A lovely reader asked me to tell her more about my Kitchen Aid. And I’ve been meaning to write a post on why I love both my Kitchen Aid and Thermomix so here it is! Retro daddy bought me my lovely Kitchen Aid while I was in hospital with the twins. Such a good husband and he picked the colour perfectly for me too. I had been wanting one for a while and it makes the best cakes and beats egg whites in no time. I love that I can see what I’m doing and also that I can chuck ingredients in, let it get to work and walk away to get more ingredients or do something nearby and it’s still busy working for me. And of course it looks so good on your kitchen counter and is made to last.
I also have the kitchen aid blender thanks to FlyBuys
I’d heard about the Thermomix before I got my Kitchen Aid and I thought it sounded amazing but I was totally put off by the price and knew it was totally out of my reach. A couple of years later I was hearing more about them and started to do my research but as soon as I mentioned it to retro daddy he’d roll his eyes and tell us we had to build the kitchen first before we’d even buy one. I was still in love with it and knew it would be a huge help in my kitchen. Then I got invited to a demo by another mum at school and jumped at the chance. I researched even more and the only negative I could find was price. I went to the demo and was blown away by what it could do and knew it would make great meals in my kitchen and meant I could cook more things from scratch and with a family of 6 that had to be a good thing.
So I bought one using my Nuffnang money and paid for it over 3 payments. At certain times of the year Thermomix offer interest free for 12 months so you can pay for it in 12 instalments which is also a great deal. And then the Thermomix came home and someone even asked had I been given it because I was blogging about it so often. Nope. Paid for and bought myself.
So what’s to love. First up it’s fast. You weigh your ingredients straight into the bowl and the scales set back to zero with a quick press of the button so you can weigh in your next ingredient and get on with your cooking. You can make caster sugar in a matter of seconds, grind nuts and spices and mill your own flour from grains.
But what I really love is making a whole meal in the one machine. Let’s say you want curry. So you put your spices in and you heat them up and grind them. Add in an onion and some garlic and it cuts it up for you and with a bit of oil it then sautes it for you. Add in your chicken or vegies and say tomatoes or yoghurt and with a few pushes of buttons it will cook and stir your curry for you. I then set aside the curry, rinse out the bowl and put my rice in with some water. Stir the rice and water for a few seconds then set it to cook and end up with a basket of fluffy rice. My curry has been kept warm in my Thermoserve bowl and I have one meal ready to go. I can also do a quick custard or sorbet for dessert. Now that is what I call smart cooking.
It did what I thought it would do in that it makes quick family dinners from scratch and even simple dishes like pasta. If your kids love pasta then you’ll love that it makes your sauce (our favourite is chickpea, celery, tomato, stock and water) and you add in your pasta and it will cook and stir your pasta in the sauce and cook it at the same time so you don’t have to boil your water on the stove with the sauce going separately in another saucepan. Add in some grated cheese that you did in the thermomix before you started cooking and you have one healthy pasta dish made from very simple (and cheap) ingredients and your family will love it. Dinner time is always witching hour in our house and so not having to stir pots and meals on the stove and having it all done for me is a huge benefit.
After I got my Thermomix readers were emailing me telling me that they’d always wanted a KitchenAid but now they saw the Thermomix they didn’t know which one to get. And I had to always say that I used both. I still use my KitchenAid because it does the best egg whites and really big cakes and cookie batches. I’ll always love my KitchenAid and it has a special place on the kitchen counter and looks so good too. But if you want something for everyday cooking and baking then the Thermomix wins because it does cookies and cakes too and so much more. If you love to bake then making your own caster and icing sugar from raw or regular sugar is a huge cost saver and just makes sense. I love that it is so many pieces of kitchen equipment in one. You can’t have a KitchenAid without some form of blender or food processor for other dishes but having the Thermomix does that for you.
And the only negative still is price. I won’t lie. It was a huge hurdle for me to get over and took a few years of lusting after before I actually owned one. I know that it’s not affordable. But when I think about how I use it everyday and how may family dinners it makes then it becomes more economical to think about rather than the upfront price.
Tenina – thermomix recipe guru
In a perfect world retro daddy would have said ‘of course honey, if it makes your life easier then of course you can have a Thermomix. Let me buy it for you and make your life easier’. Instead I had to buy it and cook up an amazing 3 course dinner for him served up with a bottle of wine. He wondered why I was buttering him up. Then he walked into the kitchen after dessert and burst out laughing saying ‘so you bought it anyway’ (I married a good man, trust me. I know that). But since then it has made the best pizza he’s ever had and he enjoys all the family meals I make him. His only complaint is when he’s watching tv and all of a sudden a huge motor starts up as I turn the Thermomix up high and grind some nuts or sugar. He does not love that!
