CIA Masters Collection 3-1/4-Inch Very Fine Mesh Strainer

I cook for myself and my wife currently and needed a strainer for the small amount of sauce that I make for different dishes. We have an 8 inch strainer that's great for large tasks, but is really cumbersome when straining small quantities of liquid. This CIA strainer is a versatile and unintrusive size, lending itself to a myriad of uses.the steel construction of this strainer is of excellent quality. The polish is mirror like, the mesh is firmly attached and holds up well to pressing with a spoon or pestle, the metal is of thick gage and rigid. The mesh is very fine and when straining sauces they end up velvety and smooth. The strainer fits perfectly over mugs and small bowls, as well as ramekins and 6oz pyrex prep bowls. I also use this strainer as a skimmer when making stocks, and to sprinkle powdered sugar or cocoa on pastries. This works well for loose leaf teas as well on larger mugs. I've even used it as a steamer basket for finely sliced veggies (used a 1/2 quart butter warmer). All this and I've owned it less than a week. This is a highly versatile utensil and spending a little extra on one that will last a long time is well worth it.

The quality of this item is fantastic. However, I didn't realize how small it was and it didn't fit my needs - therefore I returned ti for a larger size.

The basics:This is a very fine strainer that even strains the little pieces out.Why I chose this product:I wanted a fairly small strainer that I could use to strain my tea in the morning. Those ball strainers usually don’t even strain that well and are a little difficult to clean. This very fine strainer has a double mesh so nothing is getting through except possibly tiny particles.How it performed:This strainer has performed wonderfully to keep all my tea leaves out of my glass. It fits very well on top of a teacup or a measuring cup. It is not too big and not too small and so is a perfect size for straining many things, but with a small storage space which will easily fit in your kitchen drawer. It works perfectly for large tea leaves, but even works perfectly for very small tea grinds (for example, some fine black teas).To know before I go:For the purposes of straining any size tea leaves or grinds, this strainer works very well.

This is a great strainer, it feel very well built, very solid, and is very comfortable to use. It has a nice lip on the opposite side of the handle to rest it on the side of a bowl or pot. The mesh is very fine, something the size of a grain or rice won't get through, but maybe something like chia seeds could sneak past. I wish it were a tiny bit finer, but it works perfect for most everything. It is a bit smaller then I had expected. Just to give you an idea, it is about the size of a large orange.

I bought this to strain out finely ground coffee. Since I don't drink that much coffee I didn't want to buy a french/aero press so I thought this would be perfect. This strainer has been advertised on other sites as being able to filter coffee. There's even a little booklet that's included with the strainer that specifically says it can be used to filter out very fine particles such as coffee and tea but I found it is not sufficient for finely ground coffee. It keeps out most of the coffee grounds but not all. It still lets in more than I would like, enough that I can see it and taste a chalky sensation. Seems like a very fine mesh is still inadequate.I was at an asian market the other day and saw something I thought could be used for straining coffee -- a skimmer. It looked like a ladle but the end was a flat round disk and had an ultra fine mesh on it. I felt the skimmer would be the right tool. I bought it (only $1.29) and went home and compared it to this strainer. I couldn't make out the individual holes on the skimmer while the strainer I had no problem seeing them. Unfortunately after washing it before its first use it immediately formed tiny rust spots on the mesh. I guess $1.29 was too good to be true. I tested it anyways with the coffee and it did a great job, no large coffee grounds got through. But it seems like no matter what, the teeny-tiny bits of coffee dust are still able to get through. It's not a huge deal. I can live with that. I might have to try a medium to fine grind. So I think a skimmer is what I'm looking for. I just need a higher quality one.Going to take a look at the http://www.amazon.com/MIU-France-Stainless-Skimmer-15-Inch/dp/B003QTEO18/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_tHopefully it's an ultra fine mesh and won't rust on me.This strainer is sturdy and good quality and is listed as having a lifetime warranty but it's not good enough for fine ground coffee. If you don't need it for that or anything else that's finely ground then I can recommend it. Unfortunately for me it's going back.

The strainer is what I wanted; however, it arrived with signs of damage that had been previously highlighted on the strainer with a red marking pen. Why a damaged product was sent, I do not understand. Sloppy fulfillment. I got a nice one at Sur La Table.

I purchased this particular strainer because of the "very" in the title. I already had a set of fine mesh strainers, small, medium, and large that do a great job straining for a low price.But what I needed was a strainer I could use to spread the finest powders evenly over a surface. Powdered sugar is very fine, but it also clumps, so a normal strainer will do a decent job spreading it as a fine snow. For less "clumpy" powders, such as transglutaminase (also called meat glue), I needed something finer.This strainer works great. Fine, even mesh, solid frame and handle, and an effective front lip for setting on the edge of a pot or bowl. All in all, I'm very pleased with the purchase.

It's a strainer and it strains. However, the hook on the opposite side of the handle fell right off after a few days of owning it. I suppose making an average utensil then putting CIA in front of the name convinces everyone that it is great quality as evidenced by all the 5 star ratings. It is cheap for a reason.