"Part fine-mesh strainer, part manual food mill, the chinois - so named for its supposed resemblance to a Chinese laborer's hat - is a tool seldom found in home kitchens but common in professional ones, where chefs make silky purees and thick sauces by gently pushing the essence of cooked food through its pores with a wooden pestle or the back of a ladle." -The Editors, from the 2004 edition of the SAVEUR 100, Issue #72