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A commercial strainer separates solids from liquid: stock off the bones, seeds out of a sauce, water off blanched vegetables. It gets used on every section in the kitchen, so the range covers sieves, chinois, conical strainers, mesh skimmers, spiders and stock strainers, and you can start with the sections that need covering now and add more as your business grows.
Mesh is the first decision. A coarse mesh passes solids you wanted to catch; a very fine mesh clogs and slows service. A commercial food strainer for stock wants a different mesh from one finishing a sauce, and most kitchens need at least two.
Strainers sit beside colanders and conical strainers and chinois, and are used with stock pots, sauce pans and mixing bowls.
Deciding how coarse and how fine to go? The price guide puts the mesh grades and frame sizes next to each other.
These are the top FAQs for Commercial Strainers
What is the difference between a strainer, a sieve and a colander?
A colander has holes and drains bulk — pasta, washed vegetables, anything where you want speed, not fineness. A sieve or strainer has woven mesh and catches much smaller particles.
The practical rule is bulk versus refinement. Use the colanders range for draining and a mesh strainer for anything you want clear.
How fine a mesh do I need?
Coarse for stock and bones, medium for general straining and dusting, fine for anything that has to look clear on the plate. Buying only fine mesh is the common error, because it clogs on anything with body.
If your menu has one dish where clarity really matters, buy a dedicated fine strainer for it and keep the general one general. The conical strainers and chinois range is the fine end.
Conical or round?
Conical concentrates the flow into a narrow stream, which is what you want pouring into a container or a squeeze bottle, and the shape lets you press solids against the wall. Round bowl sieves sit flat on a container and are better for sifting and for working a lot of product.
Most sections carry one of each. A conical strainer over a sauce bottle or a jug is a cleaner pour than a round sieve.
What should the frame and hook be like?
Strong enough to take the weight of a full pot and shaped to hook securely over the pot rim so it does not need holding. A frame that flexes lets the mesh distort and pull away from the rim, which is where strainers fail.
Check the hook or ear against the pots you actually use. A strainer that does not sit on your stock pots ends up being held, which is how burns happen.
How do I clean a clogged mesh strainer?
Rinse from the back immediately after use, while the residue is still soft. Anything left to dry in the mesh has to be soaked, and scrubbing a dried mesh from the front just pushes the solids further in.
Soak in hot soapy water, then brush from the outside in. A soft brush from the mops and brushes range works better than a scourer, which deforms the mesh.
Can strainers go in a dishwasher?
Metal-framed strainers generally do, and it is the best way to shift fat from a mesh. The limitation is that a dishwasher will not clear solids already dried into the weave, so rinse first.
Fine mesh is the exception worth caring about: high pressure can distort it. Hand wash fine chinois and let the commercial dishwasher handle the coarse ones.
How should strainers be stored?
Hanging, by the hook or handle. Mesh stacked under weight in a drawer deforms, and a deformed mesh stops sitting flush on a pot rim, which is when it starts letting solids past.
Hang them over the bench on a rail or hook. The kitchen wall shelves and undershelves ranges cover the mounting.
When does a strainer need replacing?
When the mesh is torn, pulled away from the frame, or permanently dented out of shape. A tear puts metal fragments in the food path, so it is a replace-now item rather than a wait-and-see one.
Keep a spare of the size you use every service. Mesh is the consumable part; the frame usually outlives it.
What else are commercial strainers called?
Sieves, sifters, chinois, bouillon strainers, stock strainers, skimmers and spiders all appear on listings for closely related tools. Skimmers and spiders are for lifting out of hot liquid rather than pouring through.
Compare mesh fineness and frame construction rather than the name. The kitchen utensils and kitchen tools ranges cover the lifting tools.
