Kitchen Stuff, Explained: Colander

What kitchen item gets often used, regularly forgotten, and almost never abused? A colander! And the right one can be your kitchen companion for life.

While it technically strains, don’t confuse it with a strainer, which tend to be smaller in nature and made of wiry mesh. With average sizes ranging from 3 to 5 quarts, a colander is most often considered when looking to strain pasta or rinse/blanch fruits and vegetables.

Typically made from anything including plastic, silicone, ceramic, or stainless steel, colanders can go from cheap dollar store purchase to colorful kitchen accessory. While most come with one form of handle or another, some technically-savvy modern varieties have extendable handles for hands-free operations that allow you to place them over the sink to avoid steam burns from pasta. Some are even collapsible for those short on cabinet space.

If it were up to us, we’d go with any number of brightly colored enamel varieties from Calypso. With options such as Robin’s Egg blue or bright orange, they will run you around $25 a piece. When not in use, leave it out on the counter with some fruit for a colorful addition to any kitchen.

Considered utilitarian in nature, creative types have found other uses for colanders in the form of helmets, and vases. Thanks to their original hole patterns they also make great lampshades, which throw a lovely floral pattern of light on any wall they hit. What use bests suits you is completely your call.