A Best Guide to Food Mill Substitutes You Can Use (2021)

An excellent tool in the kitchen for grinding or puréeing food…

…a food mill is versatile and can handle several tasks.

Despite not having a food mill in my kitchen…

…I am still able to accomplish the same task.

I am going to show you some awesome food mill substitutes…

…that you probably already have in your kitchen. This is wonderful news.

You might need to peel and seed the fruits…

…and vegetables before the milling step…

…but rest assured they produce results similar to those from a food mill.

So, what’s a food mill?

A food mill is a kitchen device used for grinding or puréeing foods such as soups, sauces, or mashed potatoes. It may be used during canning or making preserves to produce a smooth puree without seeds, skins, or stems. It can be used with hot or cold food. It may also be called a rotary food mill.

According to Danilo Alfaro, a professional culinary arts writer from The Spruce Eats.

Are food mills and food processors the same thing?

Generally speaking, food processors and food mills are quite different in nature.

Food mills are more of a mechanical than an electrical device.

It’s easy to take them apart and clean, and unlike food processors…

…you don’t have to worry about them getting wet.

You can strain debris from your sauce…

…while you are making it using a food mill.

When you use a food processor, everything is combined at the same time.

Consider whether you want the skin, seeds, etc. in your mixture…

…or if you want to strain them out.

Before we jump into next section, let us hear Sofia’s story!

Hi, I’m sofia!

In the recipe for roasted tomato soup I made yesterday,

I supposed to run the soup through a food mill on the coarsest setting.

Being a young cook with only the supplies handed down by my mother,

I am not in a position to get one of these.

I was wondering what is a good substitute for this..

The soup is sitting in my fridge chunky right now,

so I thought about whirring it in a food processor. 

Now, let’s jump right in!

5 Best Food Mill Substitutes

You probably have food mill substitutes in your kitchen right now.

The following food mill substitutes may be considered:

a food processor and sieve combination, a blender…

…a strainer and spoon combination, a cheese grater…

…and hand mixer combination, or a potato ricer! 

Find out more in the following paragraphs.

Combination Food Processor-Sieve

The food processor and sieve combination is first on my list.

With this pair, you can puree any food…

…and achieve a texture that’s very close to that of a food mill.

The food is grated in a fast pulsating motion…

…by the food processor’s blade, which is sharp.

The sieve provides uniform texture to your puree…

…as it screens the products from your food processor.

When using this option, make sure that seeds and fruit…

…and vegetable peelings are not included in the food processing.

To prepare this alternative, you might need to separate the seeds…

…and peels first with a fine-mesh strainer.

As opposed to the usual food mill, which works mechanically…

…this alternative would require electricity to work.

If you don’t have the time or energy to move a lever back…

…and forth in a food mill, this alternative might be ideal for you.

The combo lacks flexibility in that department…

…because you have limited control over the resulting texture…

…in a food processor if you want to process food very finely.

Pros

• Easy to handle
• Time-saving and fast
• It’s versatile

Cons

• Electricity is needed, not mechanical
• Seeds and peels must be separated manually
• Fine-tuning texture is not possible

Keep reading…

Blender

If a food processor is not at your disposal…

…then you can certainly use a blender instead.

In your blender, you can use the pulse option to mash or puree your food. 

Blenders are actually faster than food mills…

…for the purpose of grinding food.

The peelings from both the vegetables and fruit will have to be removed first…

…before the food is pulverized on high speed…

…just like our first combo option.

By using a peeler, knife, or simply using a fork, you can easily achieve this.

You can use the high-speed options on most modern blenders today…

…to turn vegetables and fruits into fine liquids.

My friend once blended unpeeled seeded tomatoes…

…in her high-speed blender, and it resulted in a smooth and fine puree;

however, the peel was still visible.

You should peel and remove the seeds first…

…when using this substitute to achieve the desired texture.

Pros

• Easy to handle
• Time-saving and faster
• Produces finer puree (almost liquid in form)
• Minimal effort required

Cons

• Electricity is needed, not mechanical
• Seeds and peels must be separated manually

Go on…

A Wooden Spoon and Strainer Pair

You can use this feed mill substitute…

…if you don’t like using electricity to process food…

…and would rather do it manually.

