I have a food mill and the jelly strainer. The food mill is a pass-along from my sister, the jelly strainer a minimal purchase. You should be able to find one on Amazon or at your local hardware store for in the neighborhood of $8-$9, a box of 2 additional bags (that you may not need) for $5. The jelly strainer isn't required, just a bit easier. For years I used cheese cloth or muslin in either a colander, or as a self made bag of a square tied with twine and hanging from a cabinet knob over a bowl. With the strainer frame and bag, I can strain juice and still get something out of my upper cabinet without slinging juice across the counter ;) A simple thing.

I scald my tomatoes first and remove the skins. I'll tell you for why. I don't like my tomato products to seperate into water at the top, and solids at the bottom, and handling them cooked, instead of raw, deactivates the enzymes responsible for the pectin breaking down. Since I'm heating them anyway, might as well slide the skins off, it only takes a second. So actually the blanching and peeling helps the tomato product to at least look less watery, not more.

Lots of discussions here about this. The Roma or Victorio - the models with the screw on base not the vacuum suction base, are the ones commonly recommended. They are sold in several places so shop around for the best price. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Victoiro tomato mill

The Foley Food Mill now comes in stainless steel. I have a friend who has a Villaware Victorio Food Strainer who has let me borrow it a few times for "BIG" projects. More money, but it does the trick on large quantities of food. It's a well-made machine. My friend makes good use of it with her giant garden, fruit trees/bushes, plus she's a great cook. Tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits are easily processed. Great for anyone who makes jams, thick pureed soups, vegetables sauces, and baby food. It's also easier to crank and control than a regular food mill, although the OXO works well, which is what she uses for small jobs. My friend can reduce 5-pounds of tomatoes into puree in just a few minutes with the residue being expelled from the long funnel on the side. I've seen her process 2-pounds of cooked kidney beans for a dip. She also uses it when she needs to make piles of mashed potatoes for the holidays. Turns unpeeled cooked potatoes into a smooth-textured mash. People who like lumpy mashed potatoes may not like the texture. There are additional attachments so you can process a wider variety of foods - salsa screen, medium-coarse pumpkin and squash screen, grape spiral, and a fine berry screen. It clamps onto a table or counter top. When I've borrowed it I've used my wood-topped rolling cart that I use for other things I need to clamp onto a sturdy surface (my many mills, wheatgrass juicer, and grinders). I'd never clamp things on my counter top or table, which is why I have a cart with a wooden top that rolls into my pantry when not in use. You disassemble it for washing by hand. That's the only ones I've had any experience with, other than my own small stainless steel food mill. It usually comes down to what are you going to use it for, how often, storage, and how much money are you willing to invest. -Grainlady