I’ve always known all of you were smart. You’ve proven it to me once again.
Last year, while I was making applesauce and experimenting with ways to make the process easier, many of you suggested that I get a Victorio Food Strainer. Before that day, I had never even heard of this gadget. And I’ll admit, I really questioned – would a Victorio really make the process of making applesauce go any faster? I mean, there are apple cores and bad spots to deal with. No matter how easy the process, you still have to prepare the apples. I’m usually dealing with several bushels of apples at one time. It takes time. It takes work. There’s no way around it.
Or is there? (There is! There is!)
I’m so excited after making 13 quarts of applesauce yesterday, I could do flips. And guess what? Since I invested in a Victorio, I still actually have the energy to do flips! (Not that I can or will. I’m not that coordinated.)
But it’s true. The Victorio DID made the applesauce making process much faster and easier. Like hours easier. I can’t believe how much time I saved compared to how long it used to take me to make applesauce.
I’ve tried all kinds of methods of making applesauce:
- Coring, peeling, cooking, blending applesauce (lots of work and time, and not as healthy)
- Coring, cooking, Foley Food Mill, Strainer pink applesauce (a little easier)
- Coring, cooking, blending, food processor (yet just a little easier)
Yes, I’ve been making applesauce for years, using all varieties of methods to save myself time. This is why I feel like I have a leg to stand on when I say that using a Victorio Food Strainer is by far the easiest, fastest, most efficient way to make homemade applesauce – especially if you are making large amounts! (I’m also very sure this is going to save time while I make tomato sauce, though I don’t have enough tomatoes ready yet to give it a try.)
With the Victorio, you wash the apples, halve or quarter them, cook them down, then run them through the Victorio. You don’t core them. You barely touch them. My hands didn’t even turn brown – and I did loads of apples!! And this is why I want to turn flips.
Here’s a picture of what my new toy looks like:
I even figured out how to put it together all by myself. Aren’t you impressed?!
Here’s a little tutorial to show how easy this process was. You wash your apples (or in my case, you ask your children to wash the apples while you are working on other jobs in the kitchen).
You halve or quarter your apples and put them into a big stock pot. I simply halved mine since they were small.
Add a little water to the pot to keep the apples from scorching, then you cook them for 15-25 minutes until they are soft (while you go do something else!). Then you run the soft apples through your Victorio. The process barely even challenged my arm muscles it was so easy.
All the core and skin comes out the shoot, leaving bowl after bowl full of beautiful, smooth applesauce.
I had enough applesauce yesterday that after we all ate as much as we wanted, I canned 13 quarts using the water bath method. Awesome!
The jars are still sitting on my countertop so that I can admire them for a little while longer before putting them away. You know I always have to do that right? ;)
I have to say that the Victorio Food Strainer was a wonderful investment. Anything that saves me time in the kitchen, especially during the fall season when all the garden produce threatens to overtake my kitchen, is a life saver. It is very reasonably priced for such a handy appliance.
Do you have a Victorio? Do you love it? Do you want to turn flips with me over how great this thing is?
I got one last year for tomato sauce canning and I love it. I didn’t use it for my applesauce canning last year but I will this year. The best part was it was free through swag bucks!
Last time I made applesauce I just cooked them in the crockpot until soft, then used an immersion blender. The skins were really not noticeable at all. Is there a benefit to removing them completely?
You have apple season already? Ours is still months away!
No there’s no benefit from removing them and actually a nice healthy benefit to leaving them on. But I love the fact that with the Victorio, I hardly had to do anything to prep my apples before cooking them, unlike with any other method I used, I had to cut and core so carefully.
It’s really not apple season here yet either, but one of our “sources” had some summer apples that aren’t really great for eating, but make great applesauce!
You’re right, I did spend a whole evening coring and cutting bad spots off of the applesauce I made. I was pretty picky though. But I got 20lbs of organic apples from Azure for $10–can’t beat that right? I also cut up a bunch for the freezer. They are great in smoothies!
Hello Laura! I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of it, but I nominated your blog for the Versatile Blogger’s Award. You can check out the nomination here if you would like:
http://angelaherself.blogspot.com/2012/07/exuding-versatility-versatile-blogger.html
My mom has one of these gadgets by a different brand. It is wonderful for making applesause! :-)
What is the alternate brand she has
You don’t even need to cut the seeds out? (Didn’t see anything mentioned on the seeds)
Nope! You don’t need to cut the seeds out. I love it!
