The Sleek Dish Rack That Every Small Kitchen Needs — It’s Also on Sale Right Now

When I moved to New York City about six months ago, I really lucked out on finding my current apartment. There are a lot of windows for ample light and the unit was recently renovated, so the kitchen feels really new and nice to cook in. One thing, though — like all Big Apple apartments, there is limited square footage. For an avid home cook like myself, it also means figuring out ways to fit way too many pots into tiny, narrow cabinets and oddly shaped shelves. (Thank goodness for storage organizers!)

But when it came to figuring out the best dish rack for my modern-yet-small kitchen, well, I couldn’t turn back to any of my past finds — I just didn’t have the counter space. Finding a compact-yet-highly functional dish rack to fit somewhere, anywhere between my sink, Nespresso machine, mini single-slice toaster, and plethora of kitchen utensils turned out to be a serious feat. That is, until I discovered Brabantia’s Compact Dish Drying Draining Rack.

Unlike other bulky drying racks whose multiple buckets and wire racks seem to look like mini amusement parks, this sleek little thing keeps it simple and effective — there’s just three drying areas elevated on a removable drip tray that catches all the water and can also be used as another drying rack. The cutlery basket has three roomy compartments, which house all my favorite GIR tools, paring knives, and peelers. It’s also got a section for anything that needs to dry upright — pot lids, plates, cutting boards, etc. — and the tines are sturdy enough to keep items securely in place. Finally, there’s a flatter area for bowls, glassware, and Tupperware. If you like the look of the Brabantia drying rack, but need a larger version, well, it exists!

Aside from fitting a whole lot more than I expected it to, the organizing solution is also extremely easy to clean (if you haven’t been cleaning your dish rack, you should!). The truth is, anywhere that water sits, or slowly trickles down into, is bound to get covered in some kind of mysterious film. If you have a light-colored dish rack, you may notice a pinky-brown layer appear around the corners of its base or on its feet — gross! But if you have a darker rack like I do, you might not notice it, but I promise it’s there! Whenever I do my bi-weekly kitchen deep clean, the rack’s pieces are a breeze to rinse in my sink.

Although I live alone, I’ve hosted many dinner parties and overnight guests, and I can confidentially say that this dish rack still gets the job done with multiple dish-makers. Do I have to rotate out the dishes as soon as they’ve dried? Sure, but the same goes for any other rack. Let me just say, I’ve never had experience with a dish rack this small that is this durable, this well-constructed, and looks this sleek.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve actually got a pile of dishes in the sink right now.

Buy: Brabantia Compact Dish Drying Draining Rack, $47 (normally $59)