For canning tomatoes, the tool commonly sold as a tomato juicer is usually a food strainer or sauce maker: it separates skins and seeds from heated, crushed tomatoes. Choose a manual clamp-on strainer for regular, larger batches; a hand-crank food mill for smaller batches and simpler storage; or an electric strainer when reducing hand-cranking matters most. These are different designs, not tested rankings, so confirm a specific model’s setup, cleaning requirements, and current specifications before buying.
What a tomato juicer does—and what it does not do
For tomato sauce or juice, preservation guidance calls for heating and crushing tomatoes, then pressing them through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds. Products that do this are often listed as tomato strainers, food strainers, sauce makers, or food mills. The label “juicer” does not identify one standardized design.
A strainer prepares tomatoes; it does not make them safe for canning by itself. Use a complete, current tested recipe and follow its jar-size, altitude, and processing directions. The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) says tomatoes must be acidified even when using its pressure-canning directions.
Compare the three designs
| Design | Best fit | Trade-offs to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Manual clamp-on tomato strainer or sauce maker | Regular or larger harvests when continuous feeding and skin-and-seed separation are useful. | Requires hand cranking and a suitable counter edge for clamping. Build, cleanup, and actual throughput depend on the specific model; verify them before buying. |
| Hand-crank food mill | Smaller batches, compact storage, and cooks willing to work with softened produce. | It is a bowl-style tool rather than a continuous-feed auger. Larger volumes may involve more repeated handling; that is a design-based comparison, not a measured performance result. |
| Electric tomato strainer | Larger volumes when reducing manual effort is a priority. | Check footprint, cleaning, power requirements, warranty, and current price in the manufacturer’s listing. No comparative performance tests are available here. |
Examples to verify before choosing
Examples named in a buying-guide comparison include the Roma / Johnny Apple Model 250, Norpro “The Original” Sauce Master, and Weston Deluxe Electric Tomato Strainer. Those names are examples, not independently tested or proven winners. Check current manufacturer details for construction, included parts, setup, cleaning instructions, warranty, and availability.
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#1 Best Overall
- QUICKLY REMOVES SKINS AND SEPARATES SEEDS: The electric tomato strainer is great for making homemade sauces, purees, jellies, salsa and more. It quickly removes skins and separates seeds from tomatoes and other soft fruits and vegetables without coring.
- POWERFUL 250 WATT MOTOR: The powerful 250 watt motor on the electric tomato press has two speeds. Use forward speed to remove skins and seeds from fruits and vegetables. The reverse speed helps prevent jamming.
- 1 GALLON HOPPER: The 1 gallon hopper lets you process large batches of fruits and vegetables without slowing down. It's perfect for preserving garden harvests or produce purchased in bulk.
- INCLUDES 3 STAINLESS STEEL SCREENS: The tomato strainer comes with a 1.5mm multipurpose screen for tomatoes and berries, a 3mm screen for pureeing larger vegetables like pumpkins and squash, and a 6mm screen for making chunky salsas and purees.
- INCLUDES STOMPER: Use the stomper to safely push pieces of food into the hopper and head of the tomato strainer and sauce maker.
Costway advertises an electric model with a 450 W motor, a 304 stainless steel food-contact surface, and a stated rate of 200–350 pounds per hour. That rate is the seller’s claim, not a verified real-world result; do not treat it as a reliable estimate of how quickly your own harvest will be processed.
How to choose for your harvest and kitchen
- For frequent or larger batches: Start with a manual clamp-on strainer if you are comfortable cranking and have a counter edge where it can be secured. Consider an electric model if reducing manual effort is more important, but compare its footprint and cleaning requirements with your available workspace.
- For occasional or smaller batches: A hand-crank food mill is a credible alternative. It works with softened produce and avoids the clamp-on auger setup, though handling larger quantities may take more repeated work.
- Before ordering any model: Confirm how it attaches or sits on the counter, how its parts come apart for cleaning, whether it fits your storage space, and what the manufacturer says about use and care. Do not infer throughput or durability from the product category alone.
Prepare tomatoes for sauce or juice
The University of California’s tomato guide recommends crushing, heating, and simmering tomatoes for five minutes before juicing. Press the heated, crushed tomatoes through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds, then heat the juice again to boiling before filling jars. For sauce, follow the same heating and pressing approach, then simmer in a large-diameter pan until it reaches the desired consistency.
Rank #2
- MAKE APPLESAUCE THE SIMPLE WAY: Load quartered apples in, turn the crank, and the mill separates smooth sauce from skins, seeds, and cores automatically.
- 3 DISCS FOR 3 TEXTURES: Swap between coarse, medium, and fine stainless steel discs to match the texture to the recipe, from chunky to smooth.
- NO OUTLET NEEDED: The ergonomic rotary hand crank sets up anywhere, so canning day is not limited to a spot near a plug.
- BUILT TO LAST: Stainless steel body, discs, and crank hold up to repeated use across canning season after canning season.
