What is the sieve you are using?

@Chris or @Grant or other ChefStep person can you tell me what is the sieve you are using in the videos? I have a fine mesh Chinois but it is not good for pressing food through since it is (obviously) the wrong shape. I have several different sizes of mesh china caps but either the mesh is too big (kind of like the typical sifter size) or they are too small. What would you recommend of the variety you are using. If I wanted buy something very good, would you encourage spending the money for a scientific (brass) sieve? What number/size would you recommend? Thanks.

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Chris_Young_80640

Merridith — We use several lab-style sieves, also called test sieves. For example:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LZ4YYI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004LZ4YYI&linkCode=as2&tag=delvkitc-20

Chris

pgcath

I use the stainless sieves. Should I go brass?

MC@Home really helps on the sieve selecting front.

Chris_Young_80640

Stainless steel is nicer, but if you're price sensitive brass is cheaper.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I bought these not too long ago and have been happy with them so far.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00584BCXC/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

pgcath

Thanks, Chris! My gifting of a brass sieve makes a bit more sense, in retrospect.

merridith

@Chris, MC recommends a #35 brass test sieve - on Amazon it costs $97 which to my mind is a lot of money for such a thing. You are recommending a much finer #80 - is that what you use for pureed vegetables and fruits? Also, I think the brass is far more expensive then the stainless steel - at least in so far as the things you see on Amazon.

@Brendan what are the mesh sizes on those Matfer sieves?

Thanks everybody!

Brendan_Lee_56950

they're small enough to strain out an herb puree. I would describe them as a perfect sized mesh to sift flour and other fine powders. They are rated at #20 size which I think means 20 wires per inch.

merridith

@Brendan are you telling me that all three in the set have the same sized mesh? BTW, I think that the # of the sieve refers to the percentage of open space in the mesh weave - the higher the number the tighter the mesh. I would happily be corrected on this though. I want to be able to sift nut flours for cake and macarons and to smooth out purees.

Brendan_Lee_56950

Yes all three are the same sized mesh, just come with different diameters to fit different bowl sizes. Yes, higher number tighter mesh because that would mean more wires per inch. So a #20 vs. #30 would be 20/inch vs 30/inch

Brendan_Lee_56950

Turns out mesh measurement is a hot topic between the different industries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_(scale)

merridith

LOL - way too geeky for me. That wiki article is way more than my little brain can take!

pgcath

Meredith... I don't have my copy of MC@H at the moment which laid out sieves in the best way to me. But I do have the sieves to hand. I think I am in line with MC#H in their recommendation for a No. 20, a No. 50, and a No. 200. Someone here will correct me, but 20 is like a flour sieve, 50 takes lumps our of purees, and 200 does magical things like really uber-easy clarified butter. Quick clarified stock? Awww yeah.

I do have Superbags, but don't like them quite as well. That being said, they go with me on cooking trips, and the sieves stay home.

My sieves are from Advantech via Amazon. I have an oddball No 25 from Cole Palmer, also via Amazon.

What am I missing?

pgcath

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LZ4Q78/ is No. 20.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LZ4WU4/ is No. 50.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LZ4POM is No 200.

Hope this helps, and hope someone else has more info...

Matthew_Snyder_68770

pgcath , that's an interesting comment about the Superbags, as I've been considering buying a couple. What is it that you don't like about them?

Brendan_Lee_56950

They're a pain in the ass to clean but handy.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@pgcath - those look nice, thanks!

Tim_Sutherland_52834

I have No 60 (250 micron), No 120 (125 micron) and No 200 (75 micron) 12" stainless steel sieves from http://www.affordablesieves.com.  If you go the test/lab sieve route get that solid base that goes with it - it makes life much easier when pushing stuff through. For me a 12" sieve is the smallest diameter I would go. You need working space when using a plastic bowl scrapper to force the product through a fine sieve. My meaty paws in an 8" sieve don't leave much space.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Good point @Tim, didn't even think about that.

Chris_Young_80640

I'll second @Tim's post. Those would be the sieves I would buy to have a well-stocked selection of fine sieves. These are really great tools, we use ours constantly. I'll point out that you can by what's usually called a bottom pan that the sieves are designed to nest on, rather than trying to balance them over a bowl. This makes it much easier to work clean.

Mike_Minh_Truong_54120

@Tim

Looks like you've been using these sieves for a while.