I don’t actually like that it wastes the apple skin and tomato skin. There are wonderfully healthy nutrients in the skins that you’d miss out on getting. I’m a fan of just using an immersion blender. It’s much quicker and easier than running things through a food mill anyway, and it leaves the healthy skins there (in tiny unnoticeable pieces) so you don’t miss out on the nutrients in the skin.
After you run your apples through once, try running the skins and cores through again. You get more applesauce as well as a lot more of the fiber. I’ve been using one of these for years and absolutely love it.
Agreed! I run them through up to 2 more times and am amazed at how much more good stuff comes out!
Agreed! I run them through up to 2 more times and am amazed at how much more good stuff comes out!
I have a similar one and loooove it! And yes, i run the “junk” back through a time or to or three. I got the add on kit with different types of screens (can’t remember which) which is great, too. I don’t think i’ve found anything to send through thst i wasn’t pleased with the results, though i should note that i prefer not so hunky salsa, and this delivers just that. Enjoy!
I hate to sound picky, but … what about the bad spots (worms) in the apples? I don’t see how you can get that stuff out without cleaning and slicing them. Also, I have kids that are picky, even if I’m not when it comes to little bits of brown things in the sauce. It doesn’t seem to remove all of that. Finally … I’m wondering which is worse – losing the nutrients in the skins or retaining the skins w/nutrients, but getting more of the pesticide spray in your applesauce (I am using non-organic apples because I don’t have a source for organic )-: Thanks!
What? You don’t want worms in your applesauce?! :) I found that it was pretty easy to tell what I needed to cut out of the apple since I was slicing them in half. Much of the time I could just slice it and throw it into the pot. LOVE not having to core it! But once the apple was open, I did find spots I needed to cut out that were wormy, which I did very quickly, then through the rest into the pot. I think what saves the most time with this is not coring the apples! At least that’s what’s always take me the most time.
Regarding the skin, I feel good that at least I’m cooking the apples with the skin on, which cooks some of the nutrients into the apple itself. Since you’re using non-organic apples, it’s probably a good thing for skins to be removed so that the pesticides left on the skin aren’t blended throughout your sauce.
I have a Victorio Food Mill. I absolutely LOVE mine! I have done applesauce,made grape juice, strained strawberries for strawberry jelly (one of my sons hates seeds),blackberry juice and have been pleased with all the results of the mill.
On one of the other comments,someone said what about the bad spots or worms……I just cut off the bad spots and look for any sign of worms after I quarter them.
This mill is so easy to use. I would absolutely buy another one if something happens to mine!
Laura, could you please do a similar post when you make tomato sauce? I already have one of these that I use to make applesauce, but this is the first year that I am planning on trying to make homemade tomato sauce and I’d love to try this method! :)
My grandfather used to have one similar when I was growing up and I used to help him make apple sauce. I may have to call him up this weekend and see if he still has it!
If you ever get tired of turning the handle, my mom used to hook a drill up to the spot where the handle attaches. It uses electricity that way but saves on sore arm muscles.
You will feel a similar joy when you use it for your tomatoes. I have a different brand of this, have had it for 20+ years, and am thankful every year for the work it saves.
For tomatoes, we have tried using both scalded and unscalded tomatoes. It works great either way. I don’t remember if there’s much difference in the amount of waste when scalded or not but we find some tomato skins impart a bitter flavor we don’t like so we sometimes scald, and definitely don’t run the skins/seeds through a second time.
If you take a look here
http://bluebarnbulletin.blogspot.com/2009/08/tomatoes.html you’ll see how we line a mesh colander with cheescloth when we do tomato sauce. Some of the water actually drains through right away so the sauce is thicker before canning.
So glad you took the plunge-it’s a huge time/work saver.
PS-I’ve also cooked peaches until soft, then run them through to make a very smooth peach syrup. Yum!
WOW! I want one of these…and Laura the Co. should give you one free….you are their best advertiser :)
I made applesauce too a few weeks ago, and used the immersion blender, did ok, but not that great….and now that you can even run your apple peelings, etc. thru a second & third time…this sounds like a winner…..
