I had a flour sifter that I loved. I used it so often through the years that it finally wore out. The green paint started to chip and drop into my sifted flour, so I had to find another sifter. The kind of sift was a "hold handle and shift back and forth." I loved that it worked so beautifully.
The new one I bought was a crank flour sifter. It was unpainted, stainless steel with a wire agitator, mesh screen. It was horrible. The crank stuck and was difficult to move around when and if the flour was packed in too tightly. Even loose, it was a nightmare, the crank handle didn't budge and eventually bent. Arugh!
Next, I got one that looked like it would work. It was a one-handed operation that was all on the handle. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze like a rifle trigger, sort of a spring action movement. Not easy either. I trashed it.
What I ended up with was the Cuisinart Mesh Strainers Flour Sifters. It's awesome to sift dry goods and wet food, too. These sifts anything and everything from powdered sugar to cake flour to Masa Harina.
The "sifter" is made with stainless steel. It's a good quality and sturdy. It seems well constructed, and I'm guessing it will last as long as my old sifter. Maybe longer
What I like best is the value. I can use as a flour sifter, and I can use as a strainer, too, to strain hot pasta, cooked peas or corn, and even my "flour and water" mixture I shake in a jar when I make gravy.
I don't put my strainer-sifters in the dishwasher although they are dishwasher safe. They are easy to clean. I say "they" because Cuisinart offers these in a set of 3 different sizes: 3-1/8-inch, 5-1/2-inch and 7-7/8-inch sizes. This makes it real easy to choose the large size to sift flour for a huge cake or use the smaller size for a pan of gravy.
I bought my strainer online. You can find the set of 3 at Amazon for less than $20. Walmart offers mesh strainers in individual sizes.
