If you are in a rush and just want to know what the best juice strainer is, then we recommend Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag as our top pick.
If you don’t own a juicer, but like making fresh juice using a blender, then this helpful guide is for you. If using a blender to juice, then you know a juice strainer is a must-have. A strainer blocks those bits of fibrous pulp and produce from making their way into your glass. Knowing the best juice strainer to buy makes the job of juicing that much easier.
Here are the juice strainers we will be reviewing:
- Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag
- Linden Sweden Juice Strainer
- Cuisinart CTG-00-3MS Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainers
- Olicity Cheesecloth
- New Star Foodservice Chinois Mesh Strainer
Find the answers to some of your most pressing questions about strainers below.
Benefits of Using a Strainer
One of the first rules of thumb of making juice in a blender is to have the right tools on hand. Among the most important is a good quality juice strainer. Strainers come in many shapes, sizes, and materials. Straining is a lot easier when you have a nut milk bag, chinois, cheesecloth, fine mesh strainer, coffee filter, or even dishcloth on hand.
Having one or more of these items at your disposal gives you distinct advantages. It allows you to capture the bits of material that didn’t blend during the juicing process. It also allows you to set the small chunks of fruit and vegetables aside for use in other recipes. They’re essential if you’re living a zero-waste lifestyle. You have greater control over the input and output of your produce. You’ll have less to throw away and more to use for soups, stews, and baked goods.
Juicing Without a Juicer
If you are not familiar with this method, worry not! It’s easy. There are a couple of ways for you to juice without a juicer. A high-speed blender does the trick. With the right amount of liquid, you can easily juice fruit and vegetables. After blending, you strain the mixture through your choice of filter.
But what if you don’t have a strainer? How do you strain juice without a strainer? You can use stuff you may already have in your kitchen such as paper towels, dishcloths, or even coffee filters.
Types of Juice Strainers
You might ask, “What can I use to strain juice?” Fantastic question! Being an informed consumer empowers you when it comes time to buy a juice strainer.
Juice strainers range in price, size, style, material, and use. Each has its pros and cons. To better understand the different types of strainers, you must first know how they work.
Nut Milk Bag
A nut strainer is a bag used for making nut milk out of almonds or cashews. A nut milk bag can also be helpful when making fresh juice. It consists of a fine mesh that filters the liquid through its tiny squares.
The more you squeeze the contents, the more juice you’re able to extract at once. Small berries such as raspberries are great for nut milk bags. The tiny seeds do not pass through the cloth into the freshly squeezed juice.
Chinois
A cone-shaped sieve, chinois acts as both a juice strainer and a funnel. It’s made of fine mesh and can be stood above a bowl or pitcher to allow the juice to flow through it. These strainers typically have a stand so you can place it on the counter and have a bowl underneath for the juice. This type of juicer is excellent when you are juicing fruits with small seeds such as raspberries or extracting milk from nuts.
Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is an oldie but a goodie. It’s one of the most old-fashioned ways of straining. Using cheesecloth as a juicing strainer is a great low-cost alternative. It’s a great option when you are starting out or if you have limited kitchen space. The cloth consists of fine mesh and lightweight material great for squeezing. It’s very flexible, and you can use it many times without replacing it. If you buy a high-quality cheesecloth, you can toss it in the washing machine and use it over and over again. But some budget-friendly options are only good for a couple uses and need to be hand-washed. Be sure to read the packing. To use cheesecloth, fold a few layers of cheesecloth together. Then, place your food into the square of cheesecloth and fasten together with a rubber band. Squeeze the cheesecloth until the juice extracts from the pulp.
Fine Mesh Strainer
A fine mesh strainer is an excellent pulp strainer. Fine mesh catches solid materials that didn’t get pulverized by the juicing process.
It’s one of the most effective juice strainer varieties available. Most mesh strainers are metal and easy to clean in the dishwasher. Most of these are made from plastic or stainless steel and will last a long time.
Coffee Filters
A less durable but somewhat practical strainer for juice is a coffee filter. Coffee filters are great because you can use them once and then throw them away. There’s no real mess involved with using them. They’re great for making pulp-free orange juice. You stack 3 to 4 filters and press the orange petals against the filters in a glass cup. You can also make vegetable juice with this method if you use steamed vegetables. Or if you bought pulpy orange juice by mistake, you can pour the juice through a coffee filter. Viola! Now you have pulp-free juice. When choosing coffee filters for juicing, you should opt for the non-bleached variety. They’re better for you and the environment.
