Trying to find drum sieve / mashed potato sieve in UK

[professional am]

Hi all,

I'm amazed that I can't find a drum sieve in any cook shop in the UK i've been into. Does anyone know where I can get one, they're the round fine meshed sieves that come with a scraper for perfect mash.

I found a metal one on the internet but it was £95 !

Many thanks

[boar_d_laze]

"Drum sieve" is the wrong term. Try looking for a "tamis," or a "tamis sieve." I found a set of 3 stainless tamis along with 3 extra meshes for 50 pounds on Twenga UK.

Best of British,
BDL

[professional am]

Thanks boar_d_laze

Yes I came across the term Tamis when searching but shyed away from going further because the descriptions I was getting decribed it more of a strainer and siever than as something that could withstand pushing root veggies through.

I would be happy to hear otherwise though if anyone has a tamis and can advise. Does it matter what sort of mesh is used ?

[boar_d_laze]

We're both right. As a term, "tamis" is driving "drum sieve" off the market, and will probably be the way you're going to find what you're looking for. They used to be very delicate ala horse-hair mesh like a "silk stocking" in a balsa wood frame, but now they can be had very robust -- ordinary ss drum sieves with coarse ss mesh, for instance. What's in a name? That which we call a tamis would sieve as fine.

The alternatives, which will all get you close, one way or the other, are "ricers," "mills" and "Chinese caps." Use a food mill if you have a lot of volume. Get a set of Chinese caps if you have lots of storage, counter space, money, room and you're fanatic about quality. Use a fine tamis if you're still more fanatic about quality. Use a ricer if you're not working in big volume, you don't need it to double as a sieve or strainer, and you're satisfied with the merely excellent. A ricer gives you a much lighter quality than either a puree or mash. Excellent for prepping souffles, etc. My baterie incldes a ricer, robot-coupe, and several sieves; with these all bases are covered.

BDL