sieve

sieve

I

sieve¹ /sɪv/ noun [countable]
1.
  a. a round wire kitchen tool with a lot of small holes, used for separating solid food from liquid or small pieces of food from large pieces
  b. a round wire tool for separating small objects from large objects
2. have a memory like a sieve informal to forget things easily
     

THESAURUS

■ preparing food
   ▪ grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool: Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
   ▪ melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid: Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
   ▪ sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces): Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
   ▪ chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife: Chop up the vegetables.
   ▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces: Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
   ▪ season to add salt, pepper etc to food: Season the meat before grilling.
   ▪ crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder: Add one clove of crushed garlic.
   ▪ mix to combine different foods together: Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
   ▪ beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool: Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
   ▪ stir to turn food around with a spoon: Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
   ▪ fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture: Fold in the beaten egg whites.
   ▪ knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread: Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
   ▪ drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something: Drizzle with olive oil.
   ▪ let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it: Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
   ▪ serve to put different foods together as part of a meal: Serve with rice and a salad. | Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

II

sieve² verb [transitive]
to put flour or other food through a sieve:
    Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl.