The Best Sifters for Your Kitchen

Norpro Rotary Hand Crank Flour Sifter

Tried and True

This straightforward, high-quality stainless steel sifter is built to last.

Best Overall

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“Easy” is the word that comes to mind for Norpro’s flour sifter. It features a simple, classic design that’s straightforward and fuss-free. This stainless steel sifter has volume markings on both the inside and outside, though you’ll want to measure out your ingredients by weight to make sure that you’re using the right amount in your recipes. The sifter also has a two-wire agitator to ensure that no flour is wasted, and the smooth cranking motion is excellent for those who don’t want to use a hand press version or for those whose hands tire more easily.

Pros:

• Lightweight but sturdy
• Only has one screen for convenient cleaning

Cons:

• Requires both hands to use

Snowyee Flour Sifter with Hand Press

All Hands on Deck

This hand press flour sifter works quickly and efficiently to streamline the sifting process.

Best Hand Press

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You could think of hand press flour sifters like this one from Snowyee as updated versions of hand-cranked flour sifters. Of course, both are effective and produce aerated, clump-free piles of flour, but it does depend on your preference. Snowyee’s flour sifter features a sturdy handle and double stainless layers that look like wheels that move back and forth as your press the handle, so flour is double-sifted. To cap it all off, this model is made of stainless steel, making it durable and easy to clean.

Pros:

• Can sift using just one hand
• Double sifting action makes this ideal for alternative flours like almond, buckwheat, and coconut

Cons:

• Can cause some stress on the hand, and those with arthritic hands might prefer a non-hand press sifter

Bellemain Flour Sifter

An Oldie but a Goodie

This timeless sifter not only gets the job done, but looks great while doing it.

Best Classic Style

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It’s always a winning combination when you get functionality with a great, stylish look, and Bellemain’s flour sifter is our pick for that. The clean stainless steel design has a charming look offset nicely by the wooden handle on the hand crank. It’s a small detail that instantly makes the flour sifter look polished and rustic at the same time. It’s truly classic, and we like the lightweight construction and easy handling. This sifter is made to stick around for many seasons of baking and look just as great down the line as it does today.

Pros:

• Double-loop agitator sifts flour easily without leaving anything behind
• Ideal for those who want to reduce strain on their hands

Cons:

• Handle can make sifter a little more difficult to store

Tescoma Flour Sifter

A Cup of Convenience

This sifter is designed to save you headaches with features like two super handy lids.

Best Plastic

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The lids on Tescoma’s sifter are the solution we never knew we needed. Flours and powdered sugar tend to get everywhere, and this sifter’s top and bottom lids prevent the kids of kitchen catastrophes that leave us coated in our dry ingredients. The bottom cover is particularly convenient since you can set your sifter on it to collect any flour that falls out. This sifter’s hand press mechanism is easy to use, and plastic places less tension on the hand than stainless steel does.

Pros:

• Made of durable, dishwasher-safe, BPA-free plastic
• Top lid makes it easy to cover and store flour if you want to measure out your flour ahead of time and set it aside

Cons:

• The lids give you two more items to keep track of, though you can still use the sifter if you lose them

Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Tamis Mesh Sifter

Less Is More

This professional-style sifter would be at home in any gourmet kitchen.

Most Miminalist

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A “tamis,” or “drum filter,” looks like a cake pan with a mesh bottom, and Mrs. Anderson offers one we particularly enjoy. It’s the tool of choice for professional kitchens because it has a larger surface area to sift the flour through, which is especially great for bulk baking. The wide opening also means if you need to use your hands to break up any clumps right in the sifter, it’s easy to do so. Our tip is to use this with a large piece of parchment paper. You’ll sift your dry ingredients right onto the paper, and once you’re done, you can simply lift the paper and funnel it into your mixing bowl. Or, if your bowl is large enough, rest this over your bowl and use a rubber spatula to pass flour through the mesh.

Pros:

• You can use this sifter to strain soups to ensure a finer texture or push pureed foods through for an extra smooth finish
• Ideal for sifting all your dry ingredients together at once since it can handle the load
• Hook for easy storage if you want to hang it

Cons:

• If you only want a light dusting on a smaller plate, this sifter might be overkill

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to wash my sifter?

We recommend just tapping out any excess flour and wiping your sifter clean with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Washing it with water can cause any excess powder to clump up and stick in the mesh, and if your sifter is stainless steel, it makes it more likely to rust. However, you can and should wash it carefully every once in a while to ensure your sifter is clean.

Is it better to get a sifter with measurements marked on the sides?

It’s a nice extra, but we still recommend you measure out your flour after you sift it, especially if you use a kitchen scale. Flour measurements can vary dramatically — think about a cup of hard-packed flour versus a cup of sifted flour — so using a kitchen scale to make sure you have the right weight of flour is always our best bet.