Although there is a large variety of kitchen appliances like food blenders and processors on the market, none of them has surpassed the power and longevity of the best food mill. Not only does this kitchen appliance add a traditional touch to your kitchen, but it also helps prepare delicious sauces, vegetable soups, and jams.
With plenty of food mill choices in the market, you might be unsure about which one to choose. We have reviewed the best food mills to bring out the real beauty of home-cooked purees, meaning you won't have to go to the supermarket to buy sauces.
What is a Food Mill?
A food mill is a kitchen tool you use to grind and puree food to make baby food soups, apple sauce, or sauces. It is also known as a rotary food mill and can be used to create smooth purees or for removing stems, seeds, and skins from fruits and vegetables.
These kitchen tools are suitable for processing large batches of food like apple sauce, tomato puree, and fruit preserves.
Food mills are also perfect for parents who want to make their own baby food. There are many options on the market with small capacities that perfectly grind baby food, even on the go or at a restaurant.
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Not all food mills are the same and vary in the quality of the materials that make them and their size. Some models have a rotary handle that you spin to push food through a sieve towards the bottom, while others have an electric motor that does all the hard work for you.
They are not the best appliances for everyone, as they can be clunky and large, taking up space in your kitchen. Dive in to learn more about the best food mill for your needs.
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1. OXO Good Grips Food Mill
- Stainless steel bowl is ideal for hot foods and prevents staining
- Includes 3 stainless steel grinding discs for preparing foods of...
- Simple, spring-loaded lever for easy disc exchange and...
- 3 non-slip legs secure placement over bowls and pots up to 11" in...
- Legs fold for easy storage
OXO Good Grips Food Mill is a perfectly designed model that is easy to assemble and disassemble. It features a clever design with legs that snap out to rest your mill securely and a rubber coating to provide a sturdy stance to avoid slipping during usage.
We recommend this if you want a food mill to minimize food waste and make your kitchen function like a pro. Although we know it doesn't come cheap, it's suitable for customers looking for an all-around product to use consistently.
Image Credit: foodandnutrition.org
The OXO Good Grips food mill consists of three stainless steel discs with varied hole sizes and patterns to control food consistency. We recommend this kitchen gadget if you want one with a bowl holding large amounts of food to allow you to make jam in big batches.
Assembling the OXO Good Grips food mill is straightforward, and when you are done making a fresh batch of tomato sauce, you can easily disassemble it by pressing the quick-release button. Lastly, all the parts are dishwasher safe, so you won't have to worry about cleaning, and OXO also offers great customer support and a money-back guarantee.
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2. Granite Ware Stainless Steel Deluxe Food Mill
- Includes 3 stainless steel grinding discs
- Fits directly over mixing bowls or stock pots
- Separates skins and seeds while removing pulp
- Dishwasher safe
- Made in China
The Granite Ware Stainless Steel Deluxe Food Mill is designed to fit the standard bowls and pots thanks to its wide stance, making it one of the best food mills on the market. It is a time-saving food mill that will perfectly fit your kitchen while allowing enough space in your cupboard.
We recommend the Deluxe food mill as one of the best food mills for beginners, thanks to its basic design since it's easy to figure out by looking at it. Also, as a beginner, you will enjoy its affordability, meaning you won't have to splurge on your kitchen tools.
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The gadget is precise, designed to separate the seeds, skin, and pulp, and you are guaranteed to never crunch down on the surprise seeds again. This is backed up by the three stainless steel discs that ensure you get fine, medium, or coarse purees.
The Granite Ware Stainless Steel Deluxe Food Mill is easy to store since it has no legs and is compatible with most bowls and pots. The food processor also allows you to make soups and creamy sauces in the bowl with the minimum amount of dishes to clean up afterward. Lastly, the affordable food mill is perfect and is dishwasher safe, meaning you can rest after preparing food.
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3. Weston Stainless Steel Food Mill
- Stainless Steel
- Approximate 2 quart capacity
- Three Stainless Steel milling discs: fine (2 mm), medium (3 mm)...
- included components: Weston 61-0101-W Stainless Steel Food Mill
- Includes 3 stainless steel milling discs that prevent pulp and...
The Weston electric food mill is the best choice for anyone with a lot to puree or a home canner, thanks to the motorized milling action. They eliminate the need for manual cranking, making the stainless steel food mill perfect for small amounts.
The Weston food mill does the same work as a traditional food mill but has the advantage of saving effort and time, so we recommend it if you want to avoid major arm fatigue. It can achieve fine, medium, and coarse textures thanks to its three grinding discs.
Image Credit: Weston
Unlike a mini food processor or a blender, which makes it difficult to control its texture, the Weston food mill does everything in one step, from creating mashed potatoes to sieving soft foods. Also, the food mill is larger than others on the market, meaning it will probably need the dishwasher rack alone.
However, we don't recommend it for anyone trying to avoid fatigue because it doesn't come with hooks or legs to hold your stainless steel food mill over your mixing bowl. This means one of your hands will need to hold the food mill while the other holds the cranks.
