Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: Moo2 on March 13, 2011, 02:22:32 am
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Hi all, I have been looking at your forum for a few weeks now as I am still trying to decide whether to invest in one. Thank you all so much for such a fantastic and useful resource. It's lovely to see how helpful and encouraging people can be.
My biggest reason for hesitating is whether I will be able to fit enough in the bowl for a family of 2 adults and 3 very hungry and rapidly growing boys. So much of the appeal is being able to make dishes just with the one appliance so this is a bit of a sticking point for me. My demonstrator was lovely and very helpful but she has 2 girls so a family of 4 not 5. Is there anyone who can advise with this? Thanks
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Use the thermoservers. If you think one quantity isn't enough, put that in a thermoserver and cook either something else or another quantity of the same thing. I've never had any trouble cooking for a crowd, and if ever I'm stuck, my consultant has great ideas.
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Good idea. I hadn't thought of that. It would be quick & easy whereas conventional methods wouldnt be. I guess it's more than just getting used to something different, it's a different way of doing things too. :)
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Hi Moo2,
Last night I had my SIL, MIL,FIL, DD, DS,DH and me for a dinner party. I made mango ice cream first then sweet potato soup then we had beef stroganoff with mash potato. There was plenty plus leftovers. My suggestion would be to make mash potato and bread in the afternoon, then reheat mash in micro. You could also do that for the soup!
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Hi Moo2
I have 3 teen boys and 2 younger children - so cook for 7 and love my TMX. I use my Thermomix and thermoservers everyday. Basically if I can't cook it in the TMX I don't cook it!!! I also am not afraid of having a couple of courses for a meal as it is so easy and the second one is cooking while you are eating! The other thing I do, is if I find the need to double batch, leave all the ingredients on the bench when you make the first and the second is even quicker to make ;)
The other thing I have found is that the boys won't eat as much - yes that's right lol. When you start using real food for flavours etc it fills them up more (eg cashews to make a dish creamy instead of milk or cream). The other thing with the TMX is you can hide filling foods to fill them cheaply. I use heaps of beans and pulses now in my foods. Have a look at Chelsea and Jo's blogs for some great inspiration. There are also plenty of other blogs and websites out there with great ideas as well.
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/ (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/)
http://fulllittletummies.blogspot.com/ (http://fulllittletummies.blogspot.com/)
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Thanks virginiaqda, another good idea. I can see myself having lots of fun "playing" on my not-so-busy days. But I guess I'm a little concerned about those days when life is really hectic. I was hoping that the TMX would help with quick & easy dinners a few nights a week. Maybe I just need to get more organized but I find I have at least a couple of nights a week when I need to get dinner on the table pdq!
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Hi faffa_70.
Boys eating less??!! :o I guess I have to see it to believe it.
Thanks for your reply. Nice to know others have to feed crowds regularly. Really helpful post. Thanks for all the info. Second batch ingred left out is handy and I will check out those blogs.
This really is a fantastically helpful site.
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moo2, if I were making soup and mash as virginia mentioned, I'd get another (or a few more) thermoserver(s) to put the mash and soup in so you don't need the microwave to heat the food. My friend has 3 and is getting another thermoserver because she finds it so useful. She's also getting another bowl so she has more flexibility. I've got another bowl as well as 2 x 2 litre thermoservers and a 1 litre thermoserver and in all the years I've been cooking for a crowd, I've never had it so easy. i cook things as I need them, and they stay hot, rather than cook the day before, worry if I've cooked enough, cook too much, reheat it when people arrive, realise that I've cooked too much and wasted a whole heap of food...it is a different way of cooking and I never would have believed anyone until I got my Thermomix.
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If I am making giant portions of things, I use TMX to do the prep, and cook on the stove top. Way quicker than without TMX. For curries, chilli con carne and other dishes you serve with rice/pasta, there is heaps for 5 adults.
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Hi CarolineJ, thanks for that. Most of our meals are served with rice or pasta to pad things out so it should be ok. Its looking more and more likely that I will be taking the plunge. ;)
Thanks thermoheaven. Can you tell me how much the thermoserve holds? I forgot to ask my demonstrator. Also, how long can you keep things "food safe" hot for?
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The thermoserve which comes with your first demo holds 2 litres; the 1 litre thermoserve was with a promotion. It keeps hot food hot for 2 hours. food safe hot is above 60 degrees, and whether the food stays above 60 degrees will depend on a number of factors - how hot the food was when you put it in the thermoserver, how often people keep lifting the lid up to see what's inside, the outside temperature, etc. All in all, when i do serve up my food, it is still piping hot, or at the least very hot.
