It's Miller Time
November 17, 2006 8:45 AM Subscribe
So I got this food mill. What do I do with it?
I know you can make mashed potatoes and tomato sauce and stuff, but anyone have any particular techniques or recipes? What else can I do with this thing?
I got it last night at a "housewares exchange" attended by a bunch of friends and co-workers. Good idea in case anyone's interested--everybody brings stuff they don't want, like picture frames, candle holders, old food mills, etc. and you draw numbers and pick from other people's stuff. We did a clothing swap a few months ago. It's a good time.
So...back to the mill--what to do with it?
I know you can make mashed potatoes and tomato sauce and stuff, but anyone have any particular techniques or recipes? What else can I do with this thing?
I got it last night at a "housewares exchange" attended by a bunch of friends and co-workers. Good idea in case anyone's interested--everybody brings stuff they don't want, like picture frames, candle holders, old food mills, etc. and you draw numbers and pick from other people's stuff. We did a clothing swap a few months ago. It's a good time.
So...back to the mill--what to do with it?
A food mill is excellent for prepping berries for jam and jelly- especially the wily, seedful varieties like raspberries and strawberries.
posted by headspace at 9:13 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by headspace at 9:13 AM on November 17, 2006
I use mine for tomato sauce. Just make sure the bowl/pot that's under it is narrow enough to hold the mill in place.
The useful thing about a food mill (versus, say, a blender) is that the mill prevents seeds from getting in your sauce/jam/etc. You'd have to run your food through a strainer if using a blender.
I can post my tomato sauce recipe when I get home from work, if you like.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:24 AM on November 17, 2006
The useful thing about a food mill (versus, say, a blender) is that the mill prevents seeds from getting in your sauce/jam/etc. You'd have to run your food through a strainer if using a blender.
I can post my tomato sauce recipe when I get home from work, if you like.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:24 AM on November 17, 2006
Applesauce. There's nothing better than homemade applesauce. Basically, you core a ton of apples, cook them down for a while, and then mill the mush that results. Add a cinnamon stick, and enjoy.
posted by god hates math at 9:26 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by god hates math at 9:26 AM on November 17, 2006
Yes applesauce. But you don't even need to core the apples. Just cut them in half or quarters, through them in a pan with a bit of water (6-8 apples + 1/2-1 cup water). Cook, stir, cook with lid on. Once they are all mushy, dump them in the food mill and it will strain out the peels, cores, seeds and leave you with delicious applesauce. Add a bit of cinnamon, cardamom, and brown sugar. Yum.
posted by sulaine at 9:40 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by sulaine at 9:40 AM on November 17, 2006
3rding the applesauce idea and adding in the idea of apple butter.
posted by estronaut at 10:20 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by estronaut at 10:20 AM on November 17, 2006
My grandparents used to do a lot of canning. Grandpa modified their once manual foodmill such that the crank was replaced by an electric drill. The output was quite impressive.
posted by textilephile at 10:29 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by textilephile at 10:29 AM on November 17, 2006
Are you in an area where black mullberrys grow? They really don't taste great. But if you use a food mill to make mullberry juice and mix it with lemonaid you get a great (and unusual) drink.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 10:56 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 10:56 AM on November 17, 2006
Um, nobody for SOUP?
Boil some veggies. Drain. Put a little salt and pepper on them, and maybe some butter and/or cream. House seasoning (your favorite seasoning or blend that you have).
Shove them through the mill while they are still hot, garnish with parsley.
Results may vary. Rinse, repeat.
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 11:05 AM on November 17, 2006
Boil some veggies. Drain. Put a little salt and pepper on them, and maybe some butter and/or cream. House seasoning (your favorite seasoning or blend that you have).
Shove them through the mill while they are still hot, garnish with parsley.
Results may vary. Rinse, repeat.
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 11:05 AM on November 17, 2006
MonkeyOnCrack has the answer. In particular, I'd recommend potato leak soup. Putting hot veggies in the blender is a pain, but food mills are easy and can provide a better texture than some immersion blenders.
posted by allan at 11:39 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by allan at 11:39 AM on November 17, 2006
Baby Food!
We originally bought ours a few years ago to make our own baby food for our daughter. You can even puree meat through a food mill, though it's still not very appealing to anyone over the age of 12 months.
Now that she is a bigger kid, the food mill goes unloved most of the year except when I make tomato sauce or my wife makes applesauce.
posted by briank at 12:16 PM on November 17, 2006
We originally bought ours a few years ago to make our own baby food for our daughter. You can even puree meat through a food mill, though it's still not very appealing to anyone over the age of 12 months.
Now that she is a bigger kid, the food mill goes unloved most of the year except when I make tomato sauce or my wife makes applesauce.
posted by briank at 12:16 PM on November 17, 2006
I used mine to make baby food. But it's also a good way to sneak beans, meat, various veggies and other foods into soups and sauces.
posted by acoutu at 2:16 PM on November 17, 2006
posted by acoutu at 2:16 PM on November 17, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
I had one and I made all of my children's baby food with it. You can mash or puree just about everything with a food mill, even green beans. If a baby is in your future, save it!
posted by LoriFLA at 9:11 AM on November 17, 2006