This one will be short one today. This post came to mind after writing my recent pasta-cooking post where I mentioned the use of colanders to strain pasta. A colander is constantly confused with it's very similar cousin, the Sieve.
A colander looks like this:
A colander is usually a wide-brimmed, plastic of metal bowl with large round holes punched into them. It has a flat bottom and can stand up on it's own with ease.
A colander is used primarily for the use of straining water out of pasta, rice, or soups.
The commonly mistaken cousin of the colander is the Sieve. The Sieve is usually just a wire or metal basket with a handle. The metal has very fine grates or holes throughout the base used less for straining and more along the lines of finding and collecting solids.
The sieve is used to scoop out solids from soups, usually meats, vegetables, and large spices. The smaller shape is used to search smaller regions of a bowl or pot, compared to a colander which indiscriminately drains all liquids away.
This tool is useful for scooping out unwanted fats, spices, and excess ingredients as well as for making broth from thick soups.
Another alternative tool is the french Chinois.
The chinois is considered a better quality sieve, with a thinner collection area that can be used for mashing or for pastry sifting.
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