Chinois

A kitchen utensil, similar to a sieve, which is used to filter ingredients and separate undesired items such as seeds, skins, or lumpy particles in order to create a very clear liquid. Stocks, sauces, purees, vegetable juices, fruit juices, jams, and fruit butters are all similar foods that can be strained with a Chinois to create a clearer liquid. The Chinois may have a fine steel mesh as the strainer material or a steel cone perforated with many tiny holes. The mesh will strain out the smallest of impurities while the Chinois with perforated holes allows more impurities to enter the liquid being strained. A beech wood or maple pestle is often provided with the Chinois to assist with pressing the ingredients into the cone strainer in order to push the materials through the meshing or perforated holes.