A food mill is a device that helps you make sauces, purees, soups, and many more. This ‘many more’ includes baby food and mashed vegetables. It is also commonly used for the canning season. It is an old-fashioned product but a very good one indeed. Also it is easy to use since all you have to do is to turn the hand crank until it is done to your liking.
It does the job by separating liquids from solids. And it does so without any food waste, because then you can compost the leftover seeds and debris. There are two types of food mill: manual vs. electrical. While manual ones are inexpensive and easy to store, electrical ones are more expensive. They’re also larger than manual ones and so harder to store.
Whether it is manual or electrical, food mills surely make things easier in the kitchen. But it is not easy to decide the best one, specifically one that would suit your kitchen and requirements. That’s where I step in! This article includes a great list of ten best food mills -which are manual- on the market. I hope it’ll make the choosing process easier for you. Let’s begin!
Comparison of 10 Best Food Mills in 2022
IMAGE | NAME | FEATURES | PRICE |
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OXO |
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Weston |
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Navaris |
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Pantula |
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Granite Ware |
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ExcelSteel |
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GEFU |
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Cuisipro |
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Cuisinart |
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Winco |
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Top 10 Best Food Mills Review in 2022
1. OXO Good Grips Food Mill
Let’s start with one of the best manual food mills: OXO Good Grips. It has the best food mill reviews, and so we can safely say that people are loving it. This model has three stainless-steel discs for grinding. It does not get stains from the food you grind. Different discs can prepare foods in coarse, medium, and fine textures.
The machine is easy to assemble and disassemble. Its three legs are non-slip and help to securely rest the mill over pots and bowls. For easy storage, the legs flip inwards. Additionally, its crank turns smoothly. All things considered, if you’re searching for a mill for preparing single batches of food, then this might be a good choice for you.
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- Fold in legs
- Easy to clean
- Ergonomic design
- Smooth crank
- Small capacity
- A bit expensive
2. Weston Stainless Steel Food Mill
Weston offers us one of the best rated food mills. It has the capacity of 2 quarts. It is a good choice if you’re looking for something to make soft food. The three discs of this food mill are 2 mm, 3 mm, and 8 mm perforated. These prevent skins and pulps from slipping through and mixing with the final product.
This mill works so well that it can turn approximately 10 pounds of apple to applesauce in 5 minutes. It has a surprisingly inexpensive price for this efficiency.
- Time saving design
- Efficient
- Convenient handle provides extra stability
- Dishwasher safe
- Does not remove all the baby seeds
3. Navaris Rotary Food Mill
This 1-quart capacity food mill has three discs of 2 mm, 3 mm, and 7 mm. It is stainless steel (304) and one of the best food mills. You mill the food into another pot that you put underneath. Unfortunately, it is not possible to adjust it for large bowls because there are not any additions to make this possible such as flip out legs.
Navaris stainless steel food mill is 14 cm tall and 11.5 cm wide. Do not forget to wash it before and after usage for a long-lasting life. The crank mechanism works well, it is quite easy to turn. However, it is not easy to anchor the handle into the disc. You should be careful about that. Unless the handle will fall out of the disc every time you try.
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- Affordable price
- Good for mashing vegetables
- Dishwasher safe
- Sturdy build
- Does not work well as a ricer
4. Pantula Rotary Food Mill
You can use this mill for jams, jellies, baby food, sauces, and soups. Do not forget to wash it properly for it may sustain some stains from the food. You should also read the instructions to make sure you’re not using it to process food that may damage the mill.
It is one of the best food mills for the money. It certainly will save you a few bucks. But keep in mind that you get what you pay for in the end. So, it will be good not to expect too much. However, it is a good basic product to have for the price. Easy to use and easy to clean, so I’m quite fond of it.
- Easy assembly
- Soft and rounded, non slip handle
- Spring loaded lever
- Easy to clean
- Rough metal edges
5. Granite Ware Deluxe Food Mill
Granite Ware sends instructions with this stainless-steel food mill. Easy and quick. With a blink of an eye! It is one of the best inexpensive food mills on the market. However, you may have to grind it for a while till you have a good result. It works great especially for apple sauce. This is a good product for fruits with smaller seeds.
This mill doesn’t have a bowl of its own and instead fits directly on top of other pots and bowls. No need to pour your processed food from the mill to the cooking pot, you can do it directly! This makes this food mill more efficient in my eyes.
- Quick working mill
- Comes with instructions
- Easy to rest on a bowl
- Operation is quite smooth
- Uncomfortable and poorly connected handle
6. ExcelSteel Food Mill
Excelsteel offers us 3 different discs with this model as most of the food mill brands. You can choose the texture between coarse, medium, and fine as you like. It is easy to change the discs. It fits perfectly on a pot that has 1\4-inch rim. Also it is a bit heavier than most of the food mills with its 2.4 pounds of weight. This one will let you make the finest tomato puree of your life.
A hassle-free one! You do not have to spend long hours preparing the ingredients. It is tough, it can handle a huge load of work. Being heavy duty, this mill can be used by everyday chefs. You can save time and expand your cooking horizon at the same time. Your kitchen deserves this kind of addition. I would certainly call it one of the best food mills.
- Heavy-duty
- Easy to use and clean
- Heavy, sturdy build
- Easy mechanism of replacing the discs
- Might be a little too heavy for dainty users
7. GEFU Flotte Lotte Food Mill
This is an 18\10 stainless steel food mill. It has 2 interchangeable discs. One is 2.0 and the other one is 3.0 mm. Everything is dishwasher safe including removable parts. It’s easy to take apart for cleaning. It holds up to 3\ 3.5 quarts. Perfect for a well strained homemade tomato sauce!
