Comments on: Alternative uses for colanders

By: Karryn

Karryn — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:31:26 +0000

For kids, turn a colander over, give them some raw spaghetti noodles and let them push the sticks through the holes. Makes weird installation art, too.

By: SimoneGallina

SimoneGallina — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:52:48 +0000

I used it as a WIFI usb antenna booster!

By: Morgan

Morgan — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:20:13 +0000

I store pot lids in mine – smallest at the bottom to largest at the top.

By: Fabulous Links: Home, Kids and You « Simple Life Chronicles

Fabulous Links: Home, Kids and You « Simple Life Chronicles — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:20:44 +0000

[...] Unclutterer~~Alternative Uses for Colanders [...]

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:39:47 +0000

It seems that I’m the only one who doesn’t own a colander. Once I was preparing tortellini and the colander had been relocated for use in one of these endlessly creative ways that most of you seem to have found.

All I could think to do was tip the pot towards the sink to drain off the water, while maintaining only a very small gap between the lid and the pots edge.

Since then I have found that I can even accomplish this with long noodle pasta and even angel hair pasta, so the colander will never again find it’s place in my kitchen.
To strain the water from salad, I simply wrap it all in a clean cloth of appropriate size and shake it gently for about 15 seconds.

Thus, my goal has been to thin out as many utensils and tools throughout my home, while finding clever ways to complete many tasks with the same end result.

Buon appetito!

By: timgray

timgray — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:05:33 +0000

They also make really great hanging lights. we used several found at a restaurant supply store added light wires and a socket and now 4 of them hang over the bar in the basement.

By: LI Girl at Heart

LI Girl at Heart — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:10:48 +0000

I, too, use my plastic colander to clean out the goldfish gravel.

I have another plastic colander that holds clothes pins near my clothes line. I bought a small (mesh) table from Target to set the laundry basket on (back issues) and there is room for the colander along side a laundry basket.

By: Another Deb

Another Deb — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:08:37 +0000

I have a dedicated colander to wash aquarium gravel as I clean it at the end of a school year. I can rinse, swish it around, shake it,or swirl it partly submerged.

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:34:08 +0000

Lyn, you can definitely use a mesh colander as a sifter. The holes in a holy colander are too large.

You can rig a shower from a holy colander and a hose.

By: A.M.B.A.

A.M.B.A. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:48:36 +0000

Ok, Sue, you win the prize for most creative and practical alternative use for the lowly colander! Good work!

A.M.B.A.

By: sue

sue — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:26:53 +0000

Before we had the siding on our house replaced, we had a bat problem. About 4 times a year, we’d find a bat somewhere in the house–on the drapes, in the shower (big EEK!), in the kitchen sink, etc.

My bat removal system consisted of a cheap cookie sheet and a plastic colander. You slap the colander over the bat, and slide the cookie sheet underneath, carry the whole thing outside and FLING the batman to freedom.

(S’OK–the colander and pan were dedicated to Bat Removal.)

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:07:22 +0000

I turn a colander upside down over a plate of pancakes to keep them warm. The holes allow the steam to escape, so they don’t get all soggy.

By: cjmemay

cjmemay — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:25:14 +0000

We use ours as a fruit/vegetable basket. We keep it out on the counter displaying attractive fruit, until I need it, when I unceremoniously dump them out, rinse the colander, put it to use, then return it. Has worked out great so far.

By: Lori Paximadis

Lori Paximadis — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:36:37 +0000

I have an antique graniteware colander that was my grandmother’s. I use it inside a cabinet to store my onions. The holes allow for some air circulation, which helps the onions keep longer, and the handles make it easy to pull it out so I can find the right size onion for whatever I’m making.

By: Cammy@TippyToeDiet

Cammy@TippyToeDiet — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:15:51 +0000

I’m currently using an extra colander to hold my loofahs, scrubs, and spongie bath accessories. Perfect for storing while allowing excess water to drain away…

By: Lyn

Lyn — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:10:37 +0000

Flour sifter?

By: artgyrl

artgyrl — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:52:38 +0000

They didn’t mention a great one – as a steamer basket.

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:48:03 +0000

The dreaded salad spinner is a great produce washer as well. Put your produce in the spinner (both pieces – the bowl and the insert), fill with water, swish. When you’re done washing, pull out the insert and let the water drain into the bowl.

- If you want to spin the produce, dump out the water.
- If you want to wash more produce, it’s easy to reuse the water, meaning less water waste.
- When you’re done, the water is in a bowl ready for another use, like watering your plants.

Alas, until someone markets a metal salad spinner, you can’t use one as a colander for hot water.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:31:59 +0000

Yeah, when I’m on a picnic and forget the lid, I always have a trusty colander on-hand…

By: Peter (a different one)

Peter (a different one) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:27:55 +0000

how about the police department that used a colander and a copy machine as a lie detector? Every time they thought the suspect was lying, the hit the copy button and the copier spit out a page that said LIE on it.

not confirmed or totally disproven, but entertaining

http://www.snopes.com/legal/colander.asp