Removing Seeds from Canned Tomatoes

[CarolPa]

I do some canning, not a lot, but sometimes I would like to use my canned tomatoes in pasta sauce and would prefer not to include the seeds. I have been researching different products such as a Foley Food Mill or the Grinding/Straining attachment for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Can any one give me any pointers before I spend my money? I could buy a lot of cans of tomato sauce for what I'm going to pay for the Kitchenaid attachment. ($140) LOL Is there anything that does a good job for less money? Is it really worth it? When I use my jars of tomatoes in other recipes I don't mind the seeds.

 

[CraigC]

We use a food mill. I don't mind cranking it by hand and it gets the job done. I'd have to do a lot of sauce to justify $140.00 for something we wouldn't use often. I don't mind spending money on something if it will get regular use.

 

[CarolPa]

Can you tell me the type of food mill you use? A lot of the ones online were ones that people were using to make baby food. I was looking at one that was 2 qt and had 3 different disks, fine, medium and coarse. Will this work for tomatoes?

 

[CraigC]

It is just a run of the mill (no pun intended) one we picked up. Can't remember where. I know it isn't 2 quarts though, maybe one quart. I can process a 6# can of San Marzanos in about 10 minutes.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I have a Foley that I picked up at the Salvation Army for under two bucks.

If you are not in a hurry you can find them at estate sales.

If you are working with whole canned tomatoes you can get most of the seeds out by squeezing the tomatoes over a sieve or fine mesh strainer. Squeeze them set the pulp aside, let the juice drain through the sieve and the seeds will stay behind in the sieve.

 

[CarolPa]

I have a Foley that I picked up at the Salvation Army for under two bucks.

If you are not in a hurry you can find them at estate sales.

If you are working with whole canned tomatoes you can get most of the seeds out by squeezing the tomatoes over a sieve or fine mesh strainer. Squeeze them set the pulp aside, let the juice drain through the sieve and the seeds will stay behind in the sieve.

Aunt Bea, my husband swears we have one or had one at one time. I might have given it away or sold it at a yard sale, not thinking I would ever have need for it. We do go to thrift stores, so I will look for one there.

I am usually working with tomatoes grown in our garden. When we get too many to eat I like to can them. Most of our friends and neighbors have their own garden so I can't get rid of them by giving them away. With the cost of the jars, rings and lids, it is probably just as cheap as buying canned tomatoes, but somehow it makes me feel good knowing that I grew these tomatoes myself. LOL Mostly I use them in casseroles and soups, so I don't mind the seeds. But one of these days I would like to try using them to make home-made pasta sauce, in which I would rather not have the seeds. I have squeezed the seeds out of them a few times, but silly me never thought to do it over a sieve with a pot underneath to save the juice! DUH! I just did it over the sink and the juice went down the drain. I'm so embarassed to admit that. LOL

 

[Aunt Bea]

Aunt Bea, my husband swears we have one or had one at one time. I might have given it away or sold it at a yard sale, not thinking I would ever have need for it. We do go to thrift stores, so I will look for one there.

I am usually working with tomatoes grown in our garden. When we get too many to eat I like to can them. Most of our friends and neighbors have their own garden so I can't get rid of them by giving them away. With the cost of the jars, rings and lids, it is probably just as cheap as buying canned tomatoes, but somehow it makes me feel good knowing that I grew these tomatoes myself. LOL Mostly I use them in casseroles and soups, so I don't mind the seeds. But one of these days I would like to try using them to make home-made pasta sauce, in which I would rather not have the seeds. I have squeezed the seeds out of them a few times, but silly me never thought to do it over a sieve with a pot underneath to save the juice! DUH! I just did it over the sink and the juice went down the drain. I'm so embarassed to admit that. LOL

I won't tell a soul!

It's nice to can a few things, when you open a jar of home canned produce the memories of summer come back into full view.

Try that with a can of tomatoes from COSTCO!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Shop CHEFS Stainless-Steel Food Mill at CHEFS.

 

[taxlady]

I suggest you get a food mill, like the one in the picture in PF's link. I have a plastic one with three metal disks. You can also use it for pureeing food, when you don't want the noise and spattering of a blender. You can also use it to rice potatoes. Or make applesauce - it will remove almost all of the pips and core.

 

[GA Home Cook]

When we can tomatoes, I remove the skins, take out the stem core and just squeeze them over a sieve. we actually don't save most the juice as we are after the pulp of the tomato only.

 

[Hank H]

I too would suggest a food mill. I have an oxxo and it works well, no idea what it costs. It was a gift.

With the cost of the jars, rings and lids, it is probably just as cheap as buying canned tomatoes, but somehow it makes me feel good knowing that I grew these tomatoes myself.

And they just taste so much better!

 

[Addie]

I Googled food mill. They go all the way up to $200. The one PF showed you is the average "good" one. Whichever one you get, make sure it is stainless steel so acidic foods won't react to it. And definitely make sure it has legs to sit on the side of the bowl. Otherwise you will be holding it over the bowl with one hand while churning with the other.

