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A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for
separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the
particle size
Particle size is a notion introduced for comparing dimensions of solid particles ('' flecks''), liquid particles (''droplets''), or gaseous particles ('' bubbles''). The notion of particle size applies to particles in colloids, in ecology, in gr ...
distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a
woven
Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics are often created on a loom, and made of many threads woven on a warp and a weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to on ...
mesh
A mesh is a barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. A mesh is similar to a web or a net in that it has many attached or woven strands.
Types
* A plastic mesh may be extruded, oriented, ex ...
or
net
Net or net may refer to:
Mathematics and physics
* Net (mathematics), a filter-like topological generalization of a sequence
* Net, a linear system of divisors of dimension 2
* Net (polyhedron), an arrangement of polygons that can be folded up ...
or
perforated
A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...
sheet material. The word ''sift'' derives from ''sieve''.
In cooking, a sifter is used to separate and break up clumps in dry ingredients such as
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
, as well as to aerate and combine them. A strainer (see
Colander
A colander (or cullender) is a kitchen utensil used to strain foods such as pasta or to rinse vegetables. The perforated nature of the colander allows liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside. It is sometimes also called a past ...
), meanwhile, is a form of sieve used to separate
suspended solids
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural ri ...
from a liquid by
filtration
Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter ...
.
Industrial strainer
Some industrial strainers available are
simplex basket strainers,
duplex basket strainers,
T-strainers and
Y-strainers. Simple basket strainers are used to protect valuable or sensitive equipment in systems that are meant to be shut down temporarily. Some commonly used strainers are
bell mouth strainer
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
s,
foot valve strainer
The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...
s, basket strainers. Most processing industries (mainly pharmaceutical, coatings and liquid food industries) will opt for a self-cleaning strainer instead of a basket strainer or a simplex strainer due to limitations of simple filtration systems. The self-cleaning strainers or filters are more efficient and provide an automatic filtration solution.
Sieving
Sieving is a simple technique for separating particles of different sizes. A sieve such as used for sifting flour has very small holes. Coarse particles are separated or broken up by grinding against one another and the screen openings. Depending upon the types of particles to be separated, sieves with different types of holes are used. Sieves are also used to separate stones from sand. Sieving plays an important role in food industries where sieves (often vibrating) are used to prevent the contamination of the product by foreign bodies. The design of the industrial sieve is of primary importance here.
Triage
In medicine, triage () is a practice invoked when acute care cannot be provided for lack of resources. The process rations care towards those who are most in need of immediate care, and who benefit most from it. More generally it refers to prio ...
sieving refers to grouping people according to their severity of injury.
Wooden sieves
The mesh in a wooden sieve might be made from wood or
wicker
Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...
. Use of wood to avoid contamination is important when the sieve is used for sampling. Henry Stephens, in his ''Book of the Farm'', advised that the
withe
Withe is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Chris Withe (born 1962), English footballer
*Jason Withe (born 1971), English footballer and manager
*Peter Withe
Peter Withe (born 30 August 1951) is an English former football m ...
s of a wooden
riddle
A riddle is a statement, question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that requir ...
or sieve be made from
fir
Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...
or
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
with
American elm
''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...
being best. The rims would be made of fir,
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
or, especially,
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
.
US standard test sieve series
A
sieve analysis
A sieve analysis (or gradation test) is a practice or procedure used in civil engineering and chemical engineering to assess the particle size distribution (also called ''gradation'') of a granular material by allowing the material to pass through ...
(or gradation test) is a practice or procedure used (commonly used in
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
or
sedimentology
Sedimentology encompasses the study of modern sediments such as sand, silt, and clay, and the processes that result in their formation (erosion and weathering), transport, deposition and diagenesis. Sedimentologists apply their understanding of mo ...
) to assess the particle size distribution (also called gradation) of a granular material. Sieve sizes used in combinations of four to eight sieves.
Other types
*
Chinois
A chinois (; ) is a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh. It is used to strain custards, purees, soups, and sauces, producing a very smooth texture. It can also be used to dust food with a fine layer of powdered ingredient.
Etymology
' ...
, or conical sieve used as a strainer, also sometimes used like a
food mill
A food mill (also called passatutto, purée sieve, moulinette, mouli légumes, or passe-vite) is a food preparation utensil for mashing and sieving soft foods invented in Brussels in 1928 by Victor Simon. Typically, a food mill consists of th ...
*
Cocktail strainer
A cocktail strainer is a metal bar accessory used to remove ice from a mixed drink as it is poured into the serving glass. A type of sieve, the strainer is placed over the mouth of the glass or shaker in which the beverage was prepared; small ...
