Although straining food in the kitchen may seem commonplace, it can be very challenging if you don’t have a strainer.
There are various strainers available if you need to strain things like stock, fruits and vegetables, meat, pasta, and more.
It’s awful when you’re preparing dinner and realize that your strainer broke last week, or when you go to get it and it mysteriously disappears entirely.
The best methods for straining liquid without a strainer include using a slotted spoon, cheesecloth, tongs to remove pasta and noodles from the water, the lid of the cooking pot, coffee filters, or other similarly fine straining vessels.
If you need to strain something but don’t have a strainer on hand, we’re going to share with you all of the best alternatives in this guide. At least one of these fallback options will undoubtedly be available to you.
Grab a slotted spoon to strain something quickly if you can’t find your strainer.
This may require a little more time and work, but it is an efficient way to separate the water or liquid from the object contained in the water or liquid.
Slotted spoons are the ideal fallback option because they are designed to strain out liquid. Depending on what you are straining, you can simply start spooning it out one scoop at a time in another pan or bowl.
Let the water drain from the item in your spoon. Give it a little shake if needed. Realistically, each spoonful only needs a few seconds to strain in the manner shown.
Repeat the procedure, transferring the strained food to a fresh bowl each time, until all the ingredients have been thoroughly strained as necessary.
For foods like pasta or items like fruits and vegetables, in particular, this works best. It’s not ideal if you’re straining food like stock or another item with small particles that will simply pass through the slotted spoon.
If so, you can use some of the other methods we’ll discuss here to strain without a strainer.
Using cheesecloth as a strainer is a great idea if you keep it in your kitchen. Cheesecloth is designed the way it is to aid in straining; you may have even used it for that purpose, but perhaps not for your pasta or your fruits and vegetables.
The cheesecloth will catch the tiny particles or whatever it is that you are trying to separate from everything else as you strain your liquid into another bowl.
The trick is to be able to grip the cloth firmly while also being able to position your hands safely so as to hold it down without letting any hot or boiling liquids come in contact with them.
Due to the fact that it must essentially soak through the cheesecloth in order to strain, this procedure might take a little bit longer than using a strainer. However, it is an excellent choice when you need it and is actually perfect for some straining requirements.
When you don’t have a strainer, tongs can be a helpful tool. You literally just need to lift your items out of the water they are in, and they are quite simple to use.
Tongs, however, can be used for anything that can be grabbed with the tongs. Simply use the tongs to reach in, take one tong at a time, and repeat. The item will need time to drip off water after each round with the tongs.
You can give it a gentle shake to help the water drain out, or you can just wait until it stops or drips very slowly. Once the food item has been drip-dried, place it in a dry bowl or pan. It’s really that simple!.
Due to the limitations of the tongs and the need to allow the items to drip dry before transferring them, this process might take a few minutes. However, it’s still fairly simple and it works well.
You can also try to pour the liquid into the pan using the tongs as a barrier to keep the other items inside in addition to what we just described above.
However, if you have a large pan, it can be challenging to safely balance both the pan and the tongs while you’re dumping. However, if you have a small pan or an extra hand, you might be able to use this.
If the pan in question has a lid, you could use that next. When you need to strain, the lid works fairly well, provided you can balance it properly on your pan.
Your fingers may need to be stretched out for this, and lighter or smaller pans may be the best choice.
You must be able to put the lid on the pan, either at a slight angle so that water can drain out or while holding it in place, to strain liquid using the lid.
Make sure you can balance everything so that you can pick up the pan safely and avoid dropping it or losing the lid.
Allow the water to drain out of the pan by tipping it steadily and slowly in the direction of the dish, sink, or other straining location.
Take a moment to set the pan down, rest your hands, and regain control of the pan and lid if necessary. If the pan becomes too heavy or the lid begins to slide.
If you can master the balancing act, this technique is fairly straightforward and can be used to strain anything other than very small particles. When there isn’t a strainer available, this is a common kitchen solution.
Finally, if you need another solution grab the coffee filters. Most homes have coffee and coffee filters.
Coffee filters function incredibly well here because they were literally made for straining. The hardest part of this operation might be setting them up to strain.
Because coffee filters are so small, you should probably look for another method if you have a large pot of pasta or potatoes. However, they are fantastic if you are straining a small amount of food or something else.
Coffee filters work well for straining both small food items and things like loose leaf tea.
You could also try something like a bandana or even a mesh bag with extremely small mesh on it as an alternative to coffee filters. These all function similarly and are ideal for light straining requirements.
Any of these options will help you out if you need to strain without a strainer in a pinch!
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After some practice, I can hold the lid over the pan with just a little gap for the water to drain out. The secret is to pour slowly and to make sure the lid’s opening is no larger than the size of a single noodle.
Additionally, you can create your own colander using items you already have around the house. A plastic ziplock bag with a few small holes would work well when the pasta isn’t very hot.
If the noodles are too hot for that, you could saw or drill small holes into a plastic bowl you already own, even a disposable one if you have one, to hold the noodles if necessary. But doing that can be time-consuming and requires some preparation.
If you have a frying pan cover or something similar around, you could use that as a filter for the noodles.
One of the best methods is to pour the noodles and water into a dishtowel, allowing the water to pass through while catching the noodles in the towel while holding the towel very carefully to avoid burning your hands. Note that this only works with unseasoned noodles.
Alternatively you could manually scoop out the noodles with the proper tools to do so, i.e. a spaghetti scooper or a slotted spoon, etc. depending on the type of noodle, moving them to an alternative container or directly onto a plate or bowl.