I had one for years. It made great mashed potatoes. Pureed veggies for baby food. Never had to peel the fruit for jam or jelly. The peel stayed in the food mill. Never peeled a tomato. Skin and seeds stayed behind.

And all this for a number of years for just $1.00. I got it at a yard sale. As the years passed and the kids grew up and left home, I sold it for $1.50 at my yard sale. I remember a young mother bought it to make baby food. She had her little girl in one of those baby slings that mothers wear to carry their babies in.

 

[CarolPa]

I suggest you get a food mill, like the one in the picture in PF's link. I have a plastic one with three metal disks. You can also use it for pureeing food, when you don't want the noise and spattering of a blender. You can also use it to rice potatoes. Or make applesauce - it will remove almost all of the pips and core.

I like the idea of having one with 3 different disks. Once I get one, I will probably find more uses for it.



GA Home Cook - Sometimes it's nice to also have the juice from the tomatoes as well as the pulp because if you're using them in a recipe, the juice provides some of the liquid and has more taste than just adding water. It depends on what you are going to do with the tomatoes. Mine are usually added to a recipe in place of store bought.

Thanks everyone, for all the info.

 

[CWS4322]

I have one of these:

European Tomato Press - Lee Valley Tools

I tried the sieve method, the food mill, but prefer the tomato press. It is easy to clean. I run the tomatoes through 3x so that what gets fed to the hens is very dry. We have approximately 300 tomato plants so I make a lot of sauce and paste during tomato season.

 

[CarolPa]

I have one of these:

European Tomato Press - Lee Valley Tools

I tried the sieve method, the food mill, but prefer the tomato press. It is easy to clean. I run the tomatoes through 3x so that what gets fed to the hens is very dry. We have approximately 300 tomato plants so I make a lot of sauce and paste during tomato season.

That's another choice, and also reasonably priced. Are the seeds and skins collected in a separate container from the juice and pulp? I will look for this item in US, but it looks like I can also order it from the website if I can't find it here.

 

[CarolPa]

CWS4322 - I clicked on your link about the chickens. I am basically a city girl, althought since marrying, I have lived in the suburbs. Our town used to be all farm country back in the day, but it's now zoned mostly residential as the farms have been sold off to developers. The farms that are left just grow corn. Just recently, they passed an ordinance allowing people to raise chickens. I don't know how many people have shown an interest in this, but it could get very interesting!!

 

[CWS4322]

That's another choice, and also reasonably priced. Are the seeds and skins collected in a separate container from the juice and pulp? I will look for this item in US, but it looks like I can also order it from the website if I can't find it here.

The seeds and skins are collected in the hopper. It makes the best tomato juice if you like your tomato juice thick. It also has suction cups for feet so it sticks on the counter. I can process a lot of tomatoes in 1/2 and hour.

 

[CWS4322]

CWS4322 - I clicked on your link about the chickens. I am basically a city girl, althought since marrying, I have lived in the suburbs. Our town used to be all farm country back in the day, but it's now zoned mostly residential as the farms have been sold off to developers. The farms that are left just grow corn. Just recently, they passed an ordinance allowing people to raise chickens. I don't know how many people have shown an interest in this, but it could get very interesting!!

Chickens are very easy to keep. They are also very entertaining!

 

[CarolPa]

Chickens are very easy to keep. They are also very entertaining!

There was another article yesterday about the new chicken ordinance. Right now, people have to have at least 10 acres to have any farm animals. The new law is they can have up to 7 chickens on a normal residential lot, and they have to have a fenced-in area and a certain type of shelter for them. People want to have fresh chickens and eggs that are not bought in a store.

It would be nice if farming started coming back to the area. There are still a lot of wide open spaces even though much of the township is residential. Most of the farmers are selling out to developers, or to the gas wells. I always liked the road side vegetable stands where you know you're getting locally grown produce.

 

[Addie]

There was another article yesterday about the new chicken ordinance. Right now, people have to have at least 10 acres to have any farm animals. The new law is they can have up to 7 chickens on a normal residential lot, and they have to have a fenced-in area and a certain type of shelter for them. People want to have fresh chickens and eggs that are not bought in a store.

It would be nice if farming started coming back to the area. There are still a lot of wide open spaces even though much of the township is residential. Most of the farmers are selling out to developers, or to the gas wells. I always liked the road side vegetable stands where you know you're getting locally grown produce.

Having lived on a farm as a kid, and as CWS will tell you, you have to make sure you don't end up with more than one rooster. Most folks who want to have chickens, usually buy them as chicks and don't know the sex of them until one morning they wake up to crowing. Neighbors aren't to fond of that happening.

If you end up with more than one rooster, one of them has to go into the pot for Sunday dinner. Or you will have mayhem in the coop.