I Tested 13 Dish Racks—My Favorites Didn't Wobble When Piled High with Pots and Plates

If you cook or eat, then washing dishes is a fact of life and, by extension, so too are dish racks. I'll go as far as to say they're an essential item for home cooks.

This means, of course, there is an incredible number of dish racks out there: full-size models that can handle a dinner party's worth of dishes, compact ones best suited for apartments or small households, and over-the-sink models for those extremely short on counter space or if you're just looking to add some drying room. To find the best dish rack for every kitchen, I tested 13 of them.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Dish Rack

KitchenAid Full-Size Dish Rack

$53 $45 at Amazon View on Target $60 at Sur La Table

This large, luxe dish rack is solidly constructed and can hold a dinner party’s worth of dishes without wobbling. The sidewalls keep dishes neatly in place, and the drain mat is easy to remove for cleaning.

Editor's Pick

simplehuman Standard Steel Frame Dish Rack

$100 at Amazon $100 at Target $100 at Sur La Table

"I owned the previous version of this dish rack for several years and recently upgraded to the newer one," says senior commerce editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm. "It's even better, featuring silicone-tipped prongs and a drip catcher for glasses. I've never had trouble with this dish rack wobbling, no matter what I've piled it high with."

The Best Budget Dish Rack

Rubbermaid Dish Drainer

$25 at Amazon $24 at Walmart

This is a no-frills rack with plenty of space for plates, glasses, silverware, and more. The angled mat (which you have to purchase separately) drains water away quickly.

The Best Over-the-Sink Dish Rack

Food52 Five Two Over-the-Sink Dish Drying Rack

$45 at Food52

This silicone and steel dish rack is small and strong. It can hold up to 50 pounds and comes with an included basket for silverware. This rack also rolls up for easy storage.

The Best Dish Rack for Small Kitchens

Simplehuman Compact Kitchen Dish Drying Rack With Swivel Spout

$80 at Amazon View on Simplehuman.com $80 at Zola

This compact rack can hold a surprising number of dishes without taking up a lot of space. Sidewalls add stability, and the swivel spout drains water quickly.

The Best Design-Forward Dish Rack

Yamazaki Tosca Dish Rack

$86 at Amazon $88 at Williams Sonoma $88 at Food52

This pretty dish rack requires a little more maintenance than most—there's no drain, and it should be cleaned regularly—but it's a looker that adds style. It's surprisingly durable, too.

The Tests

• Drain Time Test: I placed each dish rack next to the sink, and then with the drain spout (or mat) positioned near the edge of the sink, I poured two cups of water into the dish rack. I timed how long it took for the water to drain away, and inspected the rack's mat to ensure no water remained on it.
• Capacity Test: I loaded each dish rack with plates, pasta bowls, wine glasses, and tumblers. For full-sized dish racks, I aimed to fit four of each. For compact dish racks, my goal was two. 
• Versatility Test: I loaded each dish rack with large cookware, including a Dutch oven, a sheet pan, and a medium saucepan, to see if it held up.
• Cleanup and Storage Tests (Winners-Only): I tested the winning models for ease of cleanup and storage by cleaning them according to their manufacturer's instructions and seeing how well they fit into a standard cabinet.

What We Learned

Fast Drainage Was Key

As dishes air dry, water ends up at the bottom of the dish rack—either in the basin or on a drainage mat. Several models I tested, including the Yamazaki Home Wood-Handled Dish Rack, Brabantia Compact Dish Drying Draining Rack, and OXO Good Grips Aluminum Fold Flat Dish Drying Rack, had no solution for drainage—lacking even an angled enough dish mat or basin to encourage drainage. After drying, water pooled under the dishes. Of course, this isn't a deal breaker: Manually dumping a full tray of water is easy, if not automated.

Most of my favorite models offered either a drainage spout or a draining mat with a steeper angle and a large opening for drainage.

A Dish Rack Must Be *Very* Stable

You shouldn't have to fear for the safety of your dishes as they dry. If a dish rack isn’t stable, a plate could slip off and break, a wine glass could tip over and shatter. Most dish racks keep everything in place with prongs and slots—dishes rest in the slots and lean against the prongs to stand upright. My favorite models easily held dishes in place, featuring additional side walls that helped to stabilize and contain things. Most of them also had added prongs or hooks to dry wine glasses separately.

