FOOD Tomato Strainer

ibetiny

Veteran Member
For the gardeners and canners out there. I am planting somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 tomato plants next year and am planning to can some and make sauce of the rest. I need a Tomato strainer recommendation. I have seen them from $50.00 all the way to $400.00 plus. Money is good right now so I want to get the best one Any opinions out there?
 

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
I have the cheezy Victorio knock-off...no telling what they are called these days but Amazon probably has them for about $50. Had it for 15-20 years and still does the job. Massive time-saver for tomato sauce, apple and pear sauce and butter.

Found it...mine is this one:


Amazon.com: VillaWare Food Strainer: Kitchen & Dining


EEEK!! Looks like ya have to watch the prices...must be high demand and a lot of scalping going on. I KNOW I didn't pay even $50.00 for mine. Personally, I'd have no problem picking up a used one on ebay...that's IF they are even out there this year. Just make sure all the parts are there.
 
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Jackpine Savage

Veteran Member
This is the one you want. Needs no electricity, nothing to break, builds muscle.

iu


If you don't have teenage kids the Victorio style is probably better.
 

Grouchy Granny

Deceased
I have the Norpro Saucer which I got at Ace Hardware for about $50. Everything except the handle and the base is dishwasher safe.

Had a Vittorio, but the tinned steel is a pain to clean.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
150 plants?! For personal use?! We average between 1/2 to 3/4 bushels per plant, despite blight issues and a short season (zone 5b). How much tomato sauce do you use in a year, anyway?!

This looks like what we have...the brand isn't familiar, but I'd swear it's identical.

A couple years ago, I got my metal working neighbor to make me a shaft that fits the strainer and my cheapie Harbor Freight 1/2" drill. Hubby designed and built a wooden box that holds the drill upright and we use a heavy duty elastic-velcro strap to hold the drill trigger turned on.

We do 12-16 bushels most years, and the whole drill setup is a lifesaver... hubby's spinal stenosis just doesn't let him turn the crank for hours anymore.

I can't imagine using the old cone strainer for anything more than a gallon or two!

Summerthyme
 

Macgyver

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have this roma one. I don't use it that much but probaby had it for 10 years. 50 bucks
 

anna43

Veteran Member
I also have a couple of Squeezos and I agree they are fantastic. One I've had since 1972 and the other I bought used from Amazon 10 years ago. I also agree they are not fun to clean, but the ease of processing tomatoes makes it worth the effort. Wash the tomato, cut out core, cut into chunks, run thru the Squeezo, seeds and skins go one way and the juice the other. No cooking until you have the juice ready to either can as is or cook into various tomato products.
 

joannita

Veteran Member
I just grind up the tomatoes, skin and all, in a blender, pour into a glass pitcher, let stand in the fridge, then spoon off the tomatoes; the water goes to the bottom, I discard that. Then I cook down and can. Takes a lot less time to boil down that way, and the skin and seeds are nutritious. I know it is very unorthodox. Works for me.
 

Martinhouse

Deceased
When I used to make a lot of tomato juice, I'd clean and cut up the tomatoes and put them in the freezer until there were no more left to ripen. When I thawed them for canning, I put them in the blender and then ran them through the Foley Food Mill. The mill removed all the seeds and skins which I milled out until nearly dry and that all went to the chickens (not all at once!). So there was no waste and no vitamins got poured down the drain. Freezing the tomatoes first makes them super easy on the blender. I'm still using the same Waring 8-Speed that I bought in late 1968 to make baby food for my last daughter.
 

dvo

Veteran Member
We trim them up, slice into reasonably sized chunks and boil them for enough time to evaporate much of the excess water. Then we let the pot cool. Next blend in a blender. Then boil again when we have enough sauce to can them. We figure the seeds and skins are nutritious. We tried straining out the seeds and blanching off the skins for a few seasons and decided it was too much work.
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
When I used to make a lot of tomato juice, I'd clean and cut up the tomatoes and put them in the freezer until there were no more left to ripen. When I thawed them for canning, I put them in the blender and then ran them through the Foley Food Mill. The mill removed all the seeds and skins which I milled out until nearly dry and that all went to the chickens (not all at once!). So there was no waste and no vitamins got poured down the drain. Freezing the tomatoes first makes them super easy on the blender. I'm still using the same Waring 8-Speed that I bought in late 1968 to make baby food for my last daughter.

I have a bunch of Tomatoes in the freezer. I will try this method next time. I cook Chili or Tomato Sauce in the crockpot over night and then can. I need all that extra tomato water. No Vitamins get rinsed down the drain in this kitchen.

After using the Roma for six years, I am looking to upgrade too. I like the Roma and it cleans up easily. Doing Apples or Tomatoes, I take a bath in them every time. Little bits get sprayed all over the front of what ever I am wearing no matter how slow I turn the crank. Everything is hooked together good and tight, just the way this machine is. I paid $25 on Amazon, I can't complain (much). This thing has done a good job otherwise.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
OMG! So glad to see that some of y'all shared the better versions. I had one of those cone ones for about a year. It got chucked. Then mom gave me one of the pan style with the holes in the bottom and the paddle you turned. That didn't even last a month. Ebay saved my sanity with a Victorio and if I ever get the funds I'll go all out for a Squeezo. But I do too many tomatoes for one of those tiny things.
 

