Clean a Sieve

Cleaning a sieve can be a washer-upper's worst nightmare, even 'pros' in the kitchen industry have trouble with these most holey of devices.

Steps

Prepare the washing water. As with any washing up, begin with a bowl of foamy hot water.
Procure a brush of some sort, in particular one that is designed with washing up in mind.
Proceed to 'stab' at the sieve's holes with the bristles of the brush in a 'stippling' motion, dislodging any material stuck in the mesh.
Rinse. Once most of the material is dislodged, rinse the foam from the sieve with cold water, this will clear any remaining material and make draining and drying simpler.

Clean the sieve roughly by using whatever cleaning tools you regularly use.
Remove the larger bits and pieces that will come off with a bit of effort.
Take a boiler or a pan. Use one that is big enough to submerge the dirty parts (or most of your sieve).
Fill the pan or boiler with water get it boiling.
- Keep in mind to not to use any cleaning agents in the boiling water, as they may ruin the pot or react unexpectedly to heating. Boiling water is enough to sterilize most metals, so just ordinary water will do.
Submerge the sieve in the boiling water. Take care not to put any plastic parts into the water and be careful not to get scalded.
Let the sieve sit in the boiling water for a little while. Let sit until all traces of food are separated from the sieve.
Take it off. Full metal sieves might get quite hot, so handle with care.