Thermomix

maxwell smart

Hi There

Mrs Smart has her heart set on a Thermomix. I've looked them up and they seem like they are indeed a very useful tool. Then I saw the price....!

Anyone got one?

Gloomtastic!

‘Only available through our advisors’. Sounds like a pyramid scheme to me......

CJhaughey

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

‘Only available through our advisors’. Sounds like a pyramid scheme to me......

Cooking chef would be a similar price I think but probably more versatile

dudara

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

‘Only available through our advisors’. Sounds like a pyramid scheme to me......

They are pro-kit and not at all cheap. Probably not sold generally as they are not made in huge numbers.

lfc200

Very much geared towards professional chefs or food development businesses.
We have them where I work they certainly are useful and robust, unless you are going to get a lot of use out of it, you'd probably struggle to justify the price of them.

rubadub

lfc200 wrote: »

Very much geared towards professional chefs or food development businesses.
We have them where I work they certainly are useful and robust

are you working in a professional kitchen?

Did you have to get/suffer this salesperson calling out?

I can not imagine many chefs or restaurateurs being too happy about having to fork out what is presumably a large % of the cost of the item on the expense on having some middleman come around for a form of commission.

Or can you bypass this and get it cheaper? If they want a second one do they have to put up with this again? and pay full price?

lfc200

rubadub wrote: »

are you working in a professional kitchen?

Did you have to get/suffer this salesperson calling out?

I can not imagine many chefs or restaurateurs being too happy about having to fork out what is presumably a large % of the cost of the item on the expense on having some middleman come around for a form of commission.

Or can you bypass this and get it cheaper? If they want a second one do they have to put up with this again? and pay full price?

Not in a professional kitchen but a food manufacturing company.
From memory the people who bought it just purchased online, don't remember them ever saying about salesperson calling/phoning....

gar32

My sister in lay has one and unless you are a bad cook maybe not needed. There was a yearly payment for the recipes. I feel way over priced for a mixer streamer food cooker.

wonski

dudara wrote: »

They are pro-kit and not at all cheap. Probably not sold generally as they are not made in huge numbers.

They are not used in professional kitchens etc.

Sold using presentations at private homes. Not suitable for chefs etc at all.

Saying that I know of two people who are happy with those devices, the way it is being sold might put some off.

For me it is just a fancy overpriced kitchen gadget. For some it is a life saver, though.

If your oh is thinking of it, then she probably met someone who owns one

wonski

lfc200 wrote: »

Very much geared towards professional chefs or food development businesses.
We have them where I work they certainly are useful and robust, unless you are going to get a lot of use out of it, you'd probably struggle to justify the price of them.

Very much not.

I fail to see where that would be useful in a food business at all. Especially at that price.

It is aimed specifically at consumers who are willing to have a presentation at home by one of the distributors.

It is working, but imo it is overpriced and the way it is distributed instead of making it elite it just makes it a bit dodgy tbh.

dudara

wonski wrote: »

They are not used in professional kitchens etc.

Sold using presentations at private homes. Not suitable for chefs etc at all.

Saying that I know of two people who are happy with those devices, the way it is being sold might put some off.

For me it is just a fancy overpriced kitchen gadget. For some it is a life saver, though.

If your oh is thinking of it, then she probably met someone who owns one

I know a few chefs who have a Thermomix and I only know one domestic owner (who is heavily connected to the restaurant trade). Are you speaking from professional experience here as it goes against the grain of what I’ve seen?

wonski

dudara wrote: »

I know a few chefs who have a Thermomix and I only know one domestic owner (who is heavily connected to the restaurant trade). Are you speaking from professional experience here as it goes against the grain of what I’ve seen?

Looks like we have two totally different experiences

Like I said I wouldn't use it in professional capacity personally, but stand to be corrected.

Not sure what they are doing with it to be honest, would like to hear.

Interesting tbh.

Muahahaha

dudara wrote: »

I know a few chefs who have a Thermomix and I only know one domestic owner (who is heavily connected to the restaurant trade). Are you speaking from professional experience here as it goes against the grain of what I’ve seen?

what would the pro chefs be using them for? Are they not a bit small for cooking large batches?

Ive only seen one video on them but thought they are moreso a device for people who feel they are not good at cooking, i.e the machine is also a weighing scales and the LCD screen gives you step by step instructions on when to add ingredients and how much by weight, etc, something that people who cook often just have in their heads from experience. Could be wrong but thats what I thought their market is.

wonski

The two owners I know are good at cooking, but use it to save time. Domestic users.

It is working well, but I personally can't see appeal in full time kitchen. Would be interested to see what they use it for, too. Sauces maybe?

The main thing that makes it worthwhile are the recipes imo and that's where I fail to see it in the proper kitchen full of people who know what they are doing and can chop the vegetables themselves etc... Or use less fancy appliances with larger capacity.

Musefan

I wonder would an instant pot be a better alternative?

shortcircuitie

If you want to "dip your toe" in this kind of device, I would really recommend the Lidl version of the Thermomix , with the admittedly awful title of "Monsieur Cuisine". Costs €200 which is a fraction of a Thermomix

I have had an older-model one for the last three years and have found it exceptionally handy. Where it really comes into its own is where you are busy making a nice/complicated meal and have to make a sauce like hollandaise, bearnaise or beurre blanc. Instead of spending precious time adding the butter in bit by bit, making sure the sauce doesn't split, you throw it all in the machine, set the temperature and let it work away. The benefit is that it will make the sauce and keep it warm for as long as you like, while you attend to other jobs.

Also great for soups. Throw in the veg in big chunks. Whizz up so it's finely chopped. Put in the stock. Turn on the heat setting and let it cook as long as it needs. No need to keep an eye on a bubbling pot to make sure it's simmering just right. When ready blend it up, season etc. All in the one jug.

Great for celeriac, carrot or cauliflower puree. Same as above just less stock.

You're making a cake, and you need to make whipped cream or buttercream icing. But your mixer still has the remnants of cake batter all over it. No worries, just whizz it up in the machine. I could go on.

I never bothered using things like the steamer etc. They seemed more trouble than they were worth.

Where my one fell down was that it didn't have the "reverse" function that the Thermomix has. This means that if you want to cook something like bolognaise or risotto, the blades would go in reverse (blunt part touching the food) so it had the motion of stirring as opposed to chopping. So mine would turn risotto or bolognaise to soup.

However this has been fixed in newer models of the device, so now there is very little to separate the two as far as I can see.

Now because of the price, the build quality is never going to be as good as the Thermomix. But as I said, it is a great way to see if this kind of machine would suit you.

maxwell smart

Well we got one yesterday, i will update you on how close we are to opening our own restaurant shortly.
Initial impression, its a well bit piece of equipment, and seems idiot proof. I will see about that. :)