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4. Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill
- Deluxe food mill by Cuisipro with 3 interchangeable disks in 2mm,...
- Extra-large 18/10 stainless steel bowl with non-slip handles
- Large knob turns to evenly puree fruits or vegetables
- Innovative plastic scraper on underside pushes puree into bowl or...
Our best recommendation if you want to use your kitchen gadget often is the Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill. It features a stainless steel construction, giving it an industrial look, and three discs, meaning you can make whatever you like with the three grinding discs, which help to deliver foods of different consistencies and textures.
The Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill features a unique plastic blade, which is not on other mills, which scrapes excess puree from the bowl and passes it through a mill without leaving anything behind. The food mill also has a large stainless steel bowl with easy-to-grip handles, making it easy to use.
Image Credit: CuisinoxTM
The stainless steel food mill comes with a large knob that easily turns, making the fruit and vegetable pureeing efficient and fast. Moreover, the food mill is easy to disassemble for quick cleaning.
Lastly, the Cuisipro food mill has a 25-year guarantee, and although you can easily take it apart, it is not dishwasher safe. However, the long-term warranty proves its durability, meaning it will be worth the investment.
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5. Rösle Food Mill
- 9-1/2-Inch diameter
- 3 Supports lower on the mill base holds it tight and secure
- One piece construction turning knob design, no welding seam
- Almost zero space between the blade and sieve creating a fast and...
- Comes with 2 disks; 0.04-inch and 0.1-inch
The Rösle stainless steel food mill is our recommended choice if you are looking for a machine that will cut down on your milling time while efficiently milling your food to the desired consistency. The German brand has made stainless steel kitchenware since 1888, and they have gained a reputation for all their products.
The Rösle food mill is made with 18/10 stainless steel, and it comes with two sieve disks, a 3 mm one and a 1 mm one. Unlike other food mills, it features three support hooks on the bowl's side to allow it to sit on the side of your bowl or pot.
Image Credit: Rösle
We know you will like it because of its sleek design that goes beyond its appearance, which is among its biggest selling points. The food mill comes in solid single-piece construction that has no welding seams for food to get stuck in. The food mill is designed with minimum space between the sieve and blade, which speeds up the milling and reduces the effort needed.
The Rösle food mill has a crank that smoothly turns to allow you to mill longer with less exertion. Lastly, the food mill only comes with two discs; the others are sold separately. It also works well with even tiny seeds like the ones in raspberries, which don't pass through the sieve when the food is being processed.
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6. Green Sprouts Fresh Baby Food Mill
- easily purees food for baby
- separates seeds & skins from puree
- compact size with built-in serving bowl
- convenient for small batches and on the go
- no batteries or electricity needed
If you are shopping for a simple yet sturdy food mill at an affordable price, we recommend this Green Sprouts Fresh Baby Food Mill. In addition, the handy food mill is portable, making it the best baby food mill on a budget if you have an on-the-go lifestyle.
We also guarantee you will like its lightweight aspect and compact design, making it a top pick for traveling and active families. Although it has nearly all plastic construction, except for the blades, it is very durable.
Image Credit: BabyGearLab.com
The Green Sprouts Fresh Baby food mill is the perfect choice for anyone interested in making any sauces, including tomato sauce and apple sauce, in small batches. It also comes with a built-in serving bowl, making it convenient for grinding and pureeing foods while on the go.
Lastly, it doesn't need any electricity or batteries since it's fully manual to enable you to use it on the go. Other reviewers enjoy how easy it is to use, clean, and know how to use even when you are new to pureeing.
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What are the Types of Food Mills?
1. Manual Bowl or Pot-Mounted Food Mill
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These food mills are placed on top of a bowl so that food passes through the food mill and directly into the pot. The manual-mounted food mill comes in various sizes where they can hold as little as one quart, or they should be large enough to hold eight quarts or more.
2. Manual Standalone Food Mill
Image Credit: Pantula
This type of food mill comes with a base on the tabletop or the counter, mostly high-capacity, holding a gallon or more. First, the food is placed in a hopper, passing through an arm with a cylinder-shaped milling disc, where it drops the food into a bowl.
3. Manual Table-Mounted Food Mill
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Clamps are used to attach food mills to tables or countertops securely. Aluminum or stainless steel is typically used in their construction. Regardless of the capacity, these food mills are typically more expensive. If you decide to purchase one, choosing one with a large capacity will provide you with the most value.
4. Mixer Attachment Food Mill
Mixers are a fast way to move food through a food mill, but they cannot handle high quantities of food at a go. This means you must mill your food in batches to complete your cooking. Notably, these attachments are sold separately.
5. Electric Food Mill
Image Credit: westonbrands.com
Electric food mills are more expensive than manual food mills, but they are standalone machines that make it easy to work on fruits and vegetables. For example, they can process about 80 pounds of mashed potatoes per hour, mostly used by people who cook for large crowds of 50 or more people.
