User:Bluegreendot/Drying dishes

This article deals with the topic of drying dishes in a kitchen. Activities such as cooking and dining lead to utensils that need to be washed and dried. There are several methods available to dry wet dishes such as wiping with a towel, air drying and hot air drying in a dish washer. The use of a dish drying rack simplifies the process by allowing the dishes to drain by themselves and get dry by being exposed to air. There are several types of dish drying racks available in the market, made of materials such as plastic, steel, stainless steel and wood. Some of these also incorporate a separate bottom part to catch the water being drained from the items on the rack. These bottom units typically called drainers can be of two main types. One type is an tray that catches water and another is a sloping surface. The type with a catchment tray can be located at any spot on the counter whereas the ones with a sloping surface are generally meant to be placed next to the kitchen sink into which they drain automatically. The units with catchment trays need to be emptied as and when they fill up. Since they are wet most of the time, they are liable to develop mold or to be stained by the action of water. The sloping surfaces come in different materials such as plastic, glass and stainless steel. Drain boards made of plastic tend to be much cheaper than those made of stainless steel. Self draining stainless steel dish drainers are generally easy to maintain due to the fact that they do not need to be be emptied and due to the fact that mold does not form on stainless steel surfaces. In some parts of the world such as in Europe, dish draining is accomplished by placing the wet dishes on racks directly above the kitchen sink, thereby avoiding the need for a draining tray or board.