Every kitchen needs a colander. It’s the easiest way to wash vegetables, drain water from pasta, and do a whole host of food prep tasks, after all. Problem is, most colanders, from normal ones to multi-function ones to flying spaghetti monster types, come in just one size, which is large, making it annoying to use when you just want to drain liquids off some canned tomatoes or catch the seeds while squeezing a lemon onto your salad. The SIFTR is a small colander that you can use for those minor tasks instead.
A compact silicone colander, the tool allows you to drain and strain a variety of food items for those times when a standard colander is just plain too big. That way, you won’t need to add a large colander to the draining rack or the dishwasher – just this tiny one that should take up even less space than a small cup of coffee.
The SIFTR comes in a dome shape similar to traditional colanders, albeit in a much smaller diameter that’s sized to fit flush on the opening of a 15-ounce can. As in, you can just open the can, put this on top, and pour out the liquids while holding just the can with one hand. For cans larger and smaller than 15 ounces, you will need to hold the colander in place with the other hand while you pour out. We know, that’s not as convenient, but definitely still more convenient than pouring the whole thing out on a large colander. As you can probably tell, this was designed as a way to easily drain liquids off canned goods, sparing you from having to keep the lid closed while pouring liquids out or taking the full-sized colander out of the drawer.
It has droplet-shaped holes that, the outfit claims, are sized to allow the maximum flow of liquids without allowing any solid food out. Do note, that opening seems big enough to allow small seeds to go through, so keep that in mind, in case you’re using this to strain juices off oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits. It comes in five colors: pink, green, dark gray, medium gray, and light gray.
Because it’s made from silicone, the SIFTR has a fair bit of stretch that could allow you to fit it in other containers whose opening is close in size to that of a 15-ounce can, expanding the amount of tasks you can use it for in the kitchen. The outfit, for instance, suggests putting it on top of a drinking glass to turn it into a functional cocktail shaker or placing it upside down on top of a mug to use as an herb infuser. They even recommend using it as a basket for poaching eggs, as the silicone can safely handle high temperatures while the eggs won’t be able to seep out through the holes once they start cooking.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the SIFTR. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at £8.