Im still trying to understand the function of sieves in relation to chinois. They both seem to function similarly but with obviously different shapes.The sieves seems to be a better choice since you have the option to choose different levels of # mesh. Would you recommend buying both a sieve and chinois? or just buy one or the other? If I should buy both.. can you give me a good example of what a chinois can achieve which a sieve cannot? Vice versa.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

@Mike the lab sieves I have only been using for 6 weeks or so, but I have used a tamis for many years. I have at least 12 sieves of various sizes and shapes, including a chinois. If I could only have a limited number of sieves it would be the three lab sieves with the solid base and a cheap 8" supermarket sieve. The cheap sieve I use for sifting flour/dry goods; straining large solids from liquids; agar clarifying liquids; thaw clarifying liquids; cheese (paneer) mold; amongst other things. The cheap sieve is great as it is cheap, the bowl shape allows you to stain into containers with 12"+ openings down to less than 2" (use something to hold the handle up), you can fill the bowl full of liquid and come back once gravity has done its work, line the bowl with cheese cloth/coffee filter/paper for a finer mesh and/or defat a liquid. You can use a chinois to do the same thing but for the price you buy a chinois for you can get five supermarket sieves.

The only thing the cheap supermarket sieve is not that good for is forcing a puree through. You can do it but you can only work a small area at a time and I'm scared I'll pull the screen out. The flat lab/drum sieves are great for pushing a puree through. You have enough room to quickly work the product through and the flat under surface makes it easy to recover the product to ensure a high yield.

carolmelancon

I tried to clarify a chicken stock with my #200 sieve (as mentioned by pgcath and recommended by MC@H), but it didn't work, to my great disappointment. The stock was so gelatinous, that by the time I was able to strain it, I had to reheat it. I've since purchased a #325, but haven't had the opportunity to test it. Was the reheating the problem? I'm afraid that it would have resembled the pitch drop experiment if I hadn't.

Brendan_Lee_56950

Did you force the stock through the sieve? A lot of agitation like that could definitely make it cloudy. Reheating could be the problem if, in the process, you mixed up all of the particulate again. Maybe take the agar clarification approach, if you don't have time to do it immediately, freeze it and then put the frozen block in the sieve and allow it to thaw and strain/clarify that way.

carolmelancon

@Brendan Lee - Thanks for the tips.

Martyn_Haigh_45109

Hey guys,

Was wondering if anyone knew of somewhere in the UK where I could get these sieves? I've been looking but Amazon don't stock them and I can't find anything else which looks appropriate.

Manfred_18311

@Martyn_Haigh Try http://www.endecotts.com/products/sieves.aspx , or just google for "test sieve UK"

A common “Tool” in the field of geology and construction, therefore a rather sustained stability can be expected..

For those who want/need the science behind sieving:

http://www.endecotts.com/media/123957/test%20sieving%20manual_new%20doc%20_2_.doc.pdf

Martyn_Haigh_45109

Thanks @Manfred. Looking at http://www.endecotts.com/products/sieves/test-sieves.aspx (the UK tab) - what aperture size correlates to a #200 or a #100 sieve?

Manfred_18311

I am working in µm (microns) “#” refers to No. (number) No. 200 = 74µm = 0,074mm/ 0.0029in.

http://delloyd.50megs.com/moreinfo/mesh.html

Hope this helps.

Martyn_Haigh_45109

Hey guys - I sent out a few emails to various manufacturers of lab sieves in the UK, only one has got back to me so far (endecotts.com) who said this when asked about their 200, 125 and 75 micron sieves for use in cooking:

Our

lab sieves would certainly do the job, although a 75um sieve is quite

fine and would be too fine to force through material without damaging

it.

The

other issue is the material that we use. Our sieves are not food grade

as there are certain materials used (lead solder for instance). We can

make them without solder or with pure tin solder but the existence of

unknown metals still exists.

I obviously don't want lead in my food, so would go down the tin solder route, but are his thoughts on the 75 micron sieve justified? Can anyone help on my quest to buy a lab sieve in the UK?

Also Thanks @Manfred - that last link was helpful

Ben_Johnson_34605

A 75µm is a very fine mesh. It correlates to a #200 sieve. We for example pass most of our purees through #50 sieve which correlates to a 300µm mesh size. 75µm works well for things like stocks and juice as long as there isn't a lot of particulate in them.