Okay, I have to say that I just LOVE your website. Out of all the bloggers I follow, you are my favorite and the one I “use” the most. I have now added the Victorio Food Strainer to my Amazon wish list, which seems to keep getting longer, not shorter, as every time I save up enough gift cards to buy 1 thing, I add 3 more. :) Using this strainer sounds even easier than the “easy” apple sauce method I learned a few years ago (that wasn’t as easy as claimed). Thanks so much for your blog.
This strainer looks like it works really well. I usually use my Foley food mill (I don’t core or peel either). Last year I cooked down the peels in some water to make apple jelly. It was a nice way to use those up too. You probably do that with the peels you get with this method.
This strainer looks like it works really well. I usually use my Foley food mill (I don’t core or peel either). Last year I cooked down the peels in some water to make apple jelly. It was a nice way to use those up too. You could probably do that with the peels you get with this method.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who leaves my freshly processed jars out on the counter to admire!! Especially when I do something extra pretty, like a colorful jam or something similar :)
I would like to say we have used the Victorio strainer for years for apples, tomatoes, and pumpkin. With the large amount of canning we do, it’s a lifesaver. We generally process 15-20 GALLONS of sauce, both tomato and apple. It saves hours upon hours. I use the tomato sauce and add paste, and seasonings to make spaghetti sauce and can that also. I use a larger screen for the apples and it makes it a little more textured, which my family likes.
Wonderful job! I did have a question though…I just can’t seem to figure out how it knows to seperate out the seeds/skin from the apple flesh. I don’t mean to sound like an idiot, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around this since it is mechanical.
Good question. I think the “filter” is just the right size that it just won’t allow the skin/seeds to fit through. Or, maybe it has a brain and I just didn’t see it in there. Seriously, gadgets like this amaze me at what they can do!
The reason the seeds and skins are filtered out is that they are harder and tougher than the apple itself. The apples are cooked so the apple flesh becomes soft. When you grind it through the mechanism, the soft apple turns to mush and squeezes out through the holes. However, the firm skins and seeds are too large to fit through the filter holes, plus they won’t grind down, so they end up filtering out the side piece as waste. You may get some skin in the sauce since the skin isn’t quite as hard as the seeds, but for the most part the skin is eliminated. If you were to make this with a stand mixer, than you’d need to core the apples and remove the skins as a mizzer would just chop everything up into pieces.
I hope this helps! I do have a mechanical mind (good thing, since I’m an engineer, however I am a terrible teacher and have a hard time explaining things!) :)
oops, *mixer* instead of mizzer!
This little machine sounds to good to be true. Just might have to get me one. Thanks Laura :)
I have to say that I totally love mine too! Just today I made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce out of a bushel of roma tomatoes! Yes, applesauce is a joy. The children LOVE to help turn the handle and dump the skins. This truly is a HUGE help in the food preservation process. :)
I have trouble remembering to check the pot on the stove. Big mistake if it starts to stick and burn. However, we have found a solution to this. We now cut up our apples and bake them in my heavy duty roasting pan in the oven. Just add a bit of water and cook them at approx. 300 degrees. We haven’t had a burned batch yet! Don’t let them get too mushy ( I find it’s harder to push through the Victorio.
On a side note….. We found an original Victorio at a garage sale this spring. Solid Steel!!! I can’t decide if I should pass this one on to my daughters or pass on the newer model. The box is even original!!
Why do you think the first method you tried is less healthy (Coring, peeling, cooking, blending applesauce)?
Mainly because the skins are off from the very beginning, so we’re completely missing out on the nutrients that are found in the skins!
Would you do it the same way with pears? Do you need to add anything so it doesn’t turn brown? Never canned before.
Hmm, I haven’t tried it to know for sure. I believe for pears you don’t need to cook them, you can just “sauce” them, but I haven’t tried it with a Victorio.
My Victorio food strainer just arrived from Amazon yesterday, so I really appreciated your very detailed applesauce-making instructions. I was so excited to try it out that I forgot the cautionary note in the owner’s manual: Let the cooked food (apples in this case) COOL a little before straining. Heat can damage the Victorio, according to the company. It worked great anyway and I’ll be more careful from now on.
Now that you have figured out you can put potatoes in the dishwasher, do you think you can put apples in there too?
