5 Best Colanders for Your Kitchen

Colanders are convenient kitchen tools that can drain excess liquids from freshly cleaned raw ingredients or cooked food items. They are essential for draining liquids from pasta, salad ingredients, and other steamed dishes. This is the reason why having one in your kitchen is truly essential as they can help you to perform your tasks easier and faster. However, should you just pick any colander you can find in mainstream malls and stores? Definitely not! Let us do the work of finding the most exquisite ones for you!

The five colanders that are listed here are some of the best ones available in the market. We assure you that we picked the ones promising incredible high qualities, convenience, and the ergonomic features you need.

Best Colanders Comparison & Rating

Want to Learn More?

Before you decide to buy a colander, you might want to find out more about the best options available. This is to make sure that you will absolutely enjoy the colander that you would get for your kitchen. Also, be sure to click the yellow buttons below to see their best deals on Amazon! With that, here are five of the best options that we found especially for you.

LiveFresh Stainless Steel Colander

LiveFresh Stainless Steel Micro-Perforated 5-Quart Colander - Professional Strainer with Heavy Duty Handles and Self-draining Solid Ring Base - Dishwasher Safe
Specifications

Dimensions

12.71 x 11.41 x 5.7 inches

Color

Silver

Package

Steel Colander

Weight

9.6 ounces

Rating: 94% Overall
95%
Durability
94%
Value
93%
Design
92%
Materials
Pros
  • The stainless steel is of high-quality to ensure its durability.
  • Extra-wide and extra-deep for optimum space for straining
  • The hole sizes are perfect for letting liquid through while keeping the solid items safe in it.
  • Comes with a handy metal base for convenience and stability
  • All materials are food-grade and safe for use.
  • Safe to clean in the dishwasher
  • Well-built and designed for long-lasting toughness
  • Prone to develop rust if not cleaned thoroughly and stored properly
Cons
  • Prone to develop rust if not cleaned thoroughly and stored properly
  • Could conduct heat if exposed to high temperatures for too long
Verdict

This is a solid, practically indestructible colander that is worth having at home. Its opening with a wide diameter allows you to pour steamed pasta, boiled vegetables, and other food items with ease. Constructed with a tough feature, this colander is resistant to scratches, dents, and cuts. This is why it can be used both at home and in a professional kitchen setup. With its capability to hold a huge amount of content, it can definitely work as a fruit stand, too!


Qimh Collapsible Colander Set

Qimh Collapsible Colander Set of 3 Round Silicone Kitchen Strainer Set - 2 pcs 4 Quart and 1 pcs 2 Quart- Perfect for Draining Pasta, Vegetable and fruit (green,blue, purple)
Specifications

Dimensions

11.42 x 9.49 x 3.9 inches

Color

Red, Blue, and Green

Package

Three Silicone Colanders

Weight

13.6 ounces

Rating: 93% Overall
93%
Durability
92%
Value
94%
Design
92%
Materials
Pros
  • The package includes three collapsible silicone colanders for easy draining of liquid from contents with varying amounts.
  • Made of high-quality silicone to ensure durability
  • Highly resistant to high temperatures from hot liquids
  • Will not stain or absorb bad odors
  • Comes in three different vibrant colors (pink, blue, and green)
  • The convenient collapsible feature helps save space.
  • Safe to clean in the dishwasher
Cons
  • Doesn’t have a solid base to promote stability when draining heavy contents
  • The silicone could melt if exposed to high temperatures for too long.
Verdict

This colander set offers you three colanders in different sizes. If you are preparing a single dish of pasta, you can use the small one. If you are cooking up a feast, the biggest one will work best. That said, the entire set allows you to choose what sizes to use giving you absolute convenience whether you are straining a huge batch or single-serving portions of foods! The silicone also makes these colanders less conductive of heat than metal, so there’s less risk of getting burned from the boiling water you are draining. Their collapsible feature also makes them very easy to store and they don’t take a lot of space in your cupboards and other storage spaces.


Comfify Collapsible Colanders Set

Colander Set - 2 Collapsible Colanders (Strainers) Set By Comfify - Includes 2 Folding Strainers Sizes 8" - 2 Quart and 9.5" - 3 Quart Red and Grey
Specifications

Dimensions

11 x 9.5 x 5 inches

Color

Red

Package

Two Silicone Colanders

Weight

6.7 ounces

Rating: 91% Overall
90%
Durability
89%
Value
91%
Design
92%
Materials
Pros
  • Made of high-quality silicone for durability
  • Collapsible and can be stacked for easy storage
  • Quick straining and smoothly expels liquids
  • The materials are food-grade and BPA-free.
  • Rich and vibrant colors
  • The exquisite design is perfect which gives your kitchen an additional superb aesthetic detail.
  • Easy to clean and dishwasher safe
Cons
  • Has normally strong plastic odor upon unwrapping the package
  • The base is made of silicone as well which makes it unstable and not ideal for holding heavy food contents.
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
Verdict

This is an excellent colander set that is very comfortable and safe to use. The colors are truly rich, which makes them excellently pleasing in any type of kitchen. Draining the liquid is very fast due to the adequate and perfect sizes of the holes. Since the colanders can be collapsed, they are also handy tools for barbecue parties, camping, and other outdoor activities. Its deep base, on the other hand, allows it to contain and hold great numbers of content like apples, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables.


