Equipment Review: Best Kitchen Colanders / Pasta Strainers & Our Testing Winner

A colander is just a bowl with holes, right? Chasing loose pasta around the sink may change your mind about that.

We tested 8 colanders (each roughly 5 quarts) to find the best one:
RSVP International Endurance Precision Pierced 5 Qt. Colander
OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander
Cuisinox 24 Cm Footed Colander
Excel Steel Cook Pro Stainless Steel Mesh Colanders with Silicone Handles, Set of 3
Norpro Krona Stainless Steel 9.5" Deep Colander
Squish 4-Quart Collapsible Colander
Squish Expanding Over-the-Sink Colander
Reston Lloyd Calypso Basics 5-Quart Colander

We eliminated the following models in pretesting for a variety of design flaws, including flimsy or poor construction, difficulty cleaning, and cramped size: Architec Gripper Colander, Dexas Popware Collapsible 10" Pop Colander, Joseph Joseph Folding Colander, Norpro Stainless Steel Expanding Over-the-Sink Colander with Base Frame, OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Large Bowl and Colander Set, Progressive International 5-Quart Collapsible Colander, Rösle Collapsible Colander, and Tovolo Stainless Steel Perforated Colander.

Italian chefs on TV dip their tongs into pots of boiling water to retrieve strands of pasta. The rest of us drain our pasta like mere mortals: in a colander. Our favorite has long been a stainless-steel model covered from rim to base in holes that allow water to escape easily. But with many newcomers on the market, we decided that a rematch was in order: our longtime winner versus 15 new colanders, priced from about $18 to $60. Our lineup included larger (roughly 5-quart) colanders made from both stainless and enameled steel and wire mesh, as well as collapsible silicone baskets set in stiff plastic frames. One such model even had extending arms, allowing it to span a sink.

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[wqhrxin]

I love these equipment tests - you're saving us money and improving our cooking experience. Please keep making them!!

[DinoSarma]

‘It’s not gimmicky, or innovative; it just does the job” should be the tag line for ATK.

[timc]

Straight, to-the-point, no-nonsense, clearly reasoned and rational reviews. Why I love ATK's equipment reviews. Keep up the good work.

[YupIStayConfused]

Thank you for saying the full/complete name and size of the product. It makes it easier to search for and ensure I'm getting the identical product.

[berighteous]

I really appreciate the thorough equipment tests.  Thanks.

[Crushnaut]

I have owned that model that has handles that stretch out over the sink. Very nice for the first month or so. I don't own a dishwasher and hand clean. The handles do no come out for cleaning and quickly get moldy. The silicon wears out and the collapsible bucket falls out.

[quinnhen]

I've used the same colander for the last, geez around 20 yrs!! It's a pink KitchenAid colander. Absolutely love it.

[elizabethblackwell]

The name of that colander made me laugh. The RSVP Endurance Precision Pierced Divided Blah Blah Blah. Poor Lisa was dehydrated by the time she got it out.

[seriouslyreally]

mesh and small hole collanders are a bit finicky to clean if you don't scrub out immediately after straining. starchy or mushy films that cling and dry in the tiny holes means you have to soak them to losen the stuck-on and scrub with a plastic brush to pierce the clogged holes and clean well. dishwasher cycles don't work well for this.

[jeff__w]

The winning colander looks gorgeous from a design standpoint, too.

[LlyleHunter]

I agree with their finding and I have that colander and wouldn't be without it but I also have an over the sink model that's all metal and it's excellent for safety when you're emptying a very large pot.

[coolwater]

"
I love this tester, narrator.
"RSVP International..
Not gimicky or innovative, it just does the job."

[Lee-xxnk]

I have a metal mesh colander that hangs over the sink. It was like 5$ at a christmas tree shop and has lasted years. Yes I do have the same draining problem if you want to catch the drippings but I have an oval mixing bowel that I use for that so it works fine.

[jernigan]

I have a plastic one from Big Lots, bought over 20 yrs ago in my college days, and paid $1. Looks similar to the white/clear one @ 0:39

[vociferonheraldofthewinter]

I trusted ATK and bought this colander about 4 years ago. It's still as good as new and I can see this lasting for the rest of my life. It's much easier to clean because less food gets stuck in the small holes. I've never burned myself while tipping very hot food out.

There's only one, tiny hitch. The groove where the foot attaches to the colander does require a few extra seconds to get into. It's not a deal breaker. This is the colander that's the closest to perfect that I've ever used and I can usually allow the dishwasher to deal with that little bit.

I do wish they had a smaller model that I could buy to go with it. It works, but sometimes it does feel like overkill to strain something small. With that said, if you're looking for one item to do all the work, this is the one.

[KRiver]

I don't have a dishwasher, so cleaning the pasta that sticks in the tiny nooks of a screened colander is the pits. The one I have is similar to your winner, but has fewer holes. It drains adequately (barely) and washes extremely well by hand.

[Amandahugginkizz]

If you have trouble cleaning the holes of the colander, get a baby bottle brush they are 1-2 dollars at walmart and dollar tree, designed to get tiny areas cleaned. People complaining about cleaning their colanders and I've never had that issue, I realized it's because I've always had a baby bottle brush cleaner on my sink and use it for everything, works better then those kitchen scrub brushes that are shaped akward ane dont get into glasses or small areas.

[hiddengems]

I’ve had my cheap plastic colander for over a decade. Looks every bit as good as the day I bought it. No fading whatsoever.

[TheIkaika]

I have one that’s exactly the same as their winner. It’s nice that you can strain Orzo without most of it going down the sink drain.

[jndominica]

Wire mesh is a pain to wash if allowed to dry, can't be washed under running water or scrubbed, and needs a soak in soda. Debris gets trapped under metal plates that hold the mesh together. Same is true for tea strainers of this material. I use an enameled collander with the shape of a sauce pan. It rests over the sink on its handle and a hook on the opposite side.