I own two of these strainers, and they are used almost daily for a variety of tasks. They are hanging on hooks on my kitchen wall to keep them near at hand, and save on storage space. I started out with one, then realized I wanted a second one because I sometimes prepare Indian dahl and basmati rice. Both the rice and the lentils are washed several times and then soaked before cooking, but usually cooked separately. I like to wash and soak them in the strainers in bowls of water. The strainers are a perfect size for this task. Each one can fit down really well in its own large mixing bowl. After soaking, I can just lift them out, drain, and I'm ready to cook. As other reviewers have mentioned, it's great because they are long enough to suspend right over a standard size sink from one side to the other. Handy for draining things.