So unless you've been living under a rock you will have noticed a LOT of publicity lately regarding the Thermomix and some safety issues.
Without getting into that at all (although I will state for the record I have had mine for nearly 2 years without any problems) I thought I would share my experiences with a Thermomix.
First of all there have been very few days in the past 2 years that we haven't used it. On a typical day we use it for our breakfast (either porridge or a smoothie), perhaps make a batch of dough for bread, whip up a soup, mix something up for afternoon tea and make dinner with it.
Our record was the first Christmas we had when it and made 11 different things in a day including a sponge cake, jelly, lemon curd, custard, coconut cream, mayonnaise, gravy and quinoa!
I've heard a lot of people say it and it's totally true - if you want to get away from processed food and start avoiding additives, having a Thermomix will help you make food from scratch quicker and easier.
While I have always made a lot of things from scratch, having a Thermomix has allowed me to completely stop buying a number of products that I always just took for granted as being things that 'you just buy'.
Well not any more!
Top 10 Things I Make From Scratch
(and No Longer Have To Buy) Now I Have a Thermomix
1. Bread
This is the biggie. After years of dabbling with bread making I have finally made the switch and 100% of our bread is homemade. Sandwich loaves, wraps, focaccia, rolls, scrolls and pizza. You name it, I make it. The Thermomix does amazing dough and it is quick and mess-free. Not only that though I feel 100% happy about the ingredients. No nasty vegetable oil or preservatives here.
2. Nut milk
We've been dealing with dairy intolerances for years now and whichever way you look at it, nut milk is expensive. There are some brands that I like but really it is so easy to make your own and for a fraction of the cost. We buy nuts (usually almonds) in bulk and make a few litres of nut milk at a time. Fresh, delicious and cheap. Gotta love that.
3. Soup
Ok so you don't need a Thermomix to make soup. I've been doing it for years without one, but I like smooth soups and it was always a bit of a palaver to tip hot soup into a blender or risk a soup-cano with a stick blender.
Previously if there were some boxes of soup on special at the supermarket I would always grab a couple to stash in the pantry for a quick lunch, but not anymore. While I always chose ones with ingredients that looked good (no numbers), it was still a really long time since those vegetable were in the ground.
Being able to chop, cook and then puree all in one and have soup ready on the table in about 20 minutes is brilliant. I make at least 1 batch a week all year round (even in summer) and love that I'm getting so many veggies into all of us.
4. Stock
Just like with soup, it was so easy to grab a box of liquid stock to have on hand. I always made my own chicken stock with leftover chicken bones but there was never enough to have in the freezer.
The very first thing you make with your consultant when the Thermomix is delivered is a vegetable stock paste, and it has become a staple at our place. Loaded with veggies and herbs, I always have a batch on hand in the freezer. It provides not only flavour but seasoning as well, and with its salt content it never freezes hard - perfect for scooping out a spoonful to add to soups, curries and casseroles.
5. Dishwasher powder
Yep that's right, we use the thermie for more than just food! The dishwasher powder is actually a recent addition to our repertoire, but we haven't purchased dishwasher tablets for 6 months now.
At first the difficulty was locating a cheap source of citric acid (the key ingredient in lots of natural homemade cleaning products).
You may know citric acid from those little containers in the baking aisle at the supermarket? Buying it that way will send you broke in no time, as it works out at about $34/kg. With some research I found a supplier selling 10kg buckets on ebay which works out at only $7/kg. Much better!
6. Washing powder
I've been making our own washing powder for about 3 years now, using a food processor to grate up the soap. The Thermomix of course does it better and faster! I like Dr Bronners soap bars and yes, our clothes are all perfectly clean with no chemicals!
7. Mayonnaise
Back onto food, this was another big one. Even though I knew the ingredients were less than ideal and it was a pain to make, I found it really hard to give up bought mayonnaise! That is until I discovered a cooked egg mayonnaise recipe on the recipe community site. Quick, easy and no stress about raw eggs.
8. Jam
Since going sugar free (or more accurately low-no fructose) back in 2012 we very rarely have jam. Mostly I will make a sweetener free chia jam but I do batches of 'real' jam sometimes as gifts and we always keep a little for ourselves. Making your own jam lets you control the amount of sugar and the quality of the ingredients. Get a great deal on a box of organic berries? Why not make some jam or a berry sauce for pancakes. Yum!
9. Nut butter
Have you seen the price of some nut butters at the shops? Outrageous! So much cheaper and healthier to just buy some organic nuts, roast them and grind them up. Smooth or chunky? You decide!
10. Curry
We love our curry in this house! The Thermomix is brilliant for preparing curry pastes in bulk which you can store in the freezer, and for simmering a curry for dinner even on a weeknight. Healthy and delicious and, as with just about everything you make in a Thermomix, I love that you aren't tied to the stove. You can walk away and do something else while dinner is cooking, confident that it won't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Love, love, love!
So that's it. My top 10 things I now make from scratch in my Thermomix.
Do you make any of these from scratch? Is there something from the supermarket you just can't give up?
If you are on the fence about getting a thermal cooker (and it doesn't have to be a Thermomix, there are a number of other brands available) and have some other questions please let me know either in the comments below or shoot me off an email! mywholefoodfamilyblog {at} gmail {dot} com.
I would love to hear from you!
