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If you’re someone who likes keeping their pots and pans in your own hands, you need to get yourself a good quality dish rack. A dish drying rack is one of the top kitchen essentials if you cook frequently and don’t have a dishwasher, or don’t prefer using it.
A kitchen drying rack should be sized right, have easy loading and unloading, and should drain well. There are tons of options to choose from including foldable, stemware, and easy over-the-sink racks. Apart from the design and capacity for dishes, there are quite some considerations that you need to keep in mind when shopping for a dish rack.
Some common concerns include rust resistance, frame quality, and support, functionality, and more. We’ve jotted down a few buying tips to help you with the decision-making. You can also go through our recommendations for the top dish drying racks of 2022.
Top Picks
Best overall: iSpecle Dish Drying Rack
With a countertop mounting design, this dish drying rack features a large capacity, perfect for those with a compact kitchen with limited counter space. The top layer of the rack can store seventeen pots and plates while the bottom section can hold eighteen or more bowls or cups. There is also a special side cutlery rack that can hold small utensils. On the other side, you can place large items like dishes or cutting boards. You can practically accommodate all kinds of kitchen utensils together in one compact space. The H-shaped frame makes sure that the rack maintains its balance and stays in place. You can also change the height slightly to make this option sit flat. There are also three pull-out water trays at the bottom for collecting dripping water and preventing any mess. The large capacity and supreme functionality of this product earned it the top spot on our list. Of all the products featured, we consider it the best overall.
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Elite design: Sweet Home Dish Drainer Rack
This dish drainer rack takes second place on our list because it’s easy to handle and extremely functional. It features a sink mounting design and is made from a combination of metal and plastic. There is one dish rack, a drainboard underneath, and two separate cutlery caddies to keep all your kitchen utensils drying together in a small space. You can also let your flatware and silverware dry separately when dishwashing. This product has dedicated slots for plates, bowls, and cups to keep them all safe and crack-free. The special coating makes it super convenient to spot clean this option. The drainboard also has a lip to prevent water from pooling up.
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Most space saving: Surpahs Over The Sink Dish Drying Rack
Looking for a space-saving option? This roll-up multipurpose dish rack is the pick for you! It is made from a silicone-wrapped steel material that won’t rust, bend or peel away over time. You can mount this rack over your sink or your countertop. The high-end quality steel dish drying rack is treated to be non-slip as well as glassware friendly. You can place the heaviest of pots and pans without worrying about any damage to them. It is resistant to heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and can also be used as a heat-resistant countertop mat. The BPA-free material makes this rack safe for use in your kitchen for years to come. It’s also dishwasher safe and easy to clean. The collapsible design is also great for storing this product when it’s not in use.
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Easiest to use: Simple Houseware Dish Rack
The Simple Houseware dish drying rack features two tiers for setting dishes in. The upper tier has spaces for plates and dishes while the lower space can be used for glasses, cups, or bowls. There are two detachable cutlery buckets as well, perfect for placing small kitchen utensils separately. The stylish chrome finish and countertop mount design make this option a great addition to your kitchen. And, the drainboard has a drain lip at one side, keeping water from pooling up inside. The space-saving design is perfect for smaller kitchens and places with limited counter space.
Key Features:
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Translucent drainboard
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Ample storage space
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Easy to clean
Most durable materials: Seropy Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack
This dish rack features a very convenient over-the-sink design that you can simply roll out to keep dishes dry. This design is suitable for any kitchen and counter type. It’s made from high-quality 304 stainless steel, offering a long-lasting construction. The steel frame is treated to be rust and water-resistant so you won’t need a replacement anytime soon. The non-slip bottom can easily support many pots, pans, and other kitchen items. The roll-up design is perfect for easily storing it away when not in use, saving you even more space. This rack is safe for use in a dishwasher and can resist heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use it for organizing utensils in your kitchen.
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Finding the right dish drying rack: A buyer’s guide
Shopping for a kitchen drying rack might sound like a simple task, but it takes care and consideration. These drying racks can be found in a variety of styles, sizes, and materials, you’re bound to find exactly what you’re looking for after a whole lot of searching and confusion. To assist you with speeding up this process, we’ve put together a detailed buyer’s guide to help you make this decision more easily. We’ll go over everything from the choice of material and design to the functionality a high-quality product should offer.
How to choose a quality dish drying rack?
Here are a few considerations to look out for:
Size
Deciding the size you need depends on the size and quantity of your kitchen utensils. Will you put heavy loads of pots and pans on the rack or just simple dinnerware? Do you have a dishwasher to share the load?
Select a size that’s easy to handle and store as well. You can see the weight capacity mentioned by the manufacturer, you should buy something according to your specific cooking routine and cleaning needs. If you don’t cook very much and only have delicate pans and dishes, you can go for foldable, collapsible racks or a drying mat.
