Porcelain oven rack

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a coated steel wire oven rack. The preferred coated steel wire oven rack includes a plurality of elongated steel wire members joined together to form an oven rack having an outer surface. The plurality of elongated steel wire members are made from a steel rod material containing from about 80 to about 99.9% by weight of iron, from about 0.001 to about 0.08% by weight of carbon and from about 0.001 to about 0.2% by weight of a carbon stabilizing transition metal, preferably selected from the group consisting of Vanadium, Tantalum, Titanium and Niobium. The plurality of elongated steel wire members are preferably made from the steel rod material by drawing the steel rod material to form steel wire; wherein the diameter of the cross-sectional area of the steel rod material is reduced by at least about 20% when the steel rod material is drawn to form the steel wire. The outer surface of the oven rack is coated by a glass material, preferably porcelain; wherein the amount of carbon in the steel rod material, the amount of carbon stabilizing transition metal in the steel rod material and the degree to which the diameter of the cross-sectional area of the steel rod material is reduced, when the steel wire is drawn from the steel rod material, is optimized so as to prevent chipping of the glass material from the outer surface due to the release of hydrogen gas from the steel wire members when the steel wire is either heated or cooled. In preferred embodiments, the glass material is coated onto the oven rack in two distinct coating steps. The present invention also includes a method of making a coated steel wire oven rack comprising the steps of providing steel rod material; drawing the steel rod material to form steel wire; forming a plurality of elongated steel wire members; joining the plurality of steel wire members to one another to form a steel wire oven rack; and coating the steel wire oven rack with a glass material, preferably porcelain.