Hello from SA

[JulieO]

Hi my name is Julie and I’m from SA.
Hadn’t seen much info about the TM, but I was aware of it.  After seeing it on MC, it renewed my interest again enough so to contact HO to enquire about a demo.  Within 2 days a local consultant had contacted me but seeing it was only me interested in seeing one she said she’d contact me when she could organise a demo in her own home.  A week later, she rang and we set up a time and place.  The demo didn’t exactly set me on fire, in fact I’d gone there expecting to order one that night, but came away unsure.  In the demonstrators defence she’d only had her machine for 3 months and said upfront that she didn’t like cooking, so I think that really made the difference.  Anyway after reading through this forum and thinking all you lovely people can’t be wrong, I became enthused again and 3 days later rang and ordered one.  Paid my money that day (last Thursday) and on Monday arvo she rang to say it had arrived and would deliver on Tuesday afternoon.  Was very impressed with the speedy delivery and couldn’t wait to get started.

By the time it was all washed and a set up in it’s place I didn’t have much time left to play with it, but as I was cooking fillet steaks, baked potato and salad that night I decided to do something simple that I’d seen on the UK site, which was frying some pancetta slices in a dry frypan, allowing to cool then breaking into pieces and then blitzing in the TM bowl to make crumbs.  These I sprinkled on top of the baked potatoes that first had a little butter, grated cheese and a small dollop of sour cream, then the crumbs.  Was a nice flavour boost and looked good too.  What I didn’t use have been put in a sealed container in the fridge to use up in other ways.  I was very impressed at how small it made the crumbs.(would be nice sprinkled on a pizza that had just been taken from the oven).

The following day I firstly made the veg stock concentrate but I used a different recipe than in the book which included an onion and 2 leeks.  Made it but only added 2 tsp rock salt as I didn’t need to preserve it and I prefer to add any salt to the meal I’m cooking to have control of the saltiness.  As soon as it had cooled, I measured out level tablespoonful and put into ice cube trays and froze them, then once frozen removed to a zip lock bag.

I then made pumpkin soup and sautéed the onion in the TM bowl and used the veg concentrate that I’d made.  Very easy and the colour and texture was wonderful (deseeded and peeled the pumpkin) but I really didn’t like the way it tasted which was very oniony and not as nice as I usually make. 
Was a little disheartened at first, wondering was it the machine or the ingredients, so yesterday I made some more only using my usual stock and also fried off the chopped onion in a frypan until tender then added some spices and stirred until aromatic, then  added this to the chopped pumpkin in the bowl and proceeded from there.  It turned out great and as nice as my usual soup I make on the stove top.  Success!

Of course this led me to make up another batch of veg concentrate only this time I followed the recipe in the book, plus added a little sweet potato too and I again fried off the onion to remove the ‘raw’ taste.  Was very happy with the taste of this and froze in the ice cube trays again.  I think I will use 1 cube of this and maybe ½ of one of the other until all used up.

Last night I made Mediterranean Lamb done on the stove top and in the oven and could see that mashed potatoes would be the perfect accompaniment. I remembered reading a post from someone on here about doing them in the strainer basket but using water like normal and not milk as in the book, so following her lead I made the mash this way and after removing the water from the bowl, added the butterfly whisk and then threw in some cubes of butter and some milk to the still hot bowl, dropped in the cooked potatoes and combined for about 20 seconds. WOW they were the creamiest, smoothest, mash I’ve ever eaten.  This will be the only way I’ll make mash now.

I’m slowly but surely getting used to this wonderful machine and am enjoying testing what it can do.  I can see it will be a big help to me in the kitchen and learning the best way for it to cook the food that we like.  Some things just have to be cooked on the stove top or oven, but there’s so much that the TM can do that I’m going to really enjoy this journey.

Thanks for reading what I didn’t mean to be such a long post.  I hope I’ll be able to add to your wonderful forum in some way.

