Mary K’s dream kitchen was a long time coming; in fact, it took about 35 years.
Over the duration of her husband’s long diplomatic career, the family lived in several countries and experienced a wide array of cultures. Their children went to American overseas schools and connected with their host countries through academics and sports, loving swimming, soccer and track.
But Mary, already a foodie before it was a vocab word, learned about these countries through their cuisines. In Argentina, she learned to love beef and more importantly, she learned how to cook it.
“The huge grill, a.k.a. parrilla, was just off the kitchen and was as big as a church organ” she remembers. It was on that parrilla that she learned how to cook lomo (tenderloin), chorizo with chimichurri sauce and achuras (offal), a traditional Argentine delicacy.
Her kitchen in Lebanon had a butler’s pantry and her kitchen in Malta had a view of the Mediterranean. But it was her kitchen in Rome, Italy that she remembers most.
“It was the smallest, galley kitchen and I learned to love it because the space was organized and everything was close at hand” she said.
“My favorite thing, I’m not kidding, was this open dish rack hanging above the sink, where we could simply wash our dishes, rinse them and hang them out to dry. Wow, it was life-changing, and all our relatives who came to visit loved it too!”
DDC Handles to pull the racks down to lowered locked position. Bottom ledge was built 4″ inches above the cabinet bottom line.
After 35 years in diplomatic service, Bill retired and they moved back to their 1930 rowhouse in Washington DC. The old kitchen was dark and didn’t have a single drawer; so, wanting to move the outdoors inside with light and color, (check out that backsplash) they planned a remodel.
The first gadget Mary wanted was her over-the-sink drying rack she recalled from so many years before. She searched online and easily spotted the unique DripDry; and the rest is history.
“I was pretty desperate to find one. I didn’t know what kind of cabinets I wanted, but I knew I wanted the DripDry inside one of them” she laughs.
Mary uses the DripDry for easy access when reaching for a cutting board or favorite knife, and she frequently has her espresso pot drip drying there, alongside other dishes. Sometimes she puts the dishes away, sometimes she doesn’t.
“You can just push upward on the Drip Dry rack, dishes and all, click it into place and close the cabinet doors. No one would guess it’s full of wet dishes. It’s perfect for a small, DC kitchen.”
She uses it for more than dish storage too. “We eat lots of fruits, salads and Italian greens with oil and garlic” she notes, “and the DripDry easily holds my washed broccoli rabe and other greens.” Now, most any salad Mary makes, she washes her produce and places it on the DripDry, to drip dry.
Mary says “Online reviews are typically 1-to-5 stars—that’s just not enough. I love this thing so much I’d give it 10 stars if I could.”
Raised cabinet above sink with completely open-bottom cabinet. Large size mounted higher in a cabinet to hide handles.
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