colander

/ˈkɑlɪndər/

/ˈkɒlɪndə/

Other forms: colanders

Most cooks would agree that a colander is an essential piece of equipment for even the most basic kitchen. It's a bowl, usually made of plastic or metal, with holes in it to allow liquid to drain away from the food.

Colanders are used for draining anything — for instance, if you're washing fruit, a colander would make the job quick and easy. If you're cooking pasta, you toss the pasta into a pot of boiling water, then when it's cooked, you pour the contents of the pot through a colander, and what's left behind in the colander, drained and ready to eat, is the pasta.

Definitions of colander

1. noun

   bowl-shaped strainer; used to wash or drain foods
   synonyms: cullender

   type of:

   strainer

   a filter to retain larger pieces while smaller pieces and liquids pass through