Julie.     Oh and Hi Cookie1   

[judydawn]

Hi and welcome to a fellow South Australian Julie.  Loved reading your story and can relate to some of the things you said. Sounds like you have got it all worked out though as to how to get the best out of your TMX even if you have to combine it with some stop top cooking.  I have also thought about cutting down the salt in the stock concentrate and freezing it but my freezers are always so full, it would just be more stuff I would be searching for so I do the full on salt thing and don't need to add salt generally after cooking.  We all work out what is best for our needs.  Couldn't believe you had a consultant who doesn't like to cook It has to show through in her demos and the enthusiasm just wouldn't be there, would it? Some of our fellow forum members are also consultants and I would love to go to one of their demos to see them in action as I'm sure their love of cooking and therefore their love of the TMX would show through.  It has to inspire you.  Good luck with your TMX Julie.

[Thermomixer]

Hi and welcome - at least you are willing to experiment and not just blindly follow the recipes.

You will find that you will come to really love your machine if you keep tweaking. 

[brazen20au]

welcome julie!!!

i think that's funny (funny weird lol) about your consultant - not that she didn't like to cook as a lot of people get the tmx for that reason - but that she let it come across and spoil her demo, you'd think she'd still be enthusiastic!

[Shayla]

Hello Julie and welcome - it was my post about the mash and I am so pleased you found it successful. I also just use my own recipes for soup and follow the method of converting soup recipes in the cookbook, don't forget you can soften your onion by cooking in the TM - I usually cook off all my soup vegetables this way before adding liquid. I also blitz them for less time on a slower speed than recommended as I don't like them to be mushy when sauteeing.
So glad you decided to buy one after your not so enthusiastic demo; I am a very keen cook and find that in my demo's I sometimes put off the non cooks!
Regards from this SA - South Africa
Shayla in Cape Town

[trudy]

Welcome Julie from another South Aussie!!!!  I know that in time you will come to love your new "second"pair of hands!!!!

Trudy

[JulieO]

Thankyou  for your warm welcomes 

Judy, hello  back to a fellow South Aussie, I see you follow the Crows, me too! 

Thermomixer, I already love my machine, I so enjoy experimenting with it, it's all new still, but I am having fun.

Hi Brazen,  in fairness to my consultant, who is a lovely girl, she did say that the TM had helped her in the kitchen because she hates cooking, and I'm hoping as she becomes more confident it will shine through in her demonstrations. 

Shayla, I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge your mash recipe.  I have been reading that many posts that I neglected to record whose recommendation it was.  Thankyou for posting it.     I did try sauteeing the onion in the TM the first time I made the soup, but found it didn't caramalise enough, but that's ok, it's not a hassle to do in a frypan and the flavour makes it worthwhile. 

Trudie, Hello,     I already love it, I've used it for 3 things today.  How good is it to set and walk away instead of having to stand and stir. Brilliant!

[judydawn]

You must have me confused with someone else JulieO - I am a Port supporter but also have a soft spot for our other South Australian team.  I'm not your typical S.A. one-eyed supporter   I always barrack for the Crows unless they are playing us  Even went to the Crows second grand final and bought all the gear - people think I'm strange.  They could be right.

[cookie1]

Hi and a special welcome JulieO. Glad you're enjoying the thermomix. You'll soon be as addicted as we all are.

[faffa_70]

Judy we are the same in this house with the WCE and Dockers. WCE first for Dh, the Dockers always get supported until the play the WCE 

[JulieO]

Oops sorry Judy, thought you went for the Crows (where's the embarrassment smilie?)   

Thanks Cookie, nice to be here. 

[brazen20au]

oh good!

[cookie1]

Kathryn, our household is blue and gold through and through. No purple allowed.

[JulieO]

Hi, I'm just checking in.  Have been reading heaps of back posts and am enjoying doing so, have been having fun with thermie, mostly good results but enjoying it none the less.  Hope to be able to add to all your great tips and recipes at some stage, but for now just happy to read and learn from such a wealth of experience.   

I did make a delicious soup that I found on a Canadian website, will have to post that somewhere with a photo, maybe in recipe exchange?

[Thermomixer]

Hi Julie - good to hear all is well.  Just post your soup recipe in the Soup thread http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?board=4.0