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Food Mill
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You must know what to look for when purchasing the best food mill. Below are factors to look for when choosing the perfect mill.
1. Mill Capacity
When shopping for the best food mill, you will need to consider the amount of food you will need to process at a go. Most parents prefer a small capacity that can easily carry around to make fresh purees for their babies.
On the other hand, home canners prefer a large device to process the fruits and vegetables, but you should remember that they will need more effort and space to store. Lastly, the midsize devices will be suitable for small families to make fresh sauces.
2. Electric vs. Manual Food Mill
Most food mills have a manual design that allows you to turn a handle and process your food through the sieve at the bottom. Other mills have an electric motor that can easily process large batches of food within minutes.
Image Credit: finecooking.com
Electric food mills are more expensive than manual ones, but they are more suitable for gardeners, canners, and anyone who cooks for large crowds to quickly power through large food amounts.
3. Disc Options
The food milling discs come with perforated holes where the food is processed using a grinding plate, and the size of the holes will determine how finely the food will be milled. The milling discs are handy for everything from extracting jam from fruits to making ketchup.
However, different food textures call for different disk types. Therefore, when shopping for the perfect food mill, you must ensure it comes with interchangeable discs.
Image Credit: simplextrading.net
To smash the pieces more coarsely for mashed potatoes and chunky sauces, an opening between 1 mm and 5 mm is excellent. If you plan to juice fruits to make jellies, baby food, or sauces, choose a disc with a tiny sieve to catch the seeds. Lastly, choose a medium disc to make vegetable soups or apple sauces.
For blending, there is a sieve with a dome form for this.
4. Blade
The blade is the most crucial component. It should have a gentle slope and be either round or semicircular. If the slope is too steep, the debris will build up at the back of the blade, and the food won't be thoroughly mashed.
However, you must ensure a certain distance between the bottom and the blade. This will allow the food to fall there temporarily, then collect it.
5. Materials and Design
Most food mills come in either aluminum, plastic, or stainless steel. Stainless steel material is usually more expensive, but it's rust-resistant and won't corrode even when exposed to highly acidic foods like tomatoes. Stainless steel mills are also perfect for processing hot food since they won't corrode or melt.
Aluminum is more affordable, but it tends to rust or corrode. On the other hand, plastic food mills are the cheapest options, and they won't corrode or rust.
However, a plastic food mill cannot process hot foods as it would melt and is also prone to staining, damaging the appearance of your food mill.
6. Easy Cleanup and Assembly
Food mills that are simple to disassemble are likewise simple to clean. Some models have a cleaning brush to help remove food from the milling disk's holes. Even simpler to clean are those suitable for the dishwasher.
7. Size
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The more food you process at once depends on how much capacity the food mill has. Since you don't need to make as many batches with large capacity mills, food tends to stay inside the grinder for longer.
For the needs of most individuals, a two-quart mill should suffice. However, if you want to use a mill more frequently, you might want to explore a three-quart model.
Also, if you want to try something new, it would be better to invest in an affordable food mill that is of a small size because you don't need a particularly large size. On the other hand, for a seasoned canner, we recommend a larger food mill to handle your bigger batches.
8. Grinding Plate Angle
The grinding plate's or blade's angle can significantly impact the mill's efficiency. Frequently, plates with a sharper angle swirl the grain around the mill rather than forcing it through the sieve.
It is more effective to move food with shallow-angle grinding plates that are near the milling disk. After milling, you can also turn the grinding plate around to gather any remaining seeds and skins.
9. Legs, Hooks, and Loops for Attachment
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Most food mills fit on top of a pot or a bowl using legs, where legs with loops or hooks on their end stay in place better than straight legs or mills with no legs. On the other hand, some mills contain multiple hooks on each leg to accommodate various bowls or pot sizes.
10. Price
A high price doesn't necessarily mean you get a better mill since the milling disk and grinding plate's design affects how well food mills work. However, the price plays a major role in how durable the mill will be rather than how well it will perform.
a). Inexpensive
You can get a handy food mill with a combination of plastic and metal components for about $15 to $50. However, you should check the bowl's quality since flimsy bowls don't hold up for too long at this price range.
Also, the food mills in this price range handle cooked foods better than raw foods, and the stainless steel mills in this range will have a smaller capacity and low-quality steel.
b). Mid-Range
Mid-range food mills are in the $50 to $100 range and have the perfect combination of design and quality construction. If you use the mill often, the food mill in this price range will meet your needs.
c). Expensive
The large capacity is three quarts or more, and their food mills are made with stainless steel and have three or more interchangeable discs. It falls in the $100 to $200 price range, and the more expensive food mills would be a suitable choice if you would like to use the mill often or are a canner.
d). Premium
The food mills in this price range are usually over $200, most of which come attached to a countertop or a tabletop using a clamp. In this price range, you will also find commercial food-grade mills holding up to eight quarts of food. The mills in this price range are an investment and might be worth it if you work with large quantities of food.
Image Credit: foodandnutrition.org