Cooling rack substitutes
Cooling rack substitutes — 7 options, ranked
Also called wire rack, baking rack, cooling grid, roasting rack
Use Spare oven rack
The oven's own rack is a large wire rack already, and most ovens have one more than a recipe needs.
For cooling, take a spare rack out of the oven before you preheat and prop it on four cans or upturned mugs so air can pass underneath. It works for cakes, loaves, pies and hot pans; small cookies can sag through the wider gaps. For roasting, lift the meat on a bed of thick-cut onion, carrot and celery or on three ropes of crumpled foil about 1 inch thick. Do not put a refrigerator shelf or any coated rack in the oven.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Pull the extra rack out before preheating, while it is cold. Rest its corners on four cans, jars or upturned mugs of the same height so there is at least 1 inch of clear space underneath.
- Best for —
- cooling cakes, loaves and pies
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the cooling rack doing?
Pick your caseIs the rack for cooling on the counter or for cooking in the oven?
Prop a cold spare oven rack on four cans, or use the grates of an unlit gas stove. Turn cakes and loaves out of the pan after 10 minutes so the sides do not steam.
Notes on spare oven rack, cool gas stove grates or chopsticks or wooden spoons across a pan
Leave them on the parchment and slide the paper off the pan after 2 to 3 minutes. The point is to get them off the hot metal.
Notes on parchment on a cool counter or spare oven rack
Lift it on thick-cut onion, carrot and celery, or on foil ropes if you want drier heat under the bird. Either one keeps the meat out of the fat.
Notes on bed of thick-cut vegetables, crumpled foil ropes or broiler pan
Use a broiler pan if the oven came with one, or foil ropes in a rimmed sheet pan. Turn the pieces halfway through.
Notes on broiler pan or crumpled foil ropes
A rack has two jobs that both come down to air underneath. On the counter it lets steam leave from the bottom of a cake, loaf or cookie so the base does not go damp, and it gets food off the hot pan so it stops baking. In the oven it holds meat, bacon or breaded food above the fat and juices so hot air reaches all sides and the underside browns instead of stewing. Substitutes for the first job only need to be raised and open. Substitutes for the second also have to be oven-safe and food-safe.
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of cooling rack | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spare oven rackcooling cakes, loaves and pies | See notesWorks | Works |
| 2 | Broiler panoven bacon | See notesWorks | Works |
| 3 | Bed of thick-cut vegetablesroast chicken | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Crumpled foil ropesroasting meat and poultry | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Cool gas stove gratescooling a pie or cake in its pan | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Chopsticks or wooden spoons across a pancooling a cake layer or a loaf | See notesYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Parchment on a cool countercookies | See notesYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Refrigerator shelf or coated rack in the oven | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Spare oven rack
similar taste and texture
The oven's own rack is a large wire rack already, and most ovens have one more than a recipe needs.
- Best for
- cooling cakes, loaves and pies, resting hot pans, cooling large batches
- Prep
- Pull the extra rack out before preheating, while it is cold. Rest its corners on four cans, jars or upturned mugs of the same height so there is at least 1 inch of clear space underneath.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
The bars are about 1 inch apart, so small or soft cookies sag or fall through; leave those on their parchment and slide the paper onto the rack. It is too large to fit inside a sheet pan for oven use, and it cannot be taken out once the oven is hot without a place to put a hot rack down.
Broiler pan
similar taste · underside slightly less crisp
The two-piece pan that comes with many ovens: a slotted top that holds the food and a tray below that catches the fat.
- Best for
- oven bacon, roasting chicken pieces and wings, small roasts, meatloaf
- Prep
- Line the bottom tray with foil for cleanup, leave the slotted top bare so the fat can drain, and roast as the recipe directs.
The slotted top lets fat drain but lets less air under the food than open wire, so the underside browns less than on a rack; turn pieces over halfway. It is a poor cooling rack for baked goods because most of the surface is solid.
Bed of thick-cut vegetables
drippings pick up sweet vegetable flavor
Onion, carrot and celery cut thick and laid in the roasting pan lift a roast off the pan floor and flavor the drippings.
- Best for
- roast chicken, turkey, pork loin and beef roasts
- Texture
- underside stays soft, not crisp
- Prep
- Cut onions into 1-inch slices and halve carrots and celery stalks lengthwise. Lay them in a single layer in the pan and set the meat on top.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
The meat sits on wet vegetables, so the underside braises and the skin underneath stays soft. Air does not circulate the way it does on a rack. The vegetables under a long roast can scorch where they are not covered; add ½ cup of water or stock to the pan if they darken.
Crumpled foil ropes
similar taste · similar, with a few soft contact lines
Aluminum foil twisted into thick ropes or coiled into a ring makes a rack shaped to fit any pan.
