Big decision - to buy or not to buy

[Wonder]

Hi all,

I'm a full time working Mum with 2 kids (14 yo girl and 9 yo boy) who loves cooking and loves cooking gadgets even more.  I've been looking at the Thermomix for a number of months after hearing about it on the Taste forum about 6 months ago and lurking in this forum for about the same amount of time.  I've booked a demonstration for Monday night,  my dilemma is while the product seems fantastic and I'll most likely buy one after the demonstration, I'm quite hopeless when it comes to willpower and am worried once I buy I'll regret it particularly given the price.  Did any of you feel this way before making the commitment or have you felt that way at all after purchasing?  I can't help thinking if the product really is as good as it seems then 1. it mustn't be true and 2. why if they are so popular in Australia are they not sold through shops rather than demonstrations?  I'm also a bit worried that a lot of the users seem to purchase and use them because of allergies, food intolerance's or wanting to cut out additives, and for making bread, I'm not in this position, and really while I love making bread I work long hours and my husband has to do a lot of the day to day cooking so I can't see myself being able to use this functionality very often.

Any opinions/comments would be appreciated.

[CreamPuff63]

You won't be able to resist the machine once you go to the demonstration - thats a given. Just cook as many recipes as you can from the cook book to give you an idea, and also use these recipes from the forum (because there is a huge variety to choose from). Show your kids how to use it to make some food they like to eat - like smoothies, dips, biccies and cakes etc. Just try to find recipes that you think you will like, give them a go, and hey presto! you'll be addicted too. They really do make meal times and cooking easier.

[judydawn]

Hi Wonder, once you have been to the demo you will understand why the TMX is not sold in shops I think.  I bought mine because my DD said I would love it! At my age, it is a little late as I don't entertain as much as I used to but find it great just for feeding DH and myself as I like variety in my cooking.  I was a little scared of it at first but this forum really got me off my backside and into using it a lot more than I did after I had a few failures to begin with. There was no way I was not going to use it though with the price it cost, it had to work for us.  We have no intolerances so, whilst this is great for those who have to take these into account, it was not the reason I bought mine.  I love not having to clean the stove everyday, love being able to cook a full meal in it, make the easiest of custards, soups and stews. I'm not big on breadbaking either but I have just this minute pulled a pull-apart from my new oven and it looks and smells amazing - this is only something I will be doing when I have nothing pressing to do and feel like baking so don't feel bad if you don't put the TMX to its fullest use.  I know a lady who only uses hers for making cakes and she has had people from H.O. in Perth stay at her place - now if they can't motivate you to use it for other things, who can? I'm sure you will get your money's worth from the machine, just go for it - you know you are going to buy it so enjoy.

[Shayla]

You will never regret buying one and as for husband doing more of the cooking - men just love them, in fact I do not like to do demos for only wives as they cannot see past the cost whereas for a man it is a kitchen gadget that will get used every day and not be outdated next month as other electronic gadgets. It doesn't live in a cupboard but on your most accessible work surface.

Definitely have to be seen which is why they are not sold in stores. Once you start using it you will think of ways to cook everything in it. The most versatile kitchen tool I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

[Maggie]

I can understand where you're coming from. My main concerns were 1) it looked fantastic but was it all too good to be true, 2) the price, and 3) would I use it enough. Your concerns are natural, especially considering that it's so easy to get sucked into purchasing a product these days that promise so much more than is delivered.

I've had my thermomix for about 3 months now and thankfully haven't regreted my purchase for a second. I don't have special diet requirements, but have always tried to cook real foods/healthy foods and the thermomix has helped with this tremendously. In my pre thermomix days I used to buy expensive condiments, breads etc. as I had to spend more to purchase foods that weren't full of cheap/unhealthful ingredients, these days I do my own, it's a bit addictive, makes you actually want to find excuses to cook. One benefit you might not be aware of (my consultant mentioned it to me, but to honest I didn't believe her until I starting using one myself) was that you can actually save quite a bit of money cooking with the TM. You tend to use more basic ingredients like flour, butter, legumes, meat and veges in cooking, slowly but surely my grocery bill has reduced as the way I shop has changed.

I'm really not sure why they're not sold in shops. It might be because you need to see it in action to believe it (I know I certainly wouldn't have otherwise).

I have no problems getting my partner to use the machine, as it makes cooking easier and you can set something to cook for say 30 minutes and walk away and forget about it. Also, its a bit of a futuristic looking gaget with plenty of features, my partner can't help himself    I hope this helps. I guess most of the replies you get on this site will be a bit biased as we all love the machine. Best of luck.

[cookie1]

A couple of weeks after I purchased my TMX I did have the thought that perhaps I shouldn't have done it. (we're retired and live off our superannuation) It seemed a lot of money. I'd been really excited about getting it too. I jut thought well I can't spend that much money and not use it so I tried to use it for as much as I could for a couple of weeks. The recipes and people on this site helped. After that time I've never had any regrets. The machine may go unused for the odd day but then it makes up for it.  We don't have any allergies or intolerances either but I just love to mill rye seeds or something to put into my bread. I don't make bread all the time and actually love kneading dough, but I haven't since I bought the thermomix.

Go for it, if you do feel a  bit hesitant, as you become more familiar with the machine you will get over it and wonder how you ever managed.

[Thermomixer]

It is difficult and depends a lot on the man of the house.  If he is the main food preparer and he is not interested in it - then it may not be worth your while.

My wife does/has not used it - just won't - won't even try to put it back together after I have washed it.

The machine is great for making life easier and preparing food efficiently.

