A wire rack is a kitchen staple, but it has a major Achilles’ heel: It’s incredibly annoying to clean.Its lattice pattern is ideal for cooling freshly baked cookies and crisping bacon in the oven, but grit and grime accumulate in those tightly knit corners. No matter how much I scrub, those nooks and crannies are never spotless.I had come to accept that gunk was going to be trapped in my wire rack for all eternity, so I was cautiously optimistic when I discovered the Nordic Ware Multi-Purpose Oven & Cooling Rack. Instead of a lattice design, this rack, which is made from a single piece of aluminum, has a ribbed texture and round perforations. Based on looks alone, it seemed so much easier to clean than a typical wire rack.Nordic Ware is the maker of our top-pick sheet pan, so I was hopeful that the rack would be a game changer. But after I put the cooling rack to the test, it left much to be desired — and, unfortunately, the usual mess to clean.