The 5 Best Collapsible Colander America’s Test Kitchen of 2024

The best collapsible colander is what you need to drain the water from veggies, fruits, noodles, or pasta. This tool might seem unnecessary until you try to do this task with your hand or towel without creating a mess.

However, don’t be quick to assume that this essential tool works the same way. While collapsible colanders are designed for staining and draining, they exist in different types to handle specific purposes.

For such a simple kitchen tool, you’d expect the decision process to be an easy peasy with fewer factors to consider when shopping for this gadget. But, sadly, there are different types of colanders and an overwhelming number of them available on the market, which makes it a bit tricky to pin down the right one for your draining and straining needs.

Luckily, this article reviews the top 7 collapsible colanders and has a detailed buying guide to ensure you make a smart decision.

What Is Collapsible Colander?

This cooking utensil features a bowl shape with holes in the bottom. The holes are made small enough to allow you to drain the excess water while preventing your content from falling through.

Why Do You Need A Collapsible Colander?

The colander is the ideal kitchen tool to eliminate excess water from your food items without creating mess and being exhausted during the process. Also, you can cut their size to about half for smart, easy storage in your kitchen cabinet.

Reviews of the Best Collapsible Colander to buy

Here are top rated Collapsible Colander in 2021

Top 1 – QiMH Collapsible Colander Set, Over the Sink Colander

The QiMH has an impressive lineup of recommendation-worthy sets, and this collapsible colander set is no exception. This unit comes with lots of intriguing features to get the job done with ease.

Let’s get started with its amazing design. The manufacturer excellently combines BPA-free and environmentally safe plastic and rubber to ensure it does not alter the taste of your food. Also, its high-quality construction guarantees a long time performance.

Moving on, this set includes three different strainers in different combinations. Each piece features an ergonomic handle for a comfortable hold and handling experience. In addition, one of three strainers has an expandable body design that collapses from 4-inch to 1.4-inch with a simple push for convenient storage in tight spaces.

Further, the extendable handle allows you to put the tool over your sink, which eliminates the handle of holding the strainer manually on the sink. In addition, the handles come with a non-slip coating for a firm grip.

Pros:

• Comes with three differently sized strainers
• The large strainer features extendable handles
• The handles are ergonomic for a comfortable hold
• The exterior of the handles has a non-slip coating
• High-quality rubber and plastic construction

Cons:

• It takes longer to drain

Top 2 – Comfify Colander Set

If you need a suitable tool for draining most foods such as spinach, carrots, green beans, broccoli, potatoes, pasta, spaghetti, and other food items, then the Comfify Colander Set is your best bet. You can use this set to rinse your fresh vegetables, fruits and salad leaves.

Each piece features a collapsible, space-saving design to allow you to store them without sacrificing a lot of cabinet space. After collapsing these strainers, they are less than 2-inch high. The two included strainers are 8-inch and 9.5-inch wide, which allows you to use on any pot size and strain more food products at a time.

Another thing to love about the Comfify Colander Set is its soft and rubberized handles for a comfortable and secure grip. More so, they can withstand heat up to 230 degrees F.

Pros:

• Dishwasher safe for convenient cleaning experience
• 8 and 9.5-inch strainers to fit different pot sizes
• Raised bottom and side holes for easy and fast drain
• 1.25 inch when folded f
• or smart storage

Cons:

• No feet to aid proper drainage

Top 3 – Chef Frog Large Collapsible Silicone Colander Strainer with Stainless Steel Base

Next is the Chef Frog Best Large Collapsible Silicone Colander with a stainless steel base for better drainage. This unit collapses to fold flat for a hassle-free storage experience.

Even better, this colander is heat resistant to allow use to drain excess hot liquid. Chef Frog Best Large Collapsible Colander is made from non-toxic and food-grade silicone, which means it’s safe to come in contact with your food. Above all, it’s dishwasher safe for a convenient cleaning experience.

On top of that, this unit is suitable for camping, apartment living, small kitchens and RV’s. This versatile kitchen tool is great for straining hot cooked food like potatoes and pasta, leafy green and many more.

Pros:

• Heat resistant construction
• Large size for fast straining
• Comes with a stainless steel base
• BPA-free and eco-friendly construction

Cons:

• The rubber parts tend to fall off fast

Top 4 – Blue Ginkgo’s Over the Sink Colander/ Strainer Basket

The Blue Ginkgo’s Over the Sink Colander Strainer Basket is a favorite with its stretchable design. This strainer is designed to stretch over your sink to allow you to easily rinse fruit and veggies, thaw frozen food, and drain pasta. Also, it comes in handy as a dish rack and air drying small plates, cups and utensils. 

This model is comfortable to hold in hand and acts as a basket on your counter. It features an adjustable design to hold less or more food items. This strainer works well with most sinks and folds perfectly for smart storage.

Next, it features a raised bottom to ensure that the drained water does not back up into your food. The basket bottom has evenly spaced holes that foster better, quicker draining without the food falling through. Above all, it sports a high-quality and sturdy construction and boasts heat resistance up to 212 degrees F.

Pros:

• Dishwasher safe design
• High-quality BPA free plastic construction
• Expandable from 14.5 to 19.5 inches
• Easy to use and versatile design

Cons:

• Flimsy plastic construction

Top 5 – MineSign Collapsible Colander Fruits and Vegetables Drain Basket

The MineSign Collapsible Colander is not only designed to drain your vegetables and fruits fast but also to air dry your dishes and utensils. This tool features a fine mesh to prevent food from falling through and keep excellent ventilation.