Dishcloths
A dishcloth is also an option, but it’s not the best strainer for juicing. It’s not very efficient.
Most finely-woven dishcloths make it impossible to get juice to strain through the material quickly. It will also absorb some of the liquid, and you will not get as much juice. It will work, though, if you are in a pinch and have nothing else on hand.
Fruit press
Some fruits require a fruit press to adequately juice harder fruit such as apples. Fruit presses work by grinding the fruit until the juices are extracted in the pulp strainer. While fruit presses may be more expensive than other juicers, they do a great job at extracting juice from harder fruits.
Strainer Stand
A strainer stand is something you might want to think about if you are going to use a bag. It will hold the bag upright for you. This keeps the juice from spilling out and making a mess.
Best Juice Strainer Review
The following products help you get the highest quality juice without pulp and bits of fruit or vegetables in it. Each has its list of advantages and disadvantages for you to consider.
Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag
This juice strainer bag is named Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag but isn’t limited to nuts. You can use it for anything you put your imagination to squeezing through it. The genius of the product has to do with its design. The large capacity bag has a wide opening for easy pouring. It also has rounded corners to keep the product from spilling out.
Easy to clean and fast-drying, the Food Grade Certified, BPA-Free bag has a mold-free nylon drawstring. It takes a lot of abuse and doesn’t fall apart thanks to its triple seams made of durable nylon.
Pros:
- 100 percent guarantee
- Free recipe book
- Quick-drying and toxicity-free
Cons:
- Certain produce stains bag
- Some bits of fruit or veggies pass-through mesh
- Drawstring dips into juice if not secured
Linden Sweden Juice Strainer
The Linden Sweden Juice Strainer is minimalist design at its best. It consists of an adjustable plastic stand and a cotton filter bag.
Pros:
- Folds flat
- Adjustable leg heights for easier collection
- Strong cotton filter bag
Cons:
- Plastic stand not very durable
- Grommet comes out of bag easily
Cuisinart CTG-00-3MS Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainers
This set of stainless steel strainers from Cuisinart come in three different sizes. They’re made to filter a majority of food bits for a smoother juice. Their design makes it, so they’re useful for wet and dry ingredients. The varied sizes of strainers store together, so they do not take up a great deal of space in a kitchen drawer.
Pros:
- Limited lifetime guarantee
- Smooth distribution of liquid
- Can sit on top of bowl or pitcher for mess-free experience
Cons:
- Hard to clean
- Handle is fragile
- Scrubbing hard causes mesh to come apart
Olicity Cheesecloth
This cheesecloth is made from 100 percent unbleached cotton for safer use. You use this cheesecloth for many food preparations, including juicing with little concern. It’s tightly meshed design consists of 44×36 threads per inch. It’s lint-free, and you can wash it by hand using a mild detergent and warm water. When you buy this, you will receive 45 feet of cheesecloth which will last for a very long time.
Pros:
- Tightly meshed material
- Flexible material which molds well
- Can be cleaned easily by hand
Cons:
- Loose thread strands
- Creates lint in some cases
New Star Foodservice Chinois Mesh Strainer
This is a durable product that does a good job. The Chinois Mesh Strainer by New Star Foodservice is a handy tool to have on hand. It allows the liquid to pass through easily while preventing pulp, skin, stems, and seeds from winding up in your juice. It’s got a handle that is comfortable for holding. It also has reinforcing bars that allow the strainer to sit in a bowl or over a pitcher without losing its shape.
Pros:
- Very fine mesh for extra smooth juice
- Comfortable hand for holding
- Stand and hook for effortless straining without intervention
Cons:
- Can lose its shape making it hard to strain
- Will rust if not dried properly
- Does not have wide opening for pouring
The Winning Choice
Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag is the best choice by a longshot. There are many reasons why we came to this conclusion. First, it’s a commercial-grade and meant for daily use.
Next, you use it for various preparations with juice being just one of the options. You can easily adjust the yield, so it’s perfect for one person or multiple people. It also is less messy than other strainers thanks to its mindful design.
Last, of all, it’s easy to clean, mold-free, and quick drying. It lays flat, so you can store it out of sight and out of mind until you need it. Replacing the bags doesn’t cost a person a fortune, either.
Choosing the best juice strainer was not easy! Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag reigns supreme due to its fine mesh material, durability, and flexibility. Unlike other juice strainers, you’re able to squeeze every precious morsel of juice. The nut milk bag is easy to clean, store, and replace when needed.
