A strainer is a kitchen tool with small holes that lets liquid pass through while catching solid pieces. When you drain pasta after cooking, you pour it into a strainer in the sink: the water flows out through the holes, but the noodles stay inside. When you make fresh lemonade and don't want pulp or seeds in your glass, you pour it through a strainer to catch those bits while the smooth juice flows through.

Strainers come in different sizes and shapes. A tea strainer is tiny, just big enough to catch loose tea leaves. A colander is a large bowl-shaped strainer perfect for washing berries or draining spaghetti. Some strainers have a handle and look like a small basket made of wire mesh.

The verb strain means to separate liquids from solids this way. You might strain soup to remove chunks, or strain orange juice to make it pulp-free. Cooks strain sauces to make them silky smooth, and scientists strain liquids in laboratories to separate particles. The simple principle of letting liquid through while catching solids makes strainers essential tools wherever you need to separate one thing from another.