What is a Food Mill?

by Kimberly A. Smith

Overview

What is a Food Mill?

You may have seen a food mill before but not known what to do with it. This hand-crank device is designed to grind, mash or puree food that is pushed through it. Food mills are perfect for creating fluffy mashed potatoes or pureeing stewed tomatoes while removing the seeds. Typical food mills are made of several parts that should be looked at before purchasing the device.
Sturdy Feet

A food mill needs to be sturdy while you are grinding food, so many models have feet built onto the bowl. Think about where and how you plan to use a food mill when you are looking at how it supports itself.

Bowl

Stainless steel, plastic and aluminum options are all available on the market when it comes to the main bowl of a food mill. Look for food mills with durable construction and consider a dishwasher-safe variety.
Interchangable Discs

Many modern food mills have interchangeable discs with different size holes. These allow the cook to decide how fine of a grind they want to create with their food.
Blade

A food mill's blade isn't sharp, but is bent in a way that forces food down through the disc. Typically, one edge is flush with the bottom of the mill and gradually slopes up to catch food.
Crank

The blade is moved around the food mill by a hand crank. Though there are some electric models available, many cooks prefer the manual models because the electric variety can over mix foods, resulting in gummy potatoes.

Overview