When I make stock, I use a potato masher to try and extract some of the juice from the remaining softened vegetables after siving. Can I use a food mill to do this more effectively?

  • Can you explain why you think this wouldn't work? – Catija Nov 21 '16 at 2:36
  • Not that I think it won't, just making sure I have the right terminology and it does what I think. – AfterWorkGuinness Nov 21 '16 at 2:38
  • Your stock will be much cloudier if you do this; this may affect recipes (other than basic soups) that you use the stock in. – John Feltz Nov 21 '16 at 3:25
  • why would it be cloudier? – AfterWorkGuinness Nov 21 '16 at 3:26
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    It'll be cloudier as you'll end up grinding the vegetables into really small bits. More solid things like the strings from carrots, or skin from peppers might not come through, but you'll end up pushing carrots through if they were cooked soft enough. With a ricer, you might get some of this, but the mill is specifically used to puree as much as possible. It's almost as if you used a stick blender (although keeping out the more solid things, as I mentioned). Although truly solid things (bones, large whole spices) might be a problem. – Joe Nov 21 '16 at 10:40

I don't see why not.

A food mill is regularly used to make purees. It's a popular choice for people making baby food. Here's an example with two different mesh options:

Food Mill with two different mesh options

Another option might be a ricer, which is more like a giant garlic press, whereas a food mill has a crank, a ricer has a lever-action.

Ricers are also popular for baby food and mashed potatoes and often have different hole size options.


As a note, you'll want to make sure that there's not anything too hard in the stock like bone fragments. They might be fine in the ricer but they may be problematic in the food mill.

Based on comments here, it seems like the mill is more versatile. Everyone loves the ricer for potatoes but seem to prefer the mill otherwise, so your idea may be better.

User bobcatsteph3 says:

I only use my ricer for potatoes. With the food mill you can puree soups, make smooth tomato sauce, make easy, fantastic applesauce, and yes, mashed potatoes. And you can do all those things with the skin/peels on.

The food mill is harder to clean, and takes more storage space, but I really like OXO's, it's very easy to use, if I could only have one, I'd take the food mill.

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