Every home needs a good colander and if yours isn’t up to scratch or you’re just starting up a kitchen of your own you’ll be need a colander you can rely on. That’s where our picks for this year’s best colanders come in handy.
One of the biggest frustrations with colanders is the size of the holes. Too small and they don’t drain properly but too big and everything else falls through the gap. But we think there are a few other things to consider including the material you use.
In the end we took a large number of colanders and put them through some basic tests (straining pasta, giving rice a good rinse and their resistance to boiling water).
Recommended Colanders
OXO 1134700 Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless-Steel Colander
Our top pick comes from one of America’s most trusted kitchenware brands – OXO. It was exactly the right size to tackle family meal related tasks, not too big and definitely not too small. The grip along the rim was firm and we had no problems holding on to the colander when we gave things a good shake.
We were also pleased with the size of the holes in the sides which never got clogged or let stuff fall out either. It is, however, a fairly expensive colander compared to some of our other options.
You can check out the OXO 1134700 Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless-Steel Colander online.
KUKPO EASY GRIP – 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander
The first thing we liked about the Kukpo Easy Grip colander was the very low price and we found that it mainly performed as well as all the others at the top end of our test results. One thing that stood out was the drain rate – this thing drains very quickly, indeed.
The only thing we weren’t too keen on were the handles which weren’t as non-slip as some of the others and not quite as comfortable to hold either. Still, for the cash, you can’t go wrong.
You can check out the KUKPO EASY GRIP – 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander online.
OXO Good Grips Silicone Collapsible Colander
The thing that we absolutely loved about this colander was that it takes up so little space when you store it. Yup, collapsible means that this thing ends up completely flat and that makes it deal for the smallest of kitchens.
The downsides, however, are fairly dramatic – we found it drained poorly with pasta and we also felt that the food got stuck to it very easily. If you want to save space it’s still a good choice but, otherwise, we’d recommend you take something else from the list instead.
You can check out the OXO Good Grips Silicone Collapsible Colander online.
Glotoch Kitchen Collapsible Colander
This nice colander clips over the top of your sink and that means it’s the perfect “hands free” colander solution when you know that you’ve got an extra heavy pot to drain. The adjustable arms mean that it ought to fit pretty much any sink too.
The collapsible design makes it fairly easy to slot into any part of the kitchen when it’s not in use too. The only real drawback is that sticky silicone coating and things might cling to it when you’re giving it a wash.
You can check out the Glotoch Kitchen Collapsible Colander online.
Bellemain Stainless Steel 5-quart Colander
This is a great colander with no real standout characteristics. It makes our list because it handles all of our tasks with no fuss and no problems. It also drains faster than some of the other models though not as fast as the Kukpo Easy Grip Colander which was the fastest of them all.
As a stainless steel colander, it does get warm if you fill it with boiling water but it’s not a big deal and the handles don’t get hot when the body does, so you can safely pick it up and move it without burning yourself.
You can check out the Bellemain Micro-perforated Stainless Steel 5-quart Colander online.
For more great kitchen tools don’t miss our popular ktchen gadgets guide.
