Tell me how awful your thermomix is please

[anourishingsoup]

A very lovely lady is trying a very hard sell with her thermomix appliance. It doesn't appeal to me in the first place and I wouldn't spend that money on an appliance even if it did. This woman needs the money and I'm starting to soften a bit to the idea, checked online and every review on every forum is raving about theirs .
Tell me how it's overpriced and collecting dust in the back of your cupboard, and how it's just an MLM.

You can buy them on Amazon

You can get them on Amazon.

I suppose it depends whether you enjoy cooking. I personally don't see making bechemal sauce, bolognese, soups or any of the other things mentioned here a chore.

Admittedly, I do like cooking, though, and enjoy teaching my DC how to make things. Having a gadget to do it all for me would take away the enjoyment.

I knew someone who was trying to flog these but I have Dh who is my thermomix.
He makes his own bread, sauces, batters, soups, browns his own meat etc, happily spends hours cooking of an evening as his way of relaxing (weirdo), he doesn’t even want me to sous chef for him 😂 he likes all the steps.
this would have no place in our kitchen. Plus from what I remember they’re quite bulky and we have a ‘no stuff on the sides except a kettle’ rule. All our drawers and cupboards have the equipment we need all precisely and neatly, adding anything else would make a cluttery mess. No thanks!

Not sure what PPs mean about having to attend a demo?! We bought ours online and the local Thermomix rep in our area came over one day and talked us through the features and answered any questions etc. She gave me her number and said I could call anytime I had questions. She was here for 15-20 minutes max - I found it helpful and really not a big deal.

The reps also run their own demo events where people can come and see her make everything (and try the food). But I’m not interested so have never been to one. If you’re not keen, don’t go.

“She was here for 15-20 minutes max - I found it helpful and really not a big deal”

I would find that beyond irritating.

but I take the point it can now be bought on Amazon, I think this is a new option

I would have loved one given the number of friends who have them (previous models) and rave about them. But have been put off by the number of people who are having issues with the new model (TM7) which seems to be a total departure from the previous (more sturdy) models that seemed to last for years. I just cannot bring myself to spend the money and then end up with a total headache of sending it back and forth to be fixed as seems to be the case for a significant number of people if the FB pages (UK, Aus and France) are anything to go by.

The other thing that has put me of Thermomix is that it that it is now so reliant on the software and I just don't trust Vorwerk since they ditched the Neato customers. Also, the way they handled the Australian burns case makes me think they wouldn't do a recall if the TM7s do turn out to have underlying issues, they'll just fob individuals off, and I don't trust them with the plastic on the Varoma (I don't want to cook in plastic and I don't trust Vorwerk to care about it either).

What is the software for? Can you not just switch it on and use it?

OP if it is a TM7 you're looking at - there is a screen like an ipad that instructs you on how to cook what/when. You can (and most people do) pay for a subscription to get the recipes for the thermomix (Cookidoo). I'm not sure how much the TM7 would do if it didn't have software/the software was no longer supported (maybe someone with one can tell us).

£2k?!?

I was thinking of buying a Thermomix but settled on the Magimix version instead. It doesn't have the Cookidoo function but is more flexible from what I can see.And has a clear lid so you can see how the cooking is progressing.

And it costs less than a Thermomix - look out for Magimix discounts though.

Have a think about what problem a thermo cooker would solve for you.

For us, it was mainly the ability to easily bulk cook and freeze meals for a specific diet I need to follow on medical grounds and it does that really well. And to have more variety.

Everything we have now is cooked from scratch with less effort and the freezer is well-stocked.

The steam function makes very healthy all-in-one meals too. E.g steamed frozen salmon, veg and potatoes with only one pot and lid to wash up (which could go in the dishwasher but the auto rinse is so good we hand wash).

Probably also saves money as any veg hanging around the fridge gets made into soup (although you can do the same with a much cheaper soup maker).

If you download the Magimix app, you can see the recipes they suggest. Many of them are badly translated from French, but it gives you the gist.

I went to a Thermomix Party once and decided it was too small for my family, didn't want more machines on the countertops and it was far too expensive.
I love homemade pesto and it took ages with my smapl Moulinex, so I decided to buy a second hand Monsieur Cuisine for £45 from eBay.
I'm happy that my pesto's are now made in 20 mins and it's also great for making things like plum mousse, which have to be cooked for ages and stirred, but the soups are bitty and I can make them better and quicker in a pot, plus washing up is easier.
In short, I'm glad I didn't pay for a Thermomix as I cook a lot and usually in large quantities and apart from those few use cases I mentioned, I don't use it. I've even found a place to store it in the pantry, so it's not in the way.

I have brought a 2nd hand tm6 directly, got it last week, love to cook, but busy with work. First day I made homemade lemonade, Thai peanut curry with coconut rice, really great cookies. Iced coffes, Then the lasagne base, for the next day.

so far I love it, have loads of things I want to cook, I did a spinach soup, so much better then the soup maker.

easy to clean, easy to make lots of different things.

i hope to get loads in the freezer, so we don’t buy any processed food.i

Couple of years ago I stayed for a few weeks with a relative and her family. She’s a competent and relatively enthusiastic cook - but sitting at her kitchen counter for ages every day, chatting while she prepared meals, I really really missed the simple element of using a stove. She did every single thing in the Thermomix - or rather, it did everything. It was kind of soulless.

I like stirring things on the hob. I like making pastry, I like mixing cake ingredients in a bowl, I like putting things in the oven and checking on them through the oven door, and feeling joyful and a bit triumphant when they’re ready. I would feel furious with a Thermomix in my kitchen. I’d feel … replaced.

And then the subscription 😱

You’re always going to see glowing reviews because so often people are trying to sell an allotted number to friends and family in order to get a discount on their product. When the sellers are also the customers and benefit from generating other customers the honesty of reviews and the general tactics to sell are not always great. It’s really a bit culty and the way it’s sold to people seems iffy, pressurised and not very ethical. I wouldn’t buy one for that reason and agree with @User478

Good grief! I looked on Amazon- £2k. Wild.

For me, Thermomix is the equivalent of going from hand‑washing clothes to having a washing machine.
If time is more of a constraint than money, it’s absolutely worth it. My husband and I both work full‑time, we have a child, and I train six days a week – yet I still eat home‑cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
Our most-used recipes include chilli con carne, Tex‑Mex pulled pork and chicken, coronation chicken, soups, cauliflower cheese, chicken stew, pizza, waffles, brownies, rhubarb crumble, frozen fruit ice cream, mash and roast potatoes, burgers and wraps.
I was initially worried the recipes might be too high‑carb and low‑protein, but with a few small tweaks it’s worked really well for us.