Up till lately, I used to be a lifelong metropolis residence dweller. Each kitchen I had was tiny and, over time, I had discovered each trick within the e-book to benefit from the little countertop and cupboard space that was accessible. I didn’t but have a dish drying rack. I hung my pots and pans. The few small home equipment I deemed worthy sufficient to personal had been relegated to a kitchen cart that squeezed right into a nook between the warmth and a rubbish bin. The cabinets all had risers, hooks, or another type of a Pinterest-recommended group instrument. Every little thing had a spot — till I had a child.
Associates with children had warned that their stuff would get in all places. As a first-time father or mother, I naively thought they meant clothes and toys, so I used to be absolutely ready for onesies and stuffed animals to pile up in his nursery and even the lounge. What I used to be not ready for was all of the objects required to feed him: bottles, pump components, brushes to scrub these bottles and pump components, and ultimately an entire assortment of plates, utensils, bibs, sippy cups, and meals storage trays. They obtained their very own devoted drawer and cupboard house, however primarily sat out on the kitchen counter as a result of we used them so ceaselessly.
When it got here time to eliminate issues that our child outgrew, we grew to become ruthless purgers. Common recommendation was to hold onto every thing (“In case you may have a second!”), however we fortunately packed baggage of hand-me-downs for pals with youthful children. The one exception to that has been the OXO bottle rack that’s been with us from day one.
Bought after our preliminary rounds of child stuff analysis, the drying rack had earned the “space-saving” title in almost each best-of checklist and got here with glowing critiques on Amazon. (It at present has 4.9 stars from greater than 14,500 raters.) I assumed we’d eliminate it as soon as he outgrew the bottle section, however that has but to occur and he’s about to enter kindergarten. As an alternative, it has develop into the default drying rack for all of our ingesting vessels.
Whereas we do now have a standalone dish drying rack that comes with cup holders, I nonetheless desire utilizing the OXO with regards to drying our ingesting glasses, journey mugs, water bottles… you get the thought. For starters, it’s surprisingly sturdy for one thing that’s made solely out of plastic. I’ve entrusted it to carry every thing from heavy ceramic mugs to delicate stemless wine glasses. It has but to tip over, even with my large 35-ounce BruMate tumbler.
The angled pegs not solely permit any extra water to drip out — apparently, they slant at a very exact 48 levels — however are sufficiently small to let air in for environment friendly drying. And in contrast to with the steel prongs on my dish rack, there’s no fear of any scratching (or worse) on the inside. Moreover, there are detachable trays on the highest and backside to carry straws, lids, and every other components that have to be indifferent and cleaned.
True to its identify, the drying rack’s vertical profile is certainly space-saving, however the 9 pegs are greater than sufficient to carry the assorted ingesting vessels my household of three goes via in a day. It’s tall, however not so tall that it may well’t clear the house beneath a kitchen cupboard, plus the rack has a flat again that may sit flush towards the wall. The perfect half is it’s dishwasher protected — I commonly machine wash the trays and have even tossed the complete rack in with no problem.
Whereas it’s technically a part of the OXO Tot assortment, the bottle drying rack is available in a surprisingly palatable, non-kid colour scheme. The white and grey design suits seamlessly into most kitchens with out screaming “child product” and explains why it’s caught the eye of so many visitors. Greater than as soon as, a child-free pal has walked into my kitchen in quest of a snack or beverage, solely to cease and exclaim that they want one thing like this for drying their rising assortment of reusable water bottles. Fellow dad and mom, in fact, snigger and say that they’ve carried out the identical factor. As a result of if there’s one group who is aware of what it’s like to clean and dry an entire lot of bottles, it’s dad and mom — and we’ve discovered the right instrument for doing so.
Patty Lee is a author, editor, residence baker and ecommerce kitchen specialist based mostly in New York.