Thermomix

[Judy Wilson]

A couple months ago on eGullet, coauthor Maxime Bilet responded to a question about the best recipes for putting a thermomix to use. He suggested eggs or bases like ice cream or custard bases.

Anybody have one? If you don't, anybody have a recipe they really wished they had a thermomix for?

[Anonymous Modernist 348]

I've got one for personal use and it'sextremelyuseful, I'd say it's generally used for something everyday. From making homemade lemonade, steaming veg, making soup, risoto and that's just the start.I suggest you look athttp://www.forumthermomix.com/and alsohttp://www.ukthermomix.com/recindex.phpto get some idea of what it can do.

It does make egg and other sauces adoddleto make as it can heat and stir to an appropriate temperature, temp control is only in 10C steps with the exception of 37C (I believe for chocolate, and you can temper with it) it's not that accurate but enough for 99% of things.

Where it really comes into it's own is that the the blade can go from stir up to 10,000rpm and it can grind (and toast) spices and reduce most items to powder. Great if used to turn frozen fruit into sorbets and it can alsohomogenise ingredientsbrilliantly. E.g. Thermomix cream take milk and butter and at high rpms homogeniseback into cream. Or do the reverse and churn cream to get butter.

Working with modernist ingredients it's very useful as when adding hydrocolides or gums to liquids you can mix as you add alsothe ability to heat is an advantage (making fluid gells for example). Since it's at good at homogenising usingemulsifiers makes this even more effective. E.g. I madetruffle oil ice cream where the cream was made from truffle oil and stock.

If making something like a lobster bisque it can grind those shells and turn it to soup (If I want it perfect, I still strain through muslin to remove any hint of grityness).

I could go on, at home if you learn and can adapt to using, it's invaluable and saves so much time.In aprofessionalkitchen you spot them more and more these days. While there are individual tools that are better for a single function, the thermomix is one that brings them all together in one package that's brilliantly designed and easy to use.

It's also very sturdy, I've only had one problem and that was after four years when I had to replace the blade (£75) as the seals failed.Possiblydue to my dryexperimentsor someone put it in the dishwasher by mistake.

If possible I'd suggest you get a demo sorted, it's a brilliant way to see what it capable of.

In MC they show a TM21 the TM31 is even better

[Anonymous Modernist 283]

Don't forget the Thermomix isn't the only option for thermal blenders!!

There's also the MyCook (which I have) from Spanish manufacturer Taurus which is quite similar to Thermomix and just new to the market is HotMix wfrom Italy which I just spotted at this week's Fine Food show here in Sydney, Australia. This machine looks really good and is aimed squarely at the professional market. It has more powerful engine and also higher cooking temps (130c and 190c depending which model you choose). It also has 1C incremental heat adjust which both Thermomix and MyCook fall down on with 10C increments.

Finally, HotMix have a new model coming which has -30C to 190C range which should make for some very interesting experiments and dishes...

[Anonymous Modernist 1064]

The Hotmix Pro Creative looks like an incredible product. Especially interesting is the ability to cool things to -24°C.

Does anyone know whether the Hotmix Pro Creative is available in the US?

[Anonymous Modernist 2623]

Although it is promoted, it is not yet available, even in Europe. Next presentation planned seems to be in Stuttgart, Germany, in Feb 2012 at the 'Intergastra' fair. Maybe I'll be there and can tell more later ...

[Anonymous Modernist 2623]

Manufacturer responds as follows to my inquiry:

'...Hotmix PRO CREATIVE machine. This machine is expected to be available in the market as from February 2012. '

[Anonymous Modernist 1064]

Thanks for the heads up.

The manufacturer did not respond to my inquiry. Maybe I should have written in Italian.

Should be a very interesting tool.

[Anonymous Modernist 4778]

Hello, one alternative to Thermomix is the Kenwood Cooking Chef. Uses induction for cooking, with precise temperature control (from 20 to 140 Celsius degrees, I think). The bowl is much larger that the Thermomix (main reason I did not get one, 2 liters for a family is usually not enough depending on what you're cooking) and there are plenty additional accessories (pasta machine, meat grinder, etc...)

[Anonymous Modernist 6607]

dont touch the HotMix, have had one for 4 months and it just doesnt have the balls to stand up to the rigours of a kitchen. It constantly overheats, the bowl is very vertical more like a bar blender than a thermomix and so custards constantly catch and its just a bit wussy! sorry!

[Anonymous Modernist 7995]

Anyone have the same opinion as Saucerer, or care to differ? I was about to buy a Hotmix Gastro for home use. Perhaps saucerer's criticism wouldn't apply as it wouldn't get used as much, but I'd still like to hear other opinions. I was going to buy the Thermomix until I discovered the HMP Gastro.

I was wondering how the HMP can be considered 'wussy' as it has a 'stronger' motor than the Thermo. Mind you, it is a different kind of motor.....

