That deal you missed isn't a very good one anyway.. It looks like a very old version of a Victorio food strainer and they were very messy, and leaked out the shaft. The latest version is from Villaware and has a wrap around plastic shield to keep spatter down to a minimum. Also, the berry screen, as an option will get all the seeds out of raspberries and so you have a perfect seedless jam. I use it for my tomatoes and the skins and seeds pass out the end, which, on the newer Villaware, is another 4 inches of clear plastic cone to push out the waste even further from the metal conical strainers. The Villaware also has a rubber seal on the cranking shaft that stops any leakage from flowing out where the handle is attached. Cutting big tomatoes in halves and smaller ones are left whole. I can 'crank out' a bushel in less than 10 minutes. Very little effort compared to a Foley and works great even for small bits like for salsa, and even pumpkin. I sold my old Victorio for $5.00 a few years ago, but still have a similar Back To Basics model, that has the older wing nut screen design of the Victorio., but that shaft still leaks when I do watery stuff like tomatoes and even raspberries.

If you want another food mill, it is best to get an old one (like from the 40s or 50s) on eBay. I bought a fairly expensive new one at a restaurant supply shop, and it broke fairly quickly. Then I bought a cheap antique one on eBay, and it has held up extremely well. This is one of the true cases where they don't make them the way they used to. The old ones were tin plated (and very beautiful), although I don't know what the base metal was. Whatever it was, it is very sturdy - possibly brass or steel. Anyway, they show up on eBay regularly, and so if you don't find one this week, wait a week or so. I think I paid $6 for the one I bought, although shipping was a bit more than that. I use mine mostly for processing chilies to get rid of the skins and seeds. I have a KA food grinder, but I don't have the strainer - maybe I should get one, but I already have a chinois. Lars

I got mine from eBay, and it was in great condition, and I think it was made better than the ones today. I had a small new one, and it is already broken. I use it for making chili sauce. Lately, I've been using fresh chilies (Anaheim and Poblano) in addition to the dried ones. The food mill is great for getting rid of the skins and seeds of the chilies. I've also used it when making tamarind sauce because the tamarind paste I have has seeds in it. I actually planted one of the seeds and got a tamarind tree that lived for 2-3 years and unexpectedly died. If it had lived, it would have grown into a huge tree - I've seen some around town. Lars

arlosmom, I use my grandmother's food mill too! And I do hand wash mine. the enzymes in dishwasher detergent does a number on the aluminum. The one that Lehmans sells looks really good....nearly identical to my old one....except that the new one is stainless. I may buy one of them myself just so I can stick it in the dishwasher. check Amazon.com....they seem to have a nice variety of them also. Here is a link that might be useful: amazon's food mills