OXO Good Grips 3 Cup Stainless Steel Flour Sifter

I've tried to up the rating to five stars and can't figure out how to do that. I originally gave this four stars because I feel the design could be greatly improved with very little change. Based on experience with other sifters, I felt I was being too tough and wanted to change to five stars.When I was a kid (many, many years ago) my mother had a sifter than had a long, straight handle. You could shake this sifter side to side or hold the sifter in one hand and rapidly move the handle back and forth with the other hand. It was the best sifter I've ever used and I've been looking for something like it ever since I started baking on my own. This sifter gave me a hint that it might work the same way that old sifter did, and it's close.The sifter is very well made. It is about 4 1/2" in diameter across the top and 3 1/2" across the bottom. It will hold about three cups of flour, although it's only marked to two cups. The "cup" portion is definitely quality stainless steel. The pivot point of the handle is hidden under the "comfort grip" portion, so I can't tell what the connection is like. There are no holes or openings in the "cup" portion that will leak flour. The caps are a nice addition, especially the bottom cap. With that on, you don't need to be concerned about the sifter dusting everything in the cupboard with flour.Another reviewer said it is very slow. I've just tried mine out, and found out a few things I'd like to share. Please keep in mind that I use home-milled, whole grain flour, so my experience might be a little different from one using all-purpose flour.If I put less than 2 cups of flour in the sifter, it worked better than if I filled it up. When I filled it, hardly any flour would sift. I found shaking it from side to side was on the slow side, even with a smaller amount. Using the memory of my mother's sifter, I tried holding the cup and moving the handle back and forth with my other hand. This worked VERY well, and the sifting was as fast as any other sifter I've used. When moving the handle back and forth it was going across the entire bottom and ending against the side. The little "bump" against the side seemed to make the difference between fast and slow sifting. My problem is that I have small hands and it was uncomfortable for me to put my hand across the top of the opening.OXO, if you're listening, please make a smaller size of this with a smaller "can". This would be the perfect sifter if it was small enough for me to hold comfortably in one hand. And that's saying a lot since I've been looking for a good sifter for 30 years!

I just received my sifter from OXO, so I have not yet used it to sift any kind of flour. I don't bake much and wound up buying it after I watched a video on baking things in the Ninja Foodi and they stressed how very important sifting flour is to make the recipe turn out right. But I really don't bake much at all, just the occasional skillet cornbread, although I would like to expand my repertoire a little. So I was kind of kicking myself that I'd spent so much money on something I'm not likely to use more than a few times.Then, as I am wont to do, I started thinking about what else I could use it for...and there was the 2 lb. bag of Azomite rock dust that I've been meaning to put out in the garden. Well, the sifter works great for measuring out and disseminating the rock dust, although it does runs through a little fast (thickly). (Rock dust is a very fine powder.) This is where the bottom lid came in very handy!I've already got a diatomaceous earth accordion duster, and that works well so I won't try diatomaceous earth in this, but I can already see that the OXO sifter will have utility for more than just baking. Like maybe sifting aged compost for seed starting in trays?I am also very pleased with how well this sifter works for my badly arthritic right thumb. I'm in pain a lot of the time whenever I use my dominant hand, and my lower thumb joint is so shot it probably needs to be surgically replaced. My thumb does not have to be used at all to gently shake this sifter, so I can still get some work done without trying to kludge left-handedly.

I have found OXO products to be well-made and functional, and this sifter is no exception. The slight side-to-side action for sifting is much easier on my arthritic hands than most sifters. The caps on each end are a wonderful idea. For example, if you frequently dust powdered sugar over french toast, baked goods, etc., you can just leave the sugar in the sifter and store it without making a mess. Of course, if you also sift flour frequently, that is not really convenient unless you buy a second sifter. I didn't rate the sifter five stars because I find it to be slower than other sifters, and also messier. When I take the bottom lid off after filling, a fair amount of flour or sugar dumps out, even though I haven't started the side-to-side action yet. When I am dusting powered sugar, I don't feel like I have as much control as I'd like over where the sugar lands, and how much. Part of this is a learning curve, I think, and part is inherent to the sifter.

A lot of thought was obviously put into this product. It is well designed and manufactured from high quality materials. I expect it will last me many years.Unlike some other reviewers I had no problem with speed. I sifted 3 cups of flour in under a minute. I did notice that the mesh screen at the bottom of the sifter can be removed for cleaning. I also noticed that it can become dislodged and not flush with the agitator at the bottom of the sifter. This may be why some folks are experiencing slow sifting. They may simply need to realign the mesh screen properly.The plastic lids that come with this sifter are a brilliant addition. Put the bottom lid on when scooping the flour into the sifter then put the top lid on while shaking to keep the flour from shaking out the top. Then use both lids when storing the unit.The metal is a very sturdy but I was disappointed by the plastic handle. I would have preferred the rubberized grip OXO uses for most of their other products.(-1 star)