Food Mills

[Malawry]

I have a Foley I bought in 1992. I don't use it often but there are some jobs it's perfect for. It's cheap, so if you have the space to store it I think it's a worthwhile investment. (I was a freshman in college when I bought mine, and therefore didn't have the space, but I was so accustomed to having access to Mom's that I couldn't do without it! But I did things like bake bread in the dorm kitchen, so that tells you something right there.)

Anyway. The jobs I use the Foley for:

1. Hummus, if I don't want the skins of the chickpeas in there. The Foley screens the bean meat through and leaves the skins behind. And the bean meat is smoooooooth.

2. Mashed potatoes, if I'm making more than just a couple portions. (I use a ricer for small portions.) I've worked places with huge food mills that they process 50lbs of potatoes into mashers daily in only a few minutes.

3. Certain soups. But I use the blender and then the chinois more for soups usually. My mom's special Jewish chicken soup depends on Foley-ing some of the veggies to add texture.

[LindaK]

I love mine, it works beautifully. It has "macina-legumi" imprinted on the handle, not sure if that's the brand name or not. It has the three interchangeable disks (which is very practical) and--as Smithy noted--the all-important rough edge near each hole. It wasn't expensive, about $30 some years ago, and is a great tool to have on hand.

[Behemoth]

I have a cheapo plastic one. But the three disks work well, they have the rough surface. If the thing ever breaks I'll buy a stianless one, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing you need to spend a lot of money on.

On the other hand, I would like a chinoise -- why are those things so freakin' expensive??

[andiesenji]

I have several food mills (I collect) there are two I use most, for tomato sauce, removing the skins and seeds, I have one of these. It works great.

I have an ancient Foley mill made in the 30s that still works and a much newer one that I use.

I gave one of

these to my neighbor last year when she had a new baby and wanted to learn to make her own baby food.

She had never used one before and has become a champ with this one.

She makes garlic smashed potatoes using this and they come out perfect with no mashing, just going through the mill.

Last fall she made her first batch of grape preserves using this to remove the skins and seeds.

[snowangel]

I got my foley at Goodwill a couple of years ago for about a buck.

[Richard Kilgore]

Here's another informative thread on foodmills, a discussion of the mills themselves and all the things people use them for.

[Smithy]

I have a cheapo plastic one. But the three disks work well, they have the rough surface. If the thing ever breaks I'll buy a stianless one, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing you need to spend a lot of money on.

On the other hand, I would like a chinoise -- why are those things so freakin' expensive??

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They aren't, if you shop eBay with patience. Of course, they're older and not necessarily as fine-mesh or high-tech as the newest ones. So far I've been happy with the one I got that was most like my grandmother's.

[rgruby]

I just bought a food mill and, as usual when I buy a new kitchen gadget, I turned to egullet to see what other people are doing with them.

But to my surprise there does not appear to be a thread on them.

So I'm starting one.

What are your favourite things to make using a food mill.

Pureed tomatoes are likely going to be the first thing I do in mine. Do you core the tomatoes first or just chuck 'em in? Similar question for apples and applesauce - do you remove the stems first, or is that unnecessary?

Pureeing root veg for mash or soups is a given. What else?

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[chantal]

I like to put celery root through the food mill-- boil it with potatoes-and then add a little butter, cream and salt.

I LOVE this butternut squash gnocchi. I didn't use them to fill the mini pumkins like he does. I just make the gnocchi themselves and toss them in browned butter and sage. Oh boy.

Oh and for favorite things to add to mashed potaotes-- Goat Cheese. The inspiration came from this very excellent recipe. The photo doesn't do it justice. It is very good.

[squids]

Use it for any kind of puree - do you make applesauce? It would be great for applesauce - peeled or unpeeled apples!

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I'm so surprised others have not mentioned the applesauce---this is how I spent every fall, after we'd go to a farm to get fresh apples, mom would boil them and we'd take turns milling them into sauce. (No need to peel the apples, as that's what the mill is for) I think we'd add the candy "red hots" even while the apples were being milled, so the heat would melt them into the puree. Then into freezer bags, to be enjoyed for the rest of the year!

[Richard Kilgore]

I found a deal on eBay that I couldn't pass up -- a brand new (Williams-Sonoma) Cuisipro stainless steel food mill.  Retail is $90 and I paid $38.

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Just found the seller you must've gotten it from and am considering one myself. Do they really still sell for $90 in the stores? It wouldn't surprise me; I found a brand-new Thumper massager for my girlfriend last year for about $100 less on eBay.

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SALE ALERT! The Cuispro does still go for $80 - $90, but W-S is selling them for $50 during their annual sale, which is almost over. I think it is the best one made right now.