Just for the record, the 2 litre thermoserve holds the contents of the thermomix bowl,
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Thanks thermoheaven, again very helpful and patient with answers to what are probably silly questions :)
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HI Check out this blog post by Quirky Cooking - specifically about cooking for large families ;) ;)
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2011/03/does-thermomix-cook-enough-for-large.html
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Hello Moo!
I have 6 children, 2 teenage daughters and 4 boys (12,10,3 and 1) and believe me I really do not know how I would manage without a TM.
I work parttime and I just need a gadget that can do a lot of things in almost NO time!! My kids eat fresh food everyday and I have a son who has a couple of food intolerances. So making homemade bread and cake and pastries is a DAILY thing in addition to the regular cooking.
The 3 oldest ones can operate the TM by themselves, the girls (16 and 15) make the greatest cakes and desserts. I must say that I've been owning the Thermomix for almost 20 years, so I've never experienced another kitchenmachine, but I was always very happy with it so why even bother to try?
I am sure it'll do you good as well,
greetings from Germany,
Susanne
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Another one with a biggish family.
My partner and I have 8 kids between us including 2 teenagers. On any given day we'll be cooking for all 10 of us and find it super easy. Thermoservers are essential!
The older kids will cook for the smaller ones as well so often we end up cooking just for ourselves! LOL! 8)
Thankfully we both have a TMX each so there's no lugging it around as well! I'm pretty persuasive when I need to be. ;) :D :D :D
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I have three kids but girls and younger but I have no problems making enough with plenty of left overs for us.
I do tend to use multiple things though as for me time is the biggest issue. So will do a curry in the tmx, rice in the rice cooker. I tend to add extra veggies to a lot of curry/casserole type things as well. Casserole in the tmx, pasta or rice separately. Rice in the tmx and stir fry on the stove (with the marinade being made in the tmx earlier). All in one meals, chicken or fish or prawns and veg in the varoma, rice or potatoes in the basket, sauce in the bowl etc. Sometimes will cook vegies separately in the microwave or steamer.
If you think about it up to 2 litres of a casserole is an awful lot.
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Moo2, although I don't have a very large family (myself, DH, DD - 15 & DS - 17) I do need to cook meals which will go a long way. My husband works 10 - 11 hours shifts and needs substantial meals for lunch which means I try to make sure that each evening meal feeds 4 adults plus an extra meal. I find a lot of the meals on this forum account for this size and quite often I get to freeze an extra meal or two.
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Hi Moo2,whatever you decide about the TM31,welcome to the forum. :)
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Thanks everyone, such good advice and helpful hints. Have to love this forum. You are all especially kind since I don't even own one - yet! ;)
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Aaaahhh Moo2, you don't need to own a thermomixer to enjoy and be part of this forum, but I hope it helps to encourage you in your decision. There are always plenty of members here who can give great advice and help - I would be lost without the backup I have received from my fellow forum members.
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Thanks virginiaqda, another good idea. I can see myself having lots of fun "playing" on my not-so-busy days. But I guess I'm a little concerned about those days when life is really hectic. I was hoping that the TMX would help with quick & easy dinners a few nights a week. Maybe I just need to get more organized but I find I have at least a couple of nights a week when I need to get dinner on the table pdq!
i run a business 24/7 so quick is also my option. I cook a steak and make coleslaw or chopped salad then we might have ice cream (shop bought ) and DD makes berry sauce to go over. We are all full then.
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Oh dear! I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and order one. (there goes the hol fund :))
Thank you so much everyone. My eyes are now completely square and I don't think I have slept in the last couple of days reading all this fantasic information but it sure has been interesting!!
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Yay that didn't take long lol!! ;D
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Welcome to the forum.
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Dont worry about the hol fund .......... very soon you will be saving so much on your shopping and by not buying pre-prepared foods or takeaways that your hol fund will grow rapidly again! Initially I spent more on groceries after I first got my TMX, just buying up on some of the basics that I didnt have - but now I cannot believe how much money we save each week by making things from scratch and from fresh, seasonal ingredients.
I promise you, you will not regret the decision to buy a TMX! And with all the wonderful and helpful people on this forum, you will very soon be getting the most out of it :D
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And with all the wonderful and helpful people on this forum, you will very soon be getting the most out of it :D
I am so impressed with how helpful and welcoming everyone on this forum are. :)
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Hi Moo2, welcome to the forum. It didn't take the girls long to convince you that the TMX would cook adequate amounts for your family. It is just DH and me here so there was no point me putting my 2 bob's worth in too early. You will love the TMX and will be so busy using it that you won't even want a holiday for a while anyway ;) ;) Sounds like the decision to buy has been made so good luck with your purchase and happy TMX cooking and time spent on this forum - I don't know which is more time consuming, the latter probably :-))
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happy TMX cooking and time spent on this forum - I don't know which is more time consuming, the latter probably :-))
Thanks for the welcome. And definitely the latter at this stage, but hopefully that will change next week. Although I am now getting a little nervous and think OMG - where do I start! But wait, that's what the forum is for!! :)
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Hi Moo2, I also have a big family of 7. I have only had my TM for a little under 3 months. I really don't know how I did it before. The TM definitely saves time. Its so easy to throw together a quick meal. The thing I love the most is that I can throw everything in and walk away to deal with other chores while my tea is cooking and stirring at the same time. There are alot of all in one meals that are great. And I don't seem to have any trouble feeding everyone. You wont regret buying one.
