Depends on how you define "chunks".;) I wouldn't call them chunks, more like "chips"...size of your little fingertip is the best description I can think of. It also lets more seeds through but we don't mind seeds in our salsa.

I can tell you what we have found works best for us - a pastry dough cutter/blender. Peel and core the tomatoes and put them in a bowl and use one of these on them - gives you much chunkier salsa.

Dave

schofie wrote:

> [This message originated at GardenWeb]
> > Hi,
> > Sorry to bother you. I had been searching all over on line for answers to my questions about canning out tomatoes & using a juicer to help. We have about 100 plants ready to burst. My partner in crime wants to get a juicer to make things work easier but from what I have read, (until I saw your account of things) is that most of these juicers will be taking away the pulp that we would want for a sauce & that is perhaps not what we really want.
If I get one that takes the skins & seeds out, our end product would be tomato puree? This would be of for some recepies, but not good for a salsa I guess. Last year we did it all by blanching & peeling by hand...lots of work when you have this many plants. Would I be doing us a favor purchasing one?
I appreciate your tolerance of my ramblings. I'm a bit confused after on-line searching for answers for the past few hours.
Rgds,
Mike

MY REPLY:
To save my nerves here is yet another reply to a new email I just got, answering the same questions about the Villaware, Roma, Prago Trade, Weston, and so many more names its very hard to keep track!

Hello,

If you read through all my recent posts, there is a SALSA screen with 3/16 inch holes that will give a minced tomato, mixed with onion, peppers, and what ever the salsa would be goo and the skins are STILL removed. A juicer usually for extracting juices from hard things like carrots and such. Tomatoes would clog up in a second, unless the juicer blades also pulverized the seeds and skins as well. As mention, the VIllaware, Roma design seems to handle quite the task. 2 years ago, I had 200+ tomato plants, and most were firm meaty plum types for use as sauce. To get a thicker sauce, I would cut them in halves (need to for really big round ones), and then use my thumb to dig out most of the seeds and the gel. Its optional, but I found that the less water in the finished product the less need to cook it all down. The Roma/Villaware, and other names are all basically the same, with the photo I provided in a thread about these, which is the most accurate photo ever.
The Villaware generation machine(s) are the most well designed, with major improvements to the crank shaft seal, and the twist on screens. They run about $50, and can even be attached to some pasta rolling machines that have a motor unit that slides into the crank hole opening. I run the waste (mostly all seeds and skins) to squeeze out any more liquid. The standard hole screen is the one that comes with the unit and is used for the tomatoes for a sauce. A sauce can also contain onions, peppers, herbs, so its not smooth baby food, unless you want everything a sauce and pureed. OPTIONAL ACCESSORY screens are also sold (MUST BE THE TWIST ON TYPE), so that you can also extract seedy things like raspberries usinga smaller holed berry screen. Grapes too, but the plastic spiral auger is shorter so the big grape seeds can pass out the end without any jamming, then a screen for mashing squash and pumpkin, but that one is not safe to can due to density. The 4 optional items, (3 screens and the shorter grape spiral) are about $30 to $40. all is stainless steel except the body of the machine and spiral auger. Its rugged. The next step us is a totally motorized machine running about $250. Mine is now 3-4 generations, and the oldest was a clunky, leaky Victorio. These older units have TWO WING NUTS on teh sides of the screens to hold them in place.The ones today also also through Prago Trade, Weston, and a few other dealer reps and distributors. Easy to find, easy to use, and easy to deal with. With the 3/16 inch diameter hole openings for the Salas screen, you do get minced tomatoes with a bit of seeds, but skins still stay out. If you doing salsa and much prefer a chunky, simplat add a cut up fresh tomato, onion and whever your heart desires. Its all the same..

No blanching peeling or ANYTHING is needed for a tomato sauce, or a minced tomato salsa using the larger holed strainer screen.

That's it, the whole story. Can't write anymore here as its all the same stuff I just repeated in many many posts for several years. Your not buying a house of car here, so go by experience and read through the harvest forum. I be if the word 'Villaware' was type in a search, it would bring up thousands of posts, mainly from me.

Ken

Ken - I think maybe you meant for this to go on schofie's thread rather than this one?

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: schofie's question

Nope, it was also a salsa question so I figured I would place it here, seeing as how they asked about a salsa attachment. As mentioned its a 'minced' cut if this screen is used, but if home canned in any state, it can still be become softer and sauce like. To get a chunkier salsa, add fresh stuff to a canned salsa.