Matfer Bourgeat Professional Bouillon Strainer/Chinois with Exoglass Handle and Fine Steel Mesh Sieve

I purchased this a year ago, and continue to be entirely satisfied with it. Using it has made stock making go much faster - the straining part was always the biggest hassle and time drain - so I make my own stock more often now. Cleanup is also much easier than with the multiple strainers and layers of cheese cloth I used to use to end up with this same quality of filtration. If you chill the broth to below 40 degrees F in an ice and salt bath before the final straining into a container, it will end up straining away most of the fat as well, so no need to do an extra step for fat separation. I use a 17 cup Snapware storage container, so that's just over a gallon of stock each time. If you're considering buying one of these, you probably already make your own stock regularly or you would be thinking about spending this much money on a tool like this. If you can afford this item, go ahead and get it. It's expensive, but it really does make a difference. It is large, but that is part of what makes it work so quickly and well. You can pour quickly, straining from one pot to another without any concern about splashing over the edge of, or over-filling, a too-small strainer.

Yes, it's large, expensive, and a bit of a pain to store, but it's incredibly well made, has a fine, durable mesh, easily cleans in the dishwasher, and works flawlessly in practice. Hard to ask for more.

My wife and I have had this for months and used it several times in that period. We've used regular mesh strainers before but never another chinois so I can only compare this to regular strainers. From that viewpoint, this is way better than a regular strainer. I don't know how it stacks up against other chinois though. The hooks opposite the handle have proven useful as I sometimes mount this over a kettle while I prepare wort for homebrewing. I've noticed, though, that there still seems to be some particulate trub in my wort sometimes. There is way less than if I had tried to use a standard strainer or, really, any other method I've tried. My wife made some jam for the first time recently and we made use of both this chinois and this HIC Brands that Cook Wooden Pestle for Chinois . That particular pestle fit really well with this chinois though I was a bit worried that a lot of poking might cause the pestle to break through the chinois' mesh which would be pretty terrible given how expensive chinois are. That was the first time we used a pestle with the chinois and the results were a lot better than our attempts to use other tools (i.e. wooden spoons) to press out more liquid. I suppose that the chinois stands I've seen might be used to keep the mesh from pushing up against whatever container you're working over but two pieces of metal wire crossing around the outside of the screen provided good support. I was able to place the chinois inside my 2-cup measuring glass such that the wire held the mesh screen away from the glass itself. I think the only way that an actual stand may have been more useful than these wires is if you needed to get the chinois higher out of the container you're working over or maybe if you need both hands. Since anything that strains through the screen seems to flow down the screen until it reaches the tip, I didn't have to worry about the liquid squirting out all over the counter. This is nice considering that the screen must be at least seven inches tall. The only drawbacks to this are that it's not very multi-purpose; a cardinal sin for many dedicated kitchen-dwellers. It's also pretty large so it takes up most of an entire shelf in one of our cabinets. If storage space, money, or amount of use are a concern for you then this tool might not be a good fit. If you've got the space and money, this has been a great tool for me in home brewing and my wife in preserving so I'd recommend it.

I make fermented drinks such as kefir, both water and milk, and beet kvass in one gallon containers. When I strain out the liquid for bottling, the solid foods come out with it. Previously, I used a collander and then a typical round strainer. This was particularly awkward when making beef or chicken broth in large canning kettles, which also has to be strained. This strainer is so great I can just pour the food into it and it holds about 2 quarts of foods. Now, straining is one step rather than three. It is also fine enough that I can put yogurt into it and it will strain the whey! I would otherwise have to use a cheese cloth. Even though it is expensive, this strainer it is worth it. It is also very sturdy and will probably last for my lifetime. I don't even have to worry about hot liquids, the materials are impervious to heat. I use it almost every day.

Fairly large strainer that strains mixes, etc into a very fine end result. Using it to strain fruit purées for different flavor lemonades and it performs wonderfully. Fantastic liquid quality due to the very small hole pattern

This is a really nice Chinois. It's sturdy (despite the plastic handle/rim), fine, and strains exactly as you'd expect. Two things to be aware of: 1. It's really tall. None of my 8 or 12qt stock pots can accommodate it, height-wise. (The bars around the tip of the cone touch the bottom of the pot long before the hooks around the strainer's rim could reach the rim of the pot.) Ditto with my largest mixing bowls. This means I'm pretty much hand-holding it (which can be tiring... and can be nearly impossible when I'm pouring from a large pot into it.) 2. There is a matching stand available from Matfer, but it's expensive (~$45 here on Amazon... for a simple piece of stainless steel), and the design is a little odd. (See my review of that product.)

If you are looking at this product than you probably already know. The best are usually the most expensive and this is no exception. Very high quality, durable and does an excellent job. If you buy this it will probably be your last, I don't see how this could be improved upon.

After so many people writing how large it is, I was surprised by what I consider a medium size, for making sauces and stock it could well be a bit larger in my opinion. Nevertheless, it is well made, stable, good quality and the size will also do fine, so I'm glad I bought it.

J'ai longtemps hésité à acheter ce chinois étamine car c'est un sacré budget, mais je ne le regrette pas! Après avoir utilisé pendant des mois un tissu étamine, je filtre enfin mes jus, sauces, bouillons en quelques instants! L'objet est un peu encombrant pour un particulier mais la finesse du résultat en vaut vraiment la peine. Le nettoyage est très facile que ce soit à la main ou au lave vaisselle. Il a été spécialement conçu pour qu'aucune zone ne retienne des aliments, ce qui est un atout pour l'hygiène et le nettoyage.

do the job

I use it for mainly for straining home made stock . Easy to clean and I like the size for when I do big batches of stock. It’s well made and no regrets buying it.

If you’re buying this then you already know what it is. Excellent quality: used for years in a professional capacity. It will not disappoint and will facilitate silky smooth and clear stock/sauces used on its own or lined with muslin cloth.