- BEYOND APPLESAUCE: Tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, baby food, purees, and jam bases all work with the same mill.
For safe canning, use the preparation and processing directions from a complete tested recipe—not merely the strainer’s instructions. The strainer is a preparation tool, not a preservation method.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Acidify tomatoes and follow tested canning directions
NCHFP directs home canners to acidify whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes. Its specified amounts are:
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- NOT JUST FOR APPLE SAUCE AND TOMATO SAUCE: Great for purees, pie fillings, juices, jams, cream soups, baby foods, sauces, and more. Use it for a variety of fruits and vegetables. Easily separate skins and seeds from your produce as you create your own specialty sauces and purees.
- HAND CRANK WITH OPTIONAL ELECTRIC MOTOR: Designed for hand crank use with its long easy to use handle, or replace the handle with the optional electric motor to make your creations even easier (VKPMOTOR sold separately).
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED: Comes with Apple/Tomato Screen (1.3mm holes), Standard Spiral (6-3/4” long), and Instruction Manual, allowing you to make fine delicious sauces right out of the box. Optional additional screens for salsa, pumpkin, and berries with a grape spiral are also available (VKP250-5 accessories sold separately).
- 5 YEAR WARRANTY: Sturdy cast aluminum body and easy-to-install stainless steel screens. Plastic components are BPA free. Your strainer also comes with an incredible 5 Year Warranty.
- SECURE CLAMP MOUNT: Sturdy clamp design has 10 square inches of clamping surface. Can mount to countertops from 3/4" to 2-1/8" thick providing a proper foundation while you create your own specialty sauces.
- Per quart: 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid.
- Per pint: 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid.
These amounts do not replace a tested recipe’s complete instructions. Follow the recipe for preparation, jar size, altitude adjustments, and processing time. NCHFP notes that its pressure-canning directions also require the preparation steps, including acidification.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 2-in-1 Value Pack: Extend Your KitchenAid’s Versatility: Get two essential accessories in one order for unbeatable value—a fruit & vegetable strainer and a meat grinder，both exclusively designed for KitchenAid stand mixers. Crafted from high-quality, food-grade materials, they’re non-toxic, healthy, and safe for daily use. This set instantly expands your mixer’s functionality, turning it into a multi-tasking tool for both food processing and straining.
- For KitchenAid Meat Grinder Attachment: This meat grinder attachment for KitchenAid stand mixers includes 2 grinding plates (coarse & fine), 2 cutting blades, 2 sausage filler tubes, and a sausage-stuffing fixing ring. It grinds fresh meat into burger patties or sausage filling, processes veggies for chutneys/sauces, shreds hard cheese, and makes fresh breadcrumbs. Enjoy healthier homemade sausages, burgers, or purees—great for family meals and party snacks.
- Fruit & Vegetable Strainer: Effortless Pulp & Seed Separation: The durable KitchenAid fruit and vegetable strainer attachment lets cooked fruit/vegetable flesh pass through easily while filtering out unwanted stems, seeds, and skins. It’s a game-changer for making smooth tomato sauce—simply process cooked tomatoes, and the strainer removes all tough bits, leaving you with rich, pulp-free sauce ready to use or can.
- Simple Operation for All Skill Levels: Using both accessories is hassle-free: For the KitchenAid fruit and vegetable strainer, cook hard/firm fruits/vegetables first to ensure smooth straining; for the kitchenaid meat grinder attachment, just add cut ingredients to the chute, and let your KitchenAid’s motor do the work. After grinding, the strainer’s cone effortlessly removes skins, giving you finely processed purees or ground ingredients in minutes—no complex setup required.
- Easy Cleaning to Save Time: All parts of the KitchenAid fruit and vegetable strainer attachment and KitchenAid meat grinder attachment are removable, making cleanup a breeze.They’re dishwasher safe (or can be hand-washed quickly with soap and warm water—max 122°F), and a cleaning brush is included for hard-to-reach spots. Plus, the set comes with built-in instructions and healthy recipe ideas—perfect for summer cooking and beyond!
Rank #4
- Stainless steel hopper. This tomato strainer and sauce maker features a 1 gallon hopper for processing large batches of fruits and vegetables without slowing down. It's great for making homemade jams and preserves, tomato sauce, purees, salsa and more.
- Dual mount system. The dual-mount system with suction-cup base and C-clamp securely attaches to a variety of flat surfaces, so you can use the tomato press in your kitchen or even on a table in your garden.
- No peeling or coring needed. The handle on the tomato press turns smoothly to quickly and easily remove skins and separate seeds from tomatoes and other soft fruits and vegetables.
- No-mess processing. The stainless steel splash guard on the tomato strainer helps keep your hands clean, while the stainless steel chute directs puree straight into any container, jar or bag.
- Create purees and sauces. The strainer comes with a stomper and a 1.5mm multipurpose screen for tomatoes and apples. The 4-piece accessory kit 07-0858 (sold separately) contains additional screens for making a wide variety of purees and sauces.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
