Food Mills

[HungryC]

I have the OXO, it works just fine. I use it a few times a year on tomatoes, mostly. Easy enough to change disks. The "feet" are convenient, as they are hinged and can stablize the mill atop various sized containers.

[PassionateAmateur]

I have the oxo too -- I don't love it, but don't hate it enough to replace it. feels very unsteady on top of receiver bowl. And I feel like the blade could scrape a little closer to the disks. but sturdy, easy to break down, washes well...

[andiesenji]

Anyone try the All-Clad food mill, it has a blade at the bottom to remove the food that is being pushed through. How much does this help? Does anyone without the blade find that food gets stuck? Anyone use both a All-Clad and another brand, and if so, was the price worth it?

(I originally posted this but forgot to put the link to the photo, sorry moderators, I'm not very computer savvy)

Here is the food mill I'm talking about: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-food-mill/

The bottom of the Foley has a wire "sweeper" which has been a feature on the Foley since it was first introduced in 1933. Anything that has been in production, with few changes, for 80 years WORKS. Here is a writer who give some history of the food mill.

[Shel_B]

Anyone try the All-Clad food mill, it has a blade at the bottom to remove the food that is being pushed through. How much does this help? Does anyone without the blade find that food gets stuck? Anyone use both a All-Clad and another brand, and if so, was the price worth it?

(I originally posted this but forgot to put the link to the photo, sorry moderators, I'm not very computer savvy)

Here is the food mill I'm talking about: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-food-mill/

I read a number of reviews on sites other than W-S, and many were not at all complimentary ... you might want to read some and make up your own mind. It ain't worth the $$$, IMO.

[rotuts]

Oxo

works well enough. had a metal version a long time ago but it was borrowed. might have even been from them early on.

20% off. its not cinerama with surround sound.

[furzzy]

I've used or had several over the years.

You can't beat the Foley. They were the first & they got it right. I have 3 of them from various years in various sizes.

I've used the All-Clad teaching some cooking classes...it's great, but you don't have to pay that much to get one equally as good.

Matfer also makes a better-than-excellent food mill...but it's at least as expensive as the All-Clad.

I warn against the Cuispro. It doesn't have the extendable feet. The helper hook is so high that the mill hangs so low into the bowl that it just doesn't work. I had to use a 12-qt. stock pot with it to be able to have the product fall below the mill. It now sits on a back shelf in the garage.

The OXO is good. You'll probably be happy with it.

[Shel_B]

Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning towards the OXO and the Foley.

[redolivemartini]

I have the OXO too and there's definitely a learning curve to it. It depends on what you're trying to mill. I've had really bad luck with canned tomatoes (it might depend on the brand of canned tomato?), but it was great for fresh tomatoes and boiled potatoes. I wrote about it a little while ago-

http://www.iniskitchen.com/2013/09/pureed-tomatoes-with-oxo-food-mill.html

Let us know which one you ended up getting and how it turned out!

[Smithy]

One design feature I haven't seen discussed this time around is the smoothness or roughness of the disks' interior surface. My first food mill was a pretty-looking thing, made by one of the companies that produces less-expensive tools. I don't remember the company's name. The disks were easy to change, but the holes were so smooth that food got pushed around in circles without ever breaking up. By contrast, the Foley I got to replace it has a very rough disk surface that helps grab and shred the food. No interchangeable disks, but it works.

I took the other one back for a refund.

[bonkboo]

Hi folks,

Seeking your advice yet again. I have a remaining w-s gift card which could buy me an OXO food mill. Is it worth having a food mill? I bought nor at BBB a few years back that fell apart on first use and I returned it. Do folks like food mills or not? Can I do my needs in a food processor instead?

Thanks

[annabelle]

I love mine (Macina Legume) and use it all the time. It takes a lot of the work out of tomato sauces since the seeds and peels get caught in the hopper, so there is less prep. Likewise for applesauce, hummus, "ricing" potatoes with the coarse disc and even making baby food with the fine disc.

[teapot]

I've had a French food mill (Moulin) since the early 70s -- it's a peach! Wonderful for separating out seeds/skins, or gettingdry, fluffy potatoes for mashing, gnocchi etc. You can't do those functions with a food processer. That said, I've heard newer food mills are often junk -- so unless you know the OXO is good, consider getting a vintage one from Craigslist, Ebay or some such. I bet there are better ways to spend money at WS.

