[helena]

Does one need one? If yes, which one to get? Amazon reviews are all over the place - hard to decide...

Thanks much!

[Suzanne F]

I use my All-Clad to make mashed potatoes and other mashed vegetables. It holds more than my ricer and is easier to use -- just load it up with the vegs (I even use it as a strainer, so I don't need to use two tools) and crank. I like that it all can go into the dishwasher, although it does take up a lot of space, even when taken apart.

If I were a real feinschmecker, I'd probably want a tamis instead, to make the silkiest purees. But I'm not, so this is fine.

I also use it to make noodle-style spaetzle.

I used to use a Mouli, but it was not stainless, and the last bits of puree were gunmetal gray. Not very appetizing. The All-Clad is stainless all the way. (I got it at a professional discount, btw)

[bloviatrix]

I have one (not sure of the brand) which I rarely use. I bought it originally for applesauce but have decided it's easier to do tag-team prep where Blovie peels the apples and I slice and core.

[scamhi]

I love my food mill for running canned tomatoes thru.
Makes the best texture for basic tomato sauce

[joiei]

I love my food mill for running canned tomatoes thru.
Makes the best texture for basic tomato sauce

me too.

[Rail Paul]

I use my food mill a lot. For making fine soups, mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, etc. At least once a week.

My favorite is the Sunbeam plastic mill with three grids (fine, medium, coarse). It goes in the dishwasher, lasts about two years, and is replaced. Amazon has it for $25, and the clones for as low as $17. I've seen the Sunbeam in Bed Bath & Beyond for $18 or so


Sunbeam 2-qt. Food Mill

[helena]

Paul, the problem is i used to have Sunbeam but it seemed never doing a job properly so recently i threw it into a garbage bin

[Elissa]

Well I don't have a food mill but did get this chopper for Xmas and cannot decide if it seems worth the effort.

I was going to give it a maiden voyage for my New Years Day party, but chopping just seemed easier. Anyone use one of these babies? I think mine's going back.

And we missed you terrifically on New Years Day Helena. It was lovely, wish you'd come.

(a search found no 'multi-choppers are for dodos' thread so this seemed apt here...)

[porkwah]

we have a food mill (thanks liza!) that we use exclusively for baby food.
mostly it's used for things like fruit and chicken.

[splinky]

Well I don't have a food mill but did get this chopper for Xmas and cannot decide if it seems worth the effort.

I was going to give it a maiden voyage for my New Years Day party, but chopping just seemed easier. Anyone use one of these babies? I think mine's going back.

And we missed you terrifically on New Years Day Helena. It was lovely, wish you'd come.

(a search found no 'multi-choppers are for dodos' thread so this seemed apt here...)

in the end i always find those choppers more trouble than they are worth. i can chop an onion just as fast with a knife and only have the knife to clean once i am done. taking those chopper things apart for cleaning is a pain in the ass.

[g.johnson]

We use our food mill quite a lot. Mostly for making mashed potatoes and pureeing tomatoes.

[Lippy]

I have a Foley that I never use, primarily because it's a pan in the ass to clean. To make applesauce, I quarter and peel the apples before cooking -- ultimately much faster. If want the applesauce to be pink, I throw in a few of the peels. They can be fished out very easily at the end. For tomato sauce, squeezing the tomatoes as they go into the pot is good enough for me. I'd have to re-think, of course, if I decided to put up a large quanity of fresh tomatoes. Hmm, re-thought. I'll skip it.

A couple of years ago, I considered getting a tamis, but was put off by the price at Broadway Panhandler. This was during a big sale and they were giving away everything in the store but that item.

[Chad Ward]

How about Food Mill vs Kitchenaid Fruit & Vegetable Strainer? I'm planning on learning to can fruits and vegetables this year and can foresee the need for a food mill of some sort. This is an attachment for the KA food grinder I already have. Storage space is at a premium in my kitchen, so I'm leaning toward the Kitchenaid rather than a standalone food mill. Does anyone have experience with both?

Chad

[fentona]

I was thinking about food mills last night as I made hummus. To get a smoother texture, I removed the husks from the cooked chickpeas (in the past, I've just processed them with the peas). Doing this by hand was inefficient, to say the least. But that's the sort of job a food mill is good at, right? $20-25 would totally be worth it to save me that work.

edited to add: I have the KA food grinder; I'd also be interested to know if the strainer works well.

[beccaboo]

How about Food Mill vs Kitchenaid Fruit & Vegetable Strainer? I'm planning on learning to can fruits and vegetables this year and can foresee the need for a food mill of some sort. This is an attachment for the KA food grinder I already have. Storage space is at a premium in my kitchen, so I'm leaning toward the Kitchenaid rather than a standalone food mill. Does anyone have experience with both?

Chad

I have them both, and I uce the food mill more because it's less trouble to clean. The Kitchenaid thing's nice if you have a lot to strain, though.