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

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.

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.

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.

Buy the single tool you need

These picks are one stainless-steel 3-quart colander, model 11330800, or one 8-inch Double Rod Strainer, model 38991. They are not a set.

View the OXO 3-quart colander on Amazon.

View the OXO 8-inch mesh strainer on Amazon.

Choose your option

OXO 3-quart colander: freestanding draining

A footed basket for routine pasta draining and vegetable rinsing.

Keep in mind: Rigid basket needs cabinet space; 3-quart capacity may not suit larger batches.

View on Amazon: OXO 3-quart colander: freestanding draining (opens in a new tab)

OXO 8-inch strainer: mesh for sifting, too

Fine mesh for sifting as well as rinsing; loop can rest on a suitable bowl or pot.

Keep in mind: Needs suitable support for resting over a container, and its handle adds storage length.

View on Amazon: OXO 8-inch strainer: mesh for sifting, too (opens in a new tab)

Based on OXO specifications and the matched Amazon listings and images. We have not tested either tool.