I don’t think that would work very well, unless you have a way to set your dishwasher to wash in cold water. The potatoes get “steamed” when they get washed – I’m afraid the apples would get mushy. :)
We’ve owned one of these for over 20 years. It has made probably hundreds of gallons of tomato juice! Can’t recommend it enough. They last and last. We always run the ‘stuff’ through two or three times. We like peppers, parsley, etc cooked into the juice before we run it through the Victorio.
It makes juice making so easy – then we use our food dryer and pans full of juice to dry it down to make our own tomato paste. Why? Like everything else in the garden, your own homemade paste tastes SOOOO much better. We can it in 1/4 pint jars. Wonderful.
I have a Victorio Strainer VS 200 that I purchased in 1985 in Reedsville, Ohio after using the one my mother in law had. Will the motor work on this model, or do I need to purchase a newer model strainer? We have used the VS to make hundreds of gallons of tomato juice, sauce, salsa,spaghetti sauce and ketchup. Introduced my son in law to it a couple of summers ago, and he is hooked now. He had never gardened before, much less canned. You should see him now! But a motor would make it even better.
I have made gallons of applesauce with one of these great inventions! My Mom had one and several friends, too. There’s nothing like it when you have boxes and boxes of apple that you’ve rescued from old orchards. Many people have old apple trees and never do anything with the apples. In fact, many are glad if someone offers to help clean up the yard. :-) A cousin canned about 100 quarts last season. She has a husband and 2 growing boys who love it, plus it can be used in many recipes. Yes … run the pulp back through at least a second time.
I’ve used (an older, borrowed) victorinox the last 2 years on the Crabapples from our tree, and while it was revolutionary the first time, I find myself wanting something more industrial. The strainer gets slowly pushed off, arms get tired, some other issues that i wont remember till it’s apple day again. Is there a larger scale model? Or should I just suck it up and plan more time for the process and hook up the drill?
Dylan
I love mine. The only thing that I have a problem with is that it leaks around where the good stuff come out.
Do you know how many pounds of apples it takes to do 7 quarts of applesauce? Thanks!
About 3lbs to a quart.
WOULD THIS BE GOOD TO USE WHEN MAKING SALSA ?
Can tomatoes be put through the Victorio without heating for making sauce? Or is it actually better to heat them first?
I’ve never run them through without cooking them first, but I do think it would work.
I live in an area with several Amish families and have been blessed to know some well and sometimes we worked together on a big harvest. All the ladies want a Victorio Squeezo-Straino as soon as they take up housekeeping. Most get one within the first 5 years of marriage. Actually it makes a wonderful wedding gift. After seeing how easy it made the work, I want one too, with all the attachments.
Dear Laura,
Oh, thank you so much! I plan on possibly buying the Victorio from Amazon. I have bussels of apples available from my son and “new” bride’s two apple trees at their new house. They are loaded, I mean sagging, with apples for the picking, bucketfuls easy to reach right near the ground! We already picked about 7 five-gallon buckets full. I have a Foley food mill, but the Victorio sounds so much better! Can’t wait to try it, LORD willing! My mother-in-law lives next door to us, and I could share the Victorio with her too! Awesome! Thank you for your very helpful and humorous website!
Dear Laura,
Our family also has quarts of blackberries most years growing wild on our property. The Victorio Food Strainer will be so great for making (seedless) blackberry jelly! I can’t wait!! Mom-in-law makes grape jelly and tomato juice too…the Victorio will come in HANDY! It may even motivate me to start making these!
I asked for a Victorio strainer for Christmas…and Santa came through…for the past few weeks I have been making sauce. Lots of Romas! This gadget save HOURS of time. I did not cook the tomatoes first and the waste was pretty dry! No need to send it through again. Just picked lots of apples at a friends house (free and not sprayed – perfect!). I think it should go well!
Good! We had a Victorio when I was growing up and I wondered if it was as handy as I remembered. You’ve convinced me. I’m off to purchase one now. And thanks to Bev’s comment about baking apples rather than burning them in the pot, our next batches may be both easier to process and not have that singed taste. Kiitos!
I wish I had read you site before. I just purchased the Victorio food strainer and used it to make apple sauce as well. I was so amazed at how much faster it was. My husband loved it too and insisted I buy the other attachments to it. Have you used the grape spiral or pumpkin screen?
