You may or may not have seen Technology Connections' many, many videos on the subject of dishwashers.
The tl; dr is:
* use the basic powder stuff
* put some of the basic powder stuff in the "pre wash" section
* if your washer doesn't have a prewash, sprinkle a little on the inside
* turn the sink water on hot until it's producing hot water before starting the dishwasher
* if your dishwasher has a filter for food, check that it's empty
* you're probably using too much detergent
I found this to be bad advice. I switched to the basic powder stuff for a while and my dishes were always horrible. Went back to Cascade Platinum pods and I've never had a problem.
I've switched over to using Cascade Gel in the prewash and a Platinum pod in main wash after watching the video a couple months ago. I felt the powder stuff gets kinda messy amd the gel is easier.
I don't need to pre rinse and scrub anymore. Silverware, dishes, and pots go straight in even with food residue dried on, so I save a bunch of time.
Everything comes out perfectly spotless and squeaky clean. Older GE dishwasher on auto.
As America's Test Kitchen said a very long time ago, use the pods that have as many different colors as you can find. Those Cascade Platinum pods are great.
I just go with most expensive and most marketing filled one. It is not that much more expensive for me and I usually try to wash dishes with really dried food. So it works well enough for most of them.
The tl; dr is:
https://www.youtube.com/@TechnologyConnections/search?query=...