A sifter is a kitchen tool with a fine mesh screen or small holes that separates lumps from powdery ingredients like flour, powdered sugar, or cocoa powder. When you push flour through a sifter, the smooth powder falls through while any clumps stay behind. Bakers use sifters to make ingredients lighter and fluffier, which helps cakes and cookies turn out more tender.

Using a sifter is simple: you put the ingredient inside, then either squeeze a handle or shake it gently so the powder passes through the mesh. The process is called sifting. Some recipes tell you to sift flour before measuring it, while others want you to measure first and then sift.

The word sifter can also describe any device that separates fine material from coarse material by passing it through holes. Archaeologists use sifters at dig sites to catch small artifacts like ancient coins or pottery fragments while letting dirt fall through. Gold prospectors once used sifters to separate gold flakes from sand and gravel. Gardeners sift compost to remove sticks and rocks.

When you sift through information or evidence, you’re carefully examining it to find what matters, like a detective sifting through clues to solve a mystery.