Review: Kris Dish Drainer Rack

Reviews Series
1: Blanco Sink - 3 stars
2: Rinnai Gas Heater - Not Rated
3: Fujioh hood FX-900 - 5 stars
4: Rinnai Tumble Dryer RDT-600CG - 5 stars
5: Rinnai Oven RBO-7MSO - 3 stars
6: Bellari Liquid Dispenser - 1 star
7: Rinnai 2-Burner Hob RB-2CG - 5 stars
8: TOTO Omni Toilet Bowl- 5 stars
9: Asuka Acrylic Worktop - 2 stars
10: Premier laminated floor tiles

Kris Dish Drainer Rack

Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars

Related Post
1 Dish Drainer Cabinet
2 Kris Dish Drainer Rack

A reader's comment alerted me to put up this review - thank goodness! I remembered I went to several outlets before I could locate the dish drainer I was looking for - one that would not rust, is well-designed and looks good, and most importantly - one that would not be shaky but firm enough to hold a rackful of plates and bowls. After several weeks of Net research and visiting kitchen showrooms, I finally settled on the Kris dish drainer rack, available at the Hoe Kee outlet at Plaza Singapore.

Kris 2-Tier Dish Drainer Rack
  
But wasn't a dish drainer rack included in the kitchen quotation?
Yes, it was. But a preview of that dish rack in the ID's showroom made me decide to trash it: the rack was too small for my needs, build quality was poor - it shook easily, thus would probably be unable to take the weight of a full load of plates and bowls.

Moreover, I noticed tiny rust spots on the steel structure, and suspected the item was produced from an inferior grade of steel. So I allowed the item to be forfeited as no dedcution was made to the kitchen quotation. To me it was wiser to splurge on a quality rack after expending so much time, money and sweat on the kitchen design, is it not? The prospect of having to replace a rusty, poor-performing disk rack, after installing and using it for some weeks, certainly did not appeal to me!

How did you know the Kris rack would be rust-free?
We didn't, but let me clarify. No stainless steel product are 100% rust-free, only rust-resistant. The higher the nickel content in the steel, the better resistant it is to rust. Before my net research, I certainly didn't know stainless steel items could rust. After I found out there were different grades of steel, I knew what to look for. See the Addendum below.

The Kris rack was the only one of two brands I found to state its products are 100% resistant against rust. The Kris dish rack was made from 18/8 stainless steel. The other brand was the more expensive Wel-Mi brand located in the Song Cho outlet near Hoe Kee.

So, what's your verdict on the Kris rack?
Well, after 3 years of usage the Kris rack is still rust-free and performs admirably. It is sturdy and doesn't rattle when I placed full load of plates, bowls, cutlery on the rack. The detachable tiers, permitting height adjustments to accommodate large plates, also factored in my choice of the Kris rack. The only issue I had were the steel trays that came with the rack. The trays are placed below each tier to catch water dripping from newly washed plates. They showed rust stains within weeks of usage! Apparently they were fabricated from a poor grade of steel, maybe normal steel grade? I decided to remove the trays because my rack is located above the sink, allowing newly washed plates to drip directly over the kitchen sink.

Overall, I'm pleased and happy with the product. However, as the steel trays were not rust-resistant, I therefore award the Kris dish rack 4 out of 5 stars.

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Stainless Steel FAQ
Addendum
Source: www.ssina.com/faq/index.html

1. What makes stainless steel stainless?

Answer: Stainless steel must contain at least 10.5 % chromium. It is this element that reacts with the oxygen in the air to form a complex chrome-oxide surface layer that is invisible but strong enough to prevent further oxygen from "staining" (rusting) the surface. Higher levels of chromium and the addition of other alloying elements such as nickel and molybdenum enhance this surface layer and improve the corrosion resistance of the stainless material. See the "Stainless Steel Primer" for more information.

2. What is the difference between 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steel?

Answer: The first number is the amount of chromium that is contained in the stainless, i.e., 18 is 18% chromium. The second number is the amount of nickel, i.e., 8 stands for 8% nickel. So 18/8 means that this

stainless steel contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. 18/10 is 18% chromium and 10% nickel. The higher the numbers the more corrosion resistant the material. 18/0 is a misleading designation. Both 18/8 and 18/10 contain nickel and are part of the grade family "300 series" stainless. 18/0 means that there is 18% chromium but zero nickel. When there is no nickel the stainless grade family is the "400 series". 400 series are not as corrosion resistant as the 300 series and are magnetic, where the 300 series are non-magnetic.

3. Can stainless steel rust? Why? (I thought stainless did not rust!)

Answer: Stainless does not "rust" as you think of regular steel rusting with a red oxide on the surface that flakes off. If you see red rust it is probably due to some iron particles that have contaminated the surface of the stainless steel and it is these iron particles that are rusting. Look at the source of the rusting and see if you can remove it from the surface. If the iron is embedded in the surface, you can try a solution of 10% nitric and 2% hydrofluoric acid at room temperature or slightly heated. Wash area well with lots and lots of water after use. Commercially available "pickling paste" can also be used. See "The Care and Cleaning of Stainless Steel" for more information.

4. What is the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel?

Answer: 304 contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. 316 contains 16% chromium, 10% nickel and 2% molybdenum. The "moly" is added to help resist corrosion to chlorides (like sea water and de-icing salts) See "Stainless Steel for Coastal and Salt Corrosion Applications" for more information.

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Another good information resource: http://www.finishing.com/292/94.shtml

Hi,

Can someone tell me the differences between 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steel flatware? Which is more durable? What are the differences in composition? Do the differences between the two make one more desireable than the other?

Thank you,

Tim Barber
Greenville, North Carolina

+++
Hello Tim!

Let me start by noting that the 18/8 refers to a stainless steel with nominally 18% chromium, 8% nickel as the alloying elements in combination with iron. Hence the 18/10 refers to a stainless with 10% nickel, nominal, rather than 8. if you're more familiar with the AISI designations, we're talking about 302 vs. 304. More durable? That's a tweedledee / tweedledum arguement, as it's not the composition that determines strength, it's the amount of cold work. If you take a look at the specifications for those two materials, or any of their close cousins, you'll see that ALL of the annealed alloys have the same mechanical properties, as do all of the quarter-hard compositions, and all of the half-hard: and the amount of cold work is whatever the flatware maker chooses to buy from the steel mill. Harder may last longer, and resist deformation, but may also be more difficult to stamp out. Or easier- depends on the manufacturing process.

As it is the chromium content that controls the corrosion resistance, well, there's not much difference between 18 and 18...

My opinion, bearing in mind that my kids tell me I have NO sense of what's cool, is that as long as they are not magnetic it makes no difference whether you have 18/8 or 18/10 (less susceptible to becoming ferromagnetic with cold work) flatware.

Lee Gearhart
metallurgist
East Aurora, New York

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Reviews Series
1: Blanco Sink - 3 stars
2: Rinnai Gas Heater - Not Rated
3: Fujioh hood FX-900 - 5 stars
4: Rinnai Tumble Dryer RDT-600CG - 5 stars
5: Rinnai Oven RBO-7MSO - 3 stars
6: Bellari Liquid Dispenser - 1 star
7: Rinnai 2-Burner Hob RB-2CG - 5 stars
8: TOTO Omni Toilet Bowl- 5 stars
9: Asuka Acrylic Worktop - 2 stars
10: Premier laminated floor tiles