Thermomix Lovers United #3

[Liviam]

I have had my TMX for roughly a month now and I must admit I am really unimpressed by it. even to the point of considering selling it.
I misunderstood the main meals that could be cooked in it. I was under the impression that I could cook main meals in it. But it appears that unless it is a risotto/soup it doesn't.

What main meals do you cook in yours??

Right now I am thinking I have paid $2000 for a food processor My DH is not very happy with me at the moment

[surprised]

Liviam have you looked at the quirky cooking website? Some great recipes there for main meals. EDC main meals aren't good, generally speaking.

We make lots of porridge, smoothies, soup, biscuit/cake batter. Great for steaming veg and rice while cooking meat on stovetop/BBQ. I don't like using it for mince because I can't get the texture right.

I would like to use it more for mains, just not very organised (morning sickness!)

ETA also check out the road to loving my thermo mixer - really good for people like you

[Liviam]

Surprised where can I find the road to loving my thermo mixer???

[*Ang*]

I made some unbelievably yummy chicken and veggie pies tonight using the TMX. Have found that the recipe forum has been a great help e.g. today I simply put chicken breast and highest rating into the search function and yummo dinner for tonight!

I love the speed of how quickly and finely it cuts everything up. Have had it less then a week and still slowly getting used to it. I also made the quirky cooking chicken and brown rice soup and it was ok - didn't love it. Kids disliked it unfortunately

[OceanPrincess]

Last night I made Quirky's chicken and cashews - delish!!! That was an all in one, quick and simple. Sauce, rice, chicken, veggies, all cooking at the same time.

Tonight we had corned beef so no thermomix for the meat but we had beautiful mashed potatoes and a perfect parsley sauce to go with it.

Guys you don't need to use it for main meals. My DH was tracking costs and he reckons we recovered our costs after about 9 months but making more stuff from scratch like pizzas, bread, scrolls, sauces, jam. Not main meals.

[Livinthedream]

There wil be plenty of times that I won't do all of my meal in it, but for us, I want it to do a couple of things.
1. Make healthier food, ie raw slices, whole fruit juices, home made dips and sauces. All of shuck require a machine that can really chop finely. My food processor wasn't too bad, but man, it was a pain to clean, so I just didn't use it.
2. I want to be able to add a finishing sauce to a meat or specific dressing to a salad, but won't buy the packet/make the mess/take the time to do it old school, whereas with the TMX it is so easy.
3. I want it to save me time. I love cooking but as my work gets busier and DS gets older, I am really resenting the time that cooking is taking out of my day.
4. So far, I think it defiantly makes less mess than traditional cooking.
In short, I don't love it yet, but I do find it lots of fun.

Liviam, maybe you could try making medleys of food, ie one or 2 salads and then a nice sauce to go over something you cooked on the stove? I am making salads this weekend, just to see which ones we like for work, normally I couldn't be bothered with a lot of the fine chopping that goes into stuff like that, but am keen to see how they go.
Maybe the key is to be able to make a larger variety of foods instead of making the same old foods easier.
KWIM?
I am sorry you don't enjoy it, how dissapionting for you

[Mems89]

I'm really glad it was a gift to me, otherwise I'd probably feel more guilty about it if the money came out of my pocket.
I do love it though, and there is heaps I would love to do in it, I just don't because my motivation has been killed. But I am determined to take it out of its cupboard and use it more even if it is for custard HAHA (man the anglaise I could eat all day every day!)

[Beautiful Disaster]

I don't really use mine for main meal cooking. I do mash and stuff in it but mainly for sweets and zucchini slice.

[Rouge]

Just made pioneer woman's mac and cheese... Amazing! Made the pasta in the thermoserver.

[surprised]

Surprised where can I find the road to loving my thermo mixer???

Live am don't know if I'm allowed to post the link, but look her up on FB "the road to loving my thermo mixer". If you can't find it pm me - can I send the link over pm?

[Olive]

Liviam I've added you to the group, just needs to be approved by admin

[Taurean]

I made a pearl barley risotto in mine tonight - yummo!! Oh how I love this machine!

[Kazbah]

RP I don't put mine in a cupboard - pretty much anything in a cupboard in my place gets forgotten. It's out there, it gets used. I find from the EDC that the chicken veloute is a good meal. Also have a look at the porcupines recipe on recipe community. Very yummy.

With the risotto, I throw in some smoked chook breast and that is very yummy. I think also adding in herbs to your stock helps when you make it next.

Which recipes are in the quirky cookbook? i was considering buying that one ...

[Manhattan]

Mine lives on the kitchen bench too, as instructed by my consultant, so it's not a chore to get it out and use it.

I've used mine a fair bit this weekend. I made Chile con carne (my receipe but followed edc method) and brown rice for dinner on Friday night. The rice cooked much quicker in Thermie than in the rice cooker, so will def use Thermie for brown rice from now on. Only took about 20 mins compared to 45. I made a raspberry and banana bread for the freezer for a girlfriend who is having her first bub any day now. We had a bbq last night, so I did the broccoli salad from the edc which I loved, and so did everyone else. I made bread rolls which were also a big hit, and then for dessert I made banana and raspberry fruity dream.

I brought the Quirky cookbook, but haven't had a chance to have a good look at it yet. I have both Quick fix books, and think they're great.

When I first got my Thermie, I didn't used it as much as I thought I should be, and resented how much it cost. But then I started hunting for recipes online, and attended some cooking classes and got a few new cookbooks, and I've since fallen in love with it. My fave meal would have to be salmon and linguine salad. Pasta cooks in the bowl, while salmon and veggies steam in the varoma. The marinade /dressing is made in the bowl at the start too. The only part of the meal not done in Thermie is the pine nuts which I toast on the stove. I think Thermie is great for cooking whole meals , you just need to have the right recipes to give you a starting off point.

[Mems89]

I had mine on the bench for ages, but got replaced with a coffee machine that was bought for me, which I use way more often.

[Kazbah]

Have you tried thermie porridge? I love it ... put it on to cook, and it's done by the time I've had my shower and are dressed.
Also if you've got a machine where you steam your milk, and if you're making coffee for a few people, heat & froth the milk in the thermie while you make the expresso means everyone gets their coffee at the same time, instead of two at a time

[Manhattan]

Hey ladies, just wondering if anyone was interested in the Quirky Cooking recipe book? I impulse purchased it, and it's a little too Quirky for me :-( The recipes look delish, but I know I couldn't be bothered making or finding half of the ingredients!

Eta: sold pending pick up - wow that was quick!

[Rouge]

Just made curried sausages. My way. Was great. Everyone scoffed it lol.