.jeri.

I've decided to start writing posts about items in the kitchen. It may be basic information, but I know some of the stuff I have bought over the past couple of years has really made a difference for me in the kitchen, and I wish I had known about them a long time ago! If anyone has any suggestions for future posts, feel free to make them. I may be emphasizing some kitchen tools that save space, since I work in a very small kitchen with very limited space for the counters, drawers, and cabinets.

This brings me to the collapsible colander. I have a weakness for the Martha Stewart kitchen collection because the signature blue color she uses is my accent color for my kitchen. As such, I regularly roam the Macy's kitchen section because they carry Martha's collection. One day, I happened across her hand-held silicon collapsible colander. I had no idea something like this existed!

For a small kitchen like mine, this is a Godsend. I love having a colander that can just pop out for what I need and then collapse for storage. It can fit easily in either a cabinet or a drawer because it is so thin. I keep it in a drawer consolidated with a lot of other items (the colander is at the bottom, my flat spoon rest comes next, then my measuring cups). It's amazing to me that it even fits in one of my thin drawers, which can't even fit a standard kitchen utensil organizer (another post for another day). It also fits easily in a dishwasher, and it can usually squeeze into a leftover nook or cranny that isn't filled by pots and dishes, as opposed to a regular colander that takes up a large amount of space.

Since I bought this, I almost never use a regular or larger colander. Usually when I do, it's just because this one's in the dishwasher, or because I'm cooking a maaaaaassive pot of pasta. It's definitely one of the best kitchen buys I've ever made.