Colander or Fine-Mesh Strainer: Which Should You Buy First?

Comparison guide October 18, 2026

The OXO 3-quart colander has a footed basket and two handles.

Choose the OXO 3-Quart Stainless Steel Colander if you mainly want a basket that stands in the sink for draining pasta and rinsing vegetables. Choose the OXO 8-Inch Double Rod Strainer if you also want to sift flour or strain over a bowl. Their uses overlap, so start with the job your current kitchen tools cannot comfortably handle.

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Start with the way you cook

For frequent pasta dinners, the OXO 3-quart colander is the more straightforward first buy. Its three feet let it stand on a suitable surface, and its two elevated handles give you a place to lift it after draining. You do not need to find a bowl that supports its rim before every use.

The trade-off is storage: you are keeping a rigid basket, roughly 11 inches across its overall footprint and just over 5 inches high. It will not fold flat. If you regularly drain more food than a 3-quart basket can comfortably hold, this size is not the right starting point.

OXO 3-quart colander resting in a sink as peas are poured into it — The colander stands in the sink in this Amazon listing demonstration. The pan and food are not included.

Choose mesh when you want to sift, too

The 8-inch Double Rod Strainer makes more sense if your week includes baking as well as rinsing produce. Its fine mesh can sift flour, a job the colander’s perforated basket is not designed to do. OXO also lists vegetables, berries and pasta among its uses, so you do not automatically need both tools.

A small loop opposite the handle lets the strainer rest on a suitable pot or bowl. Check that your chosen container supports it securely before adding food. This is a handled mesh basket, not a footed colander that stands above the sink floor.

OXO 8-inch mesh strainer being used to sift flour above dough — The listing shows the fine-mesh strainer sifting flour. This is a product demonstration, not our test.

Neither one does every kitchen job

If you already have a colander that drains dinner comfortably, add the mesh strainer only when sifting or bowl-supported straining would be useful. If your existing mesh strainer handles your small portions, keep it rather than buying a second tool for occasional pasta.

Both are dishwasher-safe according to OXO. Allow space for the strainer’s long handle in the rack and wherever you store it. Its 8-inch size describes the basket, not the whole tool. Neither recommendation is the small drain basket that catches discarded food scraps.