How useful are food mills?

I hate to buy more gadgets and have a self imposed limit of 20 kitchen items. Robin's recipe for tomato sauce clearly would be a great use for the device -- I could see making and freezing gallons of the stuff.

But what other uses are there, especially since I'm usually preparing food for only two people.

Regards, Bob

I love my food mill!

In addition to tomato sauce, I use it for all manner of fruit sauces... apple, pear, berry etc etc.

[Jenise]

What Cynthia said. I also use it to grind a cooked mire poix into a thickener for a rustic style sauce.

BUT. Let's talk more about this 20 gadget thing. What constitutes a gadget? I will admit to being rather anti-gadget myself, especially when such gadgets attempt to solve a skill deficiency vs. providing a radically new and better methodology, but why have a limit? And why 20? Is a can opener in the 20? Are knives? Spatulas? Pot holders?

Though we don't discourage getting one, we have been able to survive without by using other options. When a blender (we have) or a food processor (don't have) won't do, we run things like tomatoes through a ricer. Have made a ton of tomato sauce with the ricer.

[Robin Garr]

Though we don't discourage getting one, we have been able to survive without by using other options. When a blender (we have) or a food processor (don't have) won't do, we run things like tomatoes through a ricer. Have made a ton of tomato sauce with the ricer.

I'm with Cynthia and Jenise on the food mill, but don't own a ricer. I'm sure it will work for tomatoes, but it strikes me that it would be weakest in the specific area where the food mill is strongest: The food mill selectively passes pulp and juice while holding back tomato skin and seeds, and that's A Good Thing, and a thing that a blender or processor can't do.

A chinois and pestle would work, eventually, but at considerably greater effort and expense.

To me, a food mill is well worth the relatively nominal investment, and since it's not a mono-tasker, it justifies a place in the kitchen "gadget" collection, whether you're trying to hold it to 20 items or not.

I also use it to grind a cooked mire poix into a thickener for a rustic style sauce.

Oh, duh! I sat there thinking "I know I use it for something else, but what is it?"

I make a jalapeno cheese soup that is thickened with celery that I run through the food mill.

Thanks for the little memory jog, Jenise!

"BUT. Let's talk more about this 20 gadget thing. What constitutes a gadget? I will admit to being rather anti-gadget myself, especially when such gadgets attempt to solve a skill deficiency vs. providing a radically new and better methodology, but why have a limit? And why 20? Is a can opener in the 20? Are knives? Spatulas? Pot holders?"

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

I'm an obsessive collector who comes from a long line of obsessive collectors -- my father once had 20 church pews in our barnyard -- for 7 and a half years until a prankster set fire to them one Halloween. [He bought them for the chestnut railing along the backs -- said they were worth ten times what he paid for the pews. As far as I know, the chestnut railings burned just as fast as the pine seats and sides. ]

I picked 20 because the folks at CIA told me there were 32 essential kitchen gadgets, and I figured I could hold the line at 19 -- my favorite number -- with an open slot for stuff that really looked useful. When I got my can opener for pop tops, I was at 20, and had to get rid of something -- in this case a small paring knife. I'm back to 19 and so the food mill is a theoretical acquisition.

Regards, Bob

PS: we loved Copenhagen -- our bags were lost and we spent half our time back and forth between the airport and the hotel retrieving them in one of the most chaotic arrivals halls I've ever seen. A porter told me there were over 5,000 bags stacked on carts and in the hallways -- it was a miracle we retrieved them -- Janet saw one just by chance coming in from Milan.

But the New Harbor and Tivoli were great fun, and I'll report on them in some wine tasting notes still in draft form.
B.

[Jenise]

Even a pot holder? I'm, well, like this: . And no way could I hold to 20. I own five or six spatulas and six paring knives alone. Two spatulas were my mothers, one's long and one's short and slotted. Both have their moments, and besides they were my mother's so they can't go anywhere. Another one's has rounded sides but a flat tip on the business end, and it the best choice for flipping a fried egg. Another is teflon, which my husband insists I use on teflon but rarely do. Another is huge--about 9 inches wide and five inches deep--rarely needed, but invaluable for moving product from the bottom of a released spring form pan to a serving platter or flipping a sole filet.

My paring knives? Love redundancy. I'll often use several in the preparation of a single meal. Your system doesn't allow for any redudancy at all.

And pot holders really surprise me. That was a far-fetched suggestion that you were expected to say no to.

So now I have to ask: what are your 20 items?

Maybe we need a new kitchen gadget thread!

I'll start a new thread, Jenise, as Cynthia suggests. I've got the list on my computer, but I need to do an inventory to see if something has crept into the collection, as it were.

Regards, Bob

Bob,

For tomatoes, I have a genuine stainless steel tomato grinder/mill. Used it maybe twice in 25 years! It's like many gadgets Italian--looks wonderful; too complicated and messy to use regularly (form over function).

Food mill works fine for tomatoes, and you should start preparing osso buco--the mill is needed for that sauce.

I hate to buy more gadgets and have a self imposed limit of 20 kitchen items. Robin's recipe for tomato sauce clearly would be a great use for the device -- I could see making and freezing gallons of the stuff.

But what other uses are there, especially since I'm usually preparing food for only two people.

Regards, Bob

If I were going to restrict my number of kitchen tools to 10 I assure you the food mill would be among them. Use it at least a couple of times per week.

Tomato sauce, all pureed sauces, any pureed fruits or vegetables, pureed soups, mashed potatoes.

Thanks, Chef. I suspect that I'm using a two cup food processor -- $.50 at a garage sale -- as you use a food mill -- and it's a matter of scale.

I actually bought a food mill at Chef Central today, and have been looking at the size and complexity of the various blade sets. My little food processor made four cups of a favorite summer soup: cucumber, dill, raisins and yogurt. Two passes, about six minutes of work, rinse it off, into the dishwasher -- done in under ten minutes.

But -- if I'm going to make pints and pints of tomato sauce the food processor will make tomato juice and take forever.

Thanks for helping me clarifying my thinking -- we use so much tomato sauce over the year -- and being able to make salt free tomato sauce is so important here -- I probably will unpack the food mill and buy a peck of tomatoes Sunday at the farmers market.

Thanks all -- I also like the idea of making sauce Cynthia -- I miss the various types my mother used to make.

Regards, Bob

...what other uses are there, especially since I'm usually preparing food for only two people.

According to my wife, food mills are essential for a proper vegetable potage, achieving a texture you can't otherwise get. She uses a hand cranked one. You simmer a combination to taste of some of the following - turnips, carrots, garlic, potatoes, peas, onion salt, pepper and various fresh herbs. If desired, add some tomatoes or greens for the last few minutes. Then scoop out all the solids and run them through the mill back into the soup. The results are indeed delicious and freeze well (if you make more than the two of you need).

I also like mashed potatoes made with a food mill, but that may be more controversial.

Carrot sauce is another nice use. Simmer carrots until tender in chicken stock and white wine with bay leaf and a few slices of ginger. Remove the ginger and bay leaf and run the rest through the food mill. Add a little cream and butter, simmer and correct the seasoning, then serve over fish or chicken or boiled potatoes, garnished with parsley or lovage or cilantro.

Thanks for the suggestions, CM. I'm using it for tomato sauce at the moment, but need other ideas and uses to justify the shelf space it takes up.

Regards, Bob