Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
Food mills or grinders will never go out of fashion despite the rise of various food processors and blenders on the market today. The traditional method of food milling is given a little upgrade to incorporate the power of electricity. Thus, it is a kitchen appliance that, more than ever, promises to deliver smoother and creamier purees than before. The electric food mill remains a valuable tool in most households.
We agree with that! And so, we have chosen to test out more than electric food mills and have come up with our top 5 picks of the most reliable and high-quality products. Let our review guide you in sorting and deciding which food mill machines are worth adding to your kitchen immediately.
What Is An Electric Food Mill?
An electric food mill is a kitchen tool that uses the milling action of the cutting disk to grind and mash foods into your preferred consistency. It also has a sieve component that conveniently separates the seeds and other sediments from the puree. As a result, you can effectively extract the most out of your fruits, veggies, and meats minus the chunkiness and unwanted residues.
How Does An Electric Food Mill Work?
An electric food mill works similarly to a traditional food mill. But instead of using a hand crank, this device uses motorized power to operate. It is equipped with gears, shaft, and other components that facilitate the rotation of the cutting blade. Hence, the electric food grindersl produces a fast, effortless, and more consistent output.
What Difference Does an Electric Food Mill vs Food Processor Have?
Consider the tasks you intend to do with either the electric food mill or the food processor.
If you need to chop swiftly, ground, or puree ingredients for a recipe, a food processor is your best choice, while a food mill is more suited for making baby food, hot and cold food, extracting seeds, making a smooth puree, and making soups, among many other things.
What Are The Benefits of Using An Electric Mill?
There are a number of purposes for both the electric food grinder or mill and the food processor, so it’s important to think about what you want to accomplish before making a final decision.
While food processors are ideal for fast chopping, grinding, and pureeing materials for recipes, food mills are more suited for making baby food, hot and cold food, extracting seeds, and making smooth puree and soups, among many other uses.
Less work and effort.
This is why we love food mills better than blenders and food processors. Food millers can strain your end product’s seed, skins, and other debris. Hence, it essentially requires lesser time and effort for you to create a good-quality puree.
Easier to operate.
An electric-powered food mill works way better, faster, and more effortless than a manual food mill. You don’t need to exert strenuous physical action to initiate the milling. That makes the electric food mills an excellent option for grinding larger batches of food.
Saves you time.
No need to peel and strain as the food mill will do it all for you. Just plug the device into the power outlet, push the button, and let it do its magic.
Versatile.
Electric food mills can work with both soft and hard foods, dry and wet. From herbs to leafy greens, denser fruits, and veggies, this kitchen tool is up for the job. Thus, you can make plenty of recipes from it, including salsa, tomato sauce, applesauce, mashed potato, soups, and even baby foods. You can even use the food mill to grind meat in some models.
Always a fresh batch.
This is probably my favorite benefit of using a food mill. The tool is so simple to use that it doesn’t feel like a hassle at all to use daily. I especially made the most out of my food mill every single day when I started feeding my baby solid foods. I must say, it is a total lifesaver for moms.
What Are The Key Features To Look For When Buying A Food Mill?
Material
The food mill is constantly subjected to moisture and grinding force. Hence, it is best to opt for materials that can withstand wear and tear. Food-grade stainless steel is a great option to choose compared to aluminum. It is more durable, rust-resistant, and much easier to maintain.
Design and Construction
Aside from the material used, it is also best to inspect how the machine is constructed. Is it well built? Is the motor powerful enough for the job? Does it have safety features? Is the power cord long enough to allow movement or reach the outlet?
Multiple Blade Options
Most food mill models come in multiple disks with varying cutting sizes. Hence, allowing you to create different textures on your end product. Finer blades are meant to mill softer and smaller produce like berries, herbs, and green leafy vegetables. Meanwhile, the medium to coarser blades are designed to cut through denser produces like apples, beets, carrots, celery, and the like.
Dishwasher-Safe
It is a significant advantage if your food mill is suitable to use in a dishwasher. This makes cleaning up way more convenient and faster.
Cost.
Know that electric food mills are more expensive compared to the manual hand-crank versions. It is expected so because it is furnished with a motor system. Nevertheless, a decent food mill may cost you between $50 to $170.