Loved you blog and pictures!
Sounds like something I would like to try, however, my family absolutely LOVES super chunky applesauce so I have always made mine with an emersion blender and not blended it super well. Not sure they would like the smooth texture of applesauce run through a mill. :(
I have a Victorio food strainer and love it, love it, love it. Makes making applesauce so simple and then I froze my applesauce – works great!!! Thanks for drawing my attention to it, Laura!!!! I have not tried making anything else…….yet, as I only have the one strainer. I got a whole bunch of free apples from friends, so my sauce was basically free – awesome!!!
My concern would be the level of arsenic since the core is not removed before cooking or straining.
I’m not an owner of a Victorio (though I hope to be soon!), but I have a simple way of making apple sauce that it ought I’d share. I have an apple peeler/corer/slicer purchased from Pampered Chef (find one cheap on eBay). I just run my apples through it, cook the apples for a short time, then use the immersion blender in the same pot. Easy peasy and very little mess. So for those who can’t budget a Victorio at the moment, you can still make delicious apple sauce without the dreaded hand-peeling/coring process. Thanks so much for the inspiration to make healthy foods for our families, Laura. Feeling led to pray for you today. Hope your day is blessed.
Thought I’d *
I have had a Victorio Strainer for years, and I would not be without it when canning season is here!! I got it from my daughter when they bought an attachment like it for their Kitchenaid mixer and didn’t need this anymore. I’m doing applesauce tomorrow, and I know it will be a piece of cake! Works great for tomatoes, and with the berry screen, you can actually take the seeds out of raspberries for jelly! I can’t do flips either, but this machine makes me very happy :)
I have a black oily looking liquid that drips out where the hand crank attaches. Does anyone else have this? I can’t figure out why it happens. Also, mine is hard to crank and it comes loose from the counter, I can’t seem to get it tight enough to stay put while I am turning the crank.
Thanks for any feedback.
I inherited a Victorio 200 from my husband’s grandmother. It only came with 1 strainer. I think it may be a berry screen but there aren’t any identifying numbers on it. How can I tell which strainer it is? I can’t wait to use it, especially purer pumpkin puree and applesauce.
Have you tried using this with berries? Do you have the berry shield or the pumpkin shield? Thanks!
Yes, they actually have 3 different strainers for this model. I have the older more rugged model 200. I got it on ebay with all 3 augers and 3 strainers. The strainers are about $17.00 each and you can get them on Amazon or here: (the finest one works for berries)
http://www.mendingshed.com/200parts.html
This works good on the apples too.
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Apple-Corer-Divider/dp/B00004OCKT
I just purchaced the victoria grape spiral from ebay ,but when I try to turn the handle it is too hard to turn. Seems like the spiral is too big around for the strainer. Am I supposed to buy a special strainer or something? Anyone else have this problem?
I’m not sure if this will help, but you need to mash some fruit down into the machine for the crank to turn smoothly. It it is dry, it can be really hard to turn. Try that, and I hope it helps. If that doesn’t work, you will need more help than I can offer. Good Luck !
I did grapes this year. Use the grape spiral as suggested, but do mash your grapes a bit first. I ran mine thru 4 times* and got loads of juice. It shouldn’t be hard to crank. If is still is, check the assembly and make sure everything is lined up and connected correctly. Oh, and only crank the one direction. The side by the handle has an arrow – turn it that direction only.
*After the 2nd pass thru, you may need to clean the screen and spiral.
They actually sell a motor drive for these strainers:
http://www.amazon.com/VICTORIO-VKP250-M-Strainer-Electric-Accessory/dp/B00ADOMBV4/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1435262423&sr=1-1&keywords=victorio+strainer+motor
You may be able to pick up a good used on on ebay too.
I inherited my grandmothers original 200 model about 8 years ago. She is coming over to watch/help make apple sauce this week. I have fond memories making tomato juice, in her kitchen, as a kid. I’m glad my girls are getting to experience the fun with their great grandma now. Who knows how many more fall harvests we have left with her.
I am trying to figure out how you can cook your apples so quickly. It seems like I fill my big pot with apple quarters and it takes hours to cook it to make it soft enough. What am I doing wrong? Do you have a softer apple?
One helpful tip would be to add a little bit of water in the bottom of the pot to help the apples steam quicker.
