Living in a small apartment in New York City comes with its perks and challenges. On one hand, I love how cozy my studio is, but on the other hand, there’s limited space for my furniture, clothes, books, bedding, and kitchenware. Sure, my cabinets are great, but my small countertops make it hard to really optimize my kitchen storage. For instance, one of the hardest tasks has been finding a spot to air-dry dishes.
Luckily for me, I love solving tricky home challenges, and the KitchenAid compact dish rack seemed to be the perfect fix for my tiny countertops. This gem has far exceeded and outlasted my expectations — it’s super durable (I’ve moved with it several times), looks chic on my counters, and resists rust like a champ. Trust me.
What Is the KitchenAid Compact Dish Rack?
The stainless steel KitchenAid compact dish rack makes my tight countertops feel less cramped, as it’s cleverly designed for small spaces. It measures 12.63 inches deep, 15.87 inches wide, and 5.54 inches tall and has storage spots for dinner plates, saucers, and cutting boards to dry vertically. It also provides an area for smaller items, like bowls, mugs, or glasses. The dish rack is equipped to hold smaller pots and pans easily.
Designed with external cup tines, the rack is perfect for air-drying glassware, mugs, water bottles, personal blenders, and more — all without clouding up the precious dish rack space designated for larger dishware. Unlike other dish racks I’ve used in the past, this one has a soft, flexible material covering the tines to protect delicate wine glasses and double-walled glass mugs from breaking or scratching.
The flatware caddy sits right inside the dish rack, but doesn’t steal too much space. With three compartments and a perforated drain bottom, I have no problem drying all my utensils, from small teaspoons to large knives or silicone spatulas. Because each slot is roomy, the cutlery has enough room to dry effectively. The best part is that I can remove the caddy entirely when not in use to make space for a large skillet or baking sheet, if need be. As someone who cooks often without a dishwasher, it’s made all the difference. It’s no wonder it was named an Apartment Therapy editor-favorite dish rack.
Why the KitchenAid Compact Dish Rack Is Perfect for Small Spaces
With a small footprint at about 16 inches wide and 13 inches deep, the rack fit perfectly in past apartments, but in my current kitchen, I was able to rearrange parts of the rack to position it the best way for my space: I shifted the rack so that the length faced toward the sink, and swapped out the included drainboard (which no longer worked due to the drain direction) for a roll-up dish drying rack for stability and topped it with a silicone drying mat that angles the drained water right into the sink. Honestly, my nifty drain system works so well, I forget these extra items didn’t come with the KitchenAid dish rack.
Overall, the KitchenAid compact drying rack is worth every penny. In addition to its small build, the durable find just holds up. Sure, I have no plans of moving anytime soon, but when I do, I’m holding on to my drying rack as my go-to, even if I have plenty of counter space. After all, countertops are precious real estate, and this minimalist find lets me live a clutter-free(ish) life.