Master Chefs Cook Ethnic Classics in Futuristic “Thermomix”

(Gerry Furth-Sides) All it took for the Thermomix ® to win me over was watching it transform hard cheese into snowflake like flurries. I I had almost broken other sturdy food processors.  It even weighed them before going into the machine.  And this is only one of so many uses.   Thermomix ® ties together computers, phones, and its own on-machine interface with tons of tested recipes.

Not too long after the first model was produced in 1971,the  Thermomix ® became a global phenomenon just about everywhere but the United States.   Some people guess that this is because it’s a tricky-to-explain object, like a computer.  

But it is more likely because Thermomix ® uses direct sales, (think Tupperware parties).  Experts persuasively prepare about four dishes in an hour and a half live and on-line demos, or home parties.

Engaging Lynette McDonald is one of those experts.  The passionate, accomplished chef is Corporate Education and Culinary Development Manager for Thermomix USA®, and the recipe development team.  You can watch this artist at work, weaving in her world travels into dishes online on her show,  “Cook-I-Doo.” Lynette’s accomplishments include graduating from and teaching at the Le Cordon Bleu in London, England.  She has also cooked for Indin royalty and written a popularIndian cookbook.  She has also owned a restaurant and a catering business to celebrities – a sure sign she knows how to please all palates.

But it seems more likely that it is the advertising competition for store and online purchased products.  Proof of this is that when legendary chef Thomas Keller, known for his exacting nature, bought five as soon as he saw them in operation.  

The biggest Thermomix ® sales are in Italy, where almost every home has one.   Lynette MacDonald told us why: I believe Italy embraced the THERMOMIX because it cooks Italian food perfectly, from risotto to Osso Buco, soups to jams and custards. 

Lynette also told us that in Australia “the Thermomix people who had never cooked before or had a limited repertoire  started following our Recipe platform Cook-I-Doo and impressing themselves and everyone around them.  Word of mouth because so strong among machine owners that Thermomix ® became almost like a cult in Australia.  

“In Italy, the number one item on a bridal registry is a Thermomix ®Italians affectionately call it “Bimbi” (baby) because the little machine makes baby food so fantastically).   Lynette  believes sales in Italy sales are so high because of the Italian passion for good food, and Thermomix ® capability to make quick, easy meals for family and for sharing.   For instance, the Thermomix ® can prep and weigh ingredients for a risotto, and then cook it stirring it perfectly within 12 to 15 minutes (including peeling the garlic).  We saw this!

The Thermomix ^® is a blender that cooks. To make a soup out of even the most , say, pumpkin soup, the machine does all the measuring, chopping, blending, adding and even cooking.  It even cooks the pumpkin until it is tender, then purées it.   A touch of the hand on the touchscreen and dial controls heat, time, and blade speed.  

And every part of the machine except the base goes in the dishwasher

And space:  a  large amount of food fits into the two compact levels of steaming baskets. Layers of food fit into different shelves and baskets, and cooks at the same time. 

Besides making soups and sauces from start to finish, the Thermomix can measure ingredients, knead bread and pastry dough; steam rice and grains, sauté vegetables, caramelize onions without stirring a thing, make yogurt, nut milks, smoothies, stock and stock bases, and whipped cream.  And more.  

The evolution from a simple blender to a high-tech home accessory began in 1961 when  a VKM5 universal food-processor came on the market.  Even the initial machine combined seven functions: stirring, kneading, chopping, grating, mixing, milling and juicing.  

The company, Vorwerk, had started making carpets.    But its capability to move with the times was there from the first ground-breaking idea of a mixer that could also heat liquids.

The generations -old company brand has always successfully trained its customers how to use its machine.  It uses customer created recipes and feedback to continually  improve the machine. 

And the machine is the only one to operate on three platforms to integrate store research, recipes, home pantry inventory and market shopping.  This can cover an entire week’s worth of meals, or for a party. The machine holds over 60,000 home-tested recipes, with a range of options for most of them.  The initial annual fee of $39 has been waived. 

With this it is easy to understand the  they replace 20 other pieces of equipment in the kitchen.  Master Baker Alex Peña feels, “this is a perfect machine to consolidate the number of machines in the kitchen.   Food Writer, Barbara Hansen, was impressed.  “We watched him make bread dough.  He weighed out the flour directly , weighing out the flour by pouring it directly from the King Arthur bag into the mixing bowl, then, one by one, added the yeast, salt, and water. The machine kneaded the dough for two minutes. Everything else—proofing, baking, et cetera—happened on the countertop and in the oven.