Draining dishes in modern kitchen

[CorpusCallosum]

It's kitchen design time 🎉

The pictures of super modern kitchens all have under mount sinks with uselsss grooves cut into the worktop in lieu of a draining board. We have a dishwasher but we also cook a lot and not everything can go in the dishwasher.

Where do people drain their dishes without it looking awful and untidy?? What has worked for the hive mind of MN with your beautiful kitchens?

I have an under mount sink and no grooves. We bought a Joseph drainer to sit in the side. It’s ideal to have a double under mount sink, so the second sink doubles as the drainer.

I don’t drain them I just dry them and put them away.

Good question. We're just getting a new kitchen and to the dismay of the designer are getting a n old fashioned sink for this reason. Just decided we couldn't deal with the grooves business.

DH thinks second sink doubling as a drainer like below but I wonder if that is just 2 wastes (and insinkerators) taking up a lot of under counter space and you'll be constantly splashing over the drying dishes if you want water and the other sink is full 😕

My alternative is one big sink with an in sink drainer - just one insinkerator then - but DH thinks the dishes will get splashed with dirty water when you empty the washing up bowl 🙄

I have two dishwashers. And I use very few things than can’t go in them.

I don't have grooves because I don't like the look of them. Things that can't be washed in dishwasher like non-stick frying pans etc, I drain on top of a folded microfibre tea towel. I didn't want a separate drainer s I prefer the less cluttered look.

No grooves, just a dishwasher

I didn't even bother with the grooves. They don't work and they are just dirt/limescale magnets.

Draining dishes is always going to look ugly and untidy. I have a folding rack with a draining mat that gets put away after use. Although my worktops are granite and in a soft water area so for big pans I just put down clean tea towels to stop the water puddling. It depends what type of items you wash by hand, whether you need a rack for plates or just a mat for pans etc. Most things go in the dishwasher here so it isn't a daily problem.

www.josephjoseph.com/collections/dishracks-drainers

www.lakeland.co.uk/in-the-kitchen/kitchen-storage-and-organising/sink/dish-racks,-mats-and-drainers/

www.simplehuman.co.uk/collections/kitchen#32718226554985

Or you could go for a wall mounted drainer if you like the open shelf or industrial look:

www.amazon.co.uk/ZJF-WDJ-Wall-mounted-Perforated-Installation/dp/B07SLPHBXD?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

When I've stayed in AirBNB in Italy, they often have a drying cupboard above the sink. I assume the warmer air dries the plates/cutlery quicker than at bench level, and any drips fall into the sink. We are getting a new kitchen and I'm thinking of one, because you close the door and it just looks like a kitchen cabinet.

I've just googled and turns out its called a Finnish dish drying closet.
www.apartmenttherapy.com/finnish-dish-drying-closets-251178

We have a double sink with a plate rack in one of them. I love the Finnish dish drying cupboard though, but have a dishwasher so don’t need one

www.apartmenttherapy.com/finnish-dish-drying-closets-251178

Cross post! I have a friend in Helsinki who has one. It’s very useful.

@MinesAPintOfTea how do you find your set up? Does it get gungy in the second sink?

I chose a 1 and half sink with drainer. Couldn't be doing with grooves!

1.5 sink with drainer here too. As much as possible goes in the dishwasher but some stuff needs draining. Drying up is a bore, nature does it for you.

Those grooves are indeed form over function as are many modern kitchen ideas.

Oh, and Wilkinson sell draining racks for a fiver . Putting down clean tea towels to get damp just generates more work.

You only need one insinkerator anyway though. I have a 1.5 sink with the insinkerator in it and anything messy goes down there.

Sink also has a drainer! Btw but no rack, it was an eyesore and everything except pots and pans and delicate glasses goes in the dishwasher.

We have a silicone roll up grid drainer that sits across the sink. Easier to store than the tray type drainers, but your sink(s) need to be the right size.

[quote CorpusCallosum]@MinesAPintOfTea how do you find your set up? Does it get gungy in the second sink? [/quote]
Whenever there are no plates in it (75%of the time) I tip the last bit of water from the kettle down it when I’ve made a brew. It’s fine

@MinesAPintOfTea good idea, you sound more organized than us. Ours has dishes in it 90% of the time. Actual washing up gets up away then plastic bits from the dishwasher go there to dry and get put away to make space for washing up later 🙄🙄🙄

@StapMe can you do a link for your drainer? 🤞

We have a single sink with granite worktops and no drainer / draining slots. Most things go in the dishwasher except chopping knives, large pans and wine glasses. I just leave them to drain on the side for an hour or so then put away. It always looks horrible when things are out to dry regardless of set up.

[quote CorpusCallosum]@MinesAPintOfTea good idea, you sound more organized than us. Ours has dishes in it 90% of the time. Actual washing up gets up away then plastic bits from the dishwasher go there to dry and get put away to make space for washing up later 🙄🙄🙄

@StapMe can you do a link for your drainer? 🤞[/quote]
Get into the habit of drying plastic as you take it out the dishwasher! If you have a towel in hand as you pull things out it’s quick to do!

I'm currently hoping to put in something like this drainer in a wall cabinet as the place we're in the process of buying has a cupboard next to, but not over the sinks so the Finnish style with the bottoms open wouldn't work as well.

We currently have a large one that sits on the counter next to the sink with an undertray that we pull out and clean, and the above works in a similar way. A quick rinse and wipe down weekly works well.

Our kitchen designer said just put a tea - or 2 if necessary- towel down next to the sink.
We do and it works brilliantly. Dishes drain. Finish with another tea towel, put away and clear worktop returns!
Hard water area so grooves weren't an option and draining racks are a pain.
I wasn't convinced but it really works!