A drying rack is an essential part of your kitchen. The drying rack is used every day and is often put through a lot of wear and tear from the dish washing process. Don't worry, these handy units are designed to take on water and with proper accessories, it will be able to handle all of your various types of dishes. Now there are many different accessories to chose from, and each is specifically designed to hold individual items. It can be a little daunting to take on all these accessories when purchasing your drying rack. Here are some of the possible accessories you will face when building a drying rack and the benefits each will offer your kitchen.
1.Cutting Board or Tray Drying Racks
One of the essential components of any high- efficiency drying rack is the racking system. These racks come in various sizes and widths based on your needs. Some can hold both trays and cutting boards, others have wider slots to hold 2-1/2” deep steam pans. The purpose of the rack is to keep these items upright to ensure they dry properly. The stacking of damp or wet items prevents proper airflow and may cause bacterial build up. This condition, commonly referred to as “wet nesting”, will lead to points taken off your health inspection. Picking the proper racking will ensure you get as many items on the rack as you can, and that they dry safely without wet nesting.
2. Drop in Racks
We've all been there, running out of space as you try to get the dishes done at the end of the day. Then, you run out of shelf space for the prep pans and bowls. Sadly they do not fit in the racking system on your drying rack. Now what? Well, there is a simple solution. Drop-in racks are designed to hold bulkier items like pans, pots, and sieves while letting them dry safely. It is a great addition to any food service operation and can make your job a little easier. Is there anything better than that?
3. Sorting Pegs
Sorting Pegs are a great accessory if you use deep pans regularly. Sorting pegs hold pans of all sizes up ensuring proper airflow and safe drying. Pegs are easy to install, easy to use and can help you bring your organization to the next level. They keep pans upright avoiding wet nesting and make it easy to grab pans when they are needed. Pegs can also be readjusted easily, so in the event you start preparing dishes in bigger pans you won't need to buy a whole new sorting rack, you can easily adjust the pegs to the exact size you need when you need it.
4. Utensil Drying Grid
It happens to the best of us. You finish washing a large pile of utensils and need a way to contain them and safely dry them. A plastic tote could contain them but it causes wet nesting. If you toss them on a shelf somehow the next day a spoon or scoop is nowhere to be found. Adding hooks and a drying grid will allow you to hang each utensil individually or contain them in smaller baskets. The Drying grids will help to eliminate the clutter of the rack itself and help you keep track of all of your utensils.
5. Drip Tray
One accessory that you should consider is a drip tray. Drip trays catch water that is dripping from all the wet items into a reservoir on the bottom. By catching the runoff from your various wares as they dry, the reservoir at the bottom minimizes any pooling on the floor around the rack. This accessory is a great way to improve the overall safety of your washroom. Within the foodservice industry, slips and falls are the number one cause of injury, and 70% of these falls occur on a flat surface. Scary, right? Don't worry there are plenty of ways to stop the fall before it happens. One easy way to help prevent possible injury from slippery floors would be adding a water catching system to your drying rack.