Longzon Collapsible Silicone Colanders

Longzon Collapsible Silicone Colanders and Strainers [2 Piece Set], Diameter Sizes 8'' - 2 Quart and 9.5" - 3 Quart, Pasta Vegetable/Fruit Kitchen Mesh Strainers with Extendable Handles Red and Grey
Specifications

Dimensions

15.47 x 11.61 x 2.52 inches

Color

Gray, Red

Package

Two Silicone Colanders

Weight

9.6 ounces

Rating: 87% Overall
89%
Durability
87%
Value
85%
Design
86%
Materials
Pros
  • Comes with a colander with a two-handed grip and one with a one-handed grip
  • Made of high-quality silicone that ensures durability
  • The colanders are made of food-grade and BPA-free materials.
  • Rich and gorgeously contrasting colors
  • Collapsible and well-designed
  • Very easy to clean and dishwasher safe
Cons
  • Direct exposure to fire can melt the silicone
  • The silicone can be punctured or cut by extremely sharp edges.
Verdict

This is an exquisite set of silicone colanders with bright colors and beautiful designs. The different shapes allow both one-handed and two-handed straining. The two colanders have huge capacities, too, so they can hold a lot of food contents. Their flexibility also allows them to stretch so they can accommodate more than what metal strainers with similar sizes can hold. The one-handed colander can even be used to scoop out items directly from a cooking pot.


CHICHIC 2-in-1 Kitchen Colander

CHICHIC 2-in-1 kitchen Strainer/Colander & Bowl Sets, Large Plastic Washing Bowl and Strainer, Detachable Colanders Strainers Set, Space-Saver, for Fruits Vegetable Cleaning Washing Mixing, Green
Specifications

Dimensions

11.81 x 10 x 5 inches

Color

White, Green

Package

Bowl and Colander

Weight

12 ounces

Rating: 86% Overall
88%
Durability
85%
Value
84%
Design
86%
Materials
Pros
  • Comes with a large bowl and a colander top
  • Made of high-quality plastic for durability
  • Food-grade and BPA-free for safety
  • Well-designed and well-built
  • Protects furniture from stains due to condensation
  • The sufficient numbers of its holes allow the liquid to be strained fast.
Cons
  • Vulnerable to snapping or chipping from severe impacts
  • The warranty does not extend outside the country.
Verdict

This is a very convenient colander set since it comes with a strainer as well as a bowl. This makes it easier to get rid of the excess liquid from your foods. It also provides you a container where you could serve your food items after draining them. It has a strong base to keep the bowl steady and stops it from wobbling. The bowl and the strainer can be used separately too.

Colander Buyer's Guide

design

Colanders should be designed for convenience, toughness, and ease of use. If they look pretty on top of all of that, then that’s just a bonus. In the case of stainless steel colanders, they should be built with essential ergonomic details to ease your task of straining liquids from food. For silicone colanders, they should be flexible without being easy to cut or tear. 

durability

Colanders need to be built tough in order to accommodate some heavy, bulky, and sometimes, edgy food items for straining or washing. This means you need to look for colanders with excellent materials like high-quality stainless steel or high-quality plastic or silicone.  

Quality

The quality of the materials used to make the colanders will matter a lot for stability, toughness, safety, and convenience. They need to be food-grade, BPA-free, heat-resistant, stain-resistant, and reasonably damage-resistant. The build quality should also be high, ensuring no tears, gaps, or dents when the product arrives.    

convenience

Colanders should be easy to use and convenient. In many cases, having a base to provide elevation and stability would be a huge plus. The colander should be easy to hold and should be able to accommodate plenty of items relative to its size. They should also be easy to maintain and store.   

easy to clean

Colanders come in contact with some of the most sensitive food items, so they must be easy to clean. They should not retain any stain or residue from whatever they strain. They should be washable with warm water and soap. Ideally, they should also be dishwasher safe.  

FAQs

Can all colanders be used for both raw and cooked food?

All colanders can be used to strain and clean both cooked food items and raw ingredients as long as they are food-grade and BPA-free.

Which colander should I get, steel, silicone, or plastic?

Stainless steel colanders are the toughest, but they take up the most space. Silicone colanders are the most flexible, but they can be cut to torn. Plastic colanders are light and versatile, but they can snap if you’re not careful. Each of them has its pros and cons.  

How big should my colander be?

The biggest colanders are only really necessary for professional kitchens. Small to medium colanders are preferable for home kitchens.

Should I get colanders with big holes or small holes?

Bigger holes mean faster draining of liquids, but it can allow smaller food items like corn kernels through. Smaller holes can make draining slower, but they also make sure that all food items remain inside.