My friend from the U.S. just sent me this, as he knows I'm fond of my thermomix. They've been popular in Oz since the early 2000s. Is anyone thinking about getting one?
Hmmm. I spent some time clicking around on their website. I like the concept of it. It seems like it could replace: - my stand mixer - my food processor - my blender - my crockpot and - the grain mill I want to buy - the rice cooker I want to buy - the steamer I don't want to buy If I were buying all of the above new, it probably wouldn't be that hard to justify springing for one. AND YET My initial impression for the product and marketing is pinging my consumerism meter. I had to puzzle out how it actually works, because they didn't seem too interested in showing me in their videos. It also looks like it'd be a pain to clean. Then again, so is my food processor. Now I want to see AvE take one apart.
God, yes, the marketing is horrific. For a long time, the only way to buy one was to join the cult, invite them into your home, let them do a demonstration in your kitchen and then remain in contact with them forever. Thankfully, you can now get them online or, like I did, second hand, and avoid cultists completely. (In their defence, the cult would have been great in pre-internet days. They aren't kidding when they say it's a completely different way of cooking, and if you were left alone to learn, it probably wouldn't happen. These days though, I just hop online for info.) If you already have a fair few appliances and you're not strapped for space, I'd give it a miss for now. It really can't do anything your other appliances can't. We finally broke and bought ours because our stove has one working hotplate, our food processor is "meh" and my beautiful, beautiful mixer finally died. At a grand off (in Oz, they're $2100 new), it was a reasonable purchase and has let me clear the food processor, bread maker and a few other things out of the cupboards to make more room. And, as I said above, it does act as a second pair of hands in the kitchen, which means I can be sauteeing dinner while reading "Spot Goes to the Farm" and neither activity will suffer. Milling spices and grains without digging out my ancient, rusty mill is nice as well. Cleaning is actually pretty easy. Not as easy as a mixing bowl, but much better than a food processor. (Also, watch that video from Jonny5. They are amazing.)
My favorite ever cooking channel did a video on it.
That's what I think; to get the most out of it, you need to be someone who either spends a lot of time in the kitchen, or someone who spends no time at all in the kitchen. I'm in the first category. Where it really shines for me is in prep; it's like having a second pair of unskilled hands in the kitchen, allowing me to really streamline my process. It doesn't do things quite the way I'd do them, but it does them WHILE I'M DOING SOMETHING ELSE. Would I make yoghurt, jam, ricotta and beer without it? Yes. Would I make them all on the same weekend? God no. It's handy having a flunky who will earnestly stir and watch a thermometer for as long as you want. It's the same with everything. Would I make bread without it? Sure. Would I make bread from grain I've milled and then pop in a batch of foccacia just because? Nope. Would I cook a vindaloo on a Friday night? Maybe. Would I also add a korma, naan and some mango kulfi? Probably not. Our household shops in bulk though, buying meats, grains and produce. We've made sacrifices to prioritise food storage that would be impossible or frankly undesirable to others. Like I said, I love mine and I think they probably have a place in the states, I'm just curious about what that place will end up being.