How to Buy a Colander
Visit any cookware store or website and you'll find a variety of colanders made from silicone, stainless steel, ceramic and wire mesh in different colors, sizes and styles. Deciding which colander to buy to best fit your needs requires some thought. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Buy a freestanding, 5-quart stainless-steel colander for all-around washing and draining. Set the colander in an empty sink to wash vegetables and fruits and to drain hot foods.
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Safely drain hot foods, such as pasta and potatoes, using a long-handled stainless steel colander. The handle keeps the rising steam away from your face and hands, and the stainless steel keeps hot foods hot.
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Buy an over-the-sink colander for washing fresh vegetables, especially if your sink often brims with dirty dishes. Some over-the-sink colanders expand to fit wide sinks. A convertible colander fits over a sink and has fold-down legs to convert to a freestanding model.
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Save storage space with a collapsible silicone colander. Use it to drain hot foods, rinse dried beans, and wash fresh fruits and veggies. The heat-resistant silicone cleans easily and collapses to a width of one inch.
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Choose a durable plastic keeper to rinse, drain and refrigerate lettuce and other fresh vegetables. Don't use this type of colander to drain hot foods.
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Use a wire mesh colander for fast draining. Thin pasta, such as angel hair, won't slip through the smaller mesh.
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Rinse and drain grapes and berries in a decorative ceramic footed or stainless steel colander. Then serve the fruit at the table without having to pull out another serving dish.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't drain boiling water over dirty dishes because the sudden change in temperature may crack some dishware.
