Best Food Mills

Food mills are designed to mash and sieve foods. From preparing purees and sauces on demand to mashing baby food, food mills offer great convenience in the kitchen. Unlike grain and pepper mills, food mills offer more variety with many discs for many needs and they are a lot more cost effective than your electric food processors or mixers with milling attachments. To help you sort through the hundreds of options, we have put together this guide, making your choice much easier.

Food mills differ in style and the discs they comes with. Some are also specifically for pureeing baby food. Here is a breakdown of each for you to compare:

Food Mills: These can puree tomatoes and other fresh produce as well as grains and spices, depending on the attachments used. They are a handy kitchen tool that have been around for a long time and make cooking much simpler by having one gadget that can mill it all.

Baby Food Mills: These are designed to be small enough to be portable and to mill the smaller quantities of food that a baby needs for a yummy meal. They puree food and make it palatable for babies. With added accessories, you will also be able to grind and chop food as your baby grows teeth, making it more versatile. Making your own baby food ensures maximum control over what your baby eats and is a very healthy solution.

Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:

1. Durability: Durability is a big talking point among reviewers and they find it an important feature of their mill. Owners rate their metal mills higher than those of plastic when it comes to durability. If you are planning on getting a lot of use out of your food mill, then stainless steel mills won’t disappoint.
2. Cleaning: Food mills that are easy to assemble and disassemble for cleaning are rated much higher than those that aren’t. Choosing a stainless steel mill that is dishwasher safe will save you a lot of hassle and bring you more satisfaction.
3. Clogging: Clogging happens but your quality food mill brands are able to unclog and scrape clean any clogs easily while you are milling. Choose a good quality mill to ensure less stressful cooking.
4. Size: Owners are happier with mills when they are big enough to offer variety and small enough to store, depending on their needs. Choose the right size for you by looking at the manufacturer's product specs to make sure it is exactly the size you need.

• Size is an important aspect to consider when buying your food mill. How many people or meals you will be preparing will determine the size mill you need. Also consider your kitchen space when choosing the size of your mill.
• Food mills have interchangeable discs that allow you to choose how finely milled you want your food to be. A food mill with more discs included will offer you more variety and use from your mill. Discs vary, with hole sizes ranging from 1 - 4 mm, and choosing the right disc will be determined by the size of the grain you are milling or how fine you want the end results of your produce.
• Food mills are a great way to introduce babies to solid foods. If this is your sole purpose, a baby food mill will suit you well. If you want the mill for other uses as well, it may be better to buy a bigger food mill offering more options.
• Higher-end models have deeper bowls and paddles that fit snugly with the discs. This will make sure your food is pureed and chopped perfectly every time.
• Finding a mill that is easy to clean will save you a lot of hassle. If the discs do become clogged while milling, the paddles on some mills can turn into a scraper by turning the handle backwards to unclog the disc.
• Make sure your food mill is free from toxic materials by checking your plastic mills are BPA or phthalates free.

OXO: OXO, based in New York City, has just 99 global employees but is one of the most common names in budget to mid-range household in food mills and other kitchen supplies.

Cuisipro: Cuisipro makes Tools For Cooks, and every food mill and other product is backed by a 25 year warranty.

Norpro: Family run, food mill and kitchenware producing Norpro was founded in 1973 and is based in Everett, WA.