Why Would You Need A Dish Drying Rack?

Well, first of all, it’s hygienic. You could use some piece of cloth and just pile all the dishes up like I used to do in my college days, but, sometimes the cloth won’t dry out completely.

And that can lead to mold starting to appear and make itself quite comfortable there. That can only further lead to a number of different allergic reactions.

Second, nobody likes to see a messy kitchen, you don’t want to have people over and say things like: "What’s up with that plate monument?".

And it’s cheap and effective.

How To Choose Dish Drying Rack That’s Just For You?

You can start with the basics: appearance.

First, it has to look good, right? Choose the style and form to fit the rest of the kitchen, similar color theme, material etc.

If your counterto﻿p has a wood pattern, choose the one with the wooden details, if it has some kind of rock pattern, choose a darker color theme, or if you don’t want to worry about that at all, go with the classic plain chrome, which fits with all the kitchen elements.

If you are still not sure what exactly are you looking for, you can find some interesting examples on numerous different websites, like this one here.

What Should You Pay Attention To When Shopping?

Size

Material

Build quality

Versatility

Storage capability

Be careful that it fits in terms of size. Measure the space by the sink where you usually leave your dishes to dry. Compare them to dimensions given in the rack description, and make sure it will fit. When it comes to materials, it’s very important if it has any metal parts that t﻿﻿h﻿﻿ose parts are stainless. Usually, they all are.

Some people will say that wooden ones are better than the steel ones, but everything has its pros and cons. Wood tends to soak the smell of the environment, while steel, if not stainless, can end up in your trash can really quickly.

Build quality is important, you don’t want it to break apart easily, cause it will hold fragile elements. You can determine the quality just by the looks of it, how the ends are connected, if it has any joints, what kind of joints are they, etc.

Does It Serve Its Primal Function?

Today when there is such small space for innovation, designers tend to go over the edge with some objects.

If it looks like something never seen before, and can’t hold that big pizza plate in place, then it’s just wasted material.

Is It Convenient For Storage?

If you like to put away all the stuff you are not using at the moment and have a clean look in your kitchen, you could look for a rack that is easier for storage.

Some can be folded, or even taken a part so it can fit in a drawer to be moved away from plain sight.

It all depends on your personal preference.

Me personally, I like to have it in one place all the time. Cause in my kitchen, there’s always something cooking.

Can It Be Cleaned Easily?

Even when you find the best dish drying rack out there, it’s not going to clean itself. From time to time, depends on the location of your kitchen, it will require some cleaning.

There’s always some dust around, which will make a mess on a wet surface such as your dish rack. Some dish racks are much easier to clean than the others.

For example, if it’s a one piece, you can just dip it in the sink and use a regular sponge with a detergent. If however, it has joints, multiple parts that are connected together, you will have to take it a part, for a really good clean up.

Dish racks that are predominately made of rubber, usually it’s the tray underneath where all the water ends up, they tend to be a real magnet for dust, so they will require more frequent cleaning than others.

Wooden dish racks, as mentioned before, tend to soak up the smell of the environment, especially onion, so they need a deep scrub quite often. Chrome and steel ones are probably the best solution if you don’t want to wash your dish rack that often.

Unless they are NOT stainless. I know it sounds silly, but believe it or not, those still can be found, so pay attention when shopping.

If you like to keep it simple and clean, this dish rack might be the one for you. It’s completely made from steel, and it’s coated in silicone. So, I think it will be very durable and glass-friendly since it has that silicone coating making its surface non-slippery.

What I especially like about this dish rack, is that all water drips directly into the sink, so you won’t have any extra cleaning. It’s also very heat resistant, so you can use it as a mat for any hot dishes. It can be cleaned very easily by hand, or you can just put it in the dishwasher and be done with it.

Very storage friendly, it can be rolled up and be put away with the rest of your cutlery since it takes up so little space. What I don’t find too appealing about this dish rack, is that it lacks any extra compartments.

I’m afraid I might end up breaking some dish by accident when I pile them all up. But if you don’t use that much dishes as me, you shouldn’t worry about that too much. There is something that I like about every single thing I buy, and it says in the description, it has a lifetime warranty, so you can be sure you won’t waste any of your money.

Things I Liked

Simple

Practical

Durable

Easy for storage

Easy for cleaning

Non-slippery surface

Heat resistant

Lifetime warranty

Things I Didn’t Like

With its monochrome colors, this dish rack will fit in almost any color theme of the kitchen. It’s made of plastic and steel, can be taken apart, so it should be easy to storage it. What I like about this design is the dent it has on the middle of the tray, so water goes directly into the sink.