And that is why I love my KitchenAid and my Thermomix! Always happy to answer your questions if you have any…………….
I love my kitchenaid too! I have a black one. I bought it a few years ago and it is the best purchase I have ever made.
I too am one of the “lucky ones” that own both a kitchenaid and thermomix.
I have to totally agree, I love them both! Nowi hen I first got my tmx the pore kitchenaid sat idle for a while, but now the honeymoon phase with the tmx is wearing off I find I am using them both equally.
Anything that makes life with 4 little ones easier is worth it in my book.
Happy house moving day!!!
I too have been lusting over the thermomix for quite a while too. After studying for my bachelor of nursing over four and a half years on in and around birthing and raising my babies, I am now back at work earning some decent income, but the price still makes me feel uneasy. I’ve been the Mummy in a single income family for while, frugal habits and mindsets are hard to overcome haha! How handy it would be for us, two shift working parents, children with allergies, being able to cook more meals fast and easily from scratch… I am almost sold… dreaming of having my own thermomix…..
Great post corrie. I have been contemplating getting a thermomix so this has been really helpful. I know it is certainly expensive compared to other appliances and we don’t all have $2k lying around for such purposes, but here’s one way to look at it.
If you won $2k would it change your life? The answer is most likely no! Maybe in the very short term but not for the long term. Then ask yourself if you lost $2k would your life be in ruins? For most of us again the answer would be no. It could mean a big inconvenience for a period of time but it wouldn’t ruin our life.
So I think the risk of finding and spending that money (especially via a payment plan like you’ve mentioned) to get a product that is going to be used every day to feed your family is pretty low. But the benefits sound enormous!
As a single working mummy my time is precious. If I can find something to make my two full time jobs easier then I will!
Thanks again!
I am so very lucky to have both KA and TM and I adore them both. We had a TM on loan to us from friends who had gone travelling for 7 months and that was an amazing way to get to know the machine and see what it could do and really know the difference it could make to my life. I have to say I have never looked back! Use my TM every single day for everything and we are definitely eating better as a result. Well worth the $ i think. Fab post Corrie…..we must swap some recipes sometime!
My Thermomix arrived yesterday after I finally bit the bullet (like you, I couldn’t find a downside other than price, and I’ve since discovered so many friends have them too!). Cooking up carrot and coriander soup for dinner seemed so much easier, even though I’ve made a similar dish the old-fashioned way. I actually feel my cooking mojo coming back.
Great post Corrie. I bought my Thermomix first, and still ended up buying my Kitchen Aid. I value both of them in my kitchen and don’t think I could be without either of them.
I love my kitchenaid too! I have a red one. I bought it last year, the best thing ever.
Enjoy.
Would you consider a magimix too? Or does the thermomix do everything that a magimix does?
I think I’d like a thermo mix oh and a kitchen aid to be honest. I’ll be lusting over them for a while longer.
I love my kitchen aid for the same reason as you…cakes…egg whites….etc….and mine is pink and looks gorgeous, man I love her….and then my thermi is for everything else…I haven’t regretted spending the money I did on it, because honestly, it’s paid for itself already with the meals I can whip up quickly, and with 5 kids here, everything needs to made quickly
…..hope today move is going smoothly 
so
Thanks Corrie. My hubby realises we do need a new mixer (I’m the one with the Tiffany beaters) as I’ve now given myself and electric shock three times from it when I pull it out of the socket (its obviously dodgy). Like your hubby, my is baulking at the cost of a kitchenaid let alone a thermoix. But I reckon if I do some number crunching, (ie. raw ingredients costs over time, etc) and a 12mth payment plan – it might just work! Thanks for your insight. It is most appreciated………Susie
The lady who hosts our Thursday quilting group has a Thermomix. I lust after one even though watching the sorbet video above was the first time I saw one at work. You can not argue with the delicious & amazing snacks Marie puts on the table each week from her Thermomix. One day… Tracee xx
Hi, corrie. Thanks for sharing about your KA and TMX. If you were my neighbour, i would go to your house and have a look at those two awesome machines.
Anyway, can you tell me your KA capacity please? thanks again… Ivy/malaysia
Hi Corrie
I found your post really interesting. I’ve had a thermo for a couple of years and completely love it, one of my favorite kitchen appliances BUT I have to say that I think you do still need a mixmaster if you are an avid baker. This is certainly what I tell all my friends that wonder if it does replace everything!
