Food Strainers & Skimmers
Great for making soups and sauces or straining vegetables and pasta, food strainers and skimmers made of durable stainless steel and aluminum may have steel, aluminum, or wooden handles. They're available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes for compatibility with your cookware.
Commercial Strainers: What You Need to Know
Cooking strainers and mesh skimmers help operators separate solids from liquids during cooking. These food strainers are incredibly versatile and can be used for all types of cooking, from soups and stews to fried food and simmered vegetables. Some of our kitchen strainers are made for specific purposes, such as bouillon strainers, strainer baskets, and spaghetti strainers. Professional operators should purchase well-made commercial strainers to ensure their new product can stand up to the rigor of a busy restaurant kitchen.
Common Questions About Food Strainers
What are food strainers used for?
Cooking strainers separate solid foods from liquid ones. This function can be helpful in many different stages and styles of cooking, as a good kitchen strainer can help you rinse pasta, simmer vegetables, cook fondue, or fry chicken. Commercial strainers are made to withstand the high-volume use of a commercial kitchen; this means tougher metals and better construction than residential options.
Kitchen skimmers are used to remove debris from soup and stew; for example, a chef might use this tool to remove bay leaves or other inedible spices from a stew once it's done simmering. Other skimmers, such as a fish skimmer, are made to remove cooked food from frying oils.
Should I choose fine or coarse mesh skimmers?
Mesh strainers can be either tightly woven, with very little space between the wires, or loose, with lots of space between the wires. Depending on the type of food you'll be using your mesh strainer on, one might be more useful than the other. Fine kitchen skimmers are best for removing impurities from soups, creating that perfectly smooth tomato soup texture. Coarse mesh skimmers are better for removing large pieces of food from a broth or cooking base. If you want to strain pasta or rinse vegetables, you'll need a solid food strainer with multiple holes, rather than a wire unit.