

As you may recall, several Aroostook County residents have been vocal about decreasing the size of the moose herd up north in the wake of several fatal automobile accidents involving the hefty critters.

If you have an opinion on the matter, you may want to attend a meeting planned for 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 at the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club.

Those unable to attend can address pertinent e-mail comments before Nov. 17 to Andrea.Erskine@maine.gov, or write to her at Andrea Erskine, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 41 State House Station, Augusta, 04333.

Hunting season’s approaching, and I’ve yet to receive the annual flood of hunter’s breakfast announcements. Since I enjoy a good breakfast as much as the next hefty hunter, and since I’m not quite sure where I’ll be eating on opening morning, this subject qualifies as a weighty matter to me.

If you’re staging a hunter’s breakfast … or lunch … or dinner … let me know the particulars and I’ll do my best to let others know about it.

While we’re on the topic, if you know of a hunter’s breakfast that qualifies as a don’t-miss-it event, for whatever reason, I’d be interested in hearing about it. A future column may deal with some of the more noteworthy.

The Quest: A year ago, I asked readers for help in finding a traditional Maine hunting camp that might make for an interesting column. I ended up with several suggestions, a bunch of invitations, and more column fodder than I could imagine.

Last year’s trip, if you recall, took me to Camp Swampy in Cambridge, where Arthur Watson and his family have been hunting for years. The experience was enlightening for a first-time hunter (even though I opted out of climbing all the way up to the 40-foot-high “Swale Seat” early one morning). After returning to earth … and shaking the terror of that morning … I decided the more hunting camps I get to see in this lifetime, the better.

Well, it’s that time of year again … and I’m asking the same question.

Do you know of an offbeat, interesting, or historically significant hunting camp that might be worth a trip (and some ink)? I know there are hundreds of places like that, and I’m looking for as many suggestions as I can get.

The only catch: The owner (and the assorted hunters who spend time there) have to agree that they don’t have a problem with a newspaper guy stopping by for a day or two.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.