Customer Reviews

RSVP Precision Pierced Stainless-Steel 5-Quart Colander

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even though it drains quickly and stuff doesn't get caught in the perforations, there's one thing I wish they would change on this colander. The base is a solid piece of circular metal, so the water that flows out of most of the holes ends up accumulating in the sink instead of going down the drain. (I hope that makes sense the way I've described it.) If you've got a giant sink that lets you place this NEXT to the sink drain instead of on top of it, maybe this won't be a problem for you. But I've got a double sink and the colander pretty much has to perch right above the drain because there's not a lot of room. Not fun when you're pouring out a bunch of hot pasta water! I wish the base had four sturdy FEET instead of a solid circle. When they make it that way, I'll give it five stars. :)

UPDATE, Oct 1, 2010: I've gotten a lot of comments on this review, and yesterday F. Navi mentioned that the OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless-Steel Colander looks like a terrific alternative to the RSVP colander because it has the FEET that I wished for. I haven't purchased it myself, though, but I wanted to include a link for you here. I can already see one drawback to it (for me, anyway) -- I use one of the loop handles on my RSVP colander to hang it on the wall by my sink, and I wouldn't be able to do that with the OXO's rubber grip handles. Ah, well!

Hope this update helps. :)

UPDATE, Nov 30, 2010: A new comment came in from C.J., wishing for more photos. I added three to help illustrate the drainage issue that I originally described. Look for them under the main product image and click to read the captions.

I purchased this colander after reading a review from Cook's Illustrated and it is everything they said. The great number of very small holes drains everything well but doesn't let any of the item being drained fall through. Very sturdy, easy to clean and well worth the cost.

You get a clean, quick drain with this colander
because there are a lot of small holes. So small
pasta sizes like orzo and pastina don't fall through.
You also get a fast drain-especially handy when
you want to drain the pasta and return it
immediately to the pot to be finished in a sauce.

The handle attachments do seem flimsy and at this
price, they ought not to be. But as long as it stays
in one piece, it'll be hanging near my sink.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and
bang BANG: A Novel ISBN 9781601640005

Every once in a while, something will come along that represents such a brilliant re-implementation of a basic tool that it makes you wonder why on earth it wasn't done that way in the first place--or at least why it took so long to change. This colander does that for me.

This is the first durable colander I've seen that has incorporated the rapid drain ability of a sieve (the other way around, a self-standing, largish-capacity sieve, is an old idea). While I agree that this is the best small-capacity colander ever, there is room for improvement.

PROS:
-- Self standing
-- Sufficiently large to handle one pound of dry pasta, cooked
-- Sturdy but light: heavy-gauge stainless steel construction throughout, including handles
-- Fast draining
-- Easy to clean and dishwasher-safe

CONS
-- For both safety and comfort, I want bigger loop handles
-- It may be "simply elegant," but it also seems expensive for a basic utensil of this capacity

Cooks Illustrated was right when they chose this colander as their favorite - the small holes keep the food in while letting the liquid out. It's a great size, and a must have in the kitchen. I've gotten rid of my other colanders - I only need this one. Beware, though, it arrived in an unpadded light cardboard 'envelope' and was dented. I was able to knock out the dents, but for the shipping cost, they should use a box.

Fabulous- drains quickly.
Only complaint is that it would be nice if they made a larger size.

Needing a new colander, and based on a cooking magazine review, I purchased a 3 qt. RSVP Precision Pierced Stainless Steel colander. I truly expected it to work the same as the stainless colanders I have been using for the past 40 years. Boy, was I ever wrong! This colander is so far superior at quick drainage and easy cleanup, that I not only purchased the five quart size for myself, I am going to purchase one for my daughter and for each daughter-in-law (or son), despite the cost. Pasta used to get stuck in the holes in my old colanders, making them miserable to clean. Nothing gets stuck in the holes of the RSVP colanders. A quick swiped with soapy water and they are clean. They are so easy to clean that there really is no need to put them in the diswasher. Like others, I wish that the handles were more securely attached, but so far I am extremely pleased with this product. Just make sure that you order the correct RSVP product. There is a less expensive version that is not at all what this one is; it is a fine mesh and does not work the way this one does.

I've tried many colanders with several leaving water trapped in the bottom instead of draining out. This one is great, large capacity, wide opening, light weight. Pricy, but well worth it.

This highly perforated colander can serve many functions, but it certainly prevents the boiling water splashback so common with lesser units when draining pasta! It appears solid and well made but two provisos should be mentioned - its large capacity prevents its use in the smaller of many dual chamber sinks and as noted by others, the solid base may prevent the full draining of water lying on the bottom - until the colander is raised off the sink, no major problem, since only 1/8" of so of water can remain there before draining out the many holes on the periphery!

Finally, no more plastic taste when draining pasta! This colander is perfectly functional. The holes are a good size (nothing falls through them) and there are enough of them to make draining fast and easy. The colander is raised a good amount, which helps keep it from sitting in a pool of water in the sink. My only complaint is that the top metal piece that goes around the diameter of the colander was not entirely attached. It is attached with pressure only (which is fine once seated). It took a few minutes to get it installed properly and has worked flawlessly since.