I'm also wondering how the Thermomix and Hotmix perform with Sous Vide. I have a Polyscience Pro, so am covered, but it would be useful to have two baths on the go sometimes. Obviously the HMP has 1 degree increments, but does this actually translate to an accurate temperature for the water inside?

Any opinions appreciated.

[Anonymous Modernist 4334]

I have had a Thermomix since 2008, which I use at home and for demonstrations to both home users and to commercial kitchens in the UK. You might consider my views biased but the TM31 has performed superbly over the last four years. The machine has been built to last. All the chefs I have talked to love the reliability and the consistency of the TM. I have not used the HMP but I have seen it at an exhibition, the HMP model that freezes is a very very big unit and requires a lot of counterspace. The HM Pro is also more expensive than the TM. My understanding is that if the machine needs to be serviced it needs to be sent to Italy.

[Anonymous Modernist 7995]

Thanks for the reply Sokitnop.

In the end I went for the HMP Gastro, and have been pretty happy with it (I haven't played with a TM31 mind you). I would perhaps have gone for the Thermomix had it had a finer grained set of temperature controls. As it stands the HMP can do 'degree by degree' and go up to 190 c, both of which swayed me. The Gastro is much smaller than the freezing version you mention (the 'creative') and supposedly a bit smaller than the Thermomix. It should be noted that 'degree by degree' can over/under shoot by a few degrees, depending on what is in the bowl, but I'm guessing this is still much finer grained than the TM31.

FWIW Anyone buying the HMP needs to know that the inbuilt recipes are currently painfully slow to scroll through, so I never use them. I find them on the HMP website and perform them manually. For example, some sections have many recipes in them and as far as I can tell there is no way to jump to number 60 directly - The user must press the +/- buttons until the correct recipe is found. Very tedious. Of course, the user could easily remove any recipes that they don't want, or move recipes they do use to their own folder and so this issue can be mitigated. Still, the issue is compounded by the fact that the recipe name scrolls into view from the right. So you don't know what recipe you are on until a good few seconds after you have reached it. This could easily be fixed by a firmware update.

On the whole I'm happy with the purchase. Just wish it was closer to the TM31 in price (The 'Easy' is, but doesn't go to 190 c, only 130 c)

[Anonymous Modernist 5949]

Since we're talking HMP Gastro at this point, I thought I would add my experiences there over the last 15 painful months...

Background

In early 2012 I purchased two HotmixPRO Gastro thermal mixers. Over the course of the next 5 months, I had 5 replacement units shipped to me because the ones I had kept failing. When the last of the 5 replacement units failed, I notified their North American distributor Eurodib of the failure again and they said they would pick it up and RMA it. I boxed it up and put it in my garage as had become a custom with this device. No one ever came to pick it up and the company became somewhat evasive in their discussions with me around servicing the unit. 8 months later, at my local rep‚’s behest, they finally picked the defective unit up. All this time, I‚’ve been deprived of products I paid considerable $ for and inconvenienced by the fact that their product wasn‚’t ready for release and I was being used as a beta tester.

Following is an Email that prompted me to scratch my head and wonder what the manufacturer Vitaeco, makers of the HotmixPRO Gastro thermal mixer and first to market a thermal mixer to the US market, and their North American distributor Eurodib were thinking customer service meant after having such poor experiences with the unit out of the box when it landed in the US in April 2012. Their response to my 15 month struggle with their product after acknowledging that the product had flaws that could not be field corrected was to tell me I could ship my remaining defective unit back to them at my expense for them to do the conversions necessary to make it useful, but that was their final act to make this right for me because they were no longer the US Distributor for the product (that dubious honor has since passed to Advanced Gourmet). The one they picked up after 8 months had been promised to be replaced and shipped multiple times over a six week period after it was picked up, but to date (12-July-13) it hasn‚’t made its way to me. I‚’m considering this experiment a massive loss of money and time and post this simply as a warning for those looking to buy a HotmixPRO Gastro or do business with Eurodib or Advanced Gourmet. I don‚’t know who is at fault for not standing behind the product to keep early adopters of the technology whole - distributors not wanting thin margins eroded or manufacturer not wanting to credit said distributor to keep early adopters whole - I just know it‚’s not my fault and I should never have been put into the situation where I was left holding the bag at any of these bozo‚’s hands.