Actually, it is perfect for most kinds of food because it is one of the best food mills. To be able to turn the crank easily is a feature we look for. This food mill has that feature. It only takes a few turns to make. However, you should know that it is not very easy to secure the mill on a pot.
- The crank turns smoothly
- Reasonable price
- Quick and efficient
- Sturdy quality
- Hard to secure on a pot
8. Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill
This is not a cheap food mill but an expensive one. In fact, it is the most expensive one we have on this list. It is an 18\ 10 stainless-steel extra-large food mill. It comes with 3 interchangeable discs. These discs are 2 mm, 3 mm, and 4 mm as usual. It has a large knob to make turning the crank easier. The sifting disk has an arm on the bottom, and I think it is a good addition.
Also Read: Best Meat Grinders – Grind Meat at Home
- Extra-large
- Holds more straining power
- Non-slip handles
- Very expensive
9. Cuisinart Stainless Food Mill
A comfy handle is an important feature to look at when you’re choosing food mills. Cuisinart offers us this feature with this food mill. The knob is covered with non-stick silicone for a good grip on the handle. As with most of the food mills on our list, this one also has three grating discs that you can use for smooth vegetable soups or salsa and mashed potatoes.
The silicone cover makes the food mill stay securely on the rim of a bowl. After using this food mill and ending up with satisfying results, you can toss it in the dishwasher without any extra effort. Once again Cuisinart proves to us with this top-quality best food mill that it is a very reliable brand when it comes to matters of the kitchen!
- Durable design
- Dishwasher safe
- Ergonomic handle
- Reasonable price
- The blade makes an unusual sound
10. Winco Food Mill
This USA-made food mill is from durable stainless steel. As any food mill, you put the food inside and place a bowl underneath to catch the processed product. Then you turn the crank, and the semi-circular blade mills the food. It does the job it should. Just make sure you are not loading it full because it becomes hard to turn the crank in that time.
This functional mill is a bit hard to assemble because unfortunately, we are not given any instructions. You’ll have to figure out yourself or hunt for a YouTube tutorial. However, it is a strong and capable food mill. You do not need to boil your food first. It will be easier on your wrists if you do but it is not a must because with a little elbow grease, this mill can process raw, harder food.
- Heavy duty
- Easy to clean
- Can process raw food
- Built quite well considering the price
- Feet come off easily
What to Look for in a Food Mill
As you can see from the list, food mills are not complicated products. They have the same features mostly. The difference is in the way they perform these features. So, let’s take a closer look.
Interchangeable Discs: Although every product in this list has 2-3 interchangeable discs, some food mills on the market do not have them. This is a must since you will not use a food mill for the same thing and the same texture every time. The more discs there are, the more versatility you’ll get.
Capacity: Do you want a food mill because of the canning season? Or do you want a food mill for making baby food for each meal? Of course, a food mill can help you with both of these, but different food mills are good for each of these tasks.
As I mentioned for some of the models, some food mills are better for small batches and some can do a good job with the bigger ones. The one that is good for you should be determined by the way you’ll use this food mill in the future.
Easy Assembly: Food mills are formed by removable parts. These removable parts should be easy to take apart and easy to put back together for easy cleaning and quick assembling.
Hooking Onto the Bowl: Since most of the food mills do not come with a bowl underneath to mill the food into, it is important to have a handle, legs, loops, or hooks to rest it on different kinds of bowls for easy usage.
The Blade: It is good to be careful about the blades. You can especially look for the ones that ride close to the disc. It must grab the food and force it through the sieve for maximum efficiency.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What Foods Can You Make With Your Food Mill?
A: The appliance may look very difficult to use, but it is easy to use kitchen tools with tons of features. Mainly food mill is used for making sauces, soups, and mashed potatoes, but you can also use it to make jams, jellies, tomato sauce, applesauce, baby food, ground meat, bean dip, pureed fruit, and much more. Other than this, Duchesse potatoes or hummus can also be made with the help of this food mill.
Q: Which One Is Better: Food Mill or Food Processor?
A: The food mill is the better one here as it is a straightforward, mechanical, and non-electric machine that can mash the food by straining out seeds and skins. In comparison, the food processor does not strain them out and keeps those seeds and skins in the final mixture, which can ruin the taste of the food you are preparing.
Q: How to Clean a Food Mill?
A: A food mill is one of the easy kitchen equipment/tools to clean up. After using the appliance, you just have to run the mill by the water and thoroughly clean the parts with a dishwashing brush. When you are done cleaning the food mill, dry the parts and resemble them, and then you are good to go!
Q: Can You Put Raw Tomatoes Through a Food Mill?
A: Yes, you can. A lot of recipes require getting rid of the seeds before the tomatoes can be further processed. Moreover, some people cannot digest raw tomato seeds when used in recipes like salad or salsa. For instances like these, you can put raw tomatoes through the mill.
The process is relatively simple. For removing tomato skin and seeds, you use the mill the usual way; just make sure to pick a fine mesh so the seeds would not be able to escape. Quarter the tomatoes and process them through the mill; it’s that simple.
Wrapping Up
These kitchen products that our mothers used in the past still remain a great part of our modern kitchens. They are easy to use and easy to clean. They do not take a lot of space. So we can safely say that food mills are very handy indeed. Even if you do not think that can be true, wait till you try one. Once you get your hands on the best food mill, you’ll realize how it makes things so much easier in the kitchen!
When I got my first one, I was hit with one of those ‘I should’ve got it even sooner!’ moments. And I started to use it more than a couple of times a week. I hope you’ll think the same thing after going through the list. I hope you find one that is to your liking. Don’t forget to let me know about the process and the results of course!
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