OXO Good Grips Over the Sink Aluminum Dish Rack
If counter space just isn’t happening for you right now, Oxo has another aluminum and plastic model that sits in or across your sink. Other than a dedicated silverware cup (which can hang inside or outside) it’s essentially just a basket. But unlike the Ikea model above, this one has expandable supports to span up to 19 inches or shrink down to 15 inches to fit inside your sink. The height and orientation of the plate pegs left things a little looser than I would have liked, with four plates taking up more room than some other countertop models. This left even less room for cups or pots and pans. But I won’t let its compact size, which is meant as a feature rather than a bug, detract from its overall score. It’s still a sturdy, simple way to utilize your sink as a drying rack. Just don’t expect it’ll fit all the dishes from Thanksgiving dinner.
This is a favorite dish rack among many review sites, and we liked it too. Just not as much as the Joseph Joseph. It has a sturdy stainless-steel build and a smart design with a simple slide-out drip tray, making it very easy to clean. Our only gripe with it is that you can’t control the direction of the drip tray angles. This means that it has to sit on your countertop at its widest orientation, making this an impractical choice for people short on counter space. When choosing a winner, we wanted to pick something that would provide greater adaptability (people move, kitchen setups change). However, if you have the space to accommodate this rack, it’s a great choice.
Simple Human Dish Drying Rack
Simplehuman Dish Drying Rack
As to be expected with a Simple Human product, this dish rack is thoughtfully designed with unique features. It has a rack for hanging stemware and a hydrophilic coating on the basin that spreads water out for faster evaporation. This is the largest dish rack we tested, so if this is what you want, be sure you have plenty of room for it. We would have liked more pegs for supporting dishes upright. Also the drain was a bit difficult to clean compared to other dish racks. If you find yourself hand-washing a lot of wine glasses, this might be your model of choice, though. Overall, this is a high-quality stainless-steel dish rack that is worth it if you have the space.
This was one of the more affordable dish racks we found. It can function on the countertop, suspend over the kitchen sink, or sit inside it. It has a plastic drainage base and a wire metal construction that’s easy to clean, and it could hold all the dishes required in our test. The materials felt a little cheap, though, making us wonder about its longevity. Longer testing is needed for us to potentially rate it higher, but overall, this is a good, versatile choice.
Umbra Sink Dish Drying Rack
Umbra Sink Dish Drying Rack
Like the Kitsure, this is a versatile caddy designed to either go in the sink, suspend over it, or, theoretically, sit next to it (although it doesn’t have any base for that). It is pretty affordable and has a modest but workable capacity. Some buyers have complained about the feet rusting, which is worth noting. It would also be great if it came with an optional drain board like the Kitsure. But, alas…
Dish racks we don’t recommend
We appreciated the attempt at making a dish rack that folds up when not in use, but the plastic components were bulky and rigid and had to be forced open. We also found this one tricky to clean due to an abundance of nooks and crannies.
We weren’t crazy about the plastic ridges on this dish rack, which we felt were unnecessarily bulky. The design also felt cramped compared to other models we tested.
The problems with this dish rack are that it lacked sides, which are helpful for providing additional support when piling dishes high, and that the drip tray was not very effective at containing moisture. To use this dish rack, we’d recommend placing a towel underneath it to avoid any messes. It was, at least, one of the easiest dish racks to clean.
We appreciate this as a playful and clever kitchen gadget, but ultimately this dish rack is best used for bottles and small kitchen accessories. It isn’t particularly helpful for dishes and larger pots.
This is another diatomaceous earth drying rack that’s on the smaller side. The pegs and ridges couldn’t really accommodate larger dishes, and it lacked any space for drying utensils, cutting boards, or silverware.
On the plus side, it’s foldable and modular, meaning the dish rack portion can fit on any of the three panels. It could have earned a couple more points if there had been some kind of flatware holder molded into the rack. But it doesn’t drain (unless, maybe, if you have an undermount sink), instead relying on evaporation. In the end, you’re buying a silicone mat that does more to protect your counter than wick away water.
This polyester mat from IKEA was a total bargain at just $3.49. And while, yes, you could lay this out near your sink and put some pots and pans on top, I think it might be better suited toward the other suggested uses on Ikea’s website: As a protective pad under appliances like stand mixers or used under a dish drying rack. Its main feature/flaw is that it’s soft and absorbent, which means your delicate dishware and glasses will be safe but the mat also holds onto moisture. I poured a cup full of water directly on the surface and it took over four hours to fully dry out. Drips here and there probably won’t cause mold or mildew (and it is machine washable), but it just doesn’t help make a dry environment. It also has perforations down the middle of the fold from the stitching, which can let water leak down to the counter.
