I helped a friend move house recently and she is an almost 100 per cent raw foodie, her first priority was to organise her kitchen so that she had a decent preparation ‘station’ for all her gadgets,
One by one they came out the packing boxes and I started to wonder if would all fit in the space. Having just attended a seminar on decluttering I dared to ask if she really needed them all ! A Juicer, (that’s a must of course), something to sprout seeds (she had an incredibly complicated machine, mine is merely a jam jar and some muslin), Then there was a food processor with several different bowls, blades and attachments et al, weighing scales, grinders, a blender, grater, special vegetable chopper, spiraliser, nut milk bags, breadmaker, dehydrator…and some special machine that made ice cream and another one that did raw chocolate at the right temperature. Alongside it all lay a book called ‘Raw Food Made Simple’ and I wondered if I should add a chapter….See how many gadgets you can exist without!
I’m talking about an amazing super fast food blender and processor that also weighs, cooks, simmers and steams. For me, it beats other high speed blenders hands down. The Thermomix TM31 is made from high grade stainless steel (so no plastic) and uses only one bowl and one blade. The absolute joy of not having to keep switching over! It’s brilliant for raw food as it’s the highest speed possible and can also cook and steam. Before I got mine I’m ashamed to say I’d never made a cake, well not from scratch, I found food processors so fiddly and annoying – my poor deprived children ! I can now make cakes, muffins et al alongside yummy raw chocolate puddings, raw cheesecakes, granola, flax bars, nut butters, sauces, dressings and soups both raw and cooked.
This remarkable machine (which by the way is incredibly sturdy) is professional quality (military grade construction !) and used by many chefs in restaurants, (they may not want you to know just how easy it is for them to create beautiful rainbow coloured sauces and reductions !)
You won’t find Thermomix in the stores as they like to come and show you how brilliant it is, so my friend was treated to a full demonstration (devouring gorgeous organic food in the process) and decided to sell off many of her superfluous gadgets to pay for this one life changing one. (it’s not cheap – but what price health ?) For anyone with allergies this is brilliant way to make a wide range of foods, keeping control of what goes into the food and avoid hidden ingredients.
The Thermomix can: weigh with built in electronic scales, Grate anything – even the hardest nuts, Mill grains and pulses to flour (brilliant for anyone gluten free), It Blends, Purees, Mixes, Grinds (everything from coffee beans to spices), Cooks, Boils and Simmers (great for steaming rice or fish) Crushes ice, Sorbets and ice cream, Whisks egg whites (great for Zabaglione), Emulsifies, kneads bread dough, pastry etc, Chops, Minces, and Heats and Holds babyfoods or chocolate to 37C I asked the demonstrator if it’s also washed itself up and said ‘yes just add water and washing up liquid and it will do that too !’
My Verdicty… “A Gadget that’s changed my life. Perfect for Raw foodies and domestic godesses alike. This machine leaves the competition standing.”