A cooling rack may not be the most glamorous piece of kitchen kit, but it’s one no home baker should be without. Once your cakes, cookies or bread come out of the oven, the job isn’t finished. Allowing air to circulate underneath helps release steam, stops soggy bottoms and gives bakes the best possible texture.
A good cooling rack also makes it easier to decorate and apply finishing touches without your bakes sitting in a pool of excess icing. While we haven’t tested these products ourselves, these recommendations are based on expert insight from the team, trusted brands and standout features to help you choose the best cooling rack for your kitchen.
Read on to discover our pick of the best cooling racks, plus what to look for when buying one. For more baking essentials, explore our full range of buyer’s guides, from cake tins to stand mixers, and much much more.
Best cooling racks at a glance
Best cooling racks to buy 2025
ProCook stainless steel cooling rack
Available from ProCook (£12)
Best cooling rack for sturdiness
This cooling rack from ProCook measures a generous 40 x 25.5cm, making it ideal for everything from a sheet of meringue for a roulade to a full pan of muffins. Made from stainless steel, it’s bright, easy to clean and built to last. The heavy-gauge material gives it a sturdy, weighty feel, which helps support bakes as they cool. There are a couple of rough patches on the underside joins, but they don’t affect the rack’s non-stick performance.
Available from:
Tala 3-tier non-stick cooling rack
Available from Amazon (£14)
Best cooling rack for space saving
This stackable cooling rack set lets you cool up to three trays of bakes at once, making the most of your worktop space. Each 40 x 25cm rack has foldable legs, creating either an 8cm or 3cm gap between layers when stacked securely. It’s ideal for cooling sponge cakes, cookies or batches of pastries without crowding your kitchen. The non-stick bars make it easy to lift bakes off cleanly, keeping your cooling rack in top condition for every bake.
Available from:
Nordic Ware large copper cooling grid
Available from Amazon (£22.12)
Best circular cooling rack
If you’ve invested in quality bakeware and ingredients, this Nordic Ware cooling rack is the perfect finishing touch to your kitchen kit. Its elegant copper construction gives it an Insta-worthy look and makes it a clear step up from a standard supermarket rack. While it’s not dishwasher-safe, its standout design and sturdy build make it ideal for cooling everything from celebration cakes to showstopping cookies. For bakers who want their creations to look as good as they taste, this cooling rack is a smart investment.
Available from:
Tala non-stick circular cooling tray
Available from Amazon (£7.25)
Best cooling rack for bundt cakes
Ideal for smaller kitchens, this compact cooling rack folds in half for easy storage. Its 26cm size pairs perfectly with a Kugelhopf pan for bundt cakes, while the chrome-plated finish makes it simple to clean off sticky honey or thick icing. Because it’s oven-safe, it can also be used to crisp duck breasts in a cast iron skillet, making it a practical, multi-use piece of kit.
Available from:
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Put your cooling tray to good use with one of our delicious baking recipes.