[k43]

The W-S sale ended on 8/17, and their site has no entry for Cuisipro. The best price on Amazon today is $69.99. See Amazon

Edited August 22, 2005 by k43 (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Here it is. The Cuispro on the W-S website for $44.95. They do not label it a Cuispro in the listing, but it is.

[BettyK]

Question to those who have the Cuisipro food mill...Are you happy with it?

I'm thinking of getting one.

[russ parsons]

i use a food mill a lot--it gives you a great texture in tomato sauces, etc. but that does seem like a lot of money for one. try "food mill" on bizrate. they had a bunch of them for about $20. i can't imagine it would make that much difference (i picked mine up at a yard sale about 30 years ago).

[Smithy]

i use a food mill a lot--it gives you a great texture in tomato sauces, etc. but that does seem like a lot of money for one. try "food mill" on bizrate. they had a bunch of them for about $20. i can't imagine it would make that much difference (i picked mine up at a yard sale about 30 years ago).

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Unfortunately, there do seem to be design issues now, although I don't think they necessarily have to be associated with price. I picked up a food mill at a local hardware store a few years ago for $25. It was stainless steel and had 3 interchangeable disks. What could go wrong? Well, what went wrong was that the beautiful disks had such smooth holes that the paddle pushed the food right over them, and around the disk without pushing much through. Since I'd never used a food mill before, I assumed at first that it was my technique, or that I'd had the wrong expectations. Eventually I got around to trying another mill and figured out the problem. I sold mine on eBay (with the caveat that it didn't work well but made a great kitchen decoration) and got an old classic on eBay that works beautifully. Its gnarly holes grab hold of skin, seeds, tamarind fibers, you name it, so the paddle can push the fine stuff through. It's small, and doesn't have interchangeable disks, but it does its particular jobs well.

I'm not saying that price will be a factor in how well the food mill works, by the way. I can't see why it should be. I do think it's something to check if you can handle the food mill before purchasing it.

Oh, nobody else has mentioned straining tamarind pulp. I find it's a pretty good way to get concentrate after the pulp has steeped in hot water long enough.

[scubadoo97]

I have a stainless on with a handle. Not as big as some I see. I decided to try it for mashed potatoes a few nights ago. I didn't peel the potatoes but cut them up in small cubes for boiling. This was more work and mess than when I use with a ricer or regular masher. It has 3 discs and none worked well for this job.

[Waterzoy]

I want to buy a food mill and am not sure why some are more expensive than others.....as far as I can tell they all seem to look fairly similar and all come with two or three filters. Is there any reason to pay more or are the cheaper ones just as good? I did find a food mill thread but it was more about what you can do with them than which one to buy. Any advice welcome. Thanks.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Is there any reason to pay more or are the cheaper ones just as good? Any advice welcome. Thanks.

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This might be a a good place to begin your search ...

I personally like the Cuisipro Food Mill-Stainless ...

Edited December 19, 2006 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[eje]

The cheaper ones tend to be made of plastic or tin plated pressed metal.

Stainless will be easier to clean and less apt to stain if you use it for things like chile sauce.

Personally, I'm a fan of the old-fashioned conical strainer and wood pestle types.

What is the correct name for those?

[eldereno]

Personally, I'm a fan of the old-fashioned conical strainer and wood pestle types.

What is the correct name for those?

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A "china cap"? Similar in appearance to a chinois but with larger holes.

[Darren72]

I also have a Cuisipro stainless steel model, and it seems to work great. It was around $60-$70 and opted for this over a cheaper model because it is very sturdy.

[mukki]

I have a Cuisipro, which I got at a WS sale a few years ago (I think it ended up being around $35). It's very sturdy so far and a snap to clean.

[fiftydollars]

I have a cheap food mill (Norpro) that I purchased for just a few bucks (less than $10) and I've definitely not gotten my money's worth. It just sort of spins things around and whenever I use it, it just really pisses me off. It's not just that the pusher doesn't get much of a grip, but it also doesn't have one of those wire things that sweep stuff off the screen, so whenever I use it there is a lot of spatula work and mess involved.

If you have a Kitchenaid mixer you might want to buy the food mill (they call it a strainer, I think) attachment. It's only $50 or so and works very well for my purposes. The good food mills seem to be about $60-$100 and while I'm sure they are great, my experiences with the one I have have not been great. Plus, the KA saves a lot of elbow grease when you're trying to pass through 50lbs of tomatoes or whatnot.

[Batard]

Hi guys.

I am just a home cook, but have been needing a food mill for a while. I make some sauces, purees, and soups, and need a decent food mill to help me out.

I was looking to spend about $50 USD, but I also want one that is reliable and I don't need to fuss over. The OXO Good Grips Food Mill was well reviewed on Amazon -- it comes with three disks -- but I would like to ask what you folks think.

Thanks.

Hosts, please forgive me if this topic has been covered elsewhere and I missed it.

Edited February 25, 2008 by Batard (log)