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colander

colander

9 2.7
A bowl with holes for draining water from food like pasta or vegetables
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒləndər/
translation icon : colador
  • To separate the pasta from the water, you should use a colander in the sink.
  • colander to drain
  • colander; rinse
  • colander in the sink

Use a colander with bigger holes or no holes and, and make sure you just don't put too much water in there.

Examples

  • So now that we have the beans done, we're just going to pour them into a colander here to drain off the water.

  • She placed the vegetables in a colander to remove excess water after washing them.

  • At this point, we'll take the seed and strain it in a colander to remove the excess water.

  • Now she stopped, still holding the colander under the running faucet, and turned to her husband.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander in your sink.

    Blog text (24)
  • Pour the kale into a colander and run it under cold water.

    Blog text (24)
  • "I'll pour them into the colander for you," he said to Netta.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • When the apples lost their crispness, my mother would get out her special colander.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • To rinse, pour through a colander and rinse with cool water.

    Blog text (16)
  • After boiling the spaghetti, we poured it into a colander to drain the water.

Synonyms

kitchen utensil
vscolander
3 1.4

A tool like a spoon or knife that people use in the kitchen to prepare food

is a specific perforated bowl for draining foods, not a general cooking tool
drainer
vscolander
1 2.4

A device that removes liquid, for example from washed food

is specific to the kitchen and shaped as a perforated bowl for food
cullender
vscolander
  • Archaic
9.9

A bowl with holes used to wash or drain food like vegetables and pasta

is the modern common term replacing the older name
soup strainer
vscolander
2.5

A kitchen tool that removes solid pieces from liquid when making or serving soup

is broader, a bowl used to drain many foods rather than just filter liquids

How Fine

sieve
18 2.4
strainer
13 1.7
colander
9 2.7

Surface Forms

colander singular
colanders plural

Etymology

Colander comes from the old Latin verb colare, which means 'to strain'. The same root appears in percolate, and that helps explain why a colander is a bowl with holes used to drain or 'strain' water from food.