Judydawn is a great example of what can be done - check out how many posts she has contributed and how many recipes she has tried and how many dishes she has created.  She is like a robot.  Anybody wondering whether they would use it would do well to follow her posts from the beginning.

There have been many people who have purchased their machines and only used them for very basic functions and they may as well have purchased a $200 food processor.  If you aren't prepared to try cooking and steaming - don't bother.

I could talk for hours, but if Mr doesn't want to try it - don't bother.

It is a fantastic machine if you are willing to 1. Take it out of the box

                                                            2. Try to cook in it

                                                            3. Talk to others about it and discover its potential

                                                            4. Use it for even basic tasks such as chopping and sauteeing for parts of meals

[Ceejay]

Hi there Wonder!  Welcome to the forum. *waves*

I'm a SAHM of 4 and our TMX is just over a week old.  It took me a good 3 mths to actually have a demo.  Then I decided to be really critcal of my cooking/eating habits with the family before actually taking the plunge to buy one.  I had to justify it to myself!

So sit down and make a list of reasons why you want it so much and a list of the negatives for you.  Then be objective.  If the negatives outweigh the positives then keep your resolve.  The TMX is a wonderful machine but it isn't going to suit everyone! 

That said, I love what the TMX gives back to me that no amount of money can buy... time! 

[baf65]

I knew I wanted one as soon as I saw it on the website, then went to a class, then a freew months later had a demo.  I didnt purchase on the night but I did the next day after my other half decided it was better than he thought!
They are expensive.  If they were in the shops you probably wouldnt buy one as you dont know what they can do, thats why they sell them via demo, and plus they would probably be even more expensive in the shops!
I think if you have  demo and are impressed by them then you will use it....its the people at the demos that just think oh its okay but its not something i can use that dont buy....id say 99.9% of the people that buy one dont regret it
You dont have to use it every day to make every single meal, you can use it to enhance the cooking you already do and maybe make life easier for yourself
I rarely make bread in mine, its just something I know i can do if i want.  Mainly I make soups, sauces, cakes, kids snacks, risottos, pasta dishes, sorbets, dips - if they are the sort of things you can see yourself making then you wont  regret your purchase
Remember you dont have to buy on the night - think about it for a few days if you are still unsure

[Wonder]

Thanks to everyone for their fast and informative replies, you really are a great bunch of forumites.  While DH does a lot of the cooking these days he's really not confident of adventurous and the kids are  getting into cooking more now so I'm hoping this will help them out a bit and give me some more time to cook which I love doing.  One question from my son - can it make cornflake crackles (honey joys) for him??  These are his all time favourite to make but he gets worried about the hot butter mixture.

Thanks again for the comments

[brazen20au]

my dh was quite an un-confident cook but he is more than happy to cook in the thermomix he will almost always choose to cook in it.

as for the special diet, we didn't have one for the first year we had the tmx and it still got used a TON. 3-5 times a day. i think havinga special diet has made it more valuable IYKWIM but not used any more than it was before...

good luck with your decision

[~Narelle~]

Hi there,
I am probably a bit like you but have ordered one.  Every day when I am cooking, I think "I could have done that in TMX" etc.  The main thing I am looking forward to is the decrease in washing up. 

can it make cornflake crackles (honey joys) for him??

  YUM.  I am making some of these on the weekend and I think it could, it could melt the butter and honey together and then you could just tip it over the cornies. 

Welcome!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

can it make cornflake crackles (honey joys) for him??

  YUM.  I am making some of these on the weekend and I think it could, it could melt the butter and honey together and then you could just tip it over the cornies. 

Welcome!

If you want to add the cornflakes and mix them in the tmx, hit the reverse button (using a low speed) and it will stir and not chop.

Chelsea 

[I Love Bimby!]

Yes, the cornflakes stirred in on reverse works well. Miss 3 made LTM's (Thermomix version of LCM's with puffed rice or rice bubbles) this afternoon and they're stirred in on reverse so it doesn't crush them.

[joeneke]

Hi:
I have a Thermomix for  only 7 days and I  had a constant dialogue whether to buy or not to buy.
My life without thermomix has been chock full of good dinners, snacks and with TM and I was aware that my cooking would not become better, but improving in cutting down the preparation time if necessary and if I wish.   I have a family of 2 grown kids and a husband, meaning 2 carnivores and 1 vegetarian. I would throw dinners in 30 minutes after coming home from work with no help in the kitchen and having salad and vegetables prepared as an extra dish for the vegetarian.
The first day I made raspberry ice cream (high and low calorie), tons of pesto, smoothies, margaritas, two soups for dinner, 5 minute bread, bread crumbs from old bread that had been waiting to be processed for months, ground coffee. I am multi-tasking and planning to use the TM is still a task. So yes, I will still hold on to my rice cooker, zoriyushi bread maker and Kitchen aid for high volume bread making.
I may or may not use TM depending on my judgement if the food will benefit from it.
 With this I mean that with strawberry jam I cut every strawberry in equally small pieces (I make the time for this, which is usually at night, it is like meditatin). Then I soak it in the sugar overnight to preserve the color and first thing in the morning the smell wakes up my family. Now I have a choice, simple as that.
The results:
Foods frozen in small portions, waiting to be eaten, for the first time in my life from an organized freezer, I am reducing waste when I get my produce from the farmer's market, I take containers with me, the fresh home made tortillas make room for expired store bought tortilla's.
My planning of meals can't keep up with the Thermomix processing and I am improving Thermomix time versus researching the net.

My advice, be honest to yourself! Try to separate if you are willing to be good to yourself and honor yourself preparing and allowing  the freshest food you can get and make. You can not change people, but you can change certain habits. GO FOR IT!