colander

American  

[kuhl-uhn-der, kol-] / ˈkʌl ən dər, ˈkɒl- /

Also cullender

noun

1. a metal or plastic container with a perforated bottom, for draining and straining foods.

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colander British  

/ ˈkʌl-, ˈkɒləndə /

noun

1. a pan with a perforated bottom for straining or rinsing foods

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Etymology

Origin of colander

1400–50; late Middle English colyndore, perhaps (with nasalization) < Old Provençal colador < Medieval Latin cōlātōrium, equivalent to Latin cōlā(re) “to strain” (verbal derivative of cōlum strainer) + -tōrium -tory ²

Compare meaning

How does colander compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• colander vs. strainer
• colander vs. sieve

Explanation

Most cooks would agree that a colander is an essential piece of equipment for even the most basic kitchen. It's a bowl, usually made of plastic or metal, with holes in it to allow liquid to drain away from the food. Colanders are used for draining anything — for instance, if you're washing fruit, a colander would make the job quick and easy. If you're cooking pasta, you toss the pasta into a pot of boiling water, then when it's cooked, you pour the contents of the pot through a colander, and what's left behind in the colander, drained and ready to eat, is the pasta.