What’s more? This unit features a hanging hole design to hang the colander on the wall for easy access. It features a hollow-out design for fast draining and an impeccable handle to allow the tool to sit across the sink for easy use.

On top of that, its impressive versatility makes it a great choice for rinsing fruits and vegetables such as potatoes and pasta or canned foods.

Pros:

• Hanging hole design for easy storage
• Easy to clean
• Stretchable design to fit different kitchen sinks
• Large storage capacity
• Available in three different colors

Cons:

• Poor quality control

Top 6 – Glotoch Colander Collapsible Silicone Set

This set comes with 6 Qt over-the-sink collapsible colander, 4 Qt. round foldable strainer and 2 Qt. small kitchen strainer. Each piece is crafted with durable silicone and plastic. This model collapses easily to stow away in your kitchen cabinet when not in use.

This silicone collapsible is perfect for draining rice, noodles, fruits, pasta, and veggies. It features an ergonomic, space-saving design to take less room in your kitchen. These strainers include feet to ensure they sit firmly in your sink for hands-free operation.

This food strainer is easy to clean since it can be tossed into the dishwasher. They are made of heavy-duty materials that guarantee lifetime durability. Also, it’s heat resistant up to 212 degrees F.

Pros:

• BPA free and environmentally friendly
• Dishwasher safe for hassle-free cleaning experience
• Ergonomic, space-saving design
• Complete set of four
• Heat-resistant up to 212 degrees F

Cons:

• Best for small places

Top  7 – Enido Upgraded Collapsible Over the Sink Colander Strainer

The Enido Upgraded Collapsible Over the Sink  Colander Strainer is great for quickly draining vegetables, pasta, and fruits. This product is made from food-grade silicone and plastics materials, making it dishwasher safe for a snappy clean-up after use.

The colander set has a large capacity to hold up to 6 Qt of your food items. Each piece features holes in the base that ensure quick drain of excess oil, water and unwanted fat when draining pasta and vegetables and washing fruits.

Pros:

• Efficient space-saving design
• Dishwasher safe
• Made from non-toxic, BPA-free silicone plastics materials
• Large capacity to hold enough food items at once

Cons:

• Some users did not receive the measuring spoons and cups as advertised by the manufacturer.

How to Use Collapsible Metal Colander?

The operation of these is straightforward, as you would expect from any other kitchen utensil. And the procedure is very similar to the regular ones because the only difference is the folding mechanism in the middle.

That being said, the first thing you should do is gently unfold it. If you have a telescoping handle, you must extend it and place it on the sink. Then you can proceed with draining or washing your preferred food. When you’re finished with it, fold it back and store it.

How to Choose the Best Collapsible Colander?

Choosing the right colander for draining your pasta might seem like an easy task until you try to make a choice among hundreds of options offered at present.

In this section, we look at the key factors to consider when trying to shop for the best collapsible colander.

1. Material

The material determines the durability and performance of a colander. Also, some materials are effortless to clean; if you need a colander to handle your heavy-duty use, you should stick with stainless steel models. They are built for draining heavy foods like pasta, meat, and vegetables.

Another sturdy material to consider is silicone. They are used to create collapsible colanders for easy storage without having to create much space. More so, they are non-stick and heat resistant.

2. Size

There are different types and sizes of colanders. The size to opt for should be based on your needs. If you cook for many people often, it’s best to purchase a large collapsible colander.

3. Comfort

When shopping for a colander, you need to consider the handles and ensure they are big enough for a comfortable grip. Also, the handle should come with soft padded handles to minimize hand fatigue and make it easy to handle.

Alternative Video: Best Collapsible Colander Review

Types Of Collapsible Colander

In terms of material, collapsible colander can be divided into three types:

1. Stainless steel collapsible colander

This utensil is completely made of stainless steel. Therefore, you should expect this type of collapsible colander to be extremely durable. However, when it comes to performance, stainless steel does not really impress compared to other models.

2. Silicone colander

As the name implies, this gadget features a silicon construction. Most manufacturers ensure this material is environmentally safe and BPA-free. Hence, the silicone colander won’t alter or include any off-taste to your fruits or food you want to strain or drain with it.

3. Plastic and rubber colander

Aside from the stainless steel and silicone colander discussed above, some manufacturers employ plastic and rubber in the manufacturing process. The only prime concerns with these products are their durability.

Bases

The majority of users prefer slightly elevated colanders. Raising the colander’s base eliminates pooling, keeps your food away from unsanitary surfaces like your kitchen sink, and increases airflow for more even and faster liquid elimination.

The most common built-in ways colanders keep their contents from stewing and steaming are pedestals and feet, which can be found in freestanding colanders with handles. The colanders that will last the longest will have pedestals or feet built into the body, if not firmly attached.

Metal colanders, whose bases must be attached, make it more difficult. Because their feet or pedestal rings are frequently glued on, make sure it’s secure if it’s not part of the mechanical structure.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve reviewed the best collapsible colander out there and how to spot the best one for you. Now, it’s up to you to make a choice.

A well-made plastic colander, such as our top pick, Mueller Austria European-Made Colander/Strainer, will last for many years (view at Amazon). For smaller quantities, the Joseph Joseph Square Colander (view on Amazon) nests neatly and is ideal for one-handed pours.

Frequently Asked Questions