A Spider Strainer Beats a Colander for Many Tasks

The Problem

You dump a pot of pasta into a colander, losing all that starchy pasta water you need for the sauce.

The Hack

Use a spider strainer (wire mesh ladle, $6) to lift pasta, blanched vegetables, or fried food directly out of the cooking liquid.

Why It Works

A spider lets you remove food while keeping the cooking liquid in the pot. For pasta, this preserves starchy water for sauce. For blanching, the water stays hot for the next batch.

Pro Tips

• Essential for making pasta — scoop pasta directly into the sauce pan
• Also perfect for deep frying — lift food out without a splatter guard
• The wire mesh drains much faster than a slotted spoon
• A $6 spider strainer is one of the most useful tools in Asian cooking