On the other hand, if you don’t have a dishwasher and have tons of pots, pans, plates, and more to clean daily, you should get a rack with multiple levels. Also, consider the space you have on the countertop and kitchen overall. Over-the-sink models are ideal for smaller kitchens.
Material
The material your dish drying rack is constructed from determines its durability. Common materials used for making dish racks include wood, metals, or plastic. Stainless steel tends to oxidize over time, as any metal would, but it is more resistant to rust. Wood is more resistant to odors and is more sustainable, but these versions need more maintenance. Plastic dish racks are both lightweight and easy to maintain.
Mounting design
You also need to look at the mounting style of a rack to gauge how much space it will take up on your countertop or in your sink. Traditional countertop racks sit over a drainboard that collects any dripping water and is usually made from metal or plastic.
Over-the-sink options use the sink basin during operation, but need dedicated storage space when they’re not being used. These versions offer better ventilation and are perfect for a small number of dishes. Collapsible style racks are great for smaller kitchens, they collapse down into a compact size and shape for easy storage.
Expandable or tiered dish racks are meant for a large number of dishes. They don’t occupy extra space on the counter and they can expand lengthwise to accommodate more dishes.
What’s the right way to load a dish drying rack?
The best way of loading up a dish rack will vary from model to model, as will their features and accessories. A commonly practiced way of loading a dish rack is putting flatware and knives in first, making sure that items with pointy ends are not sticking out, potentially harming your hands.
Flatter items like Tupperware lids, plates, and dishes come next. You can lean them against other plates or bowls to increase space. Then, go for pans from the smallest to the biggest size. Utilize the space with the bigger, bulkier, and heavier items arranged last. You can simply hang or rest lightweight Tupperware, or acrylic glassware, on other items. They won’t break if they happen to fall off.
How to clean a dish drying rack?
Dish racks are integral tools for storing and drying dishes and they need proper care and maintenance to keep the dishes clean, dry and safe to use. Since the rack remains in constant contact with wet utensils and water, there’s a fair chance they can grow mildew or develop stains. Here are some tips for easily cleaning a dish rack:
Dismantle
Just like with cleaning a dish, you’ll need dish soap, a small brush, cloth or rag, and hot water to clean a dish rack. If the design allows, take apart all the different components of your dish rack to make cleaning easier, quicker, and more thorough.
Scrub or soak
Wet the scrubbing brush in the hot water and dab a little dish soap on it. Then gently start scrubbing the stains and rust marks to remove them. Scrub the entire rack to clear any potential spots for mildew to start growing.
If there are hard-to-remove stains, you can also soak the dish rack in a mixture of hot water and white vinegar in your sink basin. After you’ve submerged the rack in the mixture for about 15-30 minutes, take it out and scrub gently all over.
Rinse
The next step is rinsing away anything you’ve scrubbed off as well as the foam from the soap. Inspect the dish rack for any spots you might have missed and clean them too.
Dry completely
If you have a dish drying rack made out of metal, make sure you manually dry it with a highly absorbent cloth first and then leave it to air dry. This prevents the rack from rusting. Dish racks made from other kinds of materials can simply be left in the sink or on a drying mat.
To prevent a dish rack from developing mold, mildew, or rust, you need to regularly clean it in a specific manner. You can clean it once a week in the same manner described above. This will also deter bacteria growth and keep the rack free from rust. Try to keep the rack dry because rust only develops when the metal of your rack is exposed to water for long periods.
Conclusion
Dish drying racks are designed to stack up your pots and pans so that they air dry in the shortest time possible. They are made to house various kinds of kitchen utensils. Some options feature double or triple tiers and extra cutlery caddies while others are designed to take up little to no space in the kitchen. You need to consider the materials used as well since cleaning and maintenance requirements for metal racks differ from plastic models.
With so many things to check and test, the whole process of buying a dish rack can get a little overwhelming. To make it a little bearable, we’ve put together a guide that you can scroll through before making a purchase. You can also get an idea about prices and the options available from our recommended list of the best dish drying racks for 2022.
People also asked
Q: Should I get a plastic or metal dish drying rack? What’s better?
A: Plastic dish racks are easier to clean but prone to mold and discoloration while metal ones may develop rust spots. High-quality metal racks are more long-lasting than plastic versions.
Q: How often should you replace a dish drying rack?
A: If you’re regularly cleaning a dish drying rack, you might not have to replace it even after 10-18 years of use. Otherwise, you must replace the rack at the slightest appearance of mold, rust, or mildew.
Q: How do you prevent mold formation on a wooden dish drying rack?
A: You need to seal the drying rack with a fungicidal sealant to prevent mold formation and prolong the product’s life.
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