If space is at a premium, a multi-tiered rackÂ might be the best choice, so you can cool multiple things at once without taking up a lot of counterspace. Most of my racks are Wilton wire racks, in the 10″x16″ size, though there are larger racks (14″x20″) available which might be a better choice if you have a larger area for storage.

10-inches seems to be the largest standard pan size (for bundt cakes and round cakes), so a rack that is at least 10-inches across should serve just about all of your needs. Once you get into cakes, you’re going to want a cooling rack that is large enough to comfortably hold an entire cake. Cookies, cupcakes, muffins and other smallish baked goods don’t need a rack of a particular size to cool because they are small and can be placed close together on a rack, although you might need an extra one or two if you routinely bake large batches and have dozens of cookies cooling at once. Size does matter, to an extent, when it comes to cooling racks. Although this task can be accomplished with any size rimmed baking sheet and rack, keeping smaller ones around for smaller portions of meat takes up less space and makes for easier clean up. In these cases,Â racks alsoÂ serve the additional purpose of preventing condensation, from the steam released of the hot food, from collecting and making the edges of your baked goods soft or mushy as your baked goods cool. A smaller baking sheet fitted with a wire rack is ideal for resting pan-seared meats like duck breast and steak. The same applies to baked goods that have been removed from their pans to cool down individually on wire racks.

are prevented from overbaking in the residual heat of the pan. As the pan cools down far more quickly than it otherwise would (especially if placed directly on a insulating surface, like many countertops), your cookies/cakes/etc. Unlike a trivet, which will simply hold a hot object off of your countertop or table, the design of a cooling rack allows air to circulate through it, reaching all sides of a pan.

They create a perfect place for a hot pan, or a de-panned baked good, to cool down evenly and quickly. In just about every single recipe I write – with the possible exceptions of things that require refrigeration/freezing instead of baking – and almost all of those that I read, the instructions call for you to “cool on a wire rack” after your baked good is pulled from the oven.Ĭooling racks really are an essential piece of equipment for a baker.

Wire rack for baking