You Should Be Using Toast Racks For More Than Bread

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A toast rack may seem like a nice but unnecessary breakfast table accoutrement. These stands with individual slots to hold bread upright were popular in the Victorian era and have hung around, especially popular among those of us looking to incorporate vintage elements into our kitchens. Toast racks are handy, no doubt, as they keep each slice from piling on top of each other, making each piece soggy if they've been pre-buttered. But they may be of even better use as a savvy kitchen organization hack.

The very design intended for toasted bread slices makes these racks good for storing and displaying so many other things, too. Use them for cookbooks, cutting boards, pan or storage container lids, trivets, potholders, oven mitts, coasters, sorted or unsorted mail, placemats, napkins — you get the idea. Pop them into your pantry or into a cabinet or drawer to unclutter any chaos. Of course, they're lovely enough to proudly display, too.

We love useful kitchen items that double as decor and these certainly fit the bill. Anything that's currently spreading out taking up precious counter space, consider it handled. You can stock up on multiple toast racks and place them in different areas of the kitchen to organize the things you use there — it's convenient and creates a cohesive look.

If you already have a toast rack or two, but you've never made much use of them, reimagining them for organizational promises will turn them into a favorite staple. Their size and aesthetic are a better choice than traditional organization racks, and they've got more room than a folder organizer, for example, so you can get everything from books to linens in those slots. Whatever your kitchen motif is, too, you can find toast racks to complement it. There are sleek modern ones, and antique racks are one of the best vintage items to treat your kitchen to.

This Muldale English Style Toast Rack is about as classic as it gets in design — high-shine yet understated. Meanwhile, this CLWXHS Six-Slice Toast Rack offers an artful design and golden finish that's a bit modern and glamorous. Then there's this WM Bartleet & Sons 1750 Traditional Porcelain Rack that looks far more expensive than its $28 price and exudes sophisticated country-kitchen chic.

From the secondhand store to the flea market to Etsy, too, statement pieces galore await. You may find gems like a ceramic chicken toast rack, the picture of farmhouse style; a playful and quirky vintage Lurpak ceramic rack with a little butler; or a stunning 1920s-era Ironstone by Mason & Co. rack done in white ceramic with a traditional blue pattern. Whatever you stumble across, put it to good use in your kitchen by reimagining it as an organizer.