Sieves & strainers

Whether it's sieving flour or straining vegetables or gravy, there's a utensil to fit the bill. Vintage wooden sieves are ideal for flour and dry goods, whilst ladles with draining holes or conical sieves are best for fluids.

Earlier wooden sieves use tin or horsehair for the sieving, whilst by the sixites, enterprising manufacturers were experimenting with nylon. Usually available in sizes from 6 inch to 11 inch, the most popular size was generally 8 inch to fit an average sized mixing bowl.

Enamel ladles are great for serving and pouring. Available in most colours, the bright funky ones are firm sixties favourites. Use the same shape and add a few holes and you have a strainer. For more strainers try our Strainers & separators range.

And before the advent of tea bags, every household would have needed a tea strainer to avoid a cupful of tea leaves. Most were wire or chrome, but aluminium made an appearance, too. Our favourites were the little Skyline ones with the green handles with cream bands that matched their utensil range.

Mystified by the Kitchamajig ? Resembling a fish slice, it was a multi-purpose utensil that Skyline claimed "crushes, strains, whips, lifts". We couldn't decide where to put it, but as it seemed best for straining, we popped it here !

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