Thermomix review

[huckle]

Really this post is for redbraidsSo...I borrowed a thermomix for a couple of weeks. It was interesting using it without the emotional investment of having just blown $2k. My impression of it is that it is sturdy, well made, well designed, and equivalent to other high end kitchen appliances. The other high end kitchen appliances would all be retailing

Comments

[catundra]

Love your review! I'm glad you tried the washing powder...so I don't have to. Just a shame you didn't give the playdoh a go ;)
I agree about the inadequate cooking time. Saute for 3 mins? Make that 6 mins for me. It's real strengths are kick ass blending and crushing and maintaining even heat for things like the lemon butter and bechamel/hollandaise sauces. I am not sure if you were using the Everyday cookbook, sounds like you were, but that has been my experience too. Follow the instructions and get bland but edible staples. Apart from the dips, actually not even apart from them, I have ended up modifying *everything* from that book - from longer cooking times, to adding more seasoning of some sort to reducing the amount of fluids...I use it mainly for techniques (now what order do I do things in in order to recreate my favourite dishes? Find something similar in style and technique and go from there). For much nicer, more flavoursome food I have been using my growing collection of other thermie cookbooks written by real people. The umami paste in one of them is the best thing ever invented...

[huckle]

Thanks!
I was using the Everyday cookbook. I'm not sure why they make the cooking times too short - I think it must be to make the thermomix appear to be a quicker cooking method. I picked that up after our raw onion slurry soup meal. If I had made the potato and leek soup according to the book then we would have had a raw onion/raw potato soup. I'm glad that it is possible to improve the food from passable to good - using better recipes and also common sense on the part of the cook. I think it would be a fantastic kitchen toy. I wish that I had gotten around to trying sous vide cooking.

I was mostly interested in trying it out for meals and didn't get around to seeing how it goes with cakes and biscuits. I can see that it would be great for date and nut balls and that sort of stuff, but I would be interested to see if makes cake batter or biscuit batter well. My impression was that the scales weren't accurate enough for good baking. I was planning to do a weighing comparison with my kitchen scales but didn't get around to it. How do you think it goes for baking? Do you use it if you make a cake or a batch of biscuits?

[ariaflame]

I have used it for biscuits and cakes. (Apart from the actual baking) the brutti è buoni I brought on Sunday was a TM recipe. Had you used the varoma at all?

[huckle]

Yes - used the varoma to steam fish and veggies. Your biccies on sunday were very yummy.

[catundra]

Good question. I am now making a great, 4 ingredient, raw, gluten free and vegan cherry ripe slice that takes about 20 seconds. Bit like the raw ball sort of thing you mention. It is great for those kinds of "healthy" sweet fixes.
As for baking - apparently the nigella food processor cupcakes are improved in the thermomix according to friends of mine. Not tried it yet. Good for biscuit mixes on the whole and back to what you said about bread - I actually love the bread it makes, lovely and light so not sure what was going on with yours...
Sweet breads are also good, made lovely hot cross buns.
However...and even my consultant said this - don't throw away the mixer/kitchenaid like they say because nothing beats cakes or meringue in those. The thermie just can't get enough air in I think. If I were to try it I would use my own cup/weight measurements independent of the thermomix scales too I think. My only "bake" so far has been chocolate fondant mix. Yes, it worked perfectly well but no easier or better than in the kitchenaid and my goodness that sticky batter made for quite the cleanup. So no, I wouldn't use it for cake batters because it took longer to clean the blades and few crevices it has than it did to make the batter!
I can see for a tiny appartment/bedsit where someone only has a thermomix then it is great that you "can" bake in it...but if you have the option then don't bother.

[rabbit1080]

Thanks for a great review. I've been looking into getting a thermomix and decided to get a food-processor & blender instead, partly because of the ongoing noise from the TMX.

I think the too-short cooking times happen with some cookbooks as well (eg. the "dinner in 30 mins" variety).