Bps1691

Veteran Member
Depending on the size of the batch we use the two old ones we got from my Grand Mother and Mother when we got married for juce.

They look like this:

1600300118356.png

New ones cost under $30 at Farm & Fleet

For Juice- We drop the tomatoes into boiling water just to loosen the skin, then use a strainer to quickly put them into the cold water bath. The skin comes right off. We core them, then through the hand mill/strainer. Wala - no electricity needed and works as long as you're willing to supply the muscle power.

Others - same process as above, then cut them into proper sizes then into the cook pot with the spices etc. (Salsa, tomato sauce, etc.)

The most we do now a days is from 20-25 plants in the big garden at my daughters. Back when I had the big garden we would do 45-50 plants every other year and get enough for two years plus. Off year I would grow just enough for fresh eating.
 

fish hook

Deceased
I have this roma one. I don't use it that much but probaby had it for 10 years. 50 bucks
That really looks good.
 

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
OMG! So glad to see that some of y'all shared the better versions. I had one of those cone ones for about a year. It got chucked. Then mom gave me one of the pan style with the holes in the bottom and the paddle you turned. That didn't even last a month. Ebay saved my sanity with a Victorio and if I ever get the funds I'll go all out for a Squeezo. But I do too many tomatoes for one of those tiny things.

The pan style with holes in the bottom and a paddle that turns is called a food mill. I've done a LOT of applesauce and tomato sauce with one of those things, but it is a slow way to do it. For tomatoes from 150 plants (are you going commercial, ibetiny?!?), I think I would want something mechanized.

Kathleen
 

KFhunter

Veteran Member
Do you have a meat grinder?

I have the Cabelas carnivore 1.5 hp grinder, and as an afterthought I got to tomato attachment

That think will flat go through the tomatoes! I did a wheel barrow load of tomatoes in no time.

I run the pulp through multiple passes until it feels pretty dry, the sauce was clean, seed/skin free and made great sauce which got canned.

If you have a food grinder, kitchen aid or other something like this will be fast. No boiling or steaming.

Screenshot_20200916-193959_DuckDuckGo.jpg
 

KFhunter

Veteran Member
All I do is rinse the dust off the tomatoes, cut in half, then jam them in this thing fast as I can.

Instead of those small bowls as shown in the pic, I use 5 gallon buckets, the machine is on a corner where I can catch pulp in on bucket, juice in the other. I re-feed the pulp 3-4 times, then dump in a big tub. The sauce buckets get a lid when full to keep clean.

Then I add in garlic and spices and dump the bucket of sauce in those turkey roasters and cook down a *long* time!

Then on to canning.
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
The attachments are machine specific.

If you don't have a meat grinder, maybe combine purchase and purpose

I think you have changed the way I do Tomatoes. I will look to see if I can find one of these to fit the grinder I have. If you had to run this thing on a solar panel, I bet it would work. The one you show looks like my Roma, except for where it attaches to the grinder.
 

Kennori

Contributing Member
I found a recipe that solved the whole problem for me. I cut the stem out, chop them into quarters, layer about 5 lbs into a crock pot with a cut up onion, whole garlic, 25 fresh basil leaves, 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, splash of red wine, splash of olive oil, teaspoon of anchovie paste and cook on low overnight for 9 hour with the top half off. In the morning 30 seconds with an immersion blender and into gallon freezer bags. Good for 4 meals say spaghetti, lasagna, you name it. A great utility sauce and you get the nutrients from the skin and seeds.
 

sierra don

Veteran Member
This is the one I use, very happy with it.....Farm and Fleet has the best price, $139.

Ball freshTECH HarvestPro Sauce & Salsa Maker - 1440035018 | Blain's Farm & Fleet

Ball freshTECH HarvestPro Sauce & Salsa Maker


Description
Showcase your cooking skills with the Ball freshTECH HarvestPro Sauce & Salsa Maker. Make special sauces, salsas, dips, spreads, and many more. Designed with a high-performance motor, this Ball Freshtech HarvestPro Sauce Maker ensures ideal and long-lasting use. Being dishwasher safe, it ensures easy cleaning and maintenance.
Features
  • Unique silicone wiper
  • Extra wide chute
  • Oversized auger
  • Fully enclosed splashguard
  • Large, nesting hopper
  • Built in cord pocket
  • High performance motor
  • One step UniLock system detaches simply for easy, dishwasher safe clean up
Specifications
  • Type: Sauce Maker
  • Color: Black/Gray
  • Application: Home and Kitchen



957466.jpg
 

ibetiny

Veteran Member
Do you have a meat grinder?

I have the Cabelas carnivore 1.5 hp grinder, and as an afterthought I got to tomato attachment

That think will flat go through the tomatoes! I did a wheel barrow load of tomatoes in no time.

I run the pulp through multiple passes until it feels pretty dry, the sauce was clean, seed/skin free and made great sauce which got canned.

If you have a food grinder, kitchen aid or other something like this will be fast. No boiling or steaming.

View attachment 220919



I think I have found what I was looking for in this. You guy's are awesome.
 
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