Why We Love This Pasta Strainer

There is nothing about a colander I find enjoyable. From the space it occupies in the cabinet and the dishwasher to the idea that it holds food an inch or so above the bottom of a—let’s be honest—germy sink, nearly everything about the tool needs help. For most pasta dishes, I fish noodles out of boiling water with a spider so I can finish them in sauce in a separate pan. However, having a kid changed how we make pasta.

Any parent who denies leaning on boxed mac and cheese is lying. For years my wife grumbled about what a pain our colander is, which is about the same size as our four-quart mixing bowl, dragging it out to drain the medium saucepan full of water required to make about two-and-a-half cups of pasta, as part of a kid-approved dinner. So when she pointed out the Chef’s Planet Clip On Pasta Strainer years ago, I shrugged when asked if I thought it would work. I was doubtful as it had an “as seen on TV” vibe to it. I waited a few weeks—just long enough for the mac and cheese troubles to bubble up again—before gifting it to her. Yes, reader, I know: Not all heroes wear capes. That was seven or eight years ago, and the strainer has essentially replaced our colander for all but the biggest jobs (though we still save a cup of that sweet pasta water when we want to finish it with a sauce). 

Now we boil the pasta, clip the strainer onto the pot at the stove, drain the noodles mostly dry, pop off the strainer into the sink, and then finish the prep off with butter, milk, and neon orange powdered cheese. After dinner, we nestle the Chef’s Planet neatly between a pair of tines in the dishwasher’s upper rack.

Why It’s Great

The reason the strainer is so successful is a numbers game. A standard six-ounce box of mac and cheese is filled with dozens of tiny shells, though your kid’s favorite brand might have small elbows or Paw Patrol footprints. None of these shapes are easy to pull out with a spider strainer or slotted spoon and it’s such a little amount of water that using a massive colander feels like overkill. We’re dealing with about six cups of water to make a box, so we usually turn to our small, 1.5-quart saucepot or the taller, three-quart version. With either, it’s hardly the volume of water needed to make a box of spaghetti. The Chef’s Planet is just the right amount of hassle to deal with when it comes to small to medium-sized pots. When not in use it sits in our kitchen junk drawer, right next to those small plunger-style measuring cups.

The Shape Is Universal

The strainer’s 91 holes drain water efficiently, but you have to pour with a bit more attention than when using a larger colander. The roughly seven-by-three-inch wall keeps most of the food in the saucepot, but if you pour too aggressively some shells might jump ship and into the germy pool that is your sink. The clamp has a silicone pad that grips the outside of the pot, preventing the attachment from sliding, so you can send scalding hot water to your drain with confidence. It’s made from ABS plastic, so it’s food-safe and hasn’t warped. Instead of a typical coiled metal spring to provide the clamp’s tension, the Chef’s Planet uses a wide strip of stainless steel that’s remained rust-free all these years later. It grips onto any pot we have, though the design, which includes a short fence that hugs the outside lip of the pot, seems to fit best on our three-quart saucepan, which is about 7.75 inches wide. While we’ve used it for full boxes of regular pasta, it can be awkward to tip a Dutch oven or stockpot over into the sink and hold it there for a few seconds while it drains. So, we still keep a colander around for large batches of spaghetti.

Its Uses Go Beyond Mac and Cheese

It’s not a spec you’ll find online, but the radius on the arch of the strainer is 9.05 inches—so it will fit a wide range of round diameters. Other ways I use it: to strain water away from microwaved veggies in a one-quart bowl, to catch the shredded bits of meat at the bottom of our pressure cooker that I didn’t want to clog up the drain, and to strain tomato juice away from solids in a 28-ounce can.

FAQs

Is the Chef’s Planet Clip On Pasta Strainer heat-resistant?

Yes, the Chef’s Planet is made from heat-resistant, food-safe ABS plastic. While some descriptions mention its ability to strain grease from a frying pan, I’d only recommend doing that once the oil has cooled to room temperature. The attachment is also dishwasher-safe.

What is the difference between a strainer and a colander?

They can sometimes perform similar tasks, but generally, a colander is a bowl-shaped vessel perforated with holes or spaces that allow the cooking liquid to pass through while capturing the food. A strainer, often called a fine-mesh strainer, is a handheld device that is like a small colander with a handle, though the holes are much smaller and spaced closer together so it can filter out food particles like pulp from juice.

My pot or bowl has a lip, will the Chef’s Planet fit?

The strainer has a fence molded in that hugs the outer edge of the pot’s rim, with a tab that then sits on the inside of the pot. There is a roughly 0.375-inch wide gap between the two, so as long as your pot’s lip is narrower than that, it should fit.

Why We’re the Experts

• Sal Vaglica was the equipment editor for Serious Eats. He now freelances for the site.
• Sal has used the Chef’s Planet strainer, instead of a full-size colander, at least once a week for years now.