--- slug: colander_or_strainer_which_to_buy category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/kitchen_utensils_gadgets/colanders_strainers title: "Colander or Fine-Mesh Strainer: Which to Buy?" lead: "They're not the same tool: a colander's big holes drain pasta and washed vegetables, a fine-mesh strainer catches rice, quinoa, and sauce lumps. Start with a stainless mesh strainer that nests in your mixing bowl — it does more jobs." recommendation: name: "A stainless fine-mesh strainer sized to nest in your main bowl" reason: "The mesh strainer is the more versatile half of the pair: it rinses rice without losing a grain, drains noodles, sifts flour, and strains stock — a colander's 3-5 mm holes give up on all but the first job's biggest items. Stainless matters because mesh corners hold water; plastic there stains and mildews, steel rinses and dries. Sized to sit inside your mixing bowl, it becomes a wash-and-drain station. Add the big self-standing colander when weekly pasta or whole-family salad volumes outgrow the mesh." published: 2026-07-07 updated: 2026-07-07 ---