just what I wanted
For me, these were game changing. I make a lot of beans and grains from scratch. So I am washing and draining things all the time. My old strainer was the kind with a little rim around the top that gets rice and lentils caught in it all the time. It was also too small -- the mesh on the larger one in the set had started poking out in a dangerous way, and we threw it away a few years ago. These bowls solve all my washing / draining problems, except one.Pros:* There is no lip around the top. I never have to worry about grains getting stuck there.* Because there is a bowl with no holes, I can really wash my beans and grains, instead of just running water over them and hoping. Sometimes I find a layer of dirt at the bottom of what felt like clean beans!* The strainer is easy to wash. I set it inside the nonholey bowl, so my soapy water cannot escape. It gets clean easily.* The holes are 2mm, and work great for rice and red lentils.* The size is big enough for my cup or two of dry legumes and grains to get really clean, but small enough to be easy to store. Also large enough for to drain the cooked version.* nonstaining. My big plastic white colander is slightly purple from draining hot black beans. No problems with this steel set.* the regular bowl can be used for soaking beans after washing if I wantCons* Holes are not small enough for quinoa, so we still have to use the little mesh strainer for that.Someone mentioned in a review that they didn't like that the bowls fit together so you can't drain from the strainer to the regular bowl. I found a workaround for that which may work for some. I set the old mesh strainer inside the regular bowl, with a fork in the lip of the handle to keep it from sliding inside the bowl. and then I placed the straining bowl on top of that. It was stable enough. This may not be a good solution for everyone. For me, it's not something I need all the time. It's helpful for draining red lentils without washing them with water, which can really ruin them. A less precarious way might be just to stick a heatproof cereal bowl inside the steel bowl, and put the strainer on top of that. it would work with my cereal bowls.
✔ Verified Purchase
Great, easy to use, easy to clean!
I love this because it’s everything that I look for in a small colander at a great value!It’s made of string metal and made well, no delay in draining, perfect for washing fruits, small veggies, basically for a single person/2 person use or for smaller items in general.I have been using it consistently nearly daily for the last few months, and there is no issues with rust or anything, and for me, the best part is that it is super easy to clean! It still looks as good as new with all the use!Another great thing about the size is that it can be easily stored in a drawer versus taking up a ton of space elsewhere.Overall, I 1000% would recommend this and will definitely be buying another one in the future as a gift and if I ever need to replace this!
✔ Verified Purchase
Great purchase
I was reluctant at first to purchase this because of the price but I use it all the time. I also have run it through the dishwasher many times and the gold color still looks the same. Great kitchen tool.
✔ Verified Purchase
Perfect
This is sturdy, well made with a great design. Made with food grade stainless steel. I can soak veggies and fruits then just lift the very sturdy inner pot to drain the water without losing veggies-fruits. The strainer is not flimsy wire but sturdy food grade stainless steel. Love them. Got two different sized sets and I love them. Highly recommend.
✔ Verified Purchase
Sturdy and nice, but slightly larger than advertised
I’d really like to give it 3.5 stars. I like the colander-in-bowl design. It feels well made and sturdy. I haven’t used it yet, but it seems like a nice product.My big issue is that the size is a little larger than advertised. I was looking for a small stainless steel colander. This one (1.5 qt) was the maximum size that I wanted as described in “product dimensions”. However, it’s a little taller and a bit wider than was described. For most people, this probably isn’t a big deal, but since it was already at the maximum size I wanted for my uses, I am considering whether I want to keep it or not.For reference, inner diameter is 7” and outer diameter is 7.75” (advertised is 6.6”) The height of one bowl is just over the advertised 3”, but when stacked, the whole product is 4”.The other thing faulty about the design is that water will pool in the rim if washed in the dishwasher. I worry about this leading to rust over time.This really does look like a nice set, but I just wanted to share the facts with other potential purchasers.
✔ Verified Purchase
M
Mountaingirl
May 05, 2025
You don’t need it, but you want it.
Didn’t know I needed this until I tried it. Yes, you can wash your rice in a standard colander, but this is easier and quicker. Love it and it’s just the right size - not to big to easily store but handles all the rice I’d ever need.
✔ Verified Purchase
Great design & feel
We used this to rinse rice out before cooking. This is so much easier than how we used to do it with a regular bowl then swish the rice around & using a typical strainer. We would lose a lot of rice doing it that way. With this colander having tiny holes, we didn't lose any rice! I haven't tried this with fruits or vegetables yet, but I'm eager to. The quality of how it is built feels sturdy. I love the design as well.
✔ Verified Purchase
