Food Mills

[patrickamory]

So it looks like they no longer make Macina-Legumi, the new Foley stainless steel mills are made in China and get bad reviews on Amazon compared to the classic models, and per above the OXO and Rösle models are not sturdy enough either.

The Moulin is still made but also has a high proportion of 1-star reviews on Amazon for the difficulty of replacing disks, insufficient sharpness and poor manufacturing quality.

Surely there is an alternative to spending $162 on the Eurodib X3 if I want to buy a new mill?

[bonkboo]

Thanks for all the input. Based on this, I'm not going to bother. I thought it would be a nice to have item. But I'm not going to need it enough to spend the big bucks it appears you need to invest. And having tried a cheap model before for about 30 seconds before returning it, I'm a pass.

[annabelle]

patrickamory, try eBay and Craigslist for used Macina-Legume and Foley food mills. They are listed as vintage, depending on the seller and prices vary widely. II bought my Macina-Legume in the Strip District in Pittsburgh, PA about 20 years ago for $24. No way would I pay $100 for a food mill unless it comes with a tiny chef to maintain it.

Yard sales can be good too, when relatives move Mom or Grandma into a home and sell all her stuff that no one wants.

[Martin Fisher]

Check Fantes.com in Philly....they carry, or used to carry, Macina-Legume.

[patrickamory]

DDF: Yep, saw Fantes mentioned somewhere... they no longer seem to have it.

[Martin Fisher]

FWIW, I think that JB Prince sells the Eurodib for about $120

[Martin Fisher]

I just looked at Fantes site...they have 2 mills listed as Omac...Made in Italy...the pictures are definitely pics of Macina-Legume mills.

http://fantes.com/food-mills.html

[patrickamory]

DDF: Aha, that explains it! Ordered. Thanks!!

[annabelle]

Wow. Still a bargain after all these years. You'll like it Patrick. It's easy to use and to clean. If you have a pot rack, it has a hole in the handle to hang it up and all the discs stack on each other in the hopper for storage. No hunting through the kitchen drawers for them.

[patrickamory]

Thanks to annabelle and DiggingDogFarm! I will report back after I first use it.

Btw, there _was_ a used one on eBay but the description said to rely on the pictures, and the item didn't look entirely unbent or clean to me in the photos. So I'm glad I found a new one. Made in Italy. Still says Macina Legumi on it.

(I don't have a pot rack and probably don't have the ceiling or wall space for one, but I'm going to have to find some kind of solution to kitchen storage issues soon, especially if I buy the ricemaker/slow cooker andiesenji recommends.)

[annabelle]

The only thing I'll caution you about is the folding feet. I accidentally melted the rubberized covering off the side of one by setting it too close to the stove. They are fantastic grippers, though. You can clamp them onto a bowl or a pot and transfer whatever you're cooking into a new vessel.

[sculptor]

Food mills are a classic kitchen device and I think every halfway decent kitchen should have one. They are very useful for purées and invaluable if you wish to separate out things like the skins and seeds from the product.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I may be old fashioned, but I'll take my tamis.

[patrickamory]

Well, it arrived. Still made in Italy, but despite the photos on the Fante site, it is now stamped O.M.A.C. rather than Macina Legumi. It otherwise appears identical.

It's a bit tricky to use but I successfully pureed and de-seeded tomatoes for marinara.

Chickpeas next!

[annabelle]

Congratulations, Patrick! Show us some pictures when you get a chance, please.

[Mjx]

A bit more about the Rösle food mill: their service and warranty are great.

I got mine a little over two years ago, and it worked beautifully, until one of the hooks/feet came off, a liitle while back. These feet are welded on, and one of the welds just gave way, no 'pop' or anything, just gently fell off as I settled the food mill on a sauce pan.

My first thought was 'It figures, this had to happen soon after the purchase warranty expires' (two-year warranty on everything, here). But I figured it couldn't hurt to contact Rösle through their site, tell them about this, and how disappointed I was. After sending my message, I browsed the site, and noticed that they have a 10-year warranty (which I see I noticed before, and was one of the reasons I chose the brand, but I'd completely forgotten about it).

