GIR Collapsible Colander & Steamer, 3.6 Quart (Slate)

GIR Collapsible Colander Review: A Silicone Colander With a Steel Rim That Folds Flat

The GIR Collapsible Colander & Steamer is a 3.6-quart silicone colander that folds down for storage. GIR builds it from food-grade platinum-cured silicone with an embedded steel rim. GIR says the rim gives it strength and structure, which is what keeps the handles rigid when you're pouring a pot of boiling water through it. GIR rates it for use up to 425°F and lists it as top-rack dishwasher safe. Expanded, it measures 9.78 x 13.23 x 5.3 in, handles included, and weighs 17.71 oz.

What the Amazon link sells: the listing titled "GIR Collapsible Colander, Silicone Strainer & Steamer, BPA-Free – Slate" (ASIN B0F15N45JK, model GIRCOLNR19SLT). That's the 3.6-quart colander in slate grey; GIR also sells it in red. It isn't the generic multi-piece collapsible colander sets that appear alongside it on Amazon. When we checked, Amazon showed it in stock.

This review is research-based. VanLifeKitchens doesn't test products hands-on. The specs come from GIR's product page and the Amazon listing; anything about everyday use is labelled as owner reports or our reasoning.

Choose this if:

• You cook pasta, rice, potatoes or washed vegetables and have nowhere to store a rigid colander.
• You want a colander that won't buckle when you pour hot water through it.
• You'd like it to double as a steamer basket inside a pot.

Skip this if:

• You cook pasta for four or more at once. At 3.6 quarts, it's sized for one or two people.
• You already drain pasta with a pot lid and are happy doing so.
• You need to know the exact collapsed height before buying. GIR doesn't publish it.

What it is

Collapsible colanders fold down like a concertina, from a bowl into a flat disc, so they take up a fraction of the space of a rigid metal or plastic one. Many are thin silicone or plastic that flex when they're full of heavy, hot food. GIR's design addresses that with the embedded steel rim.

GIR's product page lists:

• Capacity: 3.6 quarts.
• Material: food-grade platinum-cured silicone, BPA- and BPS-free.
• Structure: an embedded steel rim for strength.
• Heat limit: not for use above 425°F.
• Care: top-rack dishwasher safe.
• Colours: slate and red.

The Amazon listing adds that the heat rating lets it work as a steamer basket for vegetables and dumplings, a splatter shield and a trivet, and that the smooth silicone rinses clean more easily than wire mesh.

Specifications and sources

The 13.23 in dimension includes the handles. GIR doesn't publish a collapsed height; collapsible colanders of this type usually fold to a fraction of their expanded height, but check the listing photos against your drawer.

How it fits a van kitchen

Storage is the reason to buy it. A rigid colander is a bulky, awkward object in a van: it doesn't nest with pots, it rattles, and it takes up a whole cupboard shelf. Folded, the GIR sits flat in a drawer or slides down the side of a bin. Our kitchen storage guide covers how to pack odd shapes, and the nesting cookware guide covers the pots it's most likely to sit near.

Draining in a small sink, or no sink. Many van sinks are small enough that a full-size colander won't sit in them. At 9.78 in across the body, check yours before you buy. If you have no sink at all, drain outdoors over the ground or into a bowl to keep the water for washing up. Our no-plumbing sink guide and the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil kitchen sink are relevant here.

Saving water. Pasta water is useful: it's hot, a little starchy, and good for loosening sauces or for a first rinse of greasy pots. Draining into a bowl under the colander keeps it. Our dishwashing system guide explains how to make every litre do two jobs.

Steaming. GIR rates it to 425°F, so it can sit inside a pot over simmering water as a steamer insert, as the listing describes. It needs a pot wide enough to hold the colander's body clear of the boiling water, with a lid on top; a 3 L pot like the Sea to Summit Detour or a larger pot from the Magma nesting set is the size to check. Keep the silicone away from direct flame and from the hot base of an empty pot.

Washing produce. It's also a rinse basket for salad, berries and vegetables from a farm stand. Rinse with treated or filtered water; our water filtration guide explains what each filter type does and doesn't remove.

