Spider (utensil)

Cooking utensil in the form of a wire basket on a long handle

For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation).

Spider

A spider (simplified Chinese: 笊篱; traditional Chinese: 笊籬; pinyin: zhàolí) is a type of skimmer prevalent in East Asian cuisine in the form of a wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle, used for removing hot food from a liquid or skimming foam off when making broths. The name is derived from the wire pattern, which looks like a spider's web. It has been widely adopted in Western cuisine by cooks who favour the open mesh over slotted spoons for faster and safer drainage.[1]

Unlike sieves or strainers, which have fine mesh screens for straining away liquids as food is retrieved, the spider can be used as a strainer for larger pieces of food. However, most often it is used as a skimming tool to add or remove foods from hot liquids, such as water or oil. Spiders may be somewhat flat and round or small round spoon-like utensils shaped into the form of an open basket. They may also be referred to as sieves, spoon sieves, spoon skimmers, or basket skimmers.[2]

## Usage

[edit]

A spider is good for lifting and draining foods from hot oil, soups, stocks and boiling water. It is a handy tool for skimming stocks, blanching vegetables and deep frying foods. This kitchen utensil is most often used to retrieve foods that are being cooked in pots or pans of hot water. The spider can be dipped into steaming hot water or oil and placed under many different types of food to pull pieces out for inspection or for removing for cooling prior to eating.

## See also

[edit]

* Ami shakushi, equivalent Japanese utensil

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Spider Skimmers". cooksillustrated.com. Cook's Illustrated. July 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
2. ^ "Spider Skimmer". RecipeTips. Retrieved 2008-03-22.

* v
* t
* e

Kitchen tools

* Kitchenware
* Cooking vessel
* Cookware and bakeware
* Cutlery
* Dishwashing
* Eating utensils
* Food preparation utensils
* Food storage container
* Tableware
* Teaware

* Apple corer (Apple cutter)
* Baster
* Beanpot
* Blowtorch
* Bottle opener
* Bowl
* Bread knife
* Browning tray
* Butter curler
* Cake and pie server
* Candy thermometer
* Can opener
* Cheese knife
* Cheese slicer
* Cheesecloth
* Chef's knife
* Cherry pitter
* Chinois
* Chopsticks
* Citrus reamer
* Clay pot
* Cleaver
* Colander
* Cookie cutter
* Cookie press
* Corkscrew
* Cutting board
* Edible tableware
* Egg piercer
* Egg separator
* Egg slicer
* Egg timer
* Fat separator
* Fillet knife
* Fish scaler
* Fish slice
* Flour sifter
* Food mill
* Funnel
* Garlic press
* Grapefruit knife
* Grater
* Honey dipper
* Honing steel
* Ladle
* Lame
* Lemon squeezer
* Lobster pick
* Mandoline
* Measuring cup
* Measuring spoon
* Meat grinder
* Meat tenderizer
* Meat thermometer
* Melon baller
* Mezzaluna
* Herb chopper
* Microplane
* Milk frother
* Milk watcher
* Mortar and pestle
* Nutcracker
* Nutmeg grater
* Oven glove
* Pastry bag
* Pastry blender
* Pastry brush
* Pastry wheel
* Peel
* Peeler
* Pepper mill
* Pie bird
* Pineapple cutter
* Pizza cutter
* Potato masher
* Potato ricer
* Potholder
* Poultry shears
* Roller docker
* Rolling pin
* Salt and pepper shakers
* Scissors
* Scoop
* Sieve
* Slotted spoon
* Spatula
* Spider
* Strawberry huller
* Tamis
* Tomato knife
* Tongs
* Trussing needle
* Twine
* Weighing scale
* Whisk
* Wooden spoon
* Scraper
* Dough
* Zester

* Categories
* Kitchenware
* Commons
* Kitchen utensils

Types of tools
Cleaning
Cutting and abrasive
Forestry
Garden
Hand
Kitchen
Machine and metalworking
Masonry
Measuring and alignment
Mining
Power
Textile
Woodworking
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template