Shopping For a New Colander

A new colander can refresh your whole approach to cooking. Choose ones that fit every kind of draining and rinsing you need to do, so that you always have the right size and style on hand. When it comes time to clean berries from the local farmer's market or drain a new organic pasta shape you've been excited to try, these slotted bowls are exactly the thing. Place one in the sink when boiling vegetables, use them on countertops for grabbing fruit or stack them decoratively to add to the atmosphere in an open kitchen plan. With mix-and-match styles made to suit every aesthetic, discovering the colander for you is fast, easy and fun.

What is a Colander?

A colander is a bowl that's made specifically for rinsing and draining water or other liquids during cooking. Home chefs use them for cleaning produce under a stream from the sink or for straining food that was in boiling water and rinsing starch off boiled foods, like pasta or potatoes.

• The bowls of colanders are often wide both at the mouth and at the bottom of the interior. This surface space lets you get an entire pot's worth of food into the colanders comfortably without spilling food or splashing water.
• The walls of colanders have perforations in the shapes of holes in them. The holes are tiny and often lined in rows that span the entire diameter of the bowl. Bowls for rinsing have larger holes, while bowls for pastas, like linguine, may have smaller holes.
• Colanders also have C-handles like those on a coffee cup, only oriented horizontally, or flat, molded handles that allow you to carry them to and from the sink and stove.

How to Choose Sizes For Your Colanders

The size of your colander depends on what you're doing with it. This is why many people often buy colanders in sets. It's easier to take care of all your kitchen needs when you have the proper size for the type of food or portions you're using. They may also be used in place of fruit baskets in a pinch.

• Large colanders can be used for rinsing quarts of berries or bunches of fresh field greens, like kale or collards. The interior space holds plenty of food, while the larger holes allow you to thoroughly rinse and drain with soaking food.
• Smaller colanders make it easy to separate, rinse, clean or drain smaller amounts of food or produce with a smoother skin. Try rinsing grape tomatoes or mixing a medley of fruits to place on a countertop or tabletop.

Colanders may be originally designed for draining and rinsing, but with kitchen creativity, you can find plenty of uses for these handy, ergonomic bowls.