My Organizing-Obsessed Mom Recommends This KitchenAid Dish Rack

Ever since I can remember, my mom has called me her “mini-me.” We’ve always had a close relationship, have similar interests, and look alike — so much so that friends of hers whom I’ve never met have recognized me on the street. She passed on her love of cooking and friendly demeanor, but there’s one trait I didn’t pick up: her organizational skills. My mom’s home — especially her kitchen — is always pristine, while mine is a jumbled mess. While I’ll likely never be as tidy as my mom, I have started to pick up on some of her organizing tricks. Since I don’t own a dishwasher, I decided to start by snagging the KitchenAid dish drying rack she recommends most.

KitchenAid Compact Dish Rack

My mom swears by this dish drying rack — a compact version of our tested favorite. Like the full-sized version, this smaller model features a removable flatware caddy, an angled drainage system, and rust-resistant panels. Its durable design made it an editor favorite, rising to the top of our ranks thanks to its stability and convenient features. We especially loved the detachable silverware caddy, which makes it easier to unload forks, spoons, and knives into your drawers.

I live in a small one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, so although I always have dishes to dry, I don’t have room on my countertop for an oversized drying rack. At 15 x 13.25 inches, this model is small enough to fit in my kitchen but large enough to dry a meal’s worth of dishes. That includes large pots and pans, silverware, cooking utensils, plates, and glassware. The space-saving dish rack even has hooks to air-dry coffee mugs and drinking glasses.

This kitchen organizer was built to last, ensuring that my most delicate dishes are safe and secure as they dry. It features heavy-duty, satin-coated stainless steel wires that keep items in place, and it even has nonslip feet to prevent it from sliding around on my countertop.

The drainboard is set at a slight angle, enabling gravity to direct excess water into the sink instead of pooling up on your counter. This allows dishes to dry more efficiently. The base is also removable for easy cleaning between uses.

While my kitchen is still a far cry from my mother’s streamlined space, the KitchenAid Compact Dish Rack has simplified the task of hand-washing dishes and tidied up my countertop. If you’re ready to tame your kitchen’s chaos, grab this clever dish rack while it’s on sale at Amazon.

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At the time of publishing, the price was $60.