"mesh"? Do you mean one with mesh (I've never seen) or do you mean the ones like this?

If this is what you mean, I didn't either...until I discovered the Kohler DuoStrainer (K-8801) here. It's very heavy-duty and it always stays closed or open, whatever I've "set" it for. I.e., it doesn't close or open on me at inopportune times! I replaced the strainers that came with my Ticor sink with this and purchased one for my prep sink. They've been great! (Mine is in Vibrant Stainless (K-8801-VS))

Yes, they cost more than a "standard" strainer, but in this case, you get what you pay for!

We have the Kohler DuoStrainer too and I LOVE it! It seems to catch what needs to be caught and cleans out readily without much effort. Our old one was mesh---the kind that looks like the screen from a sieve---and it was a pain to wash because food would get smushed up into it, and then I'd have to scrub it out with a brush. I think we got that because the one that came with that sink didn't catch enough gunk and it all ended up in the drain. (In fairness, we also didn't have a dishwasher then, and the mesh strainer might have been really easy to wash in a dishwasher---I passed it on to a new home, so dunno.)

thanks to buehl and artemis78! I have never heard of this Duostrainer before- how do you remove the basket to empty it? It is pricey but the amazon reviews are great. I was actually thinking mesh but as artemis said, that would be hard to clean.

Still would like to see other choices, thanks!

We used to have a mesh one, and I agree that they can be a bit fiddly to clean. Here's what we have now, an OXO. I like it because after tapping it into the compost I can flip the rubber part inside out and easily rinse off anything remaining.

{{!gwi}}

I have a $2 stainless steel mesh strainer that we use in the double sink. The mesh looks similar to a window screen. The disposal is in the other half. I just dump the contents into the disposal side, and hopefully that works to decrease clogs. Cleaning isn't bad...just turn it over and spray water on it, cleaning over the disposal drain. I used to use the one buehl posted, but the holes are too big, and as buehl mentioned, it really didn't open/close when I wanted it to.

ditto juniork. Examples of the genre are http://store.worldstart.com/product/5305 and http://www.csnstores.com/Plumb-Craft-Mesh-Drain-Strainer-7639300N-PCX1171.html. You can get a couple and run one through the dishwasher while the other sits in the drain. Lifts out easily by the rim; a quick bang on the side of the compost container or wastebasket and out comes the crud.

juniork...you misunderstood me...it always stays open when I want it open and it always stays closed when I want it closed.

Additionally, it doesn't leak! When I fill the sink with water, the water doesn't gradually leak out...the seal on the basket is very good.

I don't think the question about how to take it out was addressed to me, but if it was, all you do is pick it up...it lifts right out.

I haven't used a "mesh" strainer, but based on my experiences with other mesh items, I would think the mesh would clog up pretty easily and quickly and would be difficult to clean if the "stuff" wasn't very moist and very pliable. My experience with, for example, a mesh colander is that the pasta gets stuck in the mesh and, if it dries, it's tough to get out of the openings. You have to soak it or run it through the DW (and even that doesn't always get it all out.)

Does the Kohler strainer work on pretty much any standard sink? I have an Elkay. I thought the basket in my former sink didn't work (ex, shut tight when draining macaroni, wouldn't seal when filling sink) because it was 50 years old. I don't know if I'm happy to find I wasn't alone in this problem or sorry to find that my new sink will probably have the same problem.

I am happy to find out about the Duostrainer, except that I thought I was done making kitchen decisions! Will I ever be done, do you think? Will any of us? Is that too existential a question for Friday at cocktail hour?

The cleaning issue on the mesh strainers may also come back around to the disposal issue...we don't have one, so running water over the strainer to rinse it doesn't work in our case (though I've been known to do it in a pinch if it's sauce or something that really isn't shake-off-able). I can definitely see that any strainer cleaning would be much easier with a disposal (but then you probably wouldn't need a strainer as much?)

Don't know about the Duostrainer fitting other sinks, though it's promising that it worked with buehl's. Our setup is all Kohler, mostly b/c I read some reports of people having issues using other drains on the Kohler cast iron sinks, and figured if I was getting the Kohler drain I should just get the whole shebang...got grief from my husband about this for the cost (I had no idea what that stuff was supposed to cost, and it wasn't crazy expensive---maybe $100 for the drain/strainer/p-trap/cutting board, on top of $300 for the sink?---but I gather you can get drains and pipes at the hardware store for far less). Our plumber laughed at me and said basically no one buys the Kohler parts other than the sink, but he was then quite impressed by the quality of the parts when he got them out to install (apparently we have the nicest P-trap around, who knew), so I didn't feel too badly about it! As a system the drain + strainer works beautifully but don't know how it would work with other sinks.

thanks everyone- there are some great ideas in this thread! Appreciate your replies.

We bought the tailpiece + strainer basket assembly (K-8801). It works fine on our Ticor. Whether the basket alone (K-8803) would work another tailpiece assembly, I don't know. It might be worth a shot, though, if you're having problems with others.

Before I had these, none of my strainers ever seemed to last much past a few months b/f they started leaking and most had holes that were so big they let just about everything through!

If we ever do another sink, I will again get the Kohler Duostrainer for it.

Get the Duostrainer. They're awesome. They also fit in any standard size kitchen sink.

I suggest buying 2 of whatever and throwing them in the dishwasher. Took care of one of my least-favorite tasks.