Which Are The Best Electric Food Mills? – Our Top 5 Picks:
WESTON DELUXE ELECTRIC FOOD MILL
The Weston Deluxe electric food mill is powered by a 250-watt motor that is powerful enough to grind and churn different types of produce. I love how this tool is equipped with a forward/reverse function. This enables the machine to maneuver to avoid getting stuck or jammed.
It comes with three stainless steel screens with pore sizes varying from 1mm, 3mm, and 6mm. Thus, allowing you to filter out smaller to larger particles effectively.
You can also process a bunch of products in this food mill. It has a large 4-quart capacity hopper. This gives you almost a gallon of well-milled fruits, veggies, herbs, grains, and more. It is perfect for preparing salsa, dips, sauces, etcetera for parties or food stocking. Don’t worry. This machine comes with removable parts that are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe too.
VBENLEM ELECTRIC STAINLESS STEEL FOOD MILL
The Vbenlem food mill features a 370-watt pure copper motor. This gives the machine higher conductivity and greater efficiency in operation. The entire body is also surrounded by 304 stainless steel. It is food-grade and hence safe to use with edible produce.
The machine has a 9-inch wide funnel that can easily fit large chunks of fruits and veggies. It is also good to know that the machine can produce as much as 90 to 160 kilos per hour. That’s a lot for household use but incredibly excellent for occasions and commercial uses like canning.
The food mill has a horn-type filter that can separate the puree through the screen and eliminate the seeds and peels on the other end. It also comes with a trough brace to minimize splashing and spills as it extracts the puree.
NUTRONIC ELECTRIC MEAT GRINDER
This machine is actually an electric meat grinder. But, it can also work wonders for fruits and vegetables. I love how powerful and versatile this grinder is. It has a 2200-watt copper motor which can process up to 5.5 pounds of meat per minute.
The package includes three sets of cutting plates that allow you to grind for meatballs, sausages, kebbe, and puree for pasta sauces. It also comes with three stainless steel slicers that can conveniently slice and shred veggies into fine and coarse textures. Talk about multiple functionalities. Right?
The Nutronic machine also has a reverse button to unclog trapped food particles quickly. The only downside I can mention is that the grinder is not dishwasher-friendly. Nevertheless, the food-grade stainless steel material is anti-corrosive and relatively easy to clean on its own.
WESTON 1.75-QUART ELECTRIC FOOD MILL
This classic model is different from other types of food mills. Instead of being a stand-alone machine, this one can be attached on top of bowls and stockpots with a diameter of up to 10 inches. The anti-skid fitting along the feet hooks on securely around the rims. That makes this a unique and ultra-efficient tool in your kitchen.
The 1.75-quart capacity produces smaller batches of puree, sauces, jams, salsa, and more. I particularly enjoy using this for making baby foods. It is so compact and easy to operate. It has three stainless steel disks that allow you to mill fine, medium, and coarse textures.
The feeding chute, though, is not as comprehensive as other models. Nevertheless, it is relatively proportionate considering the size of the machine itself. Moreover, the interlocking chute also serves as a splash guard to prevent spills. Cleaning is a breeze, too, since it is dishwasher-safe.
NAIZEA ELECTRIC DRY/WET GRAIN MILL GRINDER
This heavy-duty electric food grinder is made especially for grinding grains and other agricultural produce. What I love about this machine is that it can work both on dry and wet foods. The steel milling disk is meant to grind dry grains such as rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, and other crops to make dry flour. Meanwhile, the sand milling disk is ideal for grinding wet foods like soaked soybeans to produce milk or rice pulps to make rice cakes.
This type of large food mill is an excellent investment if you are in particular food industry. It is equipped with a whopping 3000-watt motor and a heavy-duty construction that can adapt well to commercial demands.
Takeaway
The electric food mill is a must-have kitchen tool at home or for commercial use. There are plenty of recipes you can create with just this simple appliance. From sauces to salsa, mashed fruits and veggies, soups, baby foods, and more. The heavy-duty versions are also essential in the food industry for producing puree for preserves and canning, grinding dry flour, and even making milk.
The possibilities are endless as long as you are creative. This is what essentially makes the electric food mill a good investment. Make sure to follow our tips to get the best product for your needs. We ensure that the five food mills featured herein are of top-quality performance and will give you the most value for your money.