It has a designated compartment for cutlery, so everything has its place. This design seems to be able to hold everything from small plates to big ﻿﻿pans, and that’s some nice advantage to have.

The manufacturer says hand washing is necessary to keep it clean, so that might be a drawback for some since there is no particular info about mechanic washing. That plastic grill looks like it can really hold things in place, as far as I can see from these pictures.

But since it’s mainly made of plastic, you should keep in mind that it cannot be close to your cooker or your microwave. It might end up melting all over your counter. Then you’ll have a skeleton of what once was a dish drying rack.

The plastic it’s made of is BPA free, so you don’t have to worry were there any nasty chemicals involved in the production.

Things I Didn’t Like

Now this one has that classic design that used to be the main look for a decade. You remember what I said why I don’t prefer wood over plastic and chrome? Well, this one seems to be stain resistant.

It’s made out of bamboo and can easily be washed with soap and water. It has 14 slots for plates, and its universal holders can be used for cups and cutlery.

What I see it’s missing, is a bottom tray for water collecting, so it seems it might require additional cleaning of the counter when the dishes are done drying. What you might find as a plus is its ability to be folded into one piece and be put aside with no effort.

The parts are held together with screws, so you should not worry about it coming a part out of regular usage. If you are looking for a smaller dish rack, this is the one, if you have some bigger dishes, pots, and pans like I do, then I think this one will be too small.

It can best be used as an addition to an existing rack or as a separate dish rack for cups and cutlery.

Things I Didn’t Like

Similar as we saw the one before, this one goes in the sink. It’s made out of steel with a chrome finish.

It will probably fit almost any sink out there, and what is different from the other over-the-sink dish racks, is that it has its depth for a more secure holding of the plates and glasses, as you can see on the picture above.

The edge of the dish rack is coated so it doesn’t damage the surface of the countertop, but it’s only available in black color, what could be just plain silver like the rest, but maybe that’s just me.

It’s maybe heavier than the rest of the dish racks I found, but I think it does not matter that much since it just sits inside the sink. Finding variants of this type of dish racks is maybe the best thing to search for, since the dishes drain straight into the sink, and it takes much less effort for cleaning afterward.

Since this one is universal, be sure that you measure your sink and check if it will fit properly. Depth should be checked as well since it has legs that should be on the bottom of the sink to provide support if you load it with a lot of objects.

Things I Didn’t Like

Finally, I found something that is durable and has some style. With its classic steel frame look, my eye tells me it should be durable for quite some time. What I especially like about this dish rack is that oil coating that makes it completely black, instead of expected silver color.

The frame around it is a small detail, but it makes it look better as a whole. There’s a small caddy at the side, designed for cutlery and other small objects you might have. The middle of the rack is reserved for plates, while you can leave bigger ﻿﻿scoops and dippers at the side.

Once again, this one also does not have any bottom tray, so it would be best to leave it to rest on the side of your sink if it’s that kind of a sink. Leaving it on the countertop would require a cloth or a towel to soak up the water.

Since it’s welded completely together, it should be very sturdy and stable, and its basket-like form is maybe the best solution for keeping all the dishes from falling aside.

What I do not see from the pictures provided is a compartment designed for cups and glasses. You could put them all around but I don’t think it will all fit with all the plates. If you live alone, for example, then you won’t have such issues.

Things I Liked

Sturdy

Durable

Has a special compartment for cutlery

Secured on the sides to prevent plates from falling aside

Stylish look

Things I Didn’t Like

No bottom tray

Not much space for anything else except for plates and cutlery

Silverware caddy made out of plastic

Final Verdict – The Best Dish Drying Rack Is…

Since perfection can’t be found anywhere, I’m left without finding a perfect dish rack for my kitchen.

As I said, I like to have everything in its place all the time.

But I could not find the dish rack that can be stationary and fulfill all my requirements considering its looks, material, build quality and versatility.

Something had to be sacrificed.

So in my pick, I sacrificed the ability to leave it in one place at all times.

But I gained versatility, good quality, and simplicity.

For me, it’s better for a rack not to have any designed compartments compared to the one that has some small ones.

Barbara Whitney

For the last 20 years, I’ve been cooking, preparing, researching, and gathering recipes, tools, and knowledge about food and the way we prepare it. Raising two lively boys and spoiling one great husband later, it’s safe to say that I’ve optimized my kitchen to deliver the best possible meal, no matter the occasion.