BBC Russian

A French-made chinois from a commercial kitchen

A chinois (English: /ʃiːnˈwɑː/; French pronunciation: [ʃin.wɑ]) is a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh. It is used to strain custards, purees, soups, and sauces, producing a very smooth texture. It can also be used to dust food with a fine layer of powdered ingredient.^[1]^[2]^[3]

YouTube Encyclopedic

1/1
Views:
284 847

Transcription

Etymology

Chinois is a loanword 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.^[4]

Description

A similarly shaped utensil is the China cap, a reference to the Asian conical hats that used to be common in China. 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.^[5]

Both the chinois and the China cap often are used with a cone-shaped pestle. 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 functions similar to a food mill. A small ladle can also be used instead of a pestle, allowing for scooping solids from the sides of the strainer as well as pressing liquid through the mesh.

References

^ Alfaro, Danilo. "Chinois: Definition". About.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
^ "Chinois | Resource". Smartkitchen.com. Smart Kitchen Online Cooking School. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
^ Kimball, Christopher (July 2012). "Chinois Sieves Review". Cook's Illustrated (July 2012). Retrieved 4 December 2013.
^ "CHINOIS : Définition de CHINOIS". www.cnrtl.fr. Retrieved 2023-11-20Definition 3B1{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ "buykitchenstuff.com - Best Kitchen and Cooking Stuff". BuyKitchenStuff. Retrieved 2023-11-20.

External links

The dictionary definition of chinois at Wiktionary

v t e Kitchen tools
Kitchenware Cooking vessel Cookware and bakeware Cutlery Dishwashing Eating utensils Food preparation utensils Food storage container Tableware Teaware
Apple corer (Apple cutter) Baster Beanpot Blowtorch Bottle opener Bowl Bread knife Browning tray Butter curler Cake and pie server Candy thermometer Can opener Cheese cutter Cheese knife Cheese slicer Cheesecloth Chef's knife Cherry pitter Chinois Chopsticks Citrus reamer Clay pot Cleaver Colander Mated colander pot Cookie cutter Cookie press Corkscrew Crab cracker Cutting board Edible tableware Egg piercer Egg poacher Egg separator Egg slicer Egg timer Fat separator Fillet knife Fish scaler Fish slice Flour sifter Food mill Funnel Garlic press Grapefruit knife Grater Gravy strainer Honey dipper Honing steel Ladle Lame Lemon squeezer Lobster pick Mandoline Measuring cup Measuring spoon Meat grinder Meat tenderizer Meat thermometer Melon baller Mezzaluna Herb chopper Microplane Milk frother Milk watcher Mortar and pestle Nutcracker Nutmeg grater Oven glove Pastry bag Pastry blender Pastry brush Pastry wheel Peel Peeler Pepper mill Pie bird Pizza cutter Potato masher Potato ricer Pot-holder Poultry shears Roller docker Rolling pin Salt and pepper shakers Scissors Scoop Sieve Slotted spoon Spatula Spider Strawberry huller Tamis Tomato knife Tongs Trussing needle Twine Weighing scale Whisk Wooden spoon Scraper Dough Zester
Categories Kitchenware Commons Kitchen utensils Types of tools Cleaning Cutting and abrasive Forestry Garden Hand Kitchen Machine and metalworking Masonry Measuring and alignment Mining Power Woodworking

Bartending

Occupations

Alcoholic beverages

Non-alcoholic mixers

Equipment

Garnishes

Edible	Celery Citrus Cocktail onion Flowers Maraschino cherry Mint Olive Pickle Pineapple Rosemary Salt Strawberry Sugar Twist
Inedible	Cocktail stick Cocktail umbrella Drinking straw Swizzle stick