I've got the tomato screen that came with it and also the pumpkin screen (a little bigger holes but not as big as salsa screen). I figured I'd try the pumpkin screen for thicker sauce? TIA

[I just did this a couple of hours ago, which reminds me how well it works]

I don't know if I'm going to get to these today - doing laundry now, DH is picking DS up from a XC meet, after he showers we'll probably go for Chinese since DH doesn't want spaghetti again (where did the day go?) - I made meat sauce (from jar I canned last year plus some fresh tomatoes I cooked and put through Foley) last night and have 2 pints left in fridge. DS had 3 servings so he probably doesn't want it again tonight either LOL.

Maybe I'll stay up late tonight and do it when I won't be disturbed since I already have the base clamped to the counter and space cleared off for the 2 bowls.

Oh, what about coring before putting the tomatoes through?

To make salsa for DH without the extra knife work and without the skins, dip in boiling water 1 min, then ice bath, then peel back to the top, chop off those tops, cut off the bad parts, and put toms in an onion chopper. Food processor makes mush, Victorio's or Squeezo's make puree, onion chopper makes small pieces but not mush.

If you want sauce then forget about peeling, but do heat up the toms to make it easier to turn them in the Victorio or Squeezo. It only takes a few minutes on the burner.

Nancy

I probably won't do the sauce tonight, just got home from Chinese and started another load of laundry - have 2 more to do and tomorrow will be sheets.

I have 18 qt Nesco - should I bring that out in the AM, heat the tomatoes in that, then put through Victorio? Can they go in hot or must they be room temp for the plastic parts?

I have about 10 gal of tomatoes to do if the 5 gal bucket of paste tomatoes in the garage hasn't gone bad on the bottom.

You can drain off some of the watery juice and have less cooking down time.

Deanna

Poor DS was working the Victorio while I cut up tomatoes, he's tall enough to see into the hopper LOL when it's clamped to kitchen counter but he HATES raw tomatoes and the smell was driving him crazy. He likes cooked sauce/salsa though.

But another question on the Victorio/Villaware strainer, and one on canning tomato juice:

1. DS must have pushed down hard when he was using the plunger, the adapter part that goes between the metal base and the plastic hopper/funnel is stuck inside the metal part. I tried running hot water over the metal to get it to expand but it's still stuck. Any tips?

2. I was using the Ball Complete book for instructions, I strained the tomatoes first then boiled the juice, they have the other way around but it calls for 1" HS so that's what I used. I just checked NCHFP and they call for 1/2" (and 1/4" for sauce whereas Ball says 1" again). Is the juice OK? Which HS should I use for Basic Tomato Sauce? Processing times are the same.

It is four times the work and time and much of the tomato is wasted. Damage to it is more likely too. Even a brief heating of the tomatoes first makes all the difference.

Sauce is in the canner - I compromised and did 3/4" HS so it's wrong either way but hope it turns out OK. I got 5 3/4 quarts (had to scramble for pint and half jar, I'd prepped RM lid and band so used old Classico jar from tomatoes we used the other night, I don't remember if that was a PC batch or BWB but here's hoping it withstands 10 psi).

Adapter still stuck on the metal base - try ice cubes in it to get plastic to contract? It's really jammed on.

I'm not sure this was faster than blanching and peeling, cooking and then using Foley but it was neater and I didn't have to handle hot tomatoes. Of course I probably wouldn't have done so many at a time either if I'd had to peel them.

The crank turned easily, but both kids ended up pulling it off a couple of times. It would help to have a set screw on that. I'm not sure which screen I like for tomato sauce, but if I want seedless it has to be the tomato (original) screen.

And I have to mop the floor - I thought we got the splatters but found some on the bottom of the fridge and on the floor there - and I was standing in between the mill and the fridge! Must have happened when I was over to the side cutting tomatoes and 1 of the kids was milling. DS got splattered - even got some on his suede LL Bean slippers. I think he was cranking too fast.

Not sure how the victorio compares to squeezo, but I find that I use the back of a paring knife, or small metal spatula to scrape my screens off inside and out in order to clean them. I can then use a brush to help clean holes out, though I need a pin for the berry screen many times.

I did also try the KitchenAid strainer and found it a terrible pain to use. And I'm a stone KitchenAId fan.

Nothing beats the Victorio.

I might move the whole canning operation outside since I have the camp stove - but not today in the rain. Today is just BWBing jam anyway.

Rose - my condolences on your DH's passing.