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Hi dede thanks for that. Are you cooking mainly from the book you get with the TMX or from recipes here or do you adjust your own?
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I think most of us start from the book for the basics the quickly get onto favourite recipes on this forum..tried and true favs then once you get into the rhythm of using it you will start to convert your own recipes..as everyone has said if you have any questions or want to now what or where something is just ask...there is always someone quick to respondľ...cant remember if i said or not but if not...welcome to the forum...great place here anyway you look at and no matter if your a newbie or a part of the furniture lol
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Hi Moo2, Most of the recipes I cook are from this forum, I have this huge folder I call my Bible that I keep all the recipes. I really haven't tried that many form the books as yet unless I see someone recommending them on here first. I think that is what inspires me to cook a new recipe from peoples comments who have already tried them. That's why I love this forum so much.
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Thanks dede & Frozzie. This forum has definitely played a huge part in helping me decide to get one. I probably would have just kept procrastinating about purchasing one if I hadn't had so much help & advice from here.
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Welcome to the forum Moo2 + the wonderful world of TMX. While our shrunken household is now only DH and myself, we have frequent visitors and I often arrive home from work with limited time before dinner. Prior to TMX, I was the queen of kitchen appliances - with the exception of thermie I could do without them all - but the rice cooker certainly comes in handy when cooking for the many extras!!! The time saving element of TMX is enormous and the ability to socialise while the cooking is taking place is a huge bonus for me - no longer are you tied to the cooking pot. It is great to be able to have access to the wealth of knowledge of forum members with any problem at all - TMX related or else!!!!
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Hi and welcome, Still Deciding!!! Sounds like you've decided now! ;D Good choice!
We have a largish family (4 kids) and I know lots of large families who LOVE their Thermomixes (as you probably saw on my blog post about large families!)...
Just a tip about the Thermoservers - if you want food to stay really hot for hours in them, you can wrap them in a towel and put them in an esky! My friend does this when she's taking food to pot-luck dinners/friends' houses, and has had them stay steaming hot for up to 5 hours!!!
Also, here's some helpful links about converting your own recipes to Thermomix, and starting off with your new machine - what recipes are good to start with, etc...
Converting recipe for the Thermomix (http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/10/converting-recipes-for-thermomix.html)
Tips for Beginners (http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2010/9157/new-thermomix-help.html)
Let us know how you go!!! :)
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hey thats a good tip about the towel and esky !! ta !! ;)
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Thanks so much you guys. Love the tips and your web site Quirky! Now I just need to get mine. A week has never seemed so long! :)
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Thanks Moo2!! ;D
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A belated welcome moo2. I'm glad you have deicided to buy a TMX. Believe me the hardest part is the waiting.
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Hi everyone. Well, I got it this morning and have had a lovely day "playing". Thanks for all the lovely welcomes and help.
I think my poor brain is completely overloaded with hint & tips, recipes and ideas. I had awful trouble deciding what to make and ended up doing soup and bread and the EDC coleslaw which the kids love. I figure anything that gets my lot excited about eating cabbage has to be a good thing. ;)
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That's a good start Moo2 - soup is easy, bread is a bit harder and coleslaw can be mush if you don't get it right :D :D Sounds as if your day went just fine.
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coleslaw can be mush if you don't get it right
Was only just shy of being mush!! Boy is it fast!! :D
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Moo2 you are certainly on your way to becoming a thermie junkie!!!!! :D :D Well done.
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Yes, well done Moo2!!! Some people don't try the bread for ages because they think it's going to be hard - so glad to hear you 'took the plunge'! :)
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Some people don't try the bread for ages because they think it's going to be hard - so glad to hear you 'took the plunge'! :)
I wouldn't have had to guts to try the bread if it wasn't for the forum. So, Yay Forum!! ;D
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Well done moo2.
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Thanks everyone. My 12yo DS made the EDC Anzac Biscuits today and they were lovely.
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yes yay forum and well done moo2! :)
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Well done Moo2 - welcome and enjoy.