The Original Email Thread

From: Dr. Michael G Mathews Subject: Continued HotmixPRO Gastro Issues Date: July 10, 2013 8:22:50 AM CDT To: My Local Eurodib Distributor

I did get a little worked up and while I understand they are in the middle and they have incurred cost and inconvenience, as I pointed out, they own the distribution rights for HMP here not me, they make the money on sales not me, they stand to gain from a successful product launch not me, and consequently, they are responsible for managing and maintaining the relationship with Vitaeco in Italy - not me. ƒâ€š I returned 4 defective units inside the first 4 months I had the machines and I believe I was the first to have one in service in North America. ƒâ€š

I understood before we started that there would be bumps along the road, but never imagined them to be of this magnitude or duration for a PAID PRODUCT. ƒâ€š If I‚’m going to be a beta tester, so be it, but I should get the units gratis and be encouraged to be a beta tester (i.e. not be worried that I might break the unit as I‚’m testing it like a normal human would use it). ƒâ€š As it stands now, I barely ever pull the one functional unit out of my pantry for fear of breaking the thing at the first hint of anything it doesn‚’t like or do well. ƒâ€š So rather than a multi-purpose appliance that has replaced every other appliance in my kitchen, like it was promised and marketed to be, it has now become a custard machine. ƒâ€š Only. ƒâ€š That‚’s it. ƒâ€š I don‚’t use it for anything else. ƒâ€š Hardly worth the considerable $ considering I make custard 3-4 times a year at best. ƒâ€š For everything else? ƒâ€š I turn to my cheap, plastic, indestructible Thermomix… why? ƒâ€š Because it‚’s light, runs on 110v power, and in two+ years I‚’ve owned it and used it nearly every day for almost everything you could imagine, it‚’s never once ever given me a day of trouble or ever needed service.

Were it just that I could only use the thing for custard, that would be something I could learn to live with since I‚’ve got a giant pantry, but it doesn‚’t stop there…

I was intentionally led to believe that I was doing something wrong with the units and that I was the only person in the world who had service issues. ƒâ€š Clearly that‚’s not the case since I‚’ve heard from distributors in UK, AU, and Asia saying they‚’ve experienced very poor service track records for such a short time in the field.

I have been deprived of use of my 5th replacement unit for now more than 8 months. ƒâ€š EIGHT months it sat in my garage. ƒâ€š For a good portion of that, I was ignored by Eurodib and Vitaeco or paid lip service at best. ƒâ€š For an appliance they were listing retail at $3500, though I can‚’t even find it listed on their site anymore. ƒâ€š Are they even still distributing the product? ƒâ€š Wouldn‚’t shock me if they weren‚’t. (EDITORS NOTE: Turns out Eurodib does not distribute HotmixPRO to US anymore, Advanced Gourmet does)

I kept the defective unit in my garage in the original box faithfully after having been promised it would be picked up and returned. ƒâ€š It did finally get picked up eight months later at your behest I‚’m sure and they‚’ve promised to get me a replacement unit ' I don‚’t know what that‚’s worth and I‚’m not holding my breath. ƒâ€š They haven‚’t exactly earned trust in my book through their actions to date.

I have a working unit in my pantry that now makes weird noises and doesn‚’t stir properly when doing the only task I trust it to do without becoming a vastly overpriced paperweight… making custard. ƒâ€š It clicks initially, then it skips, then it gets into rhythm and starts to stir. ƒâ€š But it‚’s not ‚“broken” per se it just makes weird noises and skips until it warms up. ƒâ€š I‚’m supposed to be happy that I get a ‚“replacement SD card” at some undetermined point in the future to ‚“fix” that unit. ƒâ€š 15 months after I purchased it. ƒâ€š 9 months after my last DEAD unit died and sat in my garage for 8 months. ƒâ€š Who knows, maybe before I even get a replacement for the last dead unit, but again, I‚’m not holding my breath on that. ƒâ€š I‚’m not sure I can fathom how a SD card replacement will fix the symptoms of weird noises and ‚“needing time to warm up” to mix custard properly. ƒâ€š After all, it‚’s not like it‚’s supposed to be able to mix reliably or anything. ƒâ€š

Honestly, exactly how much confidence am I supposed to have in an appliance that I‚’ve had horrible experience with from a service perspective, can‚’t get service from the distributor or the manufacturer, and both of whom have washed their hands of me? ƒâ€š What‚’s my recourse the next time one or both of them break? ƒâ€š Sell it for parts? ƒâ€š Throw it in the trash? ƒâ€š Make it a paperweight and conversation piece?? ƒâ€š Seriously. ƒâ€š This one needs an answer and is not a rhetorical question. ƒâ€š I want Eurodib to answer it. ƒâ€š And if appropriate, they can forward to Vitaeco. ƒâ€š If I know I can‚’t get reliable service in less than a year‚’s time, how likely am I to use these for anything more strenuous than whipping eggs, which I can do with less hassle and cleanup using a wire whisk and a bowl.

Minimally I am owed an apology. ƒâ€š By Eurodib for their handling of the situation and by Vitaeco for whatever their role was that didn‚’t support Eurodib instantly making it right for me ' the consumer and as you well know one of the biggest vocal proponent for thermal mixers in North America. ƒâ€š ƒâ€š We‚’re 15 months later and I‚’m holding the bag and the evangelism boat has long since sailed.