Dedicated Silverware Space Was a Must

Without a dedicated storage area, silverware can take up a lot of space on a dish rack. Forks, knives, and spoons won’t dry as quickly if they’re all piled on top of one another. And the over-the-sink racks without dedicated utensil spaces meant butter knives and forks were prone to falling through the slots.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Dish Rack

Look for a dish rack made from high-quality materials, like stainless steel and silicone. The best versions are designed to drain into a sink, preventing still water from growing a colony of bacteria on your counter. Models with sidewalls are extra stable and can confidently hold a large load of dishes, even when stacked…creatively. Before buying a dish rack, consider your individual needs—like how much available counter space you have and how often you hand-wash dishes.

Our Favorite Dish Racks

The Best Dish Rack

KitchenAid Full-Size Dish Rack

$53 $45 at Amazon View on Target $60 at Sur La Table

What we liked: This is truly the Cadillac of dish racks. During testing it was the only model able to comfortably hold four plates, four pasta bowls, four tumblers, and four stemmed wine glasses with room to spare. It’s solidly constructed from high-quality, anti-microbial materials, and comes apart quickly for cleaning. The drainage mat slid out nicely, and the smooth silicone was easy to clean with just a few wipes of a sponge.

What we didn’t like: Also like a Cadillac, this thing is huge. Small kitchen owners (or renters) may not wish to sacrifice the counter space that this rack requires. The silverware compartment includes dividers that limit the storage capacity. If you prefer to toss silverware in by the handful, however, these dividers are removable.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 14.96 x 20 x 7 inches
• Materials: Stainless steel, silicone
• Care instructions: Hand-wash

Editor's Pick

simplehuman Standard Steel Frame Dish Rack

$100 at Amazon $100 at Target $100 at Sur La Table

What we learned: This is the dish rack Serious Eats' senior commerce editor, Riddley, has owned (and loved) for many years. "It fits anything and everything," she says. "Its dedicated wine glass holder is amazing and its four drinking glass prongs accommodate coffee mugs and even flower vases." It features silicone-tipped prongs that keep plates in place, a swivel spout, and a removable silverware caddy that can be cleaned in the dishwasher.

What we didn't like: During testing, it didn't fit as much as the KitchenAid. Of course, it's pricey and large.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 20.2 x 22.3 x 11.5 inches
• Materials: Stainless steel, silicone
• Care instructions: Frame and utensil holder are dishwasher-safe; hand-wash the others

The Best Budget Dish Rack

Rubbermaid Dish Drainer

$25 at Amazon $24 at Walmart

What we liked: This dish rack offered a capacity comparable to the KitchenAid, without claiming quite as much counter space. The steep angle encourages quick draining, and the mat is easily separated from the rack for cleaning. The steel side prongs are a convenient way to dry tumblers and glasses while still leaving room for plates and bowls in the main compartment. 

What we didn’t like: While not ugly, this dish rack doesn't add a lot of flair to your countertop. The drainage mat is sold separately.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 17.6 x 13.8 x 5.9 inches
• Materials: Stainless steel, rubber 
• Care instructions: Hand-wash

The Best Over-The-Sink Dish Rack

Food52 Five Two Over-the-Sink Dish Drying Rack

$45 at Food52

What we liked: This over-the-sink dish rack is a good solution for someone who primarily uses a dishwasher or has very limited counter space. It’s strong enough to hold even the largest Dutch oven, with a stated max capacity of 50 pounds. The silicone-coated steel is heat-safe up to 550ºF, which means it can do double duty as a trivet. When not in use, it rolls up neatly and can be tucked away on a shelf or in a cabinet. The included silverware basket is perfect for large utensils that don’t go in the dishwasher, like wooden spoons or silver-plated pie servers. 

What we didn’t like: While perfect for those special hand-wash-only items, this rack is too small to be practical for everyday use. The flexible rods cannot hold dishes upright. Plates and bowls must be laid flat. During testing, this rack wasn’t able to hold more than two plates at a time (I didn’t stack them, as this would slow down the drying process). This rack also isn’t compatible with every sink: the manufacturer notes that it works best with sinks that are 19 inches wide or smaller.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 20.5 x 12.25 inches
• Materials: BPA- and BPS-free platinum-grade silicone; stainless steel
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe

The Best Dish Rack for Small Kitchens

Simplehuman Compact Kitchen Dish Drying Rack With Swivel Spout

$80 at Amazon View on Simplehuman.com $80 at Zola

What we liked: This is a mighty little dish rack. Considering its compact size, its capacity was impressive. The swivel spout can be adjusted depending on how the rack is positioned near your sink, and it drains water efficiently. The solid steel side walls add a lot of stability—you can stack this rack full of plates without anything rolling away or falling off. 

What we didn’t like: The deep, solid basin may collect scum over time, and hand-washing requires reaching in to wipe clean. 

