Colanders

[CathyA]

Which kind do you like best..........the ones with some holes, or the mesh ones?
I like my stainless steel colander, but the 3 feet on it came off a long time ago, and I'm tired of the sink not draining quickly enough and then water backs up into the stuff in the colander. Yuk.
I'm also looking for one with a ring of metal around the bottom, instead of soldered on feet.
Mesh or occasional holes.......which do you like?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Uh oh I really shouldn't answer this thread, it could get controversial .... I like my stainless steel corriander with a ring of metal on the bottom, but I suppose it could be better because if all the water doesn't drain I often then use a salad spinner to get the additional water off (of most anything). Mesh is too hard to clean.

[bae]

I have a set of 3 nesting mesh ones I got 30 years ago. I hate them, they are poorly made and the retaining rim at the top likes to pull apart, exposing pointy mesh bits. I may replace them in another decade or two.

[iris lilies]

oh I have strong feelings about this, truly I do!

My mother had the mesh kind. Spaghetti and pasta always fell through it or got stuck on the wire. Yes, ANM they are hard to clean! One day, at a friend's house, I discovered the world of non-mesh colanders and never went back, it was a revelation! The moment I set up my own kitchen, I bought the stainless steel kind. I also have a smaller plastic one, with a handle. It is handy.

No mesh colanders ever!

[JaneV2.0]

I have mesh strainers--two sizes, and a set of collapsible silicon colanders. Also several steamers that can be used to drain things. I use the mesh strainers most often. I guess they're clean enough; they haven't killed me yet.

[CathyA]

I hadn't thought about the mesh ones being harder to clean. they seem to have good reviews everywhere. I really like the one I have (stainless steel). It drains really well. But those danged little feet fell off. I've been trying to think of what I could use to elevate it in the sink. Wish I hadn't gotten rid of that ring that holds a wok off the stove. Although that might have been too big. I don't want to put a ring of caulk on there. I might try to think of a home-made remedy before I buy another one.

[ToomuchStuff]

I had to laugh when I read this. I looked at a colander on Kickstarter, of all places, and liked it, due to the compact storage. (I remember my grandmother, having a piece of pegboard by her stove, with her most used non knife tools)
http://rmdlo.com/

While not with feet, I can think of a couple work arounds.

[jp1]

We've got two. A metal one with holes and a solid ring base. The handles on the sides have fallen off but I don't especially mind that. The other is plastic with holes. It works almost equally well and isn't falling apart. I love the metal one better because the plastic one has 3 molded feet on it and the tendency is for it to slide into the sink drain and tip on its side.

Perhaps, Cathy, you could set yours in a bowl in the sink and then once finished pouring stuff in it you could lift it for the final drain? At least then it wouldn't be a situation of your food soaking in water sitting in an unclean sink.

[Float On]

I like the metal ones with rings on the bottom. I have a large one and a small one. They hang on the end of one of the upper cabinets by the sink - always handy. But I also have a small pottery one for berries and had a larger pottery one I used for years for salad but I broke that a couple years ago and never replaced it.

[Selah]

I have a cheapo white plastic one with holes, but I wish I had one of those bright red enameled metal ones like my mother has. She's had that thing for over forty years! I use strainers for other things, but not for pasta.

[Packy]

I don't mean to sound smug and superior---but I really don't NEED those spaghetti strainers or whatever you kids call them. I just don't, because I am too smart to need them. That settles that. Besides, what do you "lockered beef" aficionados even do with fancy pasta cooking utensils, anyway? Pasta is subsistence food, for the impoverished. The well-to-do thrive on lockered Meat, and lots of it. Not trying to sound arrogant. Thanks.

[CathyA]

Well, even impoverished people don't want their noodles going down the drain......... !Splat!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well, even impoverished people don't want their noodles going down the drain......... !Splat

Really though you can use it for most stuff, it's just used to rinse stuff off in water, it doesn't have to be pasta although I can't imagine using it for meat. Lettuce and other leafy greens, parsley, canned beans or cooked beans to drain, chopped up cauliflower cooked or raw, berries (and I'd happily put them all in a salad spinner afterward if they were still wet, except the berries, too rough for most berries except blueberries).

[CathyA]

I use mine every day for rinsing all sorts of things.......carrots, strawberries, broccoli, mushrooms, beans, etc., etc. It's almost as handy as my.............SALAD SPINNER......... :~)

[bae]

I use mine every day for rinsing all sorts of things.......carrots, strawberries, broccoli, mushrooms, beans, etc., etc. It's almost as handy as my.............SALAD SPINNER......... :~)

Exactly!

[catherine]

I had a plastic colander for years and years and it finally got yukky and warped and so I threw it out. I never replaced it, because what I had bought in the meantime was a self-draining pot. I LOVE it. I cook the pasta and just hold onto the lid and drain the water out into the sink. I don't rinse my pasta, so it's perfect.

However, I also have two small mesh strainers--one that's just big enough to hold and rinse a can of beans, and one that's even smaller. That's all I need. In fact I don't really need the small strainer, because I never use it, but the larger one I use all the time.

[Packy]

Hey--strawberries! That's just what I need to wash strawberries. Okay, good.

[CathyA]

I have a small metal colander with a handle for really small items......maybe like a cup of blueberries or grapes. I love that thing too.

[Rosemary]

I also have strong feelings about colanders! Must have feet that allow the water to drain. A colander that is bathed in water from the sink is gross.
I agree that the mesh is harder to clean. I have a medium-sized mesh one for straining fine sauces and such.
I was absolutely thrilled to find at a yard sale an old aluminum colander in pristine condition - just like my mom had, so probably from the late 60s. It has feet and the holes form stars. I see these sometimes at thrift stores, too.
Other colanders I've tried: the oblong ones that are adjustable - not useful because they are too difficult to pour from. I had a round stainless colander from Ikea with a long handle that would sit over a standard kitchen sink and I liked that one until the handle came unsoldered. Most of the plastic ones and some stainless ones have a solid ring around the base that traps water - yuck.

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Cathy, until you find what you want you can take as mug, turn it upside down and put your colander on top, avoiding oversupply from getting into your food. Even though we don't have as broken colander we do this as a rule since something with a lot of liquid still is high enough, once poured to touch the food....chris

[Selah]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I don't have a "bain-marie," or double boiler anymore. Today, I hacked one by boiling water in a large pasta pan and sticking a glass jar upright on the bottom. My pan of food went on top of the jar, and then I covered it all with a large lid, which kept most of the steam in. The food cooked well enough, but it was not a perfect setup, since the (food) pan handle prevented the large lid from completely closing--so the steam escaped. It was also precarious, as I had to frequently stir the food and I was worried that the pan might fall off the jar and splash into the water.

Any ideas on how to come up with a more effective alternative? I used to have one of those French plastic bain-marie stands (kind of a ring the size of a salad plate with three feet on it), but I can't find one anymore. I need something biggish--I was making polenta for 8 in this example, not just delicately melting a few chocolate chips in which to dip my colander-rinsed strawberries, LOL! :)

[CathyA]

Hi Selah,

Have you googled "how to make a bain-marie"? There seems to be alot of hits, and it has pics that would be very helpful. Good luck!

[Blackdog Lin]

I adore my colander: one of the larger stainless steel ones on feet. Invested in it 25 years ago and it's been worth every penny, to the point where I wish I had a second one.

When it's dirty I improvise with the top pan of my aluminum steamer pot. But since it's aluminum, I don't like using it as well as the stainless.....