We analysed the Amazon.co.uk subcategory Skimmers and kept only products with at least 200 reviews and 4.3 stars. Ranked by estimated monthly revenue, the same YFWOOD wire spider takes ranks 1, 4 and 5 in 14, 16 and 20 cm — which tells you the buying decision in this category is a size decision.
The revenue leader and the smallest of three YFWOOD sizes: a 14 cm wire net on a 39 cm handle, at £8.49.
Check the price on AmazonThe revenue leader and the smallest of three YFWOOD sizes: a 14 cm wire net on a 39 cm handle, at £8.49.
Not a skimmer but a seven-piece utensil set that happens to include one, at £16.14 — and its 8,137 reviews cover the whole set, not the skimmer.
The most expensive listing here at £17.99, but the price covers two skimmers — around £9 each, in line with the singles above it.
The middle size of the same spider as rank 1: 16 cm across on a 41.3 cm handle, for 43p more.
The 20 cm version at £10.19 — a wide net for lifting a whole batch out at once, and too wide for a small saucepan.
A slotted spoon rather than an open wire net — it drains more slowly but will not let small things such as gnocchi slip through.
The same 14 cm net size as the category leader but on a wooden handle — cooler to hold over a fryer, and not one for the dishwasher.
Joint cheapest here at £6.79 alongside rank 9, and a slotted design meant for scooping tomatoes and pasta rather than draining oil.
The only fine-mesh model in this top ten: close weave for skimming fat and crumbs off oil, where an open spider lets both through.
The smallest net in the ranking at 13 cm and the lowest revenue of the ten, priced at £7.99 after a 20% drop.
| Product | Score | Stars | Reviews | Feature | Material | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. YFWOOD Wire Spider Skimmer, 14 cm Best seller YFWOOD · YFWOOD |
9.3 | 4.7 ★ | 3,057 | 14 cm · 39 cm long | Stainless steel | £8.49 | Amazon › |
| 02. Berglander 7-Piece Utensil Set with Stand Top rated Berglander · Berglander |
9.4 | 4.6 ★ | 8,137 | 7-piece set · stand | Stainless steel | £16.14 | Amazon › |
| 03. BUNDLEPRO Wire Skimmer Ladle, 2-pack BUNDLEPRO · BUNDLEPRO |
9.0 | 4.7 ★ | 1,304 | 2-pack · long handle | Stainless steel | £17.99 | Amazon › |
| 04. YFWOOD Wire Spider Skimmer, 16 cm YFWOOD · YFWOOD |
9.3 | 4.7 ★ | 3,051 | 16 cm · 41 cm long | Stainless steel | £8.92 | Amazon › |
| 05. YFWOOD Wire Spider Skimmer, 20 cm YFWOOD · YFWOOD |
9.3 | 4.7 ★ | 3,057 | 20 cm · 45 cm long | Stainless steel | £10.19 | Amazon › |
| 06. ReaNea Slotted Skimmer Ladle ReaNea · ReaNea |
8.6 | 4.7 ★ | 304 | slotted · stainless | Stainless steel | £7.28 | Amazon › |
| 07. AOOSY Spider Strainer with Wood Handle, 14 cm AOOSY · AOOSY |
8.9 | 4.6 ★ | 1,231 | 14 cm · wood handle | Stainless steel | £7.99 | Amazon › |
| 08. Kyraton Slotted Skimmer Spoon Lowest price Kyraton · Kyraton |
8.8 | 4.6 ★ | 956 | slotted · spider | Stainless steel | £6.79 | Amazon › |
| 09. CNOMG Fine Mesh Skimmer, Oil Strainer cnomg · cnomg |
8.3 | 4.4 ★ | 503 | fine mesh · oil | Stainless steel | £6.79 | Amazon › |
| 10. TIJAR Wire Skimmer Spoon, 13 cm TIJAR · TIJAR |
8.5 | 4.6 ★ | 316 | 13 cm · mesh filter | Stainless steel | £7.99 | Amazon › |
This category lives on one number. The spiders here run 13, 14, 16 and 20 cm, and the net has to fit inside the pot with room to tilt — a 20 cm net in a 20 cm pan is useless. For a standard 24 cm pasta pot, 14 to 16 cm is the workable range.
An open spider drains fast and lifts dumplings, gnocchi and blanched vegetables. A fine mesh catches crumbs and fat off frying oil but clogs and drains slowly. Only one product here is a genuine fine mesh, and it is sold as an oil strainer for exactly that reason.
A skimmer goes into the pot and lifts solids out of hot liquid, one scoop at a time. A sieve sits over a bowl or the sink and you pour into it. If you want to drain a whole pan at once, you want a sieve or a colander, not anything on this page.
Total lengths here run from 39 to 45 cm, and that is the distance between your hand and boiling oil. Steel handles take any heat and go in the dishwasher; the wooden handle in this list stays cooler to hold but should be washed by hand.
Three entries here are slotted spoons rather than wire nets. A slotted bowl holds small or soft items that would fall through a spider, but drains far more slowly — which matters when the food carries on cooking in the oil it is holding.
On cheap spiders the wire net is crimped into a hollow handle, and that seam traps water and oil. A welded or riveted joint costs a little more and is the part that decides whether the tool still looks clean after a year of deep frying.
Measure the pot you use most and stay well inside it. For a standard pasta pot or a wok, 14 to 16 cm is the practical size and covers most of what a home cook lifts out of liquid. The 20 cm net is for batch frying in a large pan, and it is awkward in anything smaller.
They are the same YFWOOD spider in 14, 16 and 20 cm, listed as three separate products with three separate ASINs and near-identical review counts. Amazon treats each size as its own listing, so all three earn their own place in a revenue ranking.
They are not substitutes. A sieve drains a whole pan once, after cooking. A skimmer lifts things out while the pot stays on the heat — dumplings as they float, chips in batches, a poached egg without breaking it. If you deep fry or cook in batches, that is the difference.
The products are ordered by estimated monthly revenue per ASIN, not by star rating and not by bestseller rank. Only products with at least 200 reviews and an average of 4.3 stars were included. Note that one entry is a seven-piece utensil set that merely contains a skimmer, and one is a two-pack — the price shown is for the whole package in both cases.
The score is not our own hands-on test. It is calculated transparently from public Amazon data: 75% from the average star rating and 25% from the number of reviews, weighted logarithmically. The ranking order itself comes from estimated monthly revenue per ASIN. Prices, ratings and review counts were retrieved from Amazon.co.uk on 22 July 2026 and can change at any time.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. All links are affiliate links. Prices are snapshots taken on 22 July 2026; the current price is shown live on Amazon. Product images and details come from Amazon or the manufacturers.