Can I just say I love, Love, LOVE my food mill?
We finally got the big batches of Roma tomatoes rolling in a week or so ago, just in time for everything to be killed by a frost.
I spent one afternoon making a batch of tomato sauce. In years past, this involved peeling the tomatoes, cooking them in a pot, pureeing them … and suffering through seeds in the sauce, which give it a bitter flavor.
Then last spring, I found an almost-new food mill for sale on Craigslist. I got the seller to give me the mill and a dehydrator for $50.
I followed L’An’s suggestion to throw the tomatoes into boiling water for a couple minutes to lightly cook them before milling. I figured this would also make the peels come off more easily.
Then I ran the tomatoes through the mill. I think I had about 7 pounds of tomatoes, which filled up the hopper about twice. I kept on cranking until I had those tomatoes all sauced, with the sauce in one bowl …
… and the skins and seeds in another.
I came out with about 4 quarts of tomato sauce, ready to freeze and later turn into pasta sauce or something else delicious, and the whole process only took half an hour or so.
How much easier does a mill make life? A million times? I’ll be using it again soon to polish off the last batch of tomatoes. If only our CSA hadn’t been hit by a hailstorm (eliminating our anticipated bushel of tomatoes), we’d be all set for much of the winter …
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Comments ( 7 )
That looks really handy, I’ll have to see if I can find one on Craigslist or Ebay. I’m still trying to find a pressure canner but as canning becomes more popular the cost even for a used one is going up.
badhuman added these pithy words on
Oct 27 08 at
5:51 am
It does look handy. My parents have one that they get a lot of use out of during canning season. I am space challenged and lazy. I just use my immersion blender and zap the whole thing. I have never noticed a bitterness from the seeds. The immersion blender is also great for all those fall squash based soups.
organicneedle added these pithy words on
Oct 27 08 at
7:36 am
That looks like a great tomato mill! Ours is just an oxo mill I picked up at BB&B that, alas, does not shoot the skins and seeds out the side like yours (I’m jealous!) but it definitely does the job. Definitely makes the whole saucing thing a zillion times easier!
And… you picked up a dehydrator too? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the one you’ve got. I’ve been thinking about getting a dehydrator but have felt so overwhelmed by the options/reviews I’ve read, I’ve been stymied at the thought of actually acquiring one. Any guidance?
@badhuman, you might want to stake out estate sales for a pressure canner. Mine was a hand-me-down from my grandmother and although I had to buy a new seal for it, and spent about $10 getting the pressure gauge checked by the local agricultural extension office, it works beautifully.
L'an added these pithy words on
Oct 27 08 at
10:12 am
@organicneedle – I pureed last year, but my husband of the delicate palate complained about the bitterness every time he ate the tomatoes.
@L’An – I only dehydrated a couple things — berries, for one, to add to granola. Maybe I should write about it here. I’ve seen them at thrift stores and I think that price would be worth it …
Cheap Like Me added these pithy words on
Oct 27 08 at
12:56 pm
I am looking for a similiar food mill shown in the picture above. What brand is it? Thanks
Will added these pithy words on
Apr 30 11 at
10:35 am
My food mill is “Back to Basics” brand. I see it is available online – as are other parts. I’d love the “salsa” attachment to make a chunkier tomato mixture possible as well.
cheaplikeme added these pithy words on
May 01 11 at
2:08 pm
I was just given one of these – it’s cast iron and very old, was my grandmother’s. I tried it today for the first time and the puree that comes out is very watery… is this normal? I was hoping to make sauce or salsa with it (we dont like ours chunky) but it seems like a big bowl of tomato juice! Unfortunately because it’s so old I don’t think I can get other attachment screens for it… maybe the holes are too small?
Amanda added these pithy words on
Aug 14 11 at
10:57 am
