This kitchen essential offers a multitude of uses with its durable stainless steel mixing bowl and colander. Here are a few examples to spark inspiration:

1) Use less water and get cleaner food

When washing dirt, pesticides and dust from off of our fruit or veg, we usually just rinse them in a colander under the tap in an attempt to get the muck off. This means water gets wasted and often the water pressure isn't high enough to spray dust off. Using this set, run the tap over the vegetables until the bowl is now a water bath. Use this to dunk your ingredients, swish them around, or even soak in salt to more effectively wash dirt and bugs off. The colander’s micro-perforated holes provide edges for particles to dislodge against, improving the scrubbing. Once your food is nice and clean, lift the colander out of the bowl and strain your food from the water so it can begin to dry.

2) Wake up your ‘Straight to wok’ noodles

Just minutes before your roasted or stir-fried food is ready, add your straight-to-wok noodles to the colander (inside the bowl) and pour over kettle-boiled water until the noodles are submerged. With a fork, separate the noodles and allow them to soak for 2 minutes heating them through.

Be mindful of the hot water while removing the colander from the bowl. Pour away the water and return the colander to the bowl, allowing the noodles to briefly drip dry before tossing everything together.

3) Removing excess 'aquafaba' - from canned food

Aquafaba (otherwise known as ‘the water surrounding your canned beans and chickpeas’) is known to be useful as an egg substitute in baking or cocktails and to give you excess wind.  For those who like to use chickpea juices, straining your tinned chickpeas into the colander over the bowl allows you to collect the leftover aquafaba and pour it conveniently into a jar for later. 

Once you’ve discarded the aquafaba, you can clean your canned food in the colander (inside the bowl) while saving water. Removing excess aquafaba may also help with reducing 'excess gas'.

4) Extra crispy homemade chips

Whether you’re airfrying or oven roasting, soaking your fresh-cut chips in cold water for 20 minutes is a neat trick to make them crispier than McCains.

For best results, use the colander to quickly bath your chips to remove amylose. This type of starch makes amazing mashed potatoes, but sadly also sticky and soggy chips.  Give the chips a stir, and after 10 minutes lift the colander out of the bowl and change the water before it becomes too cloudy. Always dry your chips in a clean tea towel or kitchen roll before frying.

5) A handy compost caddy

After washing fruits and vegetables, keep the set out to collect your choppings.

For dry items with larger chunks like root vegetables, the colander works perfectly to collect leftovers, for everything else throw it in the bowl part ready for the compost bin or food waste collection box. 

6) Soaking legumes, beans, and pulses

toolbar's mixing bowl and colander is ideal for preparing canned and dry foods.The colanders micropores make it super for soaking small beans and pulses etc.

Leave the colander inside the bowl and cover with water, soaking your produce for the required duration. Place an overturned plate on top, especially if leaving overnight.

Once done, lift the colander out of the bowl and pour away the water.  

 7) Spice, marinate, and toss. 

You may have added a few large handfuls of vegetables, or possibly taken our advice on soaking the potato chipsl and have now added these to the bowl.

The next step to create delicious chips, roasted vegetables or chicken pieces is to apply some oil and seasoning before baking or air frying.

By leaving the colander in when you do this you can make sure any excess oil drains away.