This is a most important operation in cooking: you cannot get a puree without it, or pea-soup, or curry. It is a most economical process. A wire sieve - a small one - can be bought for one shilling and fourpence, and will very soon more than repay its cost.

Suppose we have some pea-soup or curry to rub through, containing peas, or celery boiled tender, carrots, fried onions, etc. Get a basin rather bigger round than the sieve, take a wooden spoon, and keep pressing and scraping sideways. Of course the liquid part will all run through directly, but a spoonful of the liquid should occasionally be taken out of the basin for the purpose of moistening what is left in the sieve. Every now and then you should scrape the bottom of the sieve on the lower side into the basin, as what is sent through sticks and clings there. This will help to send it through quicker. Don't give up, but, as a rule, try to send all through. Of course, sometimes stringy parts won't go through, but the process requires patience, good temper, and determination.

Wire sieves should be washed thoroughly with a brush, well rinsed with very hot water at the finish, and put by dry. The heat from the water will make the wire hot, which helps to dry it more quickly. All sieves (ordinary ones) should be dried before the fire after being washed.