Lara,
My extender is never off my oven - and it's a convenient place to store it. Did you not get tongs to lift the rack out? They are like wide-opening grips. Or use 2 oven gloves.
Another idea we are in the process of doing is cutting a rectangular silicone baking sheet into a circle the same size as the outer circumference of the rack. A perfect fit, air convection will still get around the bowl and it will maximise area for oven snacks such as you describe, oven chips, nachos…

Dave.