[pbear]

I have a Rösle food mill, which I like a lot, but it's almost three times as expensive as the OXO. I got it because I was uniformly dissatified with the cheaper ones I tried. (No experience, though, with the OXO.) In particular, the Rösle has a very good clamping mechanism.for holding the pusher in place, pusher instability being the main complaint I had with the others. Another thing I like about the Rösle is that discs are available in a wider range of hole sizes than any other I've seen.

As for whether a food processor will serve as well, about the only application I can think of where this is true is mashed potatoes and other root veggie purees, where one can use the grating blade for the puree without the glueyness the knife blade produces. Otherwise, I mostly use it to remove seeds and skins, which a food processor doesn't do.

Hope that helps.

[Martin Fisher]

I couldn't live without a good food mill.
I use mine a lot during harvest season.

If you plan to use one extensively I recommend you go with a professional model and avoid the Oxo and even a Rosle.

I have a Eurodib that's made in France.....it's of excellent quality and should easily last the rest of my life.

[andiesenji]

I wouldn't be without a food mill. I have a Foley, the big one, 3.5 quart, which I bought about ten years ago to replace an older Foley that lasted 30 years.

I make applesauce by chopping whole apples, skin, seeds and all and putting them through the mill which separates the pulp.

It's not fancy and doesn't have interchangeable plates but for my needs is perfect.

[Martin Fisher]

I also really like the classic Foley, but the ones I have are not stainless and, as you said, have no interchangeable plates.

[mgaretz]

I also have the Rosle and I like it, but I really don't use it for anything except mashed potatoes. It tried using it once with tomatoes and either I did something wrong or it didn't work very well.

[Shalmanese]

I think you're going to get biased answers in this thread since people who don't have a use for food mills aren't going to be inclined to answer. I bought a food mill on a whim from a thrift shop because it was only $3. It's ok. If you're doing one of the few things that a food mill is great for and you're doing it a LOT (like making tomato sauce or apple sauce), then it might be worthwhile to get one but you should know that already if that's what you're doing. But apart from that, it's a pretty niche instrument and almost anything you can do with a food mill, you could also do with a blender & sieve, albeit slower.

In truth, most people don't have a good use for it which is why it's not found in many kitchens.

[Carole]

I did try the OXO and it worked so poorly I returned it. Ended up getting a huge one from JB Prince. Expensive but it works like a charm. Don't get one too small.

[lindag]

Mine has been used very infrequently but then I don't raise a garden or have access to a farmers' market.

It was long ago moved to a box in the garage.

[thatchairlady]

I have Foley Food Mill that came from my Grandmother's house. It doesn't get used a lot, but then doesn't take up a lot of space, either. She used it when she made jelly from her Concord grapes... to get rid of seeds and skins after they had cooked down.

[annabelle]

My mother made Concord grape jelly. Once. I believe that was the first time I heard my mother swear.

[patrickamory]

I've been interested in one for removing chickpea skins... I don't know how frequent that would be though.

annabelle, is it always desirable to remove skins and seeds from tomatoes when making sauce? I know Indian dishes usually require skinning, which I do by cutting a cross in one end and then blanching and peeling by hand. But sometimes don't you want the acids from the skins and seeds in a sauce? This hadn't occurred to me.

[annabelle]

Perhaps not, but I don't like getting seeds in my teeth and I like a smooth sauce. If I am making a chunky sauce, I still blanch off the tomatoes and remove the skins. I do it for salads, too, but my Grandmother was French and that's the way they do it. Concasse of tomatoes are also peeled seeded and chopped. I know because it was one of my kitchen slave jobs back in the day.

A foodmill is a must (for me) for hummus. So much easier than trying to rub off the skins by hand.

Edited December 31, 2013 by annabelle (log)

[pbear]

I think you're going to get biased answers in this thread since people who don't have a use for food mills aren't going to be inclined to answer. I bought a food mill on a whim from a thrift shop because it was only $3. It's ok. If you're doing one of the few things that a food mill is great for and you're doing it a LOT (like making tomato sauce or apple sauce), then it might be worthwhile to get one but you should know that already if that's what you're doing. But apart from that, it's a pretty niche instrument and almost anything you can do with a food mill, you could also do with a blender & sieve, albeit slower.

In truth, most people don't have a good use for it which is why it's not found in many kitchens.

Whereas my reaction on reading Modernist Cuisine at Home, which has many recipes that call for pushing stuff through a sieve was, "Haven't these folks ever heard of a food mill?" That said, I agree the OP should think about whether s/he actually needs or would benefit from one.