I love your blog, only recently found it and then realized you are something of an icon.
Keep up the good work, good luck with the move too.
Liz
Hi Corrie
I found your post really interesting. I’ve had a thermo for a couple of years and completely love it, one of my favorite kitchen appliances BUT I have to say that I think you do still need a mixmaster if you are an avid baker. This is certainly what I tell all my friends that wonder if it does replace everything!
I love your blog, only recently found it and then realized you are something of an icon.
Keep up the good work, good luck with the move too.
Liz
You do make the Thermomix sound pretty good, but the price not so good.
I don’t have a kitchen aid but do love my mix master.
Hey Corrie, I have been a regular reader of your BLOG for over 12 months now I guess, I found you from another blogger. I started my BLOG as I am a craftoholic. I work full time and craft in any spare time I have, I don’t have time to BLOG too regularly and at first wasn’t sure if I’d be a regular reader of your BLOG as you definately are a “Mummy” blogger and then I found myself really enjoying reading about your gorgeous family and also your food stories. So here I am a very regular reader of your BLOG. My children are grown up, I have two girls aged 24 and 19. I so wish computers were around when my girls were young, my family lives in a different town and it was lonely for me with babies having no family around. I would have enjoyed reading your BLOG so much and I also would have been a “Mummy” blogger. Good luck with your new house. Oh by the way I voted for you in the Top 50 BLOGGERS, good luck. Have a great weekend. Hugs Kaylee
Great post Corrie. Spread the Thermomix love I say! I remember when I only had my Kitchen Aid, and used it a couple of times a week, how I thought we were getting such good value for the money ($800). Now I use my Thermomix at least a couple of times a day (often four), now thats value! I would rather not have hotplates than not have a Thermomix. No one thinks of having a kitchen without an oven or hotplates, I wouldnt have one without a Thermomix. My eleven year old cooks complete dinners. As a consultant many customers tell me how much money they save on their groceries and if you can half your takeaway bill (becuase you can cook soup or risotto so quickly) then it can actually save money. Anyways, I am obviously a passionate Thermomix consultant who could go on and on…
Glad you are loving your TM – as I say spread the love.
Tamara
http://www.mymelbournethermomix.blogspot.com
When I get my house I will be a proud owner of kitcheaid. Ive said this for a while now its just at the moment my kitchen is small with no room for it. Now im thinking I need and want a Theromix. Not sure how I could talk my husband around the price, but maybe I could!
I have a red Kitchen Aide the food processer one,Hubby got one through point scoring from his supplier but Im hoping a Thermomix will come to live at my place later this year but it will be a stealth move as DH already knows its cost….have adear friend with one so have seen it make the bestest pumpkin soup…
I love Thermomix (it is named Bimby in Portugal). I have one and I also take it with me when I’m in holidays. The price is a bit higher but I think it totally whorts it! I think there is another inconvenient: the water steam… sometimes is hard to place it under the hood…
Filipa
http://www.welc-home.blogspot.com
I dream of the thermomix! My plan is to wear my husband down until he thinks he wanted to buy it for me all along…..it’s how I got my kitchen aid lol! x
I have the kitchenaid mixer and blender…and just so you know, I am in about my sixth month of the “lusting” stage for my thermomix…I have hope
Great Post! I too have both and it’s true that they complement each other. I can make my egg whites in the Kitch while cooking a custard in the Thermomix and then make gorgeous Iles flottantes in the blink of an eye!
I bought my KitchenAid in Australia when I was living there and I can’t believe how cheap they are in North America. I regularly see them for $270 on sale. It’s crazy how the different voltage ones are more expensive. There are a few accessories that you can get for it (mincer, ice cream maker, glass bowl) but it’s not in the same category as the Thermomix. Both have their purpose in the kitchen.
I have an old Kenwood Mixmaster and wouldn’t have any other one now… Although I must say I love the look of the Kitchenaids. I could not live without my Kenwood.
I have purposely avoided anything to do with the tmx because I knew the price before anything else about it and I didn’t want to want something that I knew I wouldn’t be able to have.
It looks like I might be going back to work sooner than I thought and my husband has agreed to a cleaner already, so I am thinking a tmx might be a deal breaker as well 😉
Thanks for the post Corrie!
Leanne xo
It’s great that we have access to these fab tools to do our cooking. You are seriously the best marketer for Thermomix. If they really aren’t paying you for it – I think you’d better request that they start!
Good luck with your renovations!
