A Fine-Mesh Strainer Is Incredibly Useful—and Our Favorite Can't Be Beat

Any baker knows a good fine-mesh strainer is the secret to successful desserts, whether you’re straining custard, smoothing out a sauce, or dusting powdered sugar. It’s also key for bread bakers: It scatters a perfectly sifted layer of flour, preventing your dough from sticking to a counter or proofing box. But wait, there’s more—you can also use one to strain aromatics from a stock, filter frying oil, or even beat your eggs through one for the silkiest French omelet (anyone watch The Bear?). An ideal fine-mesh strainer has a tight weave, a basket that won’t dent, and dual handles that are sturdy enough to prop it over a bowl. All of this is why we fell in love with the Rösle Fine-Mesh Strainer in our testing.

To buy: Rösle Fine-Mesh Strainer, $56 at amazon.com.

Why It Won Our Review

When we tested eight fine mesh strainers, the Rösle had the tightest mesh weave of them all; it caught the most bran when sifting whole wheat flour, and also removed the most seeds from a strawberry sauce. It was also incredibly sturdy; it showed no damage even after banging its basket against a counter. We also loved its thick, cylindrical handle, which was easy to grab and gave us excellent control, and its wide secondary handle kept it stable while suspended over bowls. As we said in our review, “This strainer makes you feel like a better cook just by holding it.” Hard to argue with a statement that strong.

Good to Know

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Strainer basket diameter (not including rim): 6 1/2 inches
• Basket depth: 3 1/4 inches
• Handle length: 7 7/8 inches
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe

FAQs

What’s the difference between a coarse-mesh strainer and a fine-mesh strainer?

The distance between the wires differentiates a coarse-mesh strainer from a fine-mesh strainer. A coarse-mesh strainer has much bigger gaps and is used when you want to strain large bits out from a liquid fast (think: bones and aromatics from a stock). A fine-mesh strainer has wires much closer together and is for catching smaller flecks, like strawberry seeds, or for sifting out bran from whole wheat flour. We recommend fine-mesh strainers because they’re more versatile—even though it’ll take longer, you can still strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer. You can’t, however, sift flour with a coarse-mesh strainer. 

What does a fine-mesh strainer do? 

There are a lot of uses for a fine-mesh strainer. They can strain seeds from fruit sauces and jams, sift flour, strain cheese (think: ricotta), and even be used as a steamer basket in a pinch. They can also be used to filter out bones and aromatics from a stock, catch seeds while juicing citrus, and prep your eggs for poaching.