Tea strainer or sugar sifter?

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Qrt.S
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Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:32 am
Location: Helsinki Finland

Tea strainer or sugar sifter?

Post by Qrt.S »

On Zolotnik's request in this thread : http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 46&t=26268" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How to separate a tea strainer from a sugar sifter. There several kinds of tea strainer but I anticipate that the question relates to the tea strainer that is the spoon like strainer quite similar to the sifter. Nonetheless, there are no absolute rules but some "clues" can be given. The easiest one is to hold the object against the light. The holes in a sifter are in older versions cut or saw but hardly ever drilled. The drilled round holes in a sifter appears much later. You could say when the turn of the century is closing in and after that. And if the round holes are drilled they are blearily bigger than on the strainer and more seldom making a pattern, just holes. See pictures below:

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Below you see three tea strainers. Note that a second short handle on the opposite side never occurs on a sugar strainer. The right one is the tea strainer above left.
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Here you have four older sugar sifters
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And finally newer sifters with drilled holes. Please note that the holes are bigger than on the strainer and later the sifter shrinks to 12-13 cm being earlier 20 cm. The strainers are also about 20 cm. Finally the sifter loses its holes because granulated sugar can be bought from the stores. Time for discussion and or any questions?
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However, nothing is carved in stone and there are always exceptions. What I wrote is only the main line. I hope the difference became clear.
Zolotnik
Posts: 1024
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:35 am
Location: Germany

Re: Tea stariner or sugar sifter?

Post by Zolotnik »

Hi Qrt.S -

thank you for the long missing explanation: tea strainers are for tea - sugar sifters are for sugar [:-)] - the size of the holes is important...

Thanks again
Zolotnik
Qrt.S
contributor
Posts: 3801
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:32 am
Location: Helsinki Finland

Re: Tea stariner or sugar sifter?

Post by Qrt.S »

Be my guest dear Zolotnik, yes the holes are important indeed because without them neither the sifters nor the strainers work. However, the story is not over yet. Hence I started I must continue with the rest of the tea strainers that do not look like "sugar sifters.
Here you se so called spindlers (?) if I remember correctly
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These strainers are put in the tea pot's spout
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Some more, an old one to the left and a rather modern from the 1960thies on the right
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Last but not least, these you fill with tea and then stir with it in your cup. The one in the middle is not silver but stainless steel and from the current day
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Here you have the whole story in a nut shell.
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