The 12 Best Pasta Strainers for Every Cook and Kitchen
The 12 Best Pasta Strainers for Every Cook and Kitchen
Think pasta strainers are just bowls with holes? Think again. These days, pasta strainers—or colanders, if you prefer—arrive in a vast array of shapes, sizes, and materials. In fact, you might not realize the sheer variety of pasta strainers available to you until it's time to shop for one! Here, we've rounded up 12 of the best pasta strainers on Amazon right now. From collapsible silicone strainers to mesh baskets that sit right in your saucepan, there's an option for every cook and kitchen.
1) OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Colander
OXO
amazon.com
Made from BPA-free plastic, this seaglass-look pasta strainer features elongated holes to promote faster draining, while a wavy base allows it to keep its balance during straining and rinsing. The clever design is finished by two oversized, grippy handles.
2) Kitchen Gizmo Snap N Strain Silicone Strainer
Kitchen Gizmo
amazon.com
Compatible with almost every size bowl, pan, and pot, this top-rated silicone strainer clips right onto your cooking vessel. Reviewers appreciated the strainer's space-saving design and the fact that it lets you to drain water from heavy pots with less (potentially dangerous) lugging and splashing.
3) Lot45 Stainless Steel Pasta Strainer Basket
Lot45
amazon.com
Want to cook two different kinds of pasta at once? Add one of the pastas to this stainless steel basket, and you'll get more mileage out of a single pot of boiling water. The basket comes in handy for other uses (think blanching veggies and hardboiling eggs), and because you don't need to transfer an entire pot of boiling water to the sink for draining, it can be a safer alternative to standard strainers, too.
4) BeFare 5.5-Quart Black Metal Colander With Wood Handle
BeFare
amazon.com
Who says strainers are all work and no play? This metal pasta strainer arrives in an attractive matte-black finish that adds modern-industrial style to countertops. Use it to strain pasta and rinse veggies, then park it on your counter to display fruit and veggies.
5) Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mesh Strainers (Set of 3)
Cuisinart
amazon.com
When kitchen storage space is at a premium, consider this trio of stainless steel mesh strainers by Cuisinart. Not only can they serve as a strainer for pasta portions small and large, their fine mesh comes in handy for sifting dry ingredients, like flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder, and rinsing rice.
6) HiramWare 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander With Handles
HiramWare
amazon.com
Because the holes of this pasta strainer are teeny-tiny, you don't have to worry about losing any grains to your sink drain. This makes the strainer ideal for rinsing and draining rice and smaller-grain pastas. Reviewers also share positive feedback about the strainer's light weight and its cleanability—just pop it in the dishwasher or use a soapy sponge to give it a good scrub.
7) QiMH Collapsible Silicone Colanders (Set of 3)
QiMH
amazon.com
If it's bang for your buck you're after, this highly rated strainer set delivers. Priced under $20, it arrives with three BPA-free silicone strainers—two four-quart and one six-quart—each of which is collapsible for easy storage in a cabinet or drawer.
8) KitchenAid 5-Quart Classic Plastic Colander
KitchenAid
amazon.com
Ninety-six percent of reviewers awarded this plastic pasta strainer with a four-star-or-higher rating, so you can rest assured that it does what it's supposed to—that is, strain pasta with ease. Happy shoppers say the rubber feet keep the strainer in place during draining, and they love that it can be cleaned in the dishwasher between uses.
9) H?LM Stainless Steel Micro-Perforated Strainers (Set of 3)
H?LM
amazon.com
When you're rinsing a pint of berries or a can of beans, a large-capacity strainer is overkill. That's where this stainless steel set comes in. It arrives with three micro-perforated strainers in various sizes (one-quart, 2.5-quart, and 4.5-quart) so you can choose the right-size strainer for your rinsing needs.
10) Makerstep 6-Quart Stainless Steel Over-the-Sink Colander
Makerstep
amazon.com
Because this stainless steel strainer enlists rubberized, expandable handles to straddle your sink, it eliminates frustrating mid-strain tipping that can occur with traditional colanders. Its generous six-quart capacity offers more surface area for bigger rinsing and straining jobs, and you can even use it as a dish drainer for lightweight plates, bowls, and tools.
11) Chef Craft Select 5-Quart Plastic Colander
Chef Craft
amazon.com
Use this BPA-free plastic strainer to rinse and drain fruit, veggies, and larger-grain pasta, then stick it in your dishwasher to clean. At less than $8, it offers a value that's tough to beat.
12) Tovolo 3-Quart Colander Plastic Strainer With Handle
Tovolo
amazon.com
This small-but-mighty pasta strainer is equipped with an oversized handle that you can hook right onto your sink divider. Perhaps better still, the strainer's tiny perforations promise to drain small grains—like orzo, rice, and quinoa—with minimal fallout. It's sold in this cool mint color, too!
They're much more than bowls with holes.