However, if Eurodib wanted (for whatever reason) to show an act of good faith, they would get me two new functional units, credit me for both units and charge it back to Vitaeco as a ‚“thank you” for being an early adopter and helping us sort out whatever it was (still undisclosed to me other than user error on my part and my part alone) that was wrong with their product and that would be in recognition of my efforts to beta test and for the considerable time invested in helping squash bugs they didn‚’t catch prior to release. ƒâ€š The cost for them to make that good faith customer service effort would be ABSOLUTELY NEGLIGIBLE in the grand scheme of things and that would go a long way toward establishing good faith and customer service necessary to have a continued relationship.

I‚’ve been more than accommodating, I‚’ve been more than reasonable, and I believe I‚’m still being more than reasonable in these requests. ƒâ€š How could anyone look at this situation and think I didn‚’t take the short end of the stick here? ƒâ€š Eurodib tried to stick you for shipping and costs for all the replacement units I got. ƒâ€š That should never have been your burden to carry. ƒâ€š If I‚’m stuck where I am on the HMP, so be it. ƒâ€š If they won‚’t issue me credit for them, so be it. ƒâ€š If they don‚’t want to demonstrate that they can be a customer service oriented company and recognize that early adopters of a product should not be punished for being early adopters ' and TAKE THAT CASE BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER so they remain whole, so be it. ƒâ€š But that doesn‚’t mean I have to spend a dime more with them. ƒâ€š There are many other options out there that are not anywhere near as risky given the terrain I‚’ve traveled with them during our brief experiences with the HMP.

That‚’s just my 2 cents. ƒâ€š You can share it with them or not. ƒâ€š Safe to say I‚’m not a happy customer at this point. ƒâ€š But whether I remain that way is ENTIRELY in their hands. ƒâ€š So is whether I continue to buy products from them. ƒâ€š Know that this is in no way intended or aimed at you. ƒâ€š I appreciate everything you‚’ve done on our behalf to help smooth and handle this situation.

On Jul 10, 2013, at 12:28 AM, My Local Eurodib Rep@gmail.com> wrote: Whoa, I thought we were good. ƒâ€š You‚’ve gotten yourself all worked up again. ƒâ€š Maybe I miscommunicated.

1). Your NEW unit is shipping today. (Editor‚’s note, not shipped yet as of today, still no confirmation that it WILL ship)

2) A software update for your current unit is being worked on and a software update is going to be sent to you via an SD card. ƒâ€š This is a good thing, no???? (Editor‚’s note, have been told subsequently by my local Eurodib rep that the fix for existing units (100‚’s of them in the field by the way) is NOT a software upgrade and CANNOT be fixed in the field. You must ship it back to them at your cost for them to fix it.)

Eurodib is stuck in the middle of a problem via Italy and I think despite the length of time it‚’s taken to resolve this, Eurodib is a good company with good people that own it and I‚’m proud to represent them. ƒâ€š They didn‚’t create this but certainly worked to get it resolve to repair the harm its done to them. ƒâ€š There are hundreds of these things that need this update and they have committed to fixing them with the software updates. ƒâ€š A refund would likely have cause a bigger issue since Italy wasn‚’t taking them back. ƒâ€š

Sooooo, can we start all over?

Regards,

My Local Eurodib Rep

On Jul 9, 2013, at 10:14 PM, ‚“Dr. Michael G. Mathews” wrote:

So the product they own the distribution rights to that I paid for and had break repeatedly turns out to have a legit problem (not user error clearly since that doesn‚’t require firmware updates or new SD cards), but somehow I‚’m the bad guy, they‚’ve invested too much, I‚’m out of my money and a product I paid for over 8 months, I still don‚’t have a replacement for the broken one, no idea when or if I‚’ll get the fix for the one that didn‚’t go totally tango uniform and they won‚’t swap out for one that has ‚“the fix”, and they‚’re the ones inconvenienced by this situation?ƒâ€š

That‚’s rich, no? ƒâ€š Does the mother ship in Italy know how their customer base here is getting treated? ƒâ€š

Hold that thought on the vacuum sealer and dishwasher. I may be stuck with the HMP situation, but that doesn‚’t mean I need to give them more of my money. ƒâ€š I‚’ll spend it elsewhere. ƒâ€š You should see that check tomorrow or Thursday at the latest. Tear it up if you would. Lets revisit our options for those items.ƒâ€š

Sent from my iPad

On Jul 9, 2013, at 20:47, My Local Eurodib Rep@gmail.com> wrote:

No sweat. ƒâ€š The short version is….

Basically the new unit was schedule to ship today. ƒâ€š A refund is off the table. ƒâ€š A software update is also in the works and will be available in an ad card. ƒâ€š When they get it done they will send you one.

Regards,

My Local Eurodib Rep