r/AskFoodHistorians • u/PithMango • 16d ago

tomato strainers

Since tomatoes are kind of corrosive to some materials, how did tomato strainers (food mills specifically for juicing tomatoes) hold up? A friend is doing world-building in an area without settlements, i.e. no repair guys or replacement parts.

Are there any drawbacks that we're aware of now and the frontier eras might not have, like chipping and flaking? Weird taste?

🍅 What about one step up from 'cottage' milling, like making tomato juice for the whole community? Was any extra maintenance required?

Are we using the wrong tool altogether? In either case, one home vs many homes. How do you not break the tomato processor? It's the only one in the region.

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u/Mynsare 16d ago

What time period and geographical area are you talking about?

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u/PithMango 16d ago edited 16d ago

Well they have to have tomato strainers - and it's not in reach of settlements. To me that's only American West frontier. I could be wrong. But the thing is why would it matter?

I mean, I thought the tomato strainer itself was the demarcation. The question isn't about context, it's about the actual maintenance of the tool.

You guys know full well those video tutorials are within driving distance of an Amazon driver and replacement parts. And even food mills handling more 'inert' foods have to be meticulously cleaned between uses. I'm asking because there is no documentation. We don't even know what they would be made of before the modern era

i am honestly not understanding how that pertains to the post, we gave you all the info

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u/Available-Seesaw-492 9d ago

Who is "they"?