Unbleached cheesecloth over the pot and tip. Its what i do when i go camping…takes little room.
Although the majority of responses advise “use a plate,” I have always found using a cutting board to be more convenient. The cutting board’s flat and straight surface enables a better seal with the pot’s edge. Simply hold the cutting board flush against the pot’s top, leave a small space between the cutting board and the pot’s edge to let water escape but keep the pasta inside, and slowly tilt the pot to allow the water to pour out. This, in my opinion, is a simpler version of the same concept as using a plate or the pot’s lid.
I have a strainer, but I prefer a simpler technique that doesn’t involve taking the pasta out of the pan.
Put a plate on top if you have one that completely covers the pot.
You can have my colander. I found a lifehack and dont need mine now. To help drain the water, I use a plate, but the real trick is HOW
I put a salad plate into the pasta pot. Its diameter is roughly 10 mm less than that of the sauce pan. Before you tip the pot to drain the pasta, place it face-down over the pasta. While water flows past the plate on either side, the small plate will keep the pasta in place. As you tip the pot to drain the water from the sauce pan, hold the pot handle in one hand and the edge of the lid in the other to prevent the hot plate from falling out.
This trick is not only quicker than using a colander, but it also makes cleaning a plate easier because there are no crevices or holes. You can pour the water as quickly as you like using this technique without losing a single noodle (can you tell I just did this a minute ago?). Once you’ve done it, you won’t even need to pay attention to what you’re doing. Its physics. Its automatic. I only use my colander to wash vegetables with a spray attachment these days.
Its also more efficient than a colander. This technique leaves the fully drained pasta sitting in the sauce pan after you remove the plate, ready for you to add the sauce, oil, and spices and return immediately to the stovetop if you desire.
Without using a colander, everything was completed in one step flawlessly. Once you give it a try, you won’t do it any other way.
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Epicurious recommends this pasta exclusive tool, noting that, “By having tines on the tongs, its easy to pick up and swirl stringy foods without them slipping out.” While British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay still uses his colander to drain pasta, as you can see from his video on “How to Cook The Perfect Pasta,” he uses his tongs throughout the pasta cooking process to keep noodles loose and free, and to test when it has reached its desired level of doneness.
Spider strainers, also known as skimmers, are traditionally used in Asian cooking, as well as for frying. These long-handled, spiral metal or woven wire nets vaguely resemble a spider web, and have become a favorite tool of chefs like Bastianich, who told Today, “Boy does that do wonders to pull pasta out of the water!” Bon Appétit calls the tool “extremely useful,” explaining that its not only great for straining pasta, but also for removing dumplings, eggs, and blanched veggies from boiling water.
But what if your pan lid is kicking it old school and is missing those requisite peepholes? No problem, says Bon Appétit, suggesting taking safety precautions when using your pan lid to drain pasta water. “Leave the lid slightly askew, about ¼ inch. Hold the lid down with insulated oven mitts. Make sure to hold the pot away from you as you pour — otherwise you risk steam burns,” the article points out. This method allows you to drain the water out while letting the lid catch any pasta that would otherwise find itself in your sink. A word of caution though: Dont choose this option if youre unwilling to take extra care, youll be risking the possibility of a steam or boiling water burn.
If all else fails, youve got the lid your pan came with, dont you? Believe it or not, thats all you really need to strain pasta. In fact, senior product analyst in the Kitchen Appliances & Technology Lab at Good Housekeeping Betty Gold notes that many saucepans these days come with a strainer already built into their lids, which means no need for that pesky colander at all.
Though colanders do make draining your favorite pasta quick and easy, there are a variety of simple ways to drain that pot of starchy water and rescue your pasta before it turns to mush. (Besides, the internet showed us back in 2020 that some of yall dont know how to use a colander properly anyway, so you might as well try one of these adaptations and see if you prefer it.)
Other FAQs about Pasta which you may be interested in.
Pasta should be stored within 2 hours of preparation. Do not store warm pasta. The steam-trapped moisture inside will encourage the development of dangerous bacteria and molds. Let the pasta come to room temperature after cooking. To stop it from clumping and sticking, toss it in some vegetable or olive oil.
Store it in an air-tight container at 4°F or below. You don’t need to add any additional oil if the pasta has already been tossed with the sauce. The uncooked pasta needs to be kept dry and away from heat and moisture.
Freezing saucy pasta is not recommended. The pasta’s texture will be harmed by the sauce, making it soggy. However, cooking pasta without sauce and freezing it offers a quick-fix for meals.
To freeze store pasta, follow the instructions below:
FAQ
What can I use if I don’t have a strainer?
The best methods for straining liquid without a strainer include using a slotted spoon, cheesecloth, tongs to remove pasta and noodles from the water, the lid of the cooking pot, coffee filters, or other similarly fine straining vessels.
How do you drain water out of noodles?
The most traditional method involves draining the pasta and water from the pot using a colander in your sink. Place your colander over a bowl if you want to save some of the pasta water.
What happens if you don’t drain noodles?
The sauce will become silkier as a result of the starchy water adhering to the noodles, and the hot noodles will absorb some of the sauce as they cook. Similarly, you want the noodles to be well-drained but not rinsed for the majority of stir-fries.
How do you easily drain pasta?
What you actually want to do, according to @stephsepu and @eitan, is layer the colander over the water and cooked pasta. Pour the water through the colander while holding both the colander and the pasta pot.
