This set of strainer bowls is exactly what I was looking for - I love them!We eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables in our house, so we spend a lot of time washing them before eating them. I usually use a large bowl to wash the fruits in vegetables in, then dump the contents of the bowl into a large strainer to drain the water. While this certainly works, using these strainer bowls makes the task easier and faster, and there is less damage to the fruit.USES:Now I can put three different kinds of fruits or vegetables in one of the three bowls, fill with soapy water and swish things around gently with my hand. I then just lift up the strainer out of the bowl and rinse the fruits or vegetables. You can turn the strainer 90-degrees and it sits up slightly from the inside of the bowl. This allows any excess water to drain off the fruits or vegetables into the bottom of the bowl.I've used the bowls for thawing frozen shrimp to make shrimp cocktail. I turn the strainer so it rests higher out of the bowl to allow any liquid to pool at the bottom of the bowl, away from the shrimp. This works very well.SIZES:I love that the bowls nest together for easy storage. The three sizes of bowls is also nice. The smallest bowl works very well for blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The medium size bowl works well for cherry tomatoes, radishes, grapes, and similar size fruits or vegetables. The largest size works well for plums, lemons, limes, and potatoes.MATERIAL:The plastic is a fairly thin, light-weight plastic, but the bowls serve the purpose, so I don't mind this. The plastic is not hard and brittle like some plastics, so it does feel like it will last a long time.WASHING:Personally, I wouldn't wash these bowls or strainers in the dishwasher - I think that would warp the bowls. Washing them by hand is very quick and easy, so I prefer that.COLORS:The neutral light grey and white are perfect colors for our kitchen - much better than vivid, colorful pieces.I spent a lot of time looking for just the right strainer bowls, reading lots of reviews and descriptions. I'm very glad I choose this set - they work great for our family.