I recently made apple sauce. I canned them with a water bath. Every batch I did separated. The fruit floats to the top and there’s water on the bottom. Is this normal or did I do something wrong?
That is completely normal.
Thank you for the reply. :)
I just bought the Victorio model 250 and recently used it to make blueberry syrup. It was AMAZING how easy it was. I removed neither stems or blossoms (the little dried end on the opposite end of the blueberry from the stem). I merely washed them and simmered them in a little water until they turned dark blue. Then I mashed them a bit with a potato masher (probably unnecessary) and ran them through the Victorio. It removed every stem and every blossom and every seed, even though I used the tomato/apple strainer which came with the device. I do have the finer berry screen but wanted as much pulp as possible for flavor. I started with 10.5 lbs of blueberries. Approximately 1 cup came out as waste. I quickly ran the waste through one more time and with almost no effort had over 20 cups of blueberry juice and pulp.
This device absolutely works great on berries. I’m glad to know that it will make my life easier making applesauce as well since I usually have a good supply for free from friends with trees.
As for cooking them quickly, have you considered steaming them?
BTW, I have never had my applesauce separate in jars. Previously I have always used my peeler/corer and then just cooked them down with a bit of lemon juice. It comes out thick and doesn’t separate.
Rubber gasket broke after 6 pints of applesauce. Caused an enormous amount of stress and mess. We were only a third of the way done with the apples and it was terrible. We had to finish applesauce by hand. We had only done six pints, so not excessive use. This was the first time we had used Victorio strainer and will not be using again. Tried to rework the rubber seal after first six pints and no dimensions given to purchase a new gasket. Removing and installing defective part, was heated onto the other fixture and was stuck. We had to use pliers to remove parts to clean after gasket broke. Was like it baked together. Should we not have used heated apples?! If so, that was not made clear in operating manual.
Thanks ever so much. Really. My shiny new husband came with a Victorio food strainer, you know, like gift with purchase. I have been trying to figure out how we could best use it and there you were. He did mention it last summer, but all my fruit ripens about the time we are doing a lot of traveling for music, so I’ve not used my bounty the way I should. All these ideas will definitely help for next season! Considering I have a very small yard right in a major metropolitan city that prides itself on being one of dreariest cities in the US. I have tons of fruit trees and berries. So I have tons of fruit. The berries I get through, the apples, plums and figs not so much. This will definitely help. Wonder if it will work for the gooseberries? Probably not the artichokes tho, I’m guessing. Allow me to suggest if folks desire to put in more fruit to look for a nursery that specializes in regional or what’s called edible landscaping. THAT gift with purchase came with the first husband. Sorry I go and go. But I am so excited now I can hardly wait for fruit season!
HI;
I have been using a food mill forever to make applesauce. I like the pink applesauce I get when I use the food mill. I have two questions — Will the applesauce from the Victorio have pink applesauce (with the right apples of course) and two – I know the company doesn’t recommend you put it in the dishwasher – but has anyone used a dishwasher to clean it?
Yes, definitely it makes beautiful pink applesauce with the right apples! I’ve never put mine in the dishwasher, just in case. :)
Yes! I love mine! It saves so much time. My husband was helping me last weekend when I was making tomato juice, that was the first time we used it.
Is this much easier than using a regular food mill? I bought an OXO food mill this year to help with tomatoes and now apples, but it takes quite a while to grind and process each batch. Is the Victorio much faster than a regular food mill?
I found it to be MUCH easier!!
Here’s a random question: does anyone know if this would work for processing guavas? We have two trees, and I am drowning trying to process them all. I’d be completely sold if it could also do pomegranates and pomelos (grapefruit).
I am feeling a little lazy after reading all these comments. I grew up on an apple orchard and always used one of these. What makes me crazy is the reaction the apples have on the metal strainer. I can’t let it sit between batches without the next batch turning an awful grey color. I end up having to throw out about two cups.
I wish they had a stainless steal strainer avaible.
Do u know how we can make apple butter w the victorio blender? I love it too!
Were can I buy a victorious at what store
I found mine online. I’m not sure which stores carry them? Likely a specialty kitchen shop?
I love my Victorio! I used it to make spaghetti sauce, applesauce and pear sauce. Coukdnt can wo it. I have one at home and one at the cabin. Been using one for over 30 years love!