- Best for
- roasting meat and poultry, oven bacon, keeping fried food crisp in a warm oven
- Prep
- Tear off three sheets of heavy-duty foil about 18 inches long, crumple each into a rope about 1 inch thick, and lay them across the pan 2 to 3 inches apart, or coil one long rope into a spiral. Set the food on top.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Food touches the foil along narrow lines and can stick there; brush the ropes with oil for skin-on poultry. A heavy roast flattens thin foil, so use heavy-duty and make the ropes thick. Foil must not go in a microwave.
Cool gas stove grates
similar taste and texture
The cast iron grates over unlit gas burners hold a hot pan or a loaf clear of the surface with air below.
- Best for
- cooling a pie or cake in its pan, cooling a loaf of bread, resting a hot sheet pan
- Prep
- Make sure every burner under the grate is off and cold. Wipe the grate clean, or put the loaf on a sheet of parchment first.
The gaps are several inches wide, so nothing small or soft can sit on them directly. An electric coil or a glass cooktop is not the same thing: both are solid surfaces that trap steam, and a burner that is still warm keeps cooking the food.
Chopsticks or wooden spoons across a pan
similar taste and texture
Wooden chopsticks or spoon handles laid in parallel across a sheet pan make a slatted platform for cooling.
- Best for
- cooling a cake layer or a loaf, cooling a tart or pie in its pan, glazing a cake over a tray
- Prep
- Lay 4 to 6 chopsticks or wooden spoon handles across a rimmed sheet pan about 2 inches apart, resting on the rims, and set the cake or pan on them.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
It holds only things rigid enough to bridge a 2-inch gap. It is for the counter only: not in the oven, and not under anything heavy that could roll the sticks.
Parchment on a cool counter
similar taste · softer bottoms
Sliding the whole sheet of parchment, cookies and all, off the hot pan stops the baking even with no air underneath.
- Best for
- cookies, scones and biscuits, meringues
- Prep
- Let cookies firm up on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, then pull the parchment by one edge onto a cool counter or a cold sheet pan. Lift soft baked goods onto paper towels to take up steam.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
It takes the food off the hot pan, which is the main job, but no air reaches the bottom, so bases stay softer and crisp cookies lose some snap. For fried food, paper towels on a plate drain the oil but steam the underside in the same way.
Refrigerator shelf or coated rack in the oven
not applicable
A wire shelf from a refrigerator, a dish-drying rack, or a rack with plastic or rubber feet, used in the oven or on a grill.
- Best for
- nothing with heat
These are not made for oven heat or for hot food. Plastic and rubber coatings melt, and the platings on some old refrigerator shelves and hardware racks are not food-safe when heated. Use only racks sold for cooking.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- SafetyA rack that is not sold for cooking, put in the oven or on a grill.Use a broiler pan, foil ropes or a bed of vegetables.
- Bread or cake left in its pan to cool because there is no rack.Turn it out after 10 minutes onto a propped oven rack or across chopsticks on a sheet pan.
Questions
6 questionsWhat can I use instead of a cooling rack?
A spare oven rack taken out before preheating and propped on four cans or mugs. The grates of an unlit gas stove work for pans and loaves, and wooden chopsticks laid across a sheet pan hold a cake layer. For cookies, slide the parchment off the hot pan onto the counter.
What can I use instead of a roasting rack?
A bed of onion, carrot and celery cut about 1 inch thick, or three ropes of crumpled heavy-duty foil laid across the pan. Both lift the meat out of the fat. The vegetables flavor the drippings; the foil gives drier heat under the meat.
Can I use an oven rack as a wire rack?
Yes, for cooling. Remove it while the oven is cold and raise it on cans so air gets under it. The bars are wider apart than on a cooling rack, so keep small cookies on their parchment.
Do I really need a cooling rack for cookies?
No. What matters is taking them off the hot pan so they stop baking. Slide the parchment onto a cool counter after 2 to 3 minutes. The bottoms stay a little softer than they would on a rack.
How do I cook bacon in the oven without a rack?
Lay it straight on a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once; it cooks in its own fat and still crisps. To drain it as it cooks, use a broiler pan or lay the strips over foil ropes.
Can I cool bread on a cutting board?
Only for a few minutes. A board is solid, so steam collects under the loaf and softens the base. Stand the loaf on its side or across two wooden spoons if there is nothing else.
Tips for substituting cooling rack
5 tips- Decide before preheating. A spare oven rack has to come out while the oven is cold.
- Leave at least 1 inch of clear space under whatever you use. Less than that and steam collects under the food.
- Move cookies off the hot pan within 2 to 3 minutes. A sheet pan stays hot enough to keep baking them for several minutes after it leaves the oven.
- For a roast, line the pan with foil under the vegetables or foil ropes and pour off the fat before making gravy from the drippings.
- Set a sheet of parchment or a tray under a cake before glazing it on a makeshift rack, so the drips are caught.