, a bar accessory
*
Colander
A colander (or cullender) is a kitchen utensil used to strain foods such as pasta or to rinse vegetables. The perforated nature of the colander allows liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside. It is sometimes also called a past ...
, a (typically) bowl-shaped sieve used as a strainer in cooking
* Flour sifter or bolter, used in flour production and baking
* Graduated sieves, used to separate varying small sizes of material, often soil, rock or minerals
*
Mesh
A mesh is a barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible or ductile materials. A mesh is similar to a web or a net in that it has many attached or woven strands.
Types
* A plastic mesh may be extruded, oriented, ex ...
strainer, or just "strainer", usually consisting of a fine metal mesh screen on a metal frame
** Laundry strainer, to drain boiling water from laundry removed from a
Wash copper
A wash copper, copper boiler or simply copper is a wash house boiler, generally made of galvanised iron, though the best sorts are made of copper. In the inter-war years they came in two types. The first is built into a brickwork furnace and was fo ...
, usually with a wooden frame to facilitate manual handling with hot contents
*
*
Riddle
A riddle is a statement, question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that requir ...
, used for soil
*
Spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
, used in Chinese cooking
*
Tamis
A tamis (pronounced "tammy", also known as a drum sieve, or chalni in Indian cooking) is a kitchen utensil, shaped somewhat like a snare drum, that acts as a strainer, grater, or food mill. A tamis has a cylindrical edge, made of metal or wo ...
, also known as a drum sieve
*
Tea strainer
A tea strainer is a type of strainer that is placed over or in a teacup to catch loose tea leaves.
When tea is brewed in the traditional manner in a teapot, the tea leaves are not contained in teabags; rather, they are freely suspended in the ...
, specifically intended for use when making tea
* ''
Zaru
A is generally a flat or shallow basket made from bamboo used in the preparation and presentation of Japanese cuisine. It also has variations made of plastic or metal similar to a strainer, sieve or colander.
''Zaru'' are air dried after use ...
'', or bamboo sieve, used in Japanese cooking
;Other uses
* "Sieve" is a common term used in
trash-talk
Trash talk is a form of insult usually found in sports events, although it is not exclusive to sports or similarly characterized events. It is often used to intimidate the opposition and/or make them less confident in their abilities as to win ...
referring to a
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
in
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
who lets in too many goals
See also
*
Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking.
Grades
Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the numbe ...
*
Chinois
A chinois (; ) is a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh. It is used to strain custards, purees, soups, and sauces, producing a very smooth texture. It can also be used to dust food with a fine layer of powdered ingredient.
Etymology
' ...
*
Filtration
Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter ...
*
Cloth filter
A cloth filter is a simple and cost-effective appropriate technology method for reducing the contamination of drinking water, developed for use mainly in Bangladesh. Water collected in this way has a greatly reduced pathogen count. Though not al ...
*
Water filter
A water filter removes impurities by lowering contamination of water using a fine physical barrier, a chemical process, or a biological process. Filters cleanse water to different extents, for purposes such as: providing agricultural irrigation ...
*
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply ''panning'', is a form of placer mining and traditional mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts especi ...
*
Gyratory equipment
*
Mechanical screening
Mechanical screening, often just called screening, is the practice of taking Granule (geology), granulated or crushed ore material and separating it into multiple Ore grade, grades by particle size.
This practice occurs in a variety of industries ...
*
Mesh (scale)
Mesh is a measurement of particle size often used in determining the particle-size distribution of a granular material. For example, a sample from a truckload of peanuts may be placed atop a mesh with 5 mm openings. When the mesh is shaken ...
*
Molecular sieve
A molecular sieve is a material with pores (very small holes) of uniform size. These pore diameters are similar in size to small molecules, and thus large molecules cannot enter or be adsorbed, while smaller molecules can. As a mixture of molecu ...
*
Separation process
A separation process is a method that converts a mixture or a solution (chemistry), solution of chemical substances into two or more distinct product mixtures, a scientific process of separating two or more substance in order to obtain purity. At ...
*
Sieve analysis
A sieve analysis (or gradation test) is a practice or procedure used in civil engineering and chemical engineering to assess the particle size distribution (also called ''gradation'') of a granular material by allowing the material to pass through ...
*
Soil gradation
Soil gradation is a classification of a coarse-grained soil that ranks the soil based on the different particle sizes contained in the soil.Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), ''An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering'', Prentice-Hall, Inc. Soi ...
*
Zaru
A is generally a flat or shallow basket made from bamboo used in the preparation and presentation of Japanese cuisine. It also has variations made of plastic or metal similar to a strainer, sieve or colander.
''Zaru'' are air dried after use ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Cookware and bakeware
Material-handling equipment
Solid-solid separation