The wooden spoon does most of the work…

…instead of a mechanical contraption…

…that pushes food into the mill for crushing.

This mesh strainer ensures that you achieve a uniform texture…

…by separating the pureed food from the raw food

To make your own homemade tomato sauce…

…press your fresh tomatoes through a fine mesh strainer…

…using a wooden spoon.

Then continue pressing until the desired texture is achieved.

The finer the mesh strainer you choose…

…the creamier and finer the end result will be.

All the work has to be done manually…

…without the aid of a mechanical device, so it takes longer to complete.

The peeling of fruits and vegetables is required…

…as a pre-processing step as well.

Moreover, the results are quite inconsistent…

…since their quality greatly depends…

…on the way you press them into the strainer.

Furthermore, its applicability is limited…

…and it works best with tomato sauce recipes.

If you want to ensure your puree is free of tomato peelings…

…you should blanch your fresh tomatoes in boiling water…

…for a minute before immediately transferring them to cold water.

A sudden change in temperature in its environment…

…makes tomato peels easier to remove.

Pros

• Cheap
• Produces fine puree (depending on how far it is pressed)

Cons

• Peeling must be done manually
• Fine-tuning texture is not possible
• Applicability limited
• Time-consuming and energy-consuming

Combination Cheese Grater and Hand Mixer

We have discussed only substitutes for food mills …

…that can be used to produce different textures of processed food up to now.

We have actually listed a fourth alternative…

…which is more specific in terms of its application.

Cheese graters and hand mixers are the perfect substitute…

…to a food mill when using potatoes…

…and tomatoes as they are softer foods.

You can use your cheese grater to scrape down your potatoes and tomatoes.

In order to make this work, you might want to boil your ingredients first…

before grating so that it will become softer…

…and more cheese-like in consistency. 

To achieve the desired texture…

…you will need to whisk down the grated vegetables…

…with a hand mixer. When you work with potatoes…

…it is important not to crush them too much.

I would recommend purchasing a commercial grade cheese grater…

…if you are considering this alternative…

…but don’t yet have one because these types are less likely to rust.

Pros

• Easy operation
• Texture can be fine-tuned

Cons

• Limited applicability
• Partially not mechanical and requires electricity (for the hand mixer to operate)
• It takes more time and energy

Here’s the kicker!

Potato Ricer

A food mill substitute can also be used…

…when dealing with a small batch of potatoes.

In addition to potato puree…

…you can also make some of your favorite vegetable purees…

…with the potato ricer.

It is surprising how simple the mechanism is for this substitute.

In order to make mashed food, simply load cut potatoes…

…or vegetables into the ricer hopper and press using the handles.

When potato or vegetable peelings are not included in the potato ricer…

…a smoother puree can be produced.

While the potato ricer’s name already implies potato-processing…

…it can also be used for cooked tubers, squash…

and dense fruits such as apples.

Tomatoes and oranges, which are naturally juicier, are not compatible.

Although this is the best substitute for producing mashed potatoes…

…it can only process small amounts at a time.

Compact and easy to use, this kitchen tool is perfect for beginners…

…with limited space on their counters.

Pros

• Easy to handle
• Compact and space-saving
• Time-saving and fast
• The machine operates without electricity, and it is manual

Cons

• Applicability limited
• Can’t handle large volumes
• Manual separation of seeds and peelings from pulp is required

Sum Up!

Among many alternatives to the good old food mill, these are just a few.

However, these five shortlisted substitutes…

…have already proven their worth in my kitchen…

…and in other kitchens around the world.

It may be necessary to manually peel and seed the fruit before processing.

However, it is a compromise compared to having a food mill…

…that could do it on its own.

The majority of those I’ve listed here are not mechanical devices…

…and require power to operate.

Conclusion

What did you think of this article?

How would you replace a food mill in your recipe?

The absence of a food mill will no longer be a problem…

…since there are different alternatives…

…that can be substituted in terms of processing ingredients…

…like the ones mentioned above.

Even though there are many other alternatives for food mills…

…the five listed in our article have already proven their worth…

…in many kitchens around the world. Try them out! It will amaze you…