Any expat knows how it is to live in a temporary apartment so small you could barely swing a hamster in it. The kitchen is generally small, ill equipped (three tin openers but no corkscrew ring any bells?) and hard to navigate.
And then there came….
The Thermomix weighs, chops, blends, mixes, grinds, grates, cooks, steams, whisks, kneads and takes the rubbish out. OK, I made the last bit up, but the rest it does better than any other gadget I’ve ever owned.
You’re sure to find Thermomixes everywhere from Michelin star restaurant kitchens to Spanish tapas joints, from the Masterchef set to Canadian family homes, but I bet you’ve never heard of them.
They are more powerful, useful and reliable than any man I’ve ever met. Husband included. Sorry.
Oh and they take up less space than your husband’s wardrobe, they can whip up a dinner party for ten in under an hour and they are quiet too.
So why don’t you already own one? Two reasons.
One – they are sold directly via consultants, so you can’t just stroll into a shop and buy one. You’ll have to book via an adviser who will offer a free demonstration. Yes, you can buy them online but it is worth booking a demo to understand your new kitchen buddy’s full potential.
And reason number two? The price tag. At £964 GBP (€1,175 EUR or $1,349 USD) it’s not a spontaneous purchase but worth every penny / cent. Here’s why…
Recently I went to a demo with my cookery dysfunctional father. In under an hour he served up a sun dried tomato appetiser, courgette soup with (homemade, or rather Thermomix made) bread, steamed cod with vegetables, followed by sorbet and fruit compote. Oh and a frozen margarita on the side. All this from the man who managed to burn his breakfast cereal.
And herein lies the beauty of this kitchen gadget. For the clueless can’t cook won’t cooks out there it can prepare tasty, nutritious meals in less time than it takes you to pop a ready meal in the microwave.
The latest TM5 model features a touch screen with removable recipe chip. The screen prompts you to add the ingredients, set the time, temperature and speed, and then the Thermomix does its stuff and beeps when dinner’s ready.
Meanwhile, for Masterchef wannabes preferring the off piste no recipe option it offers a wealth of culinary experimentation – super smooth sauces, showstopper cakes, pastry so delicate it’s near transparent…
Add the excellent aftercare customer service into the mix and you’re onto a winner. In my case, after four years of truly intensive use my Thermomix had a minor glitch so I emailed customer service. Within one week it was collected from my home, serviced and returned to my front door in its original perfect working state free of charge. If only the same were true for husbands.
Anyway, I’d love to tell you more but sorry my Thermomix is calling. ‘Dinner’s ready!’
