Sieve: meaning, definitions and examples

Sieve is typically used in cooking and baking contexts to separate finer particles from coarser ones, like flour or to drain liquids.

• Use a sieve to remove lumps from the flour.
• After boiling the pasta, pour it through a sieve to drain the water.

Strainer is often used in cooking to describe a tool for separating food from liquid, such as straining pasta or vegetables.

• Pour the broth through a strainer to remove the bones.
• Use a strainer to rinse the fruit and berries.

Filter is a broader term often used in various contexts like cleaning water, separating coffee grounds, or even in digital media to remove unwanted elements.

• Install a water filter to get clean drinking water.
• Use a filter to brew coffee without any grounds ending up in your cup.

Screen can refer to physical or digital contexts where something is separated or blocked, like sieving gravel or reviewing applicants.

• Use a fine screen to sift through the soil.
• Screen the job applications for suitable candidates.

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Used typically to describe removing liquid from a solid substance or putting something under pressure. Can have a negative connotation when referring to pressure or stress.

• Strain the pasta after it has cooked.
• His eyes began to strain after working on the computer all day.

Commonly used in various contexts to mean removing impurities or unwanted elements from a substance, like liquids, air, or information.

• Make sure to change the water filter every six months.
• He installed a special filter on his email to block spam messages.

Often used in cooking, but can also refer to examining information carefully or separating parts of a mixture.

• Sift the flour into the mixing bowl.
• She sifted through the documents to find the hidden information.