It took them a couple of weeks to reply to my initial message (holidays, I guess), but when they did get back to me they said 'No problem', just send them the mill, and they'd replace it.

I shipped off the damaged bowl on 17 January.

I figured they'd just replace the damaged part, but this evening, I received a complete new food mill from them, discs and all.

I'm really happy and impressed with their service.

[cyalexa]

Will a food mill successfully remove the skins from corn kernels? I've been making a corn soup and like it velvety so have been using a strainer. It works but takes a long time. 

[Kerry Beal]

Will a food mill successfully remove the skins from corn kernels? I've been making a corn soup and like it velvety so have been using a strainer. It works but takes a long time. 

Should do.

[pbear]

I've not done corn, but I've done lots of this sort of thing because I generally dislike seeds and skins in cooked dishes.  The main thing is to keep in mind the size of the holes you'll be using and chop accordingly.  (I'd do corn by pulsing in a food processor.)  Too little and your yield will suffer; too much and the skins will pass through the disk.  Hope that helps.

[andiesenji]

I posted this in this thread 11 years ago.  I am posting it again because the season is rapidly approaching and it is best to be prepared.

 

I still cook squash and pumpkin that are destined for puree the same way - seeds and all - and put them through the Foley to remove the seeds and stringy stuff.  So much easier and quicker than scraping the stuff out. 

 

Posted 13 September 2004 - 06:14 PM

Since in some parts of the country autumn is coming on rapidly, I thought I would add this bit of lore.
I learned as a child about making pumpkin puree for pies, pumpkin butter and so on - also can be made with the sweeter winter squash varieties, Hubbard, etc., or a combination.
Our cook always scrubbed the squash very well and pared off most of the tough, outer skin with a big old knife almost as big as a machete. She would then chop it into chunks and put it in a big pot, seeds and all, cover with salted water and cook until it was very tender, i.e., a piece speared with a fork would fall apart. If everyone was busy and no one was available for frequent stirring, the pot was stuck into the oven and the squash was slow roasted till tender.
The resulting pulp was put into a food mill in batches and processed until just the seeds and stringy stuff was still in the mill, that was then dumped out by reversing the motion of the scraper, given a quick rinse and then the next batch was done.
It was felt that the seeds, cooking in with the flesh of the squash or pumpkin added something to the quality of the final product and I have found that when I make pumpkin puree this way it does have a richer flavor. Often the seeds split and the meat from inside pops out and is incorporated into the puree.
Sometimes the squash or pumpkins do not have a lot of seeds and I simply add some raw pepitas to the mixture - sometimes grinding them first - the addition helps to thicken the puree in addition to the flavor they add.

[cyalexa]

Kerry - thanks

 

pbear - good points, will keep them in mind

 

andie - will be doing squash as you describe 

[MelissaH]

Andie, do you peel the pumpkins and other squashes these days?

[andiesenji]

Andie, do you peel the pumpkins and other squashes these days?

Yes.  For the "warty" ones I use a big old butcher knife (one of the cheap Forschners)  but for the smooth-skinned varieties I have a giant vegetable peeler - not sure who makes it - that does a terrific job.  Also works on melons - I peel watermelons when I am going to pickle the rind.

 

 

I got it at a restaurant supply store.

 

I have another extra large peeler - a gift from a friend who is always trying to find a gadget I lack.

It is called a "dicky or a dinky" I haven't seen it for awhile, probably languishing in a drawer full of junk.

 

When I was younger and stronger I used a "draw knife" for peeling large squash and melons.  That was when I had an extensive garden and grew some enormous banana squash - which make a wonderful puree for pies when mixed with pumpkin or even sweet potato. 

Edited August 11, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[KitchenQueen]

I have one I picked up for maybe 5 bucks probably 15 years (or more) at a thrift shop,with 2-3 different inserts..

I had to go look, it's a Macina-Legumi.

Built like a tank and I use it constantly.I'd be lost without it. 

And it looks like new, although it's probably been through my dishwasher a thousand times.

[daveb]

I can't speak to the imported or high end food mills but have an Oxo that meets my needs.  Augur, sieve at the end.  How complicated can it be?

 

That said I just used a VMix and strainer to puree some arugula.  The Oxo never entered my mind.