How to Choose a Wooden Trivet or Pot Stand

The casserole's out of the oven, still bubbling, and you're standing there in oven mitts looking for somewhere to put it. Not the good table. Not the benchtop you just had resealed. That's the moment a trivet earns its keep.

A wooden trivet or pot stand goes under hot dishes, teapots and coffee plungers so the heat and steam don't leave a white ring on the timber underneath. Ours are all Australian timber, and they look decent enough to leave out on the table between meals.

What size wooden trivet do you need?

Measure the bottom of the pot you use most. The base, not the lid. Allow a couple of centimetres spare.

• 17cm: the Lattice Trivet ($55). Teapots, a small casserole.
• 18cm: the small Aussie Animals Trivet ($42) or small Gum Leaf Cut-Out Pot Stand ($42). Teapots, plungers, a pie dish.
• 25cm: large Aussie Animals ($59) or large Gum Leaf ($55). Roasting dishes, the big Dutch oven, the lasagne tray when the whole family's over.

A lot of people end up with one of each. Small one by the kettle, big one by the oven.

Three wooden trivets on our shelf

Aussie Animals Trivet

Koala, kangaroo, turtle and lizard, all cut right through a round of timber. Depending on the batch you might get Blackwood, Myrtle, Tasmanian Oak, Ash or Jarrah. The large one's about 300g. It comes boxed, handy if it's a present.

→ Aussie Animals Trivet: small $42, large $59

Gum Leaf Cut-Out Pot Stand

If the animals feel a bit much for your kitchen, go for this one. Gum leaves and gumnuts, nothing else. It's lighter too, about 150g, so it's the easy pick for a suitcase.

→ Gum Leaf Cut-Out Pot Stand: small $42, large $55

Lattice Trivet

Offset rings are turned into both faces until the pattern looks almost woven, and the gaps let the heat get away from your table. It's 17cm across and 1cm thick, in Blackwood or Sassafras. Each one is signed by the maker, with the timber noted on the side. People overseas like knowing exactly what they've been given.

→ Lattice Trivet: Blackwood or Sassafras, $55 each

Wood, silicone or cork?

Honestly, silicone is cheaper and you can chuck it in the dishwasher. A metal trivet will cop a cast iron pan straight off a high flame. Wood probably won't, so don't ask it to. That much heat marks most finishes.

What wood does better is look like it belongs on the table, under a teapot or Sunday's casserole.

Caring for a wooden pot stand

Wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it. Our trivets have a waterproof finish, so they don't need oiling the way a chopping board does. No soaking, no dishwasher. If a Lattice goes a bit dull, rub in a little furniture oil.

(Boards and spoons are different. They want Wood Butter, $24, every so often; see our boards and utensils care guide.)

Flying out soon? None of these weigh more than about 300g and they lie flat in a bag. More ideas in Australian gifts to take overseas.

One last tip. Leave it out. The trivet sitting beside the kettle gets used every day. The one that goes back in the top cupboard gets forgotten.

Quick answers

Is a trivet the same as a pot stand? Yep. Same thing, two names.

What size trivet for a teapot? 17 or 18cm suits most. Wide base, or want it under bigger dishes too? Get the 25cm.

Find yours

Have a look through the trivets collection. Start with the pot you use most, then pick the one you'd be happy to leave out on the table.