Living with it

Pouring hot water. Silicone stays cooler to the touch than metal, but boiling water and steam don't. Hold it by the handles, pour away from your body, and keep it on a stable surface. In a van, pour slowly so steam doesn't fog the windows or hit a cabinet face. General cooking ventilation, a roof fan or an open window, helps clear the steam.

Cleaning. GIR says top-rack dishwasher safe. Most van cooks will hand-wash it: rinse, a little soap, rinse again, and shake it dry. Dry it before folding, or the folds can trap moisture and smell.

Oil and staining. Silicone can hold greasy residue and take on strong colours, from tomato sauce or turmeric, for example. A wash with hot soapy water usually clears grease; staining tends to be cosmetic.

Durability. Silicone doesn't rust or crack like plastic. The parts to watch are the fold creases and the rim where it joins the silicone, which take the stress of collapsing and expanding.

Is 3.6 quarts enough?

A rough guide, based on common cooking quantities rather than GIR figures: dry pasta roughly doubles in volume as it cooks, so 200 to 250 g of dry pasta, a generous meal for two, fills a little under half of a 3.6-quart colander once cooked. That leaves room for the water to drain without overflowing the rim. Rice, potatoes and blanched greens for two fit with space to spare. Pasta for four, around 500 g dry, is where it starts to get full, and you'd drain in two pours.

Two practical checks before you buy:

• Your biggest pot. If you cook in a 5-quart Dutch oven like the Lodge L8DOL3, you can fill it beyond what the colander holds in one go. Pour slowly, or drain in stages.
• Your sink or drain spot. With handles, it's over 13 inches long. Measure the sink or the spot outside where you'll drain, and make sure it sits level there.

Limitations

• 3.6 quarts. Comfortable for pasta for two; tight for a large batch.
• No published collapsed height. You'll need to judge it from the listing photos.
• Heavier than a basic folding colander at 17.71 oz, because of the steel rim.
• Heat limit. 425°F means no direct flame, no hot empty pan base.
• Marketing claims. The Amazon listing makes broad claims about other colanders; we've only repeated GIR's published specs.

How it compares

The Knives & Prep category covers the tools you use on and around a cutting board. The GIR is the draining step that follows: chop on a John Boos R-Board, slice with a Benriner mandoline or MAC santoku, cook, then drain. The other ways to drain pasta in a van are a pot with a strainer lid, which saves space but drains slowly, or a pasta spoon, which works for long noodles but not for rice or small pasta. The GIR is the more versatile option if you have a drawer for it.

See the knives and prep complete guide for the rest of the prep kit.

Verdict

The GIR Collapsible Colander is a well-specified answer to one van problem: you need a colander, and you have nowhere to put one. GIR publishes 3.6 quarts, platinum-cured silicone, an embedded steel rim for rigidity, a 425°F heat limit and top-rack dishwasher safety. It folds flat, steams vegetables inside a pot and drains pasta for one or two. It's heavier than flimsy collapsible colanders because of the steel rim, GIR doesn't publish its collapsed height, and it's too small for big batches. For a two-person van kitchen with a drawer to spare, it's a sensible addition.

FAQ

How big is the GIR Collapsible Colander? GIR lists 3.6 quarts, with expanded dimensions of 9.78 x 13.23 x 5.3 in, including the handles.

How flat does it collapse? GIR doesn't publish a collapsed height. Check the listing photos against your drawer before buying.

Can it handle boiling water? Yes. GIR rates it for use up to 425°F, and its embedded steel rim is designed to keep it rigid while you pour.

Can I use it as a steamer? The listing describes it as a steamer basket. Set it inside a lidded pot over simmering water, clear of the water and away from direct flame.

Is it dishwasher safe? GIR says top-rack dishwasher safe.

What is it made of? Food-grade platinum-cured silicone, BPA- and BPS-free, with an embedded steel rim, according to GIR.

How much does it weigh? GIR lists 17.71 oz.

Sources and verification

• GIR, Collapsible Colander & Steamer product page: 3.6 qt capacity, expanded dimensions, weight, platinum-cured silicone, embedded steel rim, 425°F limit, top-rack dishwasher safe, colours. https://gir.co/products/collapsible-colander-steamer (checked 2026-10-11)
• Amazon product listing for ASIN B0F15N45JK, the listing this review links to: model GIRCOLNR19SLT, slate, steamer and trivet uses, availability (checked 2026-10-11)