Hi Corrie! I am thinking of purchasing a thermomix, I have been reaserching them for a while now! I have a blog post on my blog at the moment asking for reviews if you would be interested in doing one for me?
I have just ordered a Thermomix … so excited. I hadn’t even heard of them until I started reading your blog. Thanks for all the great recipes … I can’t wait to try them myself.
I love my Bimby(in Italy we call it with this name)and it’s very popular too.all of friends have it… i can’t live without it!
Thank you for sharing your story! I too would love a KitchenAid and a Thermomix. With all the food intolerances and allergies in my home I cook a lot from scratch, but to be able to mill my own flour, sugar etc as well would be so great for the budget and for my own feeling of providing for my family. I have almost convinced the hubby that we need one. He wants a KitchenAid but we don’t have an income so that makes it hard to justify it. All our mixers, blenders etc are either dying or dead so its time to get a thermomix on 12 months interest free!
Thank you for sharing your story! I too would love a KitchenAid and a Thermomix. With all the food intolerances and allergies in my home I cook a lot from scratch, but to be able to mill my own flour, sugar etc as well would be so great for the budget and for my own feeling of providing for my family. I have almost convinced the hubby that we need one. He wants a KitchenAid but we don’t have an income so that makes it hard to justify it. All our mixers, blenders etc are either dying or dead so its time to get a thermomix on 12 months interest free!
Thermomix rules; so much that I created a forum. With 3 kids, it helps prepare healthy recipes ans saves loads of time.
Ive been tossing up between the thermomix and kitchenaid and I find they can do pretty much everything in there own right. Only the kitchen aid cant weigh and dosnt cook but you can still make sorbets, make your own flour, buttter, even sausages. And correct me if Im wrog but you cant make sausges with the thermomix. I thinks thats why I chose the kitchenaid over the Tmix…
Hi Corrie
I have both KA and TM. I had my KA first and it was one of the things that I couldn’t bear to part with when the TM came along. It also has a pasta attachment that I use (once or twice a year) when I have time to make fresh pasta. One of the thing I love about the TM is that the one blade and bowl does everything, milling flour, mincing meat, making sorbet, juice, dips, salads and even cooks. While I love my KA (because it is so pretty) I need to have additional attachments or bowls (that are not cheap) to do other things (like the ones mentioned above). I don’t think it is far to compare the two as they are different beasts. If you can afford both I think get both. If I had my time over and knew about the TM when I was looking at a KA I probably would have bought the TM first.
Loved this post, have linked it to my site. Really enjoy your blog by the way, I tell many of my clients about it
Fiona
Thanks RetroMummy. A great article here.
I am an owner of both Thermomix and KitchenAid too. I love them both and wouldn’t part with either. However, if people ask me to compare, I put it into value terms.
If I put a dollar aside for every time i used my Thermomix in a year (not counting as a consultant), i would conservatively come up with $1200. If I put a dollar aside for everytime I used my KitchenAid, I would come out with around $40 per year ( and this is based on pre-Thermomix usage).
I think I might get some plastic coloured counters out just to try it! I’ll be back in 12 months!
cheers meg (aka ThermoMeg)
I’m so glad i came across this. We just purchased a kitchenaid stand mixer & my desire to purchase the thermomix has increased, however I felt that it was indulgent and unecessary to own the two. I won’t feel guilty now! Haha, thanks.
Hi All,
i am not far off purchasing a Theromix – i have a young family, etc. I just wanted people’s opinion on the following… While i don’t have a theromix I am in great need of new pots and pans. I was just about to buy a couple of sets so that I can do big batches of cooking, etc ie Chicken stock and Pasta sauces. I was just wondering once you have a TMX in your life do you use your pots and pans as much or do they become like dust collectors… thanks a bunch. Trying to be frugal.. !!!
hi there don’t buy new pots and pans! I just use mine for boiling pasta if I’m doing a sauce in the tm. I do use my frypan for my big breakfast but I wouldn’t be buying a whole new set:)
Just putting my 2 cents in here.
I have both as well. I got my Kitchenaid first when my lovely boyfriend bought me one when he bought a house. I was living with mum and dad at the time and he wanted it as an excuse for me to come to his place more often
Lovely boyfriend became lovely husband 2 years later- and we expanded the cooking family by getting the Thermomix.
If you bake a lot- and that if your priority- get the Kitchenaid. With it’s strong metal paddles and dough hook -it can handle high speeds and cold butter.
I have a cupcake side business as well as full time work so my KA makes everything much easier.
However- I am also quