Which Food Strainer Is Right For You?

There are a couple different styles of food strainers that have very different uses.  The generic food strainer is the colander, which you will generally use for getting that pesky water out of your pasta noodles.  Having one of these is pretty much mandatory in any home that cooks.  The other types are a bit more specific, but handy to have either way.  In this post I want to share these types with you so that you can know what their purpose is, and whether or not you need one.

Standard food strainers are usually conical in shape and have small perforations in their metal surface.  Some will also use mesh.  These are designed for doing the regular things that your colander will do, but they also work great for getting juice out of berries and tomatoes while leaving their skin and seeds behind.  This is done by pushing the fruit against the strainer with a flat spoon to get all of the good stuff out.

Food mills are another sort of strainer.  These have a geared mechanism on the top that will grind whatever you put into it, separating the pulp from the juice.  At the bottom, food mills will have a strainer to catch the pulp.  These work great for making pasta sauce from blanched tomatoes, or even grinding up potatoes.

Electric food strainers are another type, but their use is very limited.  Unless you work in a restaurant, or make tomato sauce by the gallon, there isn't much need for an electric food strainer.  They are essentially a powered food mill that allows you to dump a lot of raw ingredients into it and have it all separated automatically.  Most of these will come with a wooden dowel or plunger to help you keep your fingers out of the gears.  Also, these aren't for the faint of heart, they can be very dangerous!

Food strainers are a necessity in most kitchens.  As you can see there are a couple of different styles, and your cooking techniques will determine which you need.

Check Out Food Strainer Deals At Amazon

	Victorio VKP250 Model 250 Food Strainer and Sauce Maker List Price: $69.95 Sale Price: $50.59
	Description Why buy a copycat when you can get the REAL Victorio food strainer? We've improved the original design to make our new strainer better than ever! It still makes all the great sauces, purees, juices and jams you love without painstaking peeling or coring...

	Victorio VKP250-5 4-Piece Accessory Kit for Victorio Model 250 Food Strainer List Price: $44.95 Sale Price: $38.50
	Description Expand the versatility of your Victorio model 250 food strainer. Kit includes four popular accessories designed exclusively for your Victorio model 250 food strainer so you can process all kinds of fruits and vegetables with ease...

	KitchenAid FVSFGA Fruit/Vegetable Strainer and Food Grinder for Stand Mixers List Price: $119.99 Sale Price: $79.99
	Description These two accessories, which may be used with all KitchenAid household stand mixers, turn many tough kitchen chores into walks in the park. The strainer, for example, converts cooked apples and pears into sauces for preserving or immediate consumption...

	KitchenAid FVSP Fruit and Vegetable Strainer Parts for Food Grinder List Price: $64.99 Sale Price: $42.54
	Description For use with all KitchenAid household stand mixers, these parts add a strainer function to the KitchenAid food grinder accessory (which is not included). Cooks who have the food grinder will find the strainer to be a valuable addition...

Potato Ricer and Baby Food Strainer Sale Price: $13.95

Description Finally, an easy way to mash and strain food. This handy potato ricer has two different screens for ricing potaoes, mashing baby food or "squeeze drying" spinach ! Made of durable heavy-duty plastic Features one medium and one coarse stainless steel plate Sleek, modern look with a nifty green stripe Comfortable contoured handles Pot extension holds ricer steady over most pots Easy to clean All parts are dishwasher safe 4" W, 13...

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