Washing pots and pans in the dishwasher is perfectly fine but if the pots and pans are the non stick kind of pots and pans then it's not recommended to wash them in the dishwasher.
Nonstick Pots and Pans should really be washed by hand to prevent damage to the nonstick surface of the pots and pans.
But other pots and pans can be safely washed in the dishwasher as long as you remove most of the food residue first to prevent the dishwasher from becoming clogged.
So remove most food and any grease from the pots and pans and then wash them in the dishwasher and they should clean just fine and no harm should be done to the pots and pans.
I wash pots and pans all the time in my dishwasher and haven't harmed the pots and pans but for the nonstick pots and pans the manufacture recommends washing them by hand which is what I do.