Hello from the UK

[ANNEUK]

Hello - you may be able to guess what my name is and where I come from but just wanted to say hello!

I got my lovely Thermomix just before Christmas so I could have a play with it before we went away for the week. And since I got back, I have been playing with it even more... I love it, though I do find it has some limitations (why can't you put a little heat into it without any stirring? Then you could leave your bread dough to rise in it instead of putting the dough into another bowl in a warm place - guess I just hate unnecessary washing up!!)

So far, I've made some incredibly easy and tasty soups and risottos, lasagne (which I never used to make because of the washing up), white/cheese sauces, custards and ice creams, caramelised onions, butter, chicken pate and cashew nut butter. I found that both porridge and scrambled eggs caught on the bottom, and while I would do both in the TMX if I was doing large quantities, it wasn't worth the washing up just for small amounts (there's definitely a washing up theme going on here)

Anyway, I have a husband and three kids, including a gluten-free teenager, and I work from home as a nutritionist - although I seem to be spending a lot more time cooking and experimenting with my TMX lately, and am hoping it will help me with testing for a book I am going to try and write. We lived in Oz for a total of four years over a couple of stints - one of my kids was born in Sydney and the other in Melbourne, so hopefully I'll be able to understand the lingo!

[Katya]

Hi Anne

Welcome to this wonderful forum.  I am also from the UK (Sheffield) - whereabouts are you?  It's good to see another member from this side of the world.

It takes a while to read through everything on this site, but have a look at Isi's basic bread recipe (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=2665.0)  as that has the dough rising in the TMX jug which reduces the amount of washing up.  I made some rolls yesterday using her recipe and they are stunningly good.

I agree with you about the porridge washing up - it's a bit of a bore but I fill the jug with water immediately after serving and then empty it and use some bicarb to scrub with.   It seems to do the trick and the time used is less than the time saved by not having to stir the porridge.

Have you seen the tips about filling the jug with water to just above the blades, putting in a small squirt of washing up liquid and then running on speed 8 at 100 for 3 minutes?  That works for washing up the less stubborn stuff. 

[ANNEUK]

Thanks for that about the bread - I'll put that on tomorrow To Do list - and I have done the self-cleaning thing but it doesn't work for the things that have caught on the bottom.

I live in Hertfordshire, having moved down from Manchester originally

[Thermomixer]

Welcome AnneUK - sure you'll find the TMX useful with your work.  Did you see Cindi O'Meara in the UK last year?

[Master Moderator]

Hi Anne. I am originally from Cheltenham. Welcome on board.

Chat soon

Admin

[judydawn]

Hi Anne, welcome to the forum.  Sounds like you are getting on well with your TMX.  I don't like porridge enough to make it very often but I know how difficult it is to clean.  After owning a TMX for a while you become used to easy cleans and when you occasionally get a more difficult one, it is annoying.  You have the best of both worlds with your English site and now ours so have fun.  Having lived here for 4 years, I'm sure you will understand the lingo. If not, just ask - you'll soon have it explained to you.

[trudy]

Hi Anne,  Great to have you on board!!!

Trudy

[meganjane]

Welcome to our forum Anne. Looks like you're getting to know your TMX pretty well!
I find it holds it's heat extremely efficiently and sometimes turn it off and just allow things to continue cooking. Isi's idea of rising the bread dough in the TMX is brilliant and I'm doing that right now with my loaf.
Hope to hear more about your successes and perhaps see some recipes coming our way?

[Very Happy Jan]

Hi and welcome Anne. While those of us in Aus are making sorbets & ice cream you will be doing soups and lovely warming comfort food. Hope you enjoy this forum- you will get lots of ideas and fantastic tips here

[cookie1]

Hi and welcome Anne. How are you coping with all the freezing weather over there?

[Gralke]

Welcome to the forum. Regarding to the bread making I have found that if I knead the bread dough for 4 to 5 minutes and mark the time, that during the countdown the TM seams to heat up to 37º without me pressing any additional button however if I just let it knead without time that does not happen. I then just leave it in the main body.

Regards cleaning residue that became stuck I once read a nigella lawson trick to put in the pan (in this case TM) water and dishwasher machine detergent (not washing up liquid) and it works a treat - only negative thing is that its not immediate - takes maybe 30 mins to one hour.

[CarolineW]

Welcome, Anne.  I'm in the UK too, on the outskirts of London / beginning of Kent.  Regarding porridge and scrambled egg, I have 2 cleaning methods:

Preferred method:  give it to DH to do

Fall back method:  Cover blades with water, tiny squirt of washing up liquid, some sodium bicarb.  100oC / speed 4 / 5 mins.

I then give it a quick scrub and it comes off easily.  I use a baby bottle brush for under the blades or just remove them.

I find it easier to do this than to stand there stirring porridge.

I'm definitely with you on the 'avoid as much washing up as possible' front, though.  Which is part of why I love my TMX. 

[ANNEUK]

Thank you to you all - especially for the washing up tips. I prefer the delegation one, but the bicarb one is probably the most useful one!  Also the breadmaking - will look up the recipe, and I have noticed that about the temp only increasing if the clock is ticking down, not if it is ticking up.

I am hosting a demo next week, mainly for the free recipe book!

[Thermomixer]

Keep forgetting to put the photo on here - with scrambled eggs - I heated the TMX up to 100deg for 2 mins with nothing in it and then sprayed generously with olive oil spray and put the egg mix in and much less stuck.

[CarolineW]

I'll pass that tip onto DH, TMXer.  He's the scrambled egg person in this family.  I suspect he'd like to hear about that - especially as he's my preferred cleaning method