If you hand wash a lot of dishes, nonstick cookware, etc. or have a small
kitchen with limited counter space, a large, over-the-sink dish drying rack
with two or three tiers can be a great solution.
I recently purchased a large, sturdy, adjustable over-the-sink dish drying
rack that easily spans our nearly 33-inch wide double sink. The over sink dish
rack we chose easily accommodates our nonstick pots, pans and bakeware,
measuring cups and spoons, dishes, mixing bowls, cups, glasses, cutlery,
kitchen utensils, and even our large salad spinner and cake carrier. It also
gets our bottle and dish brushes, sponges and dish soap off the counter,
freeing up valuable kitchen counter space and helping to keep those items
neatly organized and easily accessible.
We couldn’t be more thrilled with our new Boosiny stainless steel, 3-tier over
sink dish drying rack. Here’s my in-depth product review.
Since my husband and I are the only ones in our household, we only run the
dishwasher every few days, when we have a full load, to save energy and water.
So, in addition to our handwashing our nonstick cookware and baking pans, cast
iron skillet, carbon steel knives, Thermos Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Travel Tumblers, etc. we also hand wash quite a few dishwasher-safe items that we use every
day, such as our tall Vitamix blender (for our smoothies), extra-long Vitamix
curved silicone scraper spatula, an extra-large cutting board, chef's knife
and 5-quart salad spinner for our nightly dinner salads, two tall shaker
bottles for our daily electrolyte supplement drinks, 12-inch pizza pans for
our countertop oven, and measuring cups and spoons.
With the exception of our cast iron cookware and carbon steel knives, which
need to be towel-dried immediately after washing to prevent rust, we prefer to
let our hand washed kitchenware items air dry on a rack. Until recently,
however, we haven't had a proper dish drying rack. (In fact, I'm embarrassed
to admit that for a long time we were using one of our large stainless steel
wire cooling racks as a makeshift countertop dish drying rack until we could
figure out a better solution.)
Our old, very small kitchen has extremely limited counter space. The usable
surface of those small counters is even smaller, because our Ninja CE251 programmable coffee maker, microwave, food processor, Vitamix blender, KitchenAid mixer and Instant
Pot pressure cooker are lined up along the far edge. (We use most of these
every day and the built-in kitchen cabinets are too full to store them when
they aren't actively in use.) Finding a dish rack with the capacity to handle
all our hand washed kitchen items that wouldn't take up any more of our
limited counter space than necessary proved challenging.
Types of Dish Drying Racks to Consider
When I started researching dish drying racks, I found four types worth
considering for our kitchen.
Traditional Countertop Dish Drainers with Drainboards
Traditional dish drying racks sit on the counter right next to the sink. They
are placed over a rimmed rubber drainboard with a lip, where the water
collects and drains into the sink. These are very popular and work well for
many households. Unfortunately, this type was neither spacious or sturdy
enough for our needs, and we didn't have space in the kitchen to store it when
not in use to free up that counter space.
Roll-Up Dish Drying Racks
Roll-up over-the-sink dish drying racks can be a great choice if counter space
is at a premium or if you like your kitchen counters to look clean and
uncluttered. The biggest advantage of this type of drying rack is that it can
be rolled up compactly (similar to a bamboo sushi rolling mat) and stored in a
kitchen drawer or under the sink when not in use.
One that I considered is the
Ahyuan roll up dish drying rack, which is made from high quality 304 stainless steel rods held together on
either end with food-grade silicone strips. It comes in several sizes,
including one large enough to span the front and back lip of our kitchen sink
surround. However, since the base of our kitchen faucet fixture is very close
to the edge of the sink, only half of the dish rack could rest on the lip of
the surround, while the other half would have to lay on the counter. Also,
even the largest size (20.5" x 19.6") would not have enough room to dry all
our hand washed dishes, pots, pans, cooking and eating utensils, blender jar,
food processor bowl and accessories, etc.
2-Tier or 3-Tier Countertop Dish Drying Racks
Tiered countertop dish drying racks have become increasingly popular in recent
years. The very attractive 3-tiered X-cosrack black stainless steel dish drying rack
would be fantastic for someone who has enough space for a rack that lives on
the countertop. This well designed, adjustable dish rack is large and sturdy
enough to accommodate plenty of hand washed dishes, cookware, etc., yet has a
fairly compact footprint (15.7" long x 11.2" wide x 22.8" tall). I love that
it comes with a utensil holder basket and removable plastic drainboards for
each of the three wire shelf baskets. Each shelf basket can be removed and put
back quickly easily to adjust them to your preferred height or for cleaning.
This excellent, well made dish rack has nearly 1,000 rave reviews on Amazon. I
was sorely tempted to order one, but since we don't have enough counter space
to leave it out all the time and it would prevent access to the blender and
food processor that would live behind it, I knew it wasn't the right solution
for our needs.
2-Tier or 3-Tier Over-the-Sink Dish Drying Racks
These are very similar to the tiered countertop dish drying racks, but they
have the advantage of taking up only about an inch of counter space on either
side of the kitchen sink and draining directly into it. Unlike roll-up dish
racks, they also do not interfere with access to or use of the sink or faucet
while your dishes, glasses, pots, pans, etc. are drying.
During my research I read numerous product reviews of highly rated tiered
over-the-sink dish drying racks on Amazon. It quickly became apparent that
there are significant differences in design, materials and manufacturing
quality as well as adjustability, dimensions and capacity between brands and
models.
