Best Colander for Rice – Essential Guide
If you are reading this, you are probably wondering what the best colander is for rice.
Due to the popularity and widespread consumption of rice as a side or part of main dishes, there are actually many different colanders with different features available on the market today.
In order to avoid using the wrong colander and potentially ruining your cooking experience and delicious rice meal, this article will provide you with useful information to help you decide exactly what kind of colander you should purchase.
In this article, I will begin with a Buyer’s Guide that walks you through essential features to consider when selecting a colander for rice. Then, I will present you with reviews of 5 of the best colanders for rice currently on the market.
Buyer’s Guide: Colanders for Rice – What to Look For?
In this Buyer’s Guide, I am going to list out essential features of colanders that you should be paying attention to before using one for straining rice.
Colanders vs. Strainers vs. Chinois Sieves: What’s the Difference?
A strainer is an all-encompassing term that refers to any device that strains liquids.
Colanders are deep, round baskets with many small holes and serve the purpose of removing liquids from foods. This is going to be the perfect kind of strainer to use for straining rice.
Chinois sieves, unlike colanders, are used for extracting liquid from food and not the other way around. Thus, they are designed with a cone shape and have an extremely fine mesh.
Colander for Rice: Features to Consider
Material
The material of your rice colander is one of the most important things to consider, as different colander materials will experience significant differences in wear and tear as time passes.
The most common materials that rice colanders are made out of are stainless steel, plastic, and silicone. Generally, stainless steel is considered to be the best material for your rice colander. Here are some pros and cons of each kind of material:
Stainless Steel
The benefits of having a stainless steel colander include durability, anti-rustic properties, resistance to melting and warping, and easy cleaning.
Some disadvantages include weight (stainless steel is on the heavier side), non-scratch-resistant, can begin rusting over time, and some stainless steel colanders can be on the more expensive side.
Plastic
Going with a plastic colander, you get the peace of mind knowing it will never start rusting. Also, they are light, scratch-resistant, easy to clean, and inexpensive.
A disadvantage of plastic colanders is that they come with the risk of melting and warping after exposure to high temperatures. Also, plastic colanders are known to develop a bad smell and odor over time.
Silicone
Silicone colanders offer good heat resistance, resistance to corrosion, and no risk of an odor developing.
While silicone colanders are a great option, they can begin to look beat up after absorbing stains or odors over time.
Number of Holes
With colanders, the more holes the colander has, the faster the water is going to drain. Thus, it is usually best practice to pick a colander that has more holes.
Size of Holes
The size of holes in colanders is essential, especially when selecting a colander to be used for draining rice. This is because rice grains tend to be very small, and if your colander’s holes are too large, there is always the risk of rice grains falling through the holes and into your sink.
In order to avoid losing rice and wasting food, select a colander with a fine mesh that you know rice grains will not be able to fall through. However, make sure the holes are not too small, as this is unnecessary and will be harder to clean if tiny particles get stuck in them.
To determine what size the holes should be in a colander meant for straining rice, select a colander with hole sizes that fall between the size of a pinhead and the size of a pencil eraser.
Size of the Colander
When choosing what size you want your colander to be, it ultimately comes down to what kind of cooking you most often do.
If you tend to cook very large batches of pasta or rice, then going with a larger colander will make the most sense.
If you live by yourself or with one other person and only prepare small portions, then perhaps you don’t need a colander that is too large.
Usually, it is best practice to have a couple of different colanders of varying sizes, so you have exactly what you need when the occasion arises.
Support: Base and Handles
Lastly, you will want to consider what kind of support the colander comes with. This will simply make your cooking experience easier and more enjoyable.
On quality colanders, look for two thick sturdy handles that allow you to easily pick up and lower the colander. If the handles have a non-slip grip, that’s an added bonus.
For the base, look for one that comes with a set of feet or a piece that raises the contents of the colander above ground level. This is to ensure that when you place the colander into the sink, the liquid draining out from the bottom does not reenter back into the colander.
5 Best Colanders for Rice
Let’s check out some of the best colanders for rice on the market:
| Rank | Product | Material |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | OXO Good Grips Rice Colander | Plastic |
| 2. | PriorityChef Stainless Steel Colander | Stainless steel |
| 3. | Collapsible Colander and Strainer Set of 4 | Silicone |
| 4. | Bellemain Micro-perforated Stainless Steel Colander | Stainless steel |
| 5. | TeamFar Stainless Steel Colander | Stainless steel |
Here’s more information on each below.
1. OXO Good Grips Rice Colander
If you are looking for a colander that is built specifically for draining rice, then look no further than this colander by OXO Good Grips.
This plastic colander is made with tiny, square holes to prevent small grains such as rice from falling through.
Since this colander is deep, you can easily shake the content inside the colander to help loosen any additional water without worrying about the rice spilling out.
In this colander, the water will pool at the bottom which will allow you to see if it is clear (done straining) or cloudy (requires more straining).
With two comfortable non-slip grip handles, moving this colander around the kitchen is super easy.
Finally, this colander comes with a pour spout with some extra drain holes that allow any extra water to get drained right before it is poured out.
Overall, if you are someone who very frequently cooks grains such as rice and quinoa, this is definitely a great colander to have.
2. PriorityChef Stainless Steel Colander
This colander by PriorityChef is extremely reliable, versatile, and has great reviews from many individuals.
This colander comes with pretty much all of the most important features: high-grade stainless steel, a sturdy base, handles, and many micro perforations allowing for fast draining.
With an ergonomic design, PriorityChef designed their colander to provide you with maximum comfort when using it.
At a large size of 3 quarts, you’ll be able to drain a large variety of different foods in large quantities without any issues.
If you are looking for a more versatile colander that you can count on for draining all foods, this is a great route to go.
One thing to consider for draining rice, however, is that the size of the holes might permit a few grains here and there to fall through.
3. Collapsible Colander and Strainer Set of 4
For those on a budget, this is an excellent rice colander to consider. A big feature of this colander is that it is foldable, so it can collapse down to being only 1.4 inches tall, which is convenient if you are tight on storage space.
For those with a lot of kids, the light, rust-proof, scratch-resistant, and heat-resistant rubber material along with bright, playful colors provides a hassle-free and enjoyable draining experience.
This BPA-free colander comes with a 24-hour service check, so you can always try it out, see how you like it, and get some help from the service if you need it!
4. Bellemain Micro-perforated Stainless Steel Colander
This colander by Bellemain is top-of-the-line in terms of quality. Made of high-grade 18/10 stainless steel, it is super durable, rust-proof, and dishwasher friendly.
The holes on this colander are tiny and closely spaced micro-perforations, so none of your rice will fall through when draining.
The base on this colander is very large and stable, so there is no risk of it tipping over at any point. While the handles are not the largest or easiest to grip, they are there to help make moving the colander around the kitchen easier.
Having high-grade stainless steel throughout its entirety, this colander is guaranteed to last you a lifetime.
If you are looking for a versatile colander to count on for years to come for draining rice, this is the way to go.
5. TeamFar Stainless Steel Colander
Here is another high-grade stainless steel Colander that can be used to effectively drain rice.
Closely spaced holes are the feature that does not let food slip through.
Uncoated non-toxic, durable, and rust-resistant stainless steel is the same quality of stainless steel you can find on some of the most expensive outdoor grills.
With a solid base, and large sturdy handles, marked as dishwasher friendly, your experience with this colander is guaranteed to be painless and hassle-free.
