I did not like the idea of putting the colander in the sink. I saw this on Amazon and decided to give it a try. It is great. It sits on the countertop and drains into the sink. One note, drain the water slowly. The fact that it collapses down for storage is nice. Takes up a lot less room. Nice sturdy construction. Great product

It does what it’s supposed to do. No mess, holes are the perfect shape to strain food. Most important to me is that it folds up to put away. My old metal one took up a lot or cupboard space, and this new one can be put anywhere. This is perfect for my needs, and is large enough for the whole family. I have not put it in the dishwasher yet, but I do intend to so I hope it holds up. Great gadget at a great price.

works great. just like the photo but the are kind of light and thin. No problems!

This was perfect. Drained well and no orzo snuck through. Stores easily. Highly recommend.

I had an old plastic colander which worked as expected and was safe in the dishwasher, so I wasn't looking to replace it. Until I stumbled across this listing. Immediately, I was interested. I really dislike draining pasta in the kitchen sink, because I don't want noodles poking through the slats and contacting the sink basin. I also have to remember to remove the drain strainer in advance (which is an extra step when I'm rushing to get food on the table) or the pasta water can't drain quickly enough, and pools in the sink, before washing back over the food in the colander. I keep my sink clean, but still. I wouldn't want to eat out of it. If that's you, here is your solution. Personally, I do not stack dishes in the sink, but if you do, this could be a handy tool for you, too.Right up front, I'll mention two minor points which aren't great for me, just so you're aware. First, it is wider than the other colanders I've owned in the past, so it doesn't fit well in the cabinet. It does collapse, but that just makes it flatter, not narrower. So where the others stood, and had a narrow space next to them for olive oil and cooking spray, this one has to go in diagonally, and sort of leans against the aforementioned items. If I want just the colander, or only the olive oil in that moment, I have to slide something out carefully so as not to pull everything else out of the cabinet in such a way that it falls. This is definitely a me problem, in the sense that this applies to my cabinets and the way the kitchen is arranged, but my point is that this one is much wider, and may not swap out evenly with what you have now, so just be aware of the measurements.The second thing is that, obviously, this is a two-piece set, which means you will need to store, and wash, two pieces, neither of which has a small footprint. These details are not a crisis for me, but they were small disadvantages compared to what I had before, so I thought they were worth mentioning, just for you to think about before you buy.If these quibbles do not dissuade you, I say go for it. I'm very happy with my new colander, and heartily recommend it. Here's what I found.--As we mentioned above, it does collapse vertically, which may save you some space, depending on your set-up.--Both pieces are dishwasher safe. I've used and washed the set a couple of times now, using the top rack, and have had no problems.--The draining pan has raised, nonslip lines, which allow the colander to sit securely in place, and to drain efficiently.--The draining pan also has little feet which raise it up in such a way that its base fits comfortably over the rim of my sink, which is raised up over the level of the kitchen counter. I was a little worried that the raised ledge would cause the draining pan to tilt slightly backward, preventing water from moving forward into the sink, and perhaps spilling out the back and making a mess, but this was a non-issue. I poured the pot slowly, as I would have done anyway with my old colander, and had no problems. The water ran easily into the sink, and when I was done pouring the pasta or potatoes or whatever, I would simply tip the pan a bit to release the last bit of remaining water. The times I've used this, there was always a little bit of water still in the drain pan, but none that spilled out onto the counter.--I personally feel much more comfortable with my food sitting for a minute in this colander on top of its pan, on top of my kitchen counter, than I did previously with the old model. In that case, I was always leary about food contacting the inside of the sink, as I mentioned above. Maybe that's me being too cautious, but I just don't like that. This colander creates a situation where, even if a couple of strands of spaghetti begin to escape through the holes--and they did--they still aren't touching the sink. Instead, they were sitting in the drain pan, which I can sanitize in the dishwasher after each use. If they start to escape from the pan, then they're hanging out over the lip of the pan, over the rim of my sink, and touching nothing. They just dangle in thin air. For me, this seems more sanitary, and therefore creates a less stressful situation when I'm in the last stages of meal prep.For me, this item is not a great fit physically, but it is still a great tool, and solves what was for me always kind of a fraught moment, when you're just finishing up dinner and getting ready to plate, and nervous about anything sneaking through the colander's slats, or spilling over the top into an area where food does not belong. I love the clever design of my new colander, and I'll never go back.

For a student with limited kitchen space in the dorm, this is a time saver (and it saves storage space too).I love that I can put the base in the corner of the very small sink I have in the dorm apartment and it can stand firmly enough with all of my washed ingredients.The collapsible part of the colander is much thicker than I except that I can't even unload it with one hand which is a good thing. I tried draining different kinds of cooked pasta, beans, mushrooms, and even microgreen. The strainer works fine with all of them and doesn't have any problem with boiling water.5-Quart and the fact that they called it an XL might sound like a lot. But if you're washing your veggies for a salad, especially multiple ingredients with precut pieces together, I'd say that it's just the right size.The set after collapsing can stack together which is another plus for me.Overall, If you need a good collapsible colander set. This is a good one to consider. A total recommendation.

The biggest problem with every single colander I have ever owned, is their size and shape. They arw round, and large, and they always seem to get jammed in the back of the cupboard because they take up so much space.When I saw this collapsible colander I was immediately on board. It collapses into itself, gong from 3 1/2 inches down to 1 1/4 inches. But that's not the best part. I make a lot of spaghetti, and pouring the boiling spaghetti out into a colander is always a little tricky - do I leave it at the bottom of the sink (yech), or hold the colander with one hand and pour the boiling spaghetti into the colander (ouch)? This little beauty comes with its own self draining base, and so I just put the colander on the base, put the lip of the base over the sink, and use both hands to safely pour the spaghetti into the colander. The water runs right through into the base and pours into the sink.The two pieces - colander and base - are dishwasher safe of course, and can be used for pasta,m or fruits and vegetables - anything that needs draining and then will pour itself into the sink. Just yesterday making a salad that called for cans of corn and kidney beans, I just poured them into the colanmder and by the time I was ready for them, they were drained.This is a great idea, and an excellent product. It is well made, it stores easily and will last for years. I recommend it.