Thermomix - has anybody used one? Are they as good as advertised or a gimmick?

roadtrip24 on 29/12/2010 - 17:09

I've been told recently about a Thermomix - a machine that can apparently chop vegies, cook food, make ice cream and wash itself amongst other things. It looks about the size of a food processor and can also mix cake dough and steam dishes at the same time and stew something.
To sum it up it sounds too good to be true! And has a hideous $1500-$2000 price tag attached. It comes from Germany and is only sold around the world via home demos.
I can't even find any on ebay (just the kid's toy version). The info I see are from the demo company or from "fans".
For a product that has been around for 30 years and is so miraculous, surely everyone would have heard about it??

So anyone know anything about it? have one? and are they really as miraculous as described and is it actually worth coughing up a small fortune for?
I'm not keen on the hard sell so I don't like home demos and I'm not keen to stump up $1500 for a gimmick.

General Discussion

Comments

  • StewBalls on 29/12/2010 - 18:13
    +2

    Choice seems to give it the thumbs up! http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/household/kitchen… and a quick skim of some reviews http://www.productreview.com.au/showitem.php?item_id=64458 seem fairly honest in their pros & cons!

    I'd not heard of it til you posted…even at this price tag it seems in the too good to be true category…I'd be interested to hear from anyone who owns/uses one too! ;)

  • shump on 30/12/2010 - 02:34

    We bought one a month ago. They are $1939 in Australia. Significantly cheaper overseas, but we suffer from strong currency and small market I guess.

    It is basically a mixer with built-in scales and heating element, so you can measure weights as you throw in ingredients into the bowl then cook. So in simple terms it has the potential to be of use for stuff you cook in pots, not necessary things you bake, fry, or grill. You have to change your preparation order a little: chopping or melting first, then mixing and cooking.

    It is not miraculous, just convenient as it greatly reduces preparation time by having the weighing and heating functions in place. Also encourages greater use of fresh produce.

    We have not used all the features yet but it is already used daily (up to three times some days) in our kitchen. For example it makes great dips, risotto and the absolute best sorbets.

    If you are curious why don't you go to a demo? You'll be able to figure out for yourself if it would be of value.

  • roadtrip24 on 30/12/2010 - 10:40

    I'm worried a demo will be like those apartment or timeshare sales where you get pressured and its just uncomfortable getting out.

    Most of the cons I've seen posted have been the cost and the fact that it doesn't do the shopping for you.

    Also sometimes with some kitchenware, I can't get it to do the stuff I see demonstrated. For almost $2000, I definitely want it to work as advertised (ie i wanted to get rid of my kitchen :P)

    seeing as I've never weighed my produce or anything I've cooked I'm not sure if that would save me time.

  • janeymac on 04/01/2011 - 03:04

    When I cook, I often use multiple pans or pots at once. How do you cope with having only one utensil? eg. pasta sauce = +1 pan; boiled pasta = +1 pot.

  • cassandra on 30/10/2012 - 10:38

    Regarding the Thermomix, it's a great machine, but sooooo expensive. And the money isn't going to the demonstrators as the company pays lousy commissions for all the work and costs that are involved in a demonstration. The company is so GREEDY……
    I'm glad they have competition with the Thermo Chef and Bellini.
    Not sure though on how the compare to the Thermomix.

    • alwaysis on 03/11/2012 - 16:11

      Yes they are greedy, my Mum used to be a consultant and had to pay for everything including promotional material and half of the ingredients for the demo. She didn't sell too many as it was hard for her to get people to have demos so she got the sack

  • alwaysis on 30/10/2012 - 13:57

    I have had one for nearly 2 years and its one of my best purchases yet. Yes its expensive but very worth it IMHO

  • jasonc74 on 03/11/2012 - 01:19

    We have one and my wife uses it nearly every day.
    Her Mum has one, her two sisters as well as her two sister-in-laws.

    I suggest you go for a demo.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join