Sieve

A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material.

In cooking, a sifter is used to separate and break up clumps in dry ingredients such as flour, as well as to aerate and combine them.

A strainer (see Colander), meanwhile, is a form of sieve used to separate suspended solids from a liquid by filtration.

Coarse particles are separated or broken up by grinding against one another and the screen openings.

[4] A sieve analysis (or gradation test) is a practice or procedure used (commonly used in civil engineering or sedimentology) to assess the particle size distribution (also called gradation) of a granular material.

Metal laboratory sieves
An ami shakushi , a Japanese ladle or scoop that may be used to remove small drops of batter during the frying of tempura
ancient sieve
A wooden mesh in which the withes were one eighth of an inch wide and set the same distance apart. This would be used on an English farm of the Victorian era to sift grain, removing dust and soil.