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A chinois ( , , ), also known as a bouillon strainer, is a conical
A similarly shaped utensil is the China cap (also named for its resemblance to Asian conical hats). It is a perforated metal conical strainer with much larger holes than a chinois. A China cap is used to remove seeds and other coarse matter from soft foods, but produces a coarser-textured product than the chinois.
Both the chinois and the China cap often are used with a cone-shaped
A chinois ( , , ), also known as a bouillon strainer, is a conical sieve
A sieve (), fine mesh strainer, or sift is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet m ...
with an extremely fine mesh. It is used to strain custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...
s, purees, soups, and sauce
In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi- solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavour, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...
s, producing a very smooth texture. It can also be used to dust food with a fine layer of powdered ingredient.
Etymology
''Chinois'' is aloanword
A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing. Borrowing is a metaphorical term t ...
from the French adjective meaning ' Chinese'. French cooks call it this not because this kitchen tool comes from China but because it resembles an Asian conical hat.
Comparison with the China Cap
A similarly shaped utensil is the China cap (also named for its resemblance to Asian conical hats). It is a perforated metal conical strainer with much larger holes than a chinois. A China cap is used to remove seeds and other coarse matter from soft foods, but produces a coarser-textured product than the chinois.
Both the chinois and the China cap often are used with a cone-shaped pestle
A mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used to prepare ingredients or substances by compression (physics), crushing and shear force, grinding them into a fine Paste (rheology), paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. ...
. With the pestle tip placed in the bottom of the strainer, it is rolled against the sides of the device to work liquids and soft food through it. In this way, the chinois functions much like a tamis and the China cap, a food mill
A food mill (also called passatutto, purée sieve, moulinette, mouli légumes, passe-vite, or triturator) is a food preparation utensil for wikt:Mash, mashing and sieve, sieving soft foods invented in Brussels in 1928 by Victor Simon. Typicall ...
. A small ladle is also sometimes used instead of a pestle. This allows the user to scoop solids from the sides of the strainer as well as pressing liquid through the mesh.
See also
* *Colander
A colander (or cullender) is a kitchen utensil perforated with holes used to strain foods such as pasta or to rinse vegetables. The perforations of the colander allow liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside. It is sometimes ca ...
* Filter
* Sieve
A sieve (), fine mesh strainer, or sift is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet m ...
* Tamis
* Zaru
A is generally a flat or shallow basket made from bamboo used in the preparation and presentation of Cuisine of Japan, Japanese cuisine. It also has variations made of plastic or metal similar to a strainer, sieve or colander.
''Zaru'' are air ...
References
External links
* Food preparation utensils Bartending equipment {{bartending-stub