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Do I need a chinois?


jgm

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Andie, you've given me something else to look for if I should decide I need a better chinoise. Mine are of the perforated steel ilk. (Somewhere I read that there's a different term for it, but I just grew up knowing it as a China cap.) When I need better filtration I resort to cheesecloth. I saw one of the wire-mesh variety at Williams-Sonoma one time and marveled at its fine gauge. I also wondered how easily damaged or clogged up it would be. The perforated steel liner inside the mesh sounds like a nice 2-stage filtration system that would protect the mesh.

Hmm. Has anyone tried the gold coffee filters for this task? Maybe they don't come in large enough sizes.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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The big Chemex filters, the ones that are 12 inches in diameter can be folded to fit either a tall, narrow chinoise or one of the wider and shallower ones.

You can also get the very fine cheesecloth, also called butter muslin, which is much better than the gauze-type stuff.

The filters for the milk strainer are made by Ken-Ag and the D-110 are 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Unlike coffee filters, they will quickly pass liquid proteins while retaining particles.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well you convinced me. So a bought one and used it for making fruit sauce. It was beautiful. Can't wait to strain everything.

Jmahl

The Philip Mahl Community teaching kitchen is now open. Check it out. "Philip Mahl Memorial Kitchen" on Facebook. Website coming soon.

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What kind did you get, Jmahl?

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Was in an enthusiast's class recently at the CIA. We were making a sauce for roast duck that had solids, bones, etc. and one of the students grabbed a chinoise to strain it. The instructor patienty but firmly admonished the student stating that anything with any kind of solids or bones should never be put into an expensive, delicate chinoise, and that a China cap be used instead. But we all knew that, right?

Mark A. Bauman

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Was in an enthusiast's class recently at the CIA. We were making a sauce for roast duck that had solids, bones, etc. and one of the students grabbed a chinoise to strain it. The instructor patienty but firmly admonished the student stating that anything with any kind of solids or bones should never be put into an expensive, delicate chinoise, and that a China cap be used instead. But we all knew that, right?

Right, however I have seen "famous" chefs on TV using a "delicate" chinoise for this very thing, poking with a metal spoon into the cone. Even the experts have a bit of slip-up now and then.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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What kind did you get, Jmahl?

I purchase one at Williams-Sonoma. My son, who cooks professional, uses one and told me I can't be without it.

The Philip Mahl Community teaching kitchen is now open. Check it out. "Philip Mahl Memorial Kitchen" on Facebook. Website coming soon.

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A nice to have but not necessary. I've found that a sturdy strainer and paper towel works almost as well and save on a lot of space. No matter how big I've made the kitchen, I never seem to have enough room.

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There is absolutely no comparison for making a beautiful sauce or demi. However, I really hate that I don't have three arms! :laugh:

-Sounds awfully rich!

-It is! That's why I serve it with ice cream to cut the sweetness!

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Not being a professional cook, I've used the trial and error method to learn what works best for me. I make my own stocks, and never like that fine sediment I get, even from an expensive chinois.

I finally came upon an idea to use a flour sack towel to strain through. It works the best of all for me, and is rewashable for many uses. Even that sediment doesn't get through.

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