ISO stiff oven rack

April 14, 2018 1:37 PM

New apartment, new oven, new oven racks - which noticeably dip when I stick a dutch oven full of soup onto it. Is there a particular make/model of oven rack known for handling heavy loads?
posted by curious nu to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

That doesn't sound right. Or safe.

You should upgrade those. Google reviews for the make/model of your stove + oven rack. Undoubtedly there will be reviews that name great replacement racks.

An alternative is to take your existing rack to a restaurant supply and buy replacement racks. The restaurant supply racks will be indestructible.
posted by jbenben at 2:35 PM on April 14, 2018

You could use a larger rectanguar pan or very stiff sheet to distribute the weight closer to the sides -> less bending moment. And, it can catch the drips.
posted by sudogeek at 4:03 PM on April 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

sudogeek is on the right track. You want a half sheet pan, as used in restaurant speed racks. I don't think a whole sheet pan won't fit in a home oven. They're tough as nails and will distribute the weight more evenly.
posted by workerant at 7:06 PM on April 14, 2018

In my last apartment my landlord replaced our broken oven with what I can only assume (based on how she does things and based on what the oven looked like) was the very cheapest new model. I noticed that the new oven’s racks had larger gaps between the spokes (not quite the right word I think...bars?) than any other oven I’ve used, and while I wasn’t using anything quite as heavy as a dutch oven, the racks were definitely also noticeably more flimsy than any other I’ve used. If you can find racks with closer-set (and maybe thicker) spokes/bars/whatever that should help.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:30 PM on April 14, 2018

A bit of googling shows that the racks are specific to the oven model. The most common stove width is 30 inches, but the interior dimension varies. Replacement parts are a real profit item. Measure the current rack, then shop Amazon by width, from there you can make sure the depth of the rack will work. The design of the inside guides that hold the racks in place seems standard, hard to say. This rack has more pieces on the edges and will be a bit sturdier than a rack like this. You can also weigh the Dutch oven, then measure water. 2 pints = 1 quart. 3 quarts of soup = 6 pounds. The manufacturer should be able to tell you how much weight the rack will hold. Seems like this should be easier.
posted by theora55 at 11:18 PM on April 14, 2018