This is a great rack overall. My wife really enjoys it, and it is capable of being used both as a cooling rack and for cooking. The Chrome finish is fantastic. The rack is very sturdy, the holes close together enough to allow items to not sag, but open enough to cool adequately. The middle support bar is a must. Overall the thing is fairly heavy, which is good. You could cook a ham or large roast on it without breaking it.

The only negative, which may be a big one for some is that it isn't completely flat. The middle on the long edge is slightly higher than the sides. It is not a lot, but noticeable enough. For cookies, breads, biscuits, etc this won't matter at all. But if you are wanting to cool or cook something small or rounded, this may be troublesome. For example, if you want to warm something round like sausages or hot dogs on it, you will have to be very careful to keep them on the thing when going in or out....

That said, the benefits are many. I would buy another at this point. If the finish decides to go south I will update. But it looks good and has already been used well without issue.

This was a perfect fit for the Wear-Ever Half Sheet Aluminum pan made by Vollrath that I purchased. I bought this after reading a review on America's Test Kitchen's website, a show I thoroughly enjoy. I did not have problems with welds separating or rusting as others have stated but I always wash the rack by hand and dry immediately afterwards. The the only reason I deducted a star was the surface is not completely flat and mine was bowed upward a bit but not so much that it detracts from the usefulness of the product. I have since ordered another of these along with another Vollrath Half Size baking sheet. I've used this for baking and cooking at temperatures up to 425 degrees without any issues. Both products are recommended by the experienced kitchen staff at America's Test Kitchen.

I've been using the cooling rack along with this half sheet pan Nordic Ware Naturals Bakers Half Sheet and they work great together! The rack fits perfectly! Even though it's sold as a cooling rack, I have use it for cooking bacon in the oven at least 10 times now and it's worked great! I run the rack through the dishwasher afterwards and hand wash the pan -- both still look new.

I also use the rack and pan combination for allowing meat to rest under aluminum foil after grilling. I take the rack and pan out to the grill and put the cooked food right on the rack, then cover it with foil to allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. The pan collects the juices from the meat and allows a bit of air circulation so the meat stops cooking, but stays warm.

I usually toss onions and mushrooms in olive oil and then cook them in aluminum foil on the grill when I cook steaks. If you use the pan/rack combo to cool the steaks, then you can pour the steak juice that the pan collects into the vegetables for extra flavor, or have au jus for the steak.

It was hard to find a cooling/cooking rack this size WITH a pan that also fit it well - could not find it locally. I found one combination at Sur La Table that was a bit smaller and was at least 50% more expensive.

I'm sure this cooling rack would also be great for cooling baked goods as well -- I haven't done that yet, but will use it when we bake.

I bought this rack to use in the oven with my Nordic Ware 1/2 sheet pan and Wear-Ever 1/2 size sheet pan (model #5314). The fit is a little tight with the Nordic Ware pan, but overall it works well with both! We love making bacon in the oven, so I see this rack getting a lot of action. My only complaint, which is not really a fault with this product and how well it functions, but feel obligated to mention nonetheless, is that the bacon grease cleanup can be a bit tedious with the small grid pattern. I must also admit that I let the pan sit too long so that might be why I found myself going cross-eyed and crazy scrubbing the little crevices to get the bits of bacon goo out. The good news is that this baby can take a ride in the dishwasher and come out spotless, which totally negates my hand-washing "complaint." And even better news is that you can make a lot of bacon on this rack. I plan on spatchcocking my turkey and baking it on this rack for Thanksgiving (a la Serious Eats) and I have no doubt it will live up to my expectations (the CIA rack and the turkey).

The CIA half-sheet size wire rack is a well made product I have used it several times to roast chicken wings (Alton Brown style), washed it n the dishwasher and no signs of corrosion or bad craftsmanship. The only grip I have (and the reason I didn't give it 5 of 5 stars) is that it is too large by about a 1/4" length and width for my Nordic Ware half sheet pan, which I purchased at the same time assuming that a half-sheet rack would fit a half-sheet pan. Maybe this rack fits the CIA brand pans like a glove, I don't know. It was (and is) kind of annoying that there is that much variance in the actual dimensions of products that claim the same dimensions. Overall, however, this is a very well made product and I would definitely purchase again (it does fit the half sheet pan that I bought at the local restaurant supply store, washed in the dishwasher, and looks like it survived World War 3).