I have seen many types of cake racks. Some are slightly off the ground and others have legs that extend up to 4 or 5 inches. I have the kind that extends up to 5 inches.

My issue is, with large sheet cakes. When I go to place the cake on it, the rack dips because of the weight. This is causing a slight bend in my sheet cakes.

The ones with only a slight leg on them tend to make the bottom of the cake soggy cause it is not that high off the ground...

What kind do you recommend??????

I have several different types, but my very favorites are large, low to the ground, heavy duty, and non-stick.

Sadly, they have no markings on them, so I don't know who made them. The grids "lines" are much thicker than the flimsy ones and I remember these being more expensive.

These racks don't flex under the weight of large cakes, and I know that a 12x18 fits on them easily, so they're at least that large.

HTH
Rae

The larger ones with a "grid" on top, rather than just parallel lines, are usually called "icing" racks because they're meant more for allowing icing or glaze to drip off of cookies, petits fours, etc. -- which doesn't require them to be as far off the counter as for a cooling rack.

But they do make great cooling racks for large cakes. To avoid the soggy-bottom issue, all you have to do is set some overturned mugs or tin cans or anything like that under the legs. Find four the same height, is all.

hollyml....

When you place mugs upside down to allow height to the racks, do they not bend in the middle?? I have some racks that are already high without the mugs, and they want to sag in the middle.....


Thanks....

The "terminology" depends on where you're shopping:

http://www.chefgiant.com/show_product/2479/?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_term=2479

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ELPS4K/?tag=cakecentral-20

I actually prefer the grid type because I've had too much cake pull away with the parallel line racks when turning the layer over. With the grids, I don't have that issue.

Because I leave the parchment on the bottom of my cakes while they cool, and I never allow a cake to cool while turned over on it's top, I don't find any problems with "soggy".

Rae

IME, the rack sagging is not related to the height of the legs per se. It's because the ones with higher legs usually have a surface made of parallel lines of wire, whereas the low ones typically have a grid surface. The grid is more rigid. Raising it up higher isn't going to make it sag any more than when it's just sitting on a counter or table on its own legs.

I only have grid style racks.

Some of them are just plain cheaply made--thin metal, more like "wire" than "tubes". They are not on high legs. With a large cake, but even one as small as a 9x13, those babies sag in the middle.

A few years ago, I invested in some gorgeous non-stick racks--I think they came from a Calphalon outlet store--that weigh at LEAST 3 times what the cheap ones do. The grids metal is thick. I think I could sit on them and they wouldn't sag.

They're the only ones I feel safe with when tossing around my larger, heavy layers. The old wire racks are going to Goodwill next week.

Rae

I appreciate all of your help folks!! I seen the type of racks ya'll are talking about at Michael's. They have the "grid" style. I cannot pass up using the 40% off coupon!!!!


Thanks again folks!

If I run out of space on my cooling rack, I remove a shelf/rack from the oven and use one of those. Just a thought, since the oven shelves are really sturdy. You could raise it above the surface with mugs or whatever, as someone suggested, and it would not sag.

I have one from Pampered Chef with the legs that fold and the grid. I made a 12 x 18" cake and it was perfect. No sagging in the middle at all. They are of very good quality.

The best ones that I own are commercial quality that I purchased at a restaurant equipment store. They will hold a whole sheet cake (although I never bake one that size.)

FYI: the big one at Michaels sags in the middle. I have a 12 X 18 on mine now and it's saggy.
I used my oven rack once. It left big grooves in the cake. Generally, it's okay to use to help you flip a cake, but not for cooling, IMO.

You can flip the cake out on whatever size rack fits, then immediately flip it over on a cake board to cool and the top doesn't get sticky. Sometimes I will use 2 cake boards, one covered in saran wrap in-place of the 'rack' then a plain cake board for the second flip to cool on.

Follow up on the sagging rack: totally ruined a cake tonight because it was on that rack. I was trying to level it with a cake saw and thanks to the sag it made a diagonal cut instead of a straight one. Get a sturdy gridded one. I know I'm going to tape a note or something to mine so I don't use it for cake again.

Thank you folks!!

I do the same as Dayti for my larger cakes, oven rack placed ontop of 4 cans so it's raised, never had a sagging issue

I have the big wilton grid one too from Michaels. Not my favorite as it sags in the middle. I have pampered chefs ones I like that are grid style.