will Vorwerk Thermomix solve all my problems?
Yea, I said it - I hate European kitchen machines and here's why:
a) I couldn't bring my trusty KitchenAid stand mixer and Cuisinart food processor here because of the 220V issue.
b) I couldn't rebuy the Cuisinart food processor because they don't sell it Europe. The basic KitchenAid stand mixer sells for 700sfr (vs $150 in the US) - luckily I found one for 350sfr. I would have preferred the KitchenAid professional, but it isn't sold in Europe. In fact, most of the models/brands highly rated by Cook's Illustrated, my cooking bible, are unavailable in Europe. So when shopping, I simply have to guess by the box marketing material and...
c) I hate my Euro food processor and blender! I used to make everything in my Cuisinart food processor: pie dough, cookie crumbs, bread crumbs, chopped nuts, hummus. My machine here does a terrible job, always leaving big chunks whirling around aimlessly no matter how much manual scraping and stirring I do. My hummus and peanut butter are terribly grainy. With any thick mixture, like pesto or chile paste, it only combines the stuff near the blade, pushing most of the mixture up the sides. After 5 mins blending butternut squash soup last night, my blender motor started emitting a strange smell and made sad noises. Aaaaargh!
But the clouds have parted and I have seen the light: the Vorwerk Thermomix TM31. Not only is it highly praised by Cook's Illustrated, it's a native Euro product. So for a cool 1000sfr or so, cuilinary heaven can be mine. I'm going to spend all my free time on eBay trying to find a bargain. Wish me luck.
9 comments:
GOOD LUCK@!
Good luck! I know exactly how you feel... the just don't have the same goodies that you can get back home...
Let me know how the search goes. I will keep my eyes open for you as well.
Looks like the wonder machine. You should get it so we can all come over and watch how it works. :)
I've heard of the Thermomix and am quite intrigued. But yikes, pricey.
Otherwise another Euro-made... even Swiss-made piece of kitchen machinery that is supposed to be the Rolls Royce of its kind but is less expensive than the Thermomix is the Bamix immersion blender. I bought one recently and love it. I leave it out on the counter and use it for soups and sauces and any type of emulsion. I don't even own a blender or food processer, and use the Bamix for everything. Well, except pie crust. And its food processing attachment is quite small, which means I can only make small batches of pesto for instance.
I am happy with my Moulinex which I bought second-hand from an expat who was leaving. But then I am not a gourmet cook like you. :-)
We've been lucky in Japan. They have different voltage but the outlets are the same. So things work, just a bit slower. I've only noticed it on my alarm clock that ended up about 10 hours behind at the end of the day!
Guess what I just got for my birthday... Come on over one evening and let's play with it!
I know you wrote this a few years ago.... but where did you find a kitchenaid for 350sfr? I am an American living in NW Italy, near Switzerland, and am trying to figure out how to not pay a crazy amount for a KA...as I too hate European appliances.
Hi Annie - A couple times a year I see the KitchenAid offered for about 350CHF either at Coop or Globus. At Globus, it seems to always be in September. I saw it at Coop last year, but I can't remember when. I'll try to remember to post next time I see it for sale. In the meantime, keep your eye on the expat forums to see if anyone is selling.
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