RSVP International International Endurance Stainless Steel Precision Pierced Colander, 5-Quart (Punch-5), Silver

Love this colander. It has a lot of small holes through the whole colander and nothing falls through them. The bottom sits high enough so it can drain without backing up into the colander. It is big enough to hold a lot of food or gravy, etc. It is very durable.

This is a great colander. This colander has lots and lots of holes, without any unperforated areas like most metal colanders have, so food drains quickly and completely. The holes are small enough so that small items such as orzo or rice don't fall out into the sink, but not small enough that they get clogged easily or are hard to clean. The strainer is much stiffer and sturdier than a mesh strainer with similarly sized and spaced holes, and it tends to be easier to clean than the mesh.The pedestal base on this colander holds the food high enough that any standing water in the sink won’t touch my food, although I would've liked to see some slits in the base to let water escape out the sides. I do have to remember to position the colander over the drain in the sink when I will be passing a lot of liquid (like a big pot of pasta) through it, but it hasn’t been a big deal. My colander has gotten pretty heavy use over the past few months, and despite that it isn't showing any signs of rust or discoloration, and the surface is as shiny as ever.I purchased this colander along with the matching 5 Qt colander, and it is the perfect size to nest inside the larger colander when stored in the cabinet.

I’m 67 years old and this is only the second colander l’ve ever owned, but l do have to say that I love it. The base is nice and large and secure so it remains stable while you pour the liquid into the bowl. It drains very quickly and completely. Easy to clean. Gets the job done. I’m so glad the old one broke!

When space and cost are no object, you can own several tool for one job, and bigger might be better. This smaller colander does everything well, takes up less space, cleans like a dream. For me, it replaced both a larger big-hole colander and a woven fine-mesh strainer.Perforations are the perfect size, large enough that liquid drains through quickly and completely, and small enough to keep rice and even quinoa contained. Perfect size to rinse and drain a head of lettuce or to strain off a pot of pasta for 4, or to separate solids from broth after stewing a whole chicken. It's sturdy enough that I've used a rubber spatula to push boiled potatoes through the holes as a stand-in for a potato ricer.Very smooth surfaces, with very clean and smooth joins where the base and the rim and the handles meet the bowl mean this tool will do its job with no fuss.If you miss my fine mesh strainer, put a coffee filter inside this colander and it's a perfect substitute--just pour slowly. If you cook a huge batch of something, strain in two batches. Saves several cubic feet of cabinet space. Beautifully made tool that does the job!

I don't know if other people are like this, but I tend to keep using kitchen items that I've had since the 70's just because the thought never occurred to me to replace them (e.g., "Harvest Gold" and "Avocado Green" plastic items). And, while there are some things that I would NOT replace with something from today's market because the quality would not be nearly as good, there are other things that I'm kind of embarrassed to pull out of the cabinets when friends and family are around (e.g., bent, scratched, Teflon-coated cake pans and cookie sheets).Such was the case with my old, white, plastic colander that I probably got as a bridal shower gift back in 1973. It was on the small side, had holes that were too large, often tipped over while pouring spaghetti and boiling water into it, and didn't always come clean - even when washed in the dishwasher. But I didn't really give it much thought until I happened to see Cook's Illustrated's review on colanders. This RSVP Stainless Steel 5-Quart colander was "Highly Recommended". Something about this colander just caught my eye. It looks expensive. It's sleek design and the shiny stainless steel definitely put my old colander to shame.I've had it for 6 months now, and realize every time I use it, that it really was a good purchase. It's larger size is more practical - yet it's not so large that I had trouble fitting it into the spot where I stored my old colander. Even though the holes are much smaller than my old colander, because of the design and the number of holes, water drains out several times faster than my old one - and less time holding a heavy pot means less strain on my wrists. It has a solid well-designed base that keeps it from tipping over (although I found that I need to place something (like a table knife) just under one edge of the base so that the water draining out of the colander doesn't rush into the sink drain faster than the drain can handle -- as a previous reviewer (Shelley Ryan) mentioned in her review).I would like to give it 4.5 stars, taking off 1/2 star because it has to be hand washed, but since half stars are not an option, I will have to go with 4 stars. If it were dishwasher-safe, it would merit 5 stars. I probably would have disregarded the hand wash only suggestion, had Cook's Illustrated not said that washing this colander in a dishwasher will eventually result in the handles becoming loose or falling off. Having had it for a while now, I find that it really isn't as hard to wash as I thought it might be. Even the starchy gunk from pasta washes off pretty easily with a few swishes of a dish cloth or sponge.

It can be used right or left-handed. Very sturdy.