The $4 Unitasker I Wish I’d Bought Years Ago

Lisa Freedman
Lisa FreedmanExecutive Lifestyle Director
Lisa Freedman is the Executive Lifestyle Director at The Kitchn. She has never met a cheese or a washi tape she didn't like. She lives in New York state with her husband and their pup, Millie.
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published Mar 16, 2020
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I’m guessing we all share the same thoughts and feelings toward kitchen unitaskers: We don’t love the thought of them taking up space in our drawers and cabinets, unless they’re truly wonderful and game-changing. A citrus juicer? Sure! A special tool for chopping salads? Not so much! With that in mind, I want you to stick with me while I profess my love for this $4 can colander.

Credit: Lisa Freedman

Buy: Progressive PrepWorks Can Colander, $4

I’d seen them before and had never given them a second thought until my best friend started raving about hers. Her husband had gifted it to her a few years ago in her Christmas stocking and, at first, she thought it seemed pretty useless. “I surprisingly use it at least a few times a week,” she later told me, adding that she likes that she no longer has to use a can’s dirty lid to strain the contents. Curious, I decided to order one for myself.

Credit: Lisa Freedman

I’m surprised to say, she is totally right. We go through a shocking amount of canned goods (and we will certainly be going through more chickpeas than ever in the next few weeks). This gadget really does make life easier. I used to either wash the can off before using the top to drain liquid or have to reach for a colander. Sometimes, both. But now, with my little can colander, I simply open a can, strain the contents, and rinse ingredients right in the can. I don’t have to dirty a larger colander, which only takes up room in my dishwasher later.

Credit: Lisa Freedman

I’ve been using this thing with beans, vegetables, and even cans of tuna (just flip it around and use the base to compress the tuna and drain out the liquid). So while this definitely counts as a unitasker, I have found plenty of use for it in my daily life, which means it gets to stay.

Other people clearly like it too: It’s a bestseller on Amazon with a 4.6-star rating. Happy shoppers note that it’s well made, easy to clean, and really (really) great for cans of tuna. (Seriously, these reviewers love this tool for straining cans of tuna.)

Have you tried a can colander before? What’d you think?

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