The Best Small Strainers

Small strainers are endlessly useful; we grab them to strain citrus juice, tea, and cocktails; dust counters with flour; sift confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder; and even get pesky clumps out of baking powder. Our winners succeeded at sifting and straining a variety of ingredients with ease and refinement. Both the Rösle Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Tea Strainer, Wire Handle, 3.2-inch and Küchenprofi Heavy Duty Fine Mesh Stainless Steel 3-Inch Classic Strainer produced crystal clear lemon juice, evenly dispersed cocoa powder, and separated the fine bran from wheat flour (a test of mesh fineness). The weights of the handles and baskets were also evenly balanced. 

What You Need to Know

Have you ever whipped out a large strainer to strain a few tablespoons of lemon juice and thought, Maybe this is excessive? While we love our winning fine-mesh strainer, the basket clocks in at nearly 8 inches across, and for some tasks we just need something smaller. Enter small strainers, sometimes known as tea strainers, which are about 3 inches wide and can be used for a variety of small kitchen tasks: straining citrus juice, loose-leaf tea, and cocktails and sifting small amounts of cocoa powder or confectioners’ sugar for decorating. We wanted to find a strainer that excelled at a variety of tasks and was also durable and easy to clean. 

What to Look For

• Fine-Mesh Baskets: While many strainers were advertised as having fine mesh, some were finer than others. We preferred baskets made of more tightly woven mesh since they proved most effective at catching all different sizes of debris. 
• A Wide, Rectangular Stabilizing Hook: We found that models with these types of hooks sat more securely on a variety of surfaces, including small bowls and cups, than those with smaller triangular or rounded hooks. 
• Balanced Handle and Basket Weights: Strainers with balanced handle and basket weights were easier to handle than unevenly balanced ones, which felt tippy. They also sat more securely on cups and bowls.
• Welded Handles: It’s common to whack strainers on a trash can or compost bin to dislodge anything stuck in the mesh (lemon pulp, for example). We found that strainers with welded-on handles had little risk of breaking off when whacked. This is likely because welding creates a strong bond once the melted metal hardens. 

What to Avoid

• Baskets with Wider Mesh: Though these strainers caught big pieces of debris, they let smaller particles fall through. While this isn’t a huge deal in certain circumstances (such as when straining lemon juice), a finer mesh guarantees a finer sift when decorating a cake with confectioners’ sugar. 
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