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Conical strainers and chinois force liquid through a very fine mesh into a narrow stream, taking out the fibre, seed fragments and protein that make a sauce look cloudy on the plate. A chinois is the finest of them, used in a sauce section to finish sauces and to strain stock.
The two things to compare are the mesh and the frame. A fine chinois strainer earns its keep only if the mesh is genuinely fine and evenly woven, and only if the frame is rigid enough that pressing with a ladle does not distort it. A conical sieve with a loose mesh is a coarse strainer that happens to be cone-shaped.
They are the fine end of the commercial strainers range, used with sauce pans, stock pots and ladles and over mixing bowls.
Costing out a sauce section? The price guide is where to compare the cone sizes against the pots and ladles that work with them.
These are the top FAQs for Conical Strainers and Chinois
What is the difference between a chinois and a china cap?
Mesh. A chinois is woven fine mesh for clarity; a china cap is a perforated metal cone with punched holes, for straining bulk out of stock. They look similar and do different jobs.
If your sauce still looks cloudy after straining, you were probably using a china cap. The wider commercial strainers range covers the coarse perforated cones.
Do I need a pestle or ladle to use one?
You need something to press with, and the shape matters. A conical wooden or stainless pestle matches the cone and pushes product down the wall; a ladle back works but reaches less of the mesh.
Press, do not grind — grinding forces fibre through and defeats the point. A ladle is the usual everyday substitute.
How do I keep the mesh from clogging mid-service?
Strain in stages and keep the volume moving. A cone loaded to the brim clogs in the bottom third, and from then on you are pressing against a plug rather than straining.
Take out the heavy solids first with a coarse strainer or colander, then finish through the chinois. Rinse between batches.
Can a chinois be washed in a dishwasher?
It can, but fine mesh is the part of a strainer most easily damaged by high-pressure jets and heavy loading. Hand washing a chinois is the safer habit and takes less time than replacing one.
Rinse from the outside in straight after use so nothing dries in the weave. A soft brush does more than a scourer, which flattens the mesh.
How should a chinois be stored?
Hanging by the hook, with nothing resting against the cone. The mesh is unsupported along most of its length, so anything stacked on it leaves a permanent dent that shows up as an uneven stream next service.
Give it a dedicated hook rather than the general utensil rail. The kitchen wall shelves range covers the mounting options.
What size should I buy?
Match it to your usual batch and your usual receiving vessel. A cone too large to sit in a bowl has to be held, and a cone too small means straining the same batch four times.
The stated diameter and depth are on the product page specifications. Most sauce sections run one mid-size cone for everything and a small one for single-portion work.
When is it worn out?
When the mesh is torn, lifting away from the frame, or so stretched that the stream is no longer even. A torn fine mesh is a contamination risk, not a cosmetic issue.
Replace the whole tool rather than trying to repair mesh. Keep a spare if your menu depends on strained sauces every service.
