Last Updated on April 4, 2024
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Aldi often sells products such as home decor or kitchen goods that look like designer brands from more expensive retailers. I’ve seen Aldi sell cast iron bread ovens that look like dupes of name-brand Le Creuset bread ovens. Aldi has also sold baskets and other home goods, including sculpted reindeer figures during the holidays, that look like knockoffs of pricy Pottery Barn decorations.
This spring, Aldi introduced square ceramic colanders that look just like some that Crate & Barrel sells. These are not your typical circular colanders used for draining pasta. Instead, these colanders are shown holding fruits and veggies.
Crate & Barrel states their porcelain colanders are “the classic farmers market berry box reimagined,” and that their berry boxes or berry baskets, as they call them, are great for rinsing berries. They also offer air circulation when you’re storing produce either on the counter or in the fridge. Besides berry storage, I’ve seen people talk about how these types of containers are good for storing cherry or grape tomatoes on the kitchen counter, or they can be used as a sink caddy to hold sponges and drain stoppers.
Two-pack of small colanders on the left, one large colander on the right.
Crofton Ceramic Colanders (Product Code: 711294) are Aldi Finds, which means they’re in stores for a short time only. These were scheduled to arrive in stores on April 3rd, 2024. Each store gets a single shipment, and once that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back later. Aldi does not offer online ordering for these if they’re out of stock at your area store.
Crofton Ceramic Colanders cost $6.99 at the time of publication. For that price, you can choose either one large colander or a two-pack of small colanders.
For comparison, the Crate & Barrel Berry Boxes cost $8.95 for a 5-inch-wide box and $19.95 for an extra large 19-inch-wide box. I found similar stoneware berry colanders on Amazon that cost around $30 for a set of four baskets that are about 4 inches wide.
Small colanders on the left, large colander on the right.
Some of the Aldi colanders are solid colored and come in white or blue. Others feature pretty strawberry or blueberry prints. I bought one large strawberry print colander and a set of two small solid blue colanders. I chose a solid color for the small colanders because I intend to mostly store grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes in those. I’ll use the large colander for storing fruit like apples, oranges, and grapefruit.
The large colanders are quite big and can hold a lot of fruit. When I initially bought these, I fit eight grapefruit into the large colander. On the other hand, one of the smaller colanders can hold a pack or less of grape tomatoes. The dimensions listed on the packaging for the colanders seem slightly off. The packages state the large colander measures 8″ x 8.5″ and stands 4.75″ tall and the small colanders measure 4.25″ x 4″ and stand 2.8″ tall. However, when I measured these at home, the large colander is about 8″ x 8.75″ and stands a hair under 5″ tall, and the small colanders are about 4″ by a hair under 4.25″ and barely 2.75″ tall.
Fine print on the package of small colanders. (Click to enlarge.)
Here’s more information about the colanders according to their packaging:
- Perfect for fridge organizing
- Easily wipe clean
- Dishwasher safe
- Freezer safe
View from the top.
These colanders are sold under the Crofton brand. There is not a company called Crofton. Instead, this is the private label Aldi uses for various kitchen products, which it sources from a variety of suppliers.
Filled with grape tomatoes and grapefruit.
I’m not sure if it’s a flaw or intentional design, but the bottom interior section of the large colander doesn’t have the same type of smooth glaze as the rest of the colanders’ surfaces. It feels sort of half glazed, half unfinished. I don’t expect it to be a problem, though.
These look great on my kitchen counter and they do what I need them to do, namely storing my fresh fruits and veggies. They’re very pretty, and I hope they last for years to come.
The Verdict:
Crofton Ceramic Colanders feature pretty berry prints or solid colors and are sold in large and two-pack small sizes. These are good for storing fruit, veggies, or even kitchen sponges, or whatever else you need to store in your kitchen. They’re pretty enough to sit on your counter, but they can also go in the fridge or freezer, and they’re dishwasher safe. We’re glad we decided to pick up a few of these.
