For some the word thermomix brings immediate recognition, for others a vague awareness of something your neighbour mentioned with a fervent slightly cult-like glint in their eye. I thought I would give a quick overview of what this ‘wonder machine’ is and does and why people all over the world are paying out the price of a small car to put one in their kitchens.

Thermal Cooking

The thermomix is the dominant brand in the range of thermal cooking appliances. The name comes from the combination of thermo for heat and mix for mixing.

The current model, the TM5 can heat up to 120 degrees and chop and mix at high speeds with a 500W motor. It has a jug capacity of 2.2L and can weigh up to 6kg in total (official specs).

Functions

These machines are designed be multifunctional and replace several appliances in your kitchen, freeing up bench and cupboard space. I find the easiest way to explain it is as a food processor that also cooks and weighs.

If you read the official site they extend this explanation to discuss the 12 functions the machine performs including

• milling
• cooking
• emulsifying
• kneading
• whipping
• steaming
• mixing
• stirring
• blending
• chopping
• precise heating
• weighing

This could replace such machines as:

• blender
• food processor
• steamer
• kitchen aid

 

Price tag

The price varies depending on where you are around the world, in Australia it sits around the $2000 and can only be purchased from a thermomix consultant.

Usually among your friends and family someone will know or be a consultant but otherwise you can look up the official site to get the details of your closest consultant.

Reviews

There is really a cult like sense about this machine. Those that own them are super passionate about their usefulness, (potentially to self justify the large expense).

Other reviews are mixed, such as:

• Choice
• Thermomix review: a man’s perspective
• Be a Fun Mum
• Scribe and Spoon
• Retromummy

 

I’ve found most people I know who have one use them all the time and really like them, making the cost worthwhile. Personally I would struggle to pay out that much for a kitchen appliance, or anything really, so I own the budget alternative, the Bellini Intelli Kitchen Master. With a price tag of about 20% of the thermomix, I thought I could buy several even if they did break, before getting to the investment level of the primo machine.

Alternatives

There are now a whole host of alternatives, which I’ll discuss in detail in separate posts. There’s a table showing some on Cheating With Bellini. It’s reasonably outdated but a good starting point.

The ones to keep in mind are:

• Bellini Intelli Kitchen Master
• Bellini Supercook
• Mistral
• Thermochef
• Kogan
• Superchef
• HotMixPro
• Magimix Cook Expert
• Tefal Cuisine Companion

My collection of 50 easy tasty recipes for thermal cookers will work in all the machines and will help newbies or old hands make good use of their ‘super machine’. It’s available and easy to use from your phone or tablet. Get it on iPad, iPhone or Android via Kindle.

Thanks for reading – Kate