Many models could not be adjusted to span our nearly 33-inch wide double sink.
Some did not seem deep or sturdy enough to accommodate a large, heavy
casserole dish or Dutch oven, for example. Some were harder to assemble and
adjust, and some were more prone to rusting.
Fortunately, I found one that ticked all the boxes for us.
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Our stainless steel 3-tier over-the-sink dish drying rack doesn't
block the view out our kitchen window, even when we pile it high with
hand washed dishes, mixing bowls, storage containers, etc.
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Reclaim Valuable Kitchen Counter Space With an Over-The-Sink Dish Drying
Rack
Given both our limited storage and counter space and the eclectic nature and
varying sizes, shapes and weights of the dishes, glasses, pots, pans, cooking
and eating utensils, etc., we typically wash by hand, we decided to go with
one of the tiered over sink dish racks.
The one we ultimately chose is the Boosiny stainless steel, 3-tier over sink dish drying rack, which I recommend highly.;
Here's why we love it.
Note: We purchased the regular stainless steel version. There is also a less
expensive stainless steel model with a gray coating that is slightly different
in size, design, and number and style of accessories (for example, it has only
six hooks instead of 10).
Sturdy, Stable and Roomy
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This well made Boosiny stainless steel rack is roomy, stable and solidly
built. In fact, it can hold up to 180 lbs. of dishes, pots, pans and other
kitchenware and dishwashing supplies!
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Even when our hand washing load is large and includes one of my heavy
vintage ceramic Corningware French White casserole dishes or my enameled
cast iron Le Creuset stockpot, this heavy-duty 3-tier dish drying rack can
handle it with ease.
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Some days, my husband and I end up using only part of its generous capacity.
Other days, especially if I am baking or cooking something that involves a
lot of prep (or measuring cups and spoons), we fill up every inch.
Useful Accessories
The Boosiny 3-tier over-the-sink dish drying rack comes with several
accessories that clip onto or hook into the frame:
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A utensil holder basket with a removable plastic bottom for easy cleaning.
- A slotted knife holder, also with a removable plastic bottom.
- A clip-on cutting board holder (we love this thoughtful feature!)
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A handy small basket compartment for sponges, dish rags, steel wool pads,
etc. (which the manufacturer refers to as a "detergent holder")
- A cup rack that clips onto the side of one of the main shelf baskets
- A set of 10 long clip-on hooks
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We use some of ours to hold dish and bottle brushes, and use the rest to
hang measuring cups, measuring spoons, cooking utensils with loops or
holes, and our stainless steel mesh scrubbing "cloth" for cleaning cast
iron pans.
Note: We are planning to bend the arms on the cup rack at a more acute angle,
since some of our drinking glasses won't stay on them as is.
Adjustable and Customizable
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The width of the frame is adjustable from a minimum of 25.6" to a maximum of
33.5" to fit most sinks.
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The two main racks baskets also slide telescope-fashion to match the desired
frame width.
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Hooks, baskets and other attachments are also completely configurable as
desired and can be changed quickly and easily without tools.
Extremely Easy to Assemble and Adjust to Your Liking
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Minimal assembly required. You can fully assemble and customize the rack to
your preferences in about 10 minutes!
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Start by using the included hex key to connect the horizontal bars to the
upright posts and use the small wrench to attach the feet. There are also
suction cups for the two back feet for added stability.
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Next, adjust width of the frame by sliding the horizontal bars and turning
the knobs to tighten and stabilize the frame at the desired width.
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Extend or collapse the two main wire shelves (baskets) to match the width of
the frame and hook the tabs into the slotted frame posts at your desired
height.
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Attach the accessories wherever you wish by clipping the utensil holder,
slotted knife holder, cutting board holder, sponge/soap holder, cup rack and
hooks to the frame or the main wire shelf baskets.
-
You can also rearrange them quickly and easily to find the perfect
configuration for your needs.
Easy-to-Clean, Rust-Resistant and Scratch-Resistant Stainless Steel
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This heavy-duty dish rack is made from high-quality grade 304 stainless
steel and is rust- and corrosion-resistant. According to the many glowing
product reviews on Amazon, it holds up well over time without rusting
issues.
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Per the manufacturer, this unit passed a 24-hour salt test, an excellent
predictor of its resistance to rust and corrosion.
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Since the wire shelves and accessories attach with tabs or hooks, they are
easy to remove and replace, as needed, for periodic cleaning, if
desired.
Doesn't Obstruct the View
We are lucky enough to live on a pretty, tree-lined street. One of our
concerns when we purchased this 3-tier over-the-sink dish drying rack was that
it would be an eyesore and block or partially obstruct the view out our large,
counter-to-ceiling kitchen windows. As you can see from my photo, even when
the rack is loaded up with dishes, bowls, cookware and even a huge, opaque
plastic cake storage box, we can still enjoy the view.
Need a Smaller Dish Rack?
If you like the features of the Boosiny stainless steel, 3-tier over sink dish drying rack but prefer something smaller and more affordable that sits on your
counter, this manufacturer also makes several excellent 2-tier dish drying
racks, including the
Boosiny 304 Stainless Steel 2 Tier Large Dish Rack and Drainboard Set with
Utensil Holder, Cup Holder and Dish Drainer.
The Best Large, Sturdy, Adjustable, Over-the-Sink Dish Drying Rack
Cards by Margaret Schindel
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