All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
My sink is terminally slow, and despite my best attempts at remedying the problem—snaking, hot-water-pouring, or plumber-calling—I’ve learned to just live with it. But this makes traditionally designed colanders kind of a problem. Anytime I drain a pot of boiling pasta or potatoes, I have to be careful not to pour too fast. If I quickly dump hot water over a colander, the sink will get backed up, and my food could be subjected to bacteria lingering at the bottom of the basin. After all, the sink is one of the dirtiest places in your kitchen, even if you try to be diligent about cleaning it. There are also those times when I’ve filled the sink with dishes while cooking—and then I need to drain something. Nestling a colander among dirty plates and cutting boards can become a tedious balancing act.
Which brings me to my point: Over-the-sink colanders are the best colanders. I recently updated my colander to an adjustable version that suspends across the sink, and it has fixed my problem. Since the colander hangs across the top of the sink, even with a slow drain, there’s no risk of your food touching contaminated sink water. And, of course, it’s suspended above any dishes that might be hanging out in the bottom of the sink as well.
The adjustable handles mean that you can collapse and expand your colander to fit your sink as you need it. You can suspend it diagonally across, or across the middle, or lengthwise—whatever feels like it’s least in the way, or most convenient for the draining or washing task you’re trying to accomplish.
And apart from standard colander duties, over-the-sink colanders also come in handy when you’re hand-washing dishes: They function as a secondary tier for drying dishes, or as an impromptu sink caddy when you need a place to put down your soaked sponge or dish cloth. My parents have an ongoing argument as to whether their over-the-sink colander is actually a colander, or a permanent home for the sponges and scrub brush—in case you needed further proof. (In case this isn’t obvious, definitely make sure you clean it thoroughly if you plan on using the colander for both purposes.)
A more traditional colander has its place—it’s a great option if you plan on serving something straight after washing, like a cluster of table grapes or berries. But for the rest of the draining and straining duties, the over-the-sink variety is unbeatable.
