The 4 Best Spider Strainers for 2024, Tested & Reviewed

Nov 04, 2024

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I boiled lots of dumplings and pasta and fried even more potatoes to test the best.

In This Article

Food & Wine / KitchenAid

In the bustling kitchen, there's a champion of versatility hiding in plain sight: the humble spider strainer. This isn't just a wok's sidekick; it's a culinary chameleon, a master of liquid acrobatics that will make your life easier. I always use one because its basket nimbly scoops golden fries and gently lifts poached eggs from boiling water. Its repertoire continues beyond there. Pasta? Check. Delicate doughnuts? You bet.

I tested several spider strainers at home, from shallow to deep and small to large, to uncover the best of the best. You cannot go wrong with any of these choices since they can wrangle crispy delights from the fiery depths of a wok. But there are some differences to pay attention to and preferences to be considered.

It is the perfect size for many Dutch ovens and deep fryers.

It can be challenging to clean entirely sometimes.

The Kuhn Rikon Spider Skimmer effortlessly glides through oil like a sleek silver surfer. Its generous basket quickly scoops up mountains of crispy vegetables or fried chicken. The long, slender handle feels like an extension of your arm, ensuring you stay safely distanced from the heat while you work your culinary magic. A clever hanging hook lets you hang your tool in between uses. Its intricate mesh requires more TLC to clean than others, but it's a small price for elegance and performance. The Kuhn Rikon Spider Skimmer is a touch of kitchen luxury, and it was the skimmer I kept coming back to time and time again.

Dimensions: 5 x 14.5 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe: Yes

It is the perfect length for reaching into most pots without wetting or splattering your hand with oil.

The plastic handle can sometimes become slippery during use.

The KitchenAid Classic Asian Strainer has a long handle that keeps my hand safely distanced from the heat while scooping. The plastic handle got slippery when things got oily, but a quick rinse quickly solved that. I also liked that I could put the strainer in the dishwasher. The strainer is surprisingly light for its size, making it a breeze to manage even after frying tons of tortilla chips. Plus, the spacious basket handles generous portions without overflowing, making it your partner in crime for everything from pasta draining to stir-frying success. It might not be fancy, but for its friendly price tag and can-do attitude, the KitchenAid Classic Asian Strainer is a value champion in any kitchen.

Dimensions: 6 x 14.5 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe: Yes

It is heavy enough to feel well-balanced in hand, but not too much so.

Its handle is heavier than others higher up on our list, which can contribute to arm fatigue.

The Sur La Table is just right and feels substantial in my hand without giving my arm a workout. The handle might be a bit heftier than others on the market, but that extra heft translates to rock-solid stability when scooping a potful of plump dumplings or chunky veggies. The coil-style basket is generously sized without being unwieldy, catching everything in its path with effortless grace. It felt good in my hand, and I tackled any scooping task with ease. It might not be the lightest on the block, but its well-balanced design and efficient basket make it a champion in my book.

Dimensions: 4.5 x 14 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe: Yes

We found this incredibly easy to twirl in our fingers, even when greasy.

It doesn’t have any sort of covering on its handle, should you prefer that style.

The Open Kitchen by Williams Sonoma Spider is ergonomic bliss if you don't like heavy utensils like me. This wire skimmer dances between my fingers, even when slick with oil. It was so easy to hold that I didn't miss any rubberized handle cover, although my husband found it lacking. Its long, slender handle feels like a natural extension of my hand, making scooping, draining, and straining a breeze. The spacious yet manageable basket effortlessly captures everything from delicate dumplings to chunky vegetables, while the smooth stainless steel makes cleaning a cinch.

Dimensions: 5 x 14.5 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe: Yes

We chose the Kuhn Rikin Spider Skimmer as Best overall because it was comfortable and easy to use with a long-enough handle to ensure safety from boiling hot liquids.

In order to evaluate spider strainers, I used them all in various applications. I scooped pasta out of boiling water to see if it fell through the holes or stuck. I also scooped fry foods like latkes and empanadas out of cast iron frying pans to see how well they extricated items from searing hot oil. I looked at the design, how comfortable they were to hold and maneuver in and out of liquids, and, really importantly, how easy they were to clean. We also evaluated the design and construction to ensure that these would be durable, because your money matters.

Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman

Spider strainers come in many materials, like silicone, nylon, and stainless steel; some have bamboo handles. We prefer stainless steel because it's the most durable when dealing with lots of liquids and the easiest to clean, mainly when used for frying things.

Baskets come in either woven or coil designs. We found that both performed equally, so it's a matter of choice. The coil designs are typically machine-made, making them more durable than hand-woven pieces. Pay attention to the depth and width of the basket since the larger ones can be more difficult to maneuver in smaller pans. You also want to ensure you can get enough ingredients from whatever you are straining it from without a tiny basket, so pay attention to the size.

The baskets have varying mesh sizes. Some are small, while others can be medium and large. If you're making lots of pasta, we recommend a basket made with a smaller mesh so you can use various applications.

A spider skimmer is a wok's trusty sidekick, wielding a long handle and fine mesh basket to conquer any liquid challenge. Its reach keeps your hands far from sizzling oil while the delicate basket captures the tiniest morsels.

A spider strainer isn’t just for removing things from liquid like dumplings or pasta. It can also be used for separating oil slicks from soups, blanching/poaching ingredients without removing them from the basket, and skimming unwanted foam from stews.

They are very similar in that they have some sort of perforation. Still, a skimmer is going to be a much finer mesh that will be able to remove some scum and more minor impurities from broth and sauces versus more oversized items like french fries from a pot of frying oil.

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Spider Scoop ($16 at Amazon.com)We liked how this filter was designed and performed, but The rubber handle became too slick when oil was in play. Still, it's a good option for those who want a cushioned handle, as it was the only one in our testing.

Artyea Skimmer, Stainless Steel Spider Strainer ($9 at Amazon.com)This strainer performed well. It was a touch too heavy, and there wasn't anything special enough to put it high on our list, yet its price makes it an excellent alternative for someone looking for a spider strainer that pops into the dishwasher.

Hiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer Skimmer ($9 at Amazon.com)We liked this coil-style spider strainer and Lighthouse. The basket was small, but the incline of the basket to the handle was too straight for comfort when others performed better. Still, it's a great smaller coil strainer for poached eggs at a reasonable price.

We weren’t crazy about the longevity and upkeep with the bamboo-handled options Joyce Chen Stainless Steel Spider Strainer or Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Stainless Steel Spider. After one wash, they looked worn, and we prefer the overall durability of the stainless steel models we chose. Also, the baskets, which were woven on, were already coming undone, which can lead to the utensils getting caught on others in the drawer. The Williams Sonoma Signature Stainless Steel Spider Strainer also had a hand-woven basket already loose when it arrived. It is also the heaviest and most awkward to use. The Letschef Stainless Steel Spider Strainer was too big for most households since its basket is around seven inches long. That’s more than most people need and too big for most utensil drawers.

Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Commerce Writer for Food & Wine and a former restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. She tested ten spider strainers in side-by-side testing to find the best ones for every type of home cook.