Key Specs

• Material: Stainless steel, silicone, plastic
• Dimensions: 15 x 25.5 x 7.5 inches
• Care instructions: Hand-wash in warm, soapy water

The Best Design-Forward Dish Rack

Yamazaki Tosca Dish Rack

$86 at Amazon $88 at Williams Sonoma $88 at Food52

What we liked: This is a beautifully designed dish rack that easily holds a full set of plates and bowls. The white drain mat is deep enough to hold two cups of water. Commerce editor Rochelle Bilow has owned one for almost four years, and says it's one of the best investments she's made for her kitchen. "I balked at the price (and waited months to be sure I really wanted it), but I've never once regretted the purchase. It's come with me to three different homes and it looks, frankly, stunning on my counters. I get so many compliments on it." After years of use, the wooden handles on Rochelle's dish rack remain in mint condition.

What we didn't like: There's no drain spout (you'll have to remove the rack and dump out the tray yourself). The white finish requires regular cleaning. There are no tiers and little in the way of partitions, so you may have to play a bit of Tetris to fit oddly shaped items in.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 13 x 19 x 8 inches
• Materials: Steel, lacquer-coated ash wood, ABS resin
• Care instructions: Hand-wash. Avoid thinners or bleach on wooden handles.

The Competition

• OXO Good Grips Foldaway Dish Rack: This dish rack is constructed from cheap-feeling brittle plastic. It doesn’t drain, and wiping clean is made difficult by the many grooves, nooks, and crannies. 
• Joseph Joseph Stainless-Steel Extendable Dual Part Dish Rack: The extendable feature of this dish rack offers the option for increased storage, but even when fully expanded this model can only hold four plates, four tumblers, four wine glasses, and one bowl.
• Sweet Home Collection Dish Drainer Drain Board and Utensil Holder: Water pooled significantly in the drain mat of this model during testing. 
• Good Helper Dish Rack This is a strong dish rack that easily holds a heavy Dutch oven. When compared to the Five Two over-the-sink rack, this model fell behind because it lacks additional features like a silverware basket. 
• OXO Good Grips Aluminum Fold Flat Dish Drying Rack, 2-Tier: This rack’s folding feature offers convenient versatility, but the mat does not include a drainage spout, which leaves stagnant water sitting on your kitchen counter. 
• OXO Good Grips Compact Dish Rack: This is a small dish rack with very limited capacity. If not loaded carefully, the weight of large dishes causes it to tip over. 
• Brabantia Compact Dish Drying Draining Rack This dish rack includes a small, shallow mat that can’t hold a mere two cups of water. Water spilled onto the kitchen counter during testing.

FAQs

What's the best material for a dish rack?

Stainless steel and silicone have anti-microbial properties. Racks made from these materials reduce the risk that your dish rack will transfer germs to your clean dishes. Ideally, the drainage mat does not come into contact with your plates and bowls, so plastic or rubber construction is fine for this component. 

How do you clean a dish rack? 

Dish racks should be cleaned frequently to prevent mold or unwanted bacteria from growing. If your dish rack has a drainage mat, simply wash the mat with soap and water in your kitchen sink. For basin-style dish racks, separate the dish rack components and clean each part with soap and water. Some dish racks also have dishwasher-safe components.  

How do you get rid of dish rack rust?

If your dish rack isn't stainless steel, you can remove rust with steel wool. (Steel wool will scratch stainless steel, causing further rust.) For stainless steel dish racks, use a mixture of baking soda and water to form a nonabrasive paste and scrub away with a dish sponge or cloth. To minimize future rust, don't let water pool in the dish rack, and don't put rusty pots, pans, or flatware in the rack.

Are plastic dish racks dishwasher-safe? 

This depends! Before placing a dish rack in the dishwasher, check the manufacturer’s website for care instructions.

What’s the best way to hide a dish drying rack? 

If hiding your dish rack is a priority, consider an over-the-sink model that can be rolled away and stored easily. If you’re attempting to hide a full-sized dish rack, your best bet is to clean and dry it thoroughly and tuck it away.

Why We're the Experts

• Madeline Muzzi is a food writer with over 10 years of experience and a certified sommelier. Her work has also appeared in Eater, Grub Street, and Heated.
• She's written many pieces for Serious Eats over the years, including reviews of salad spinners and flatware sets.
• For this review, she tested 13 different dish racks over a variety of tests, spending multiple hours rearranging dishes, glasses, pots, and pans to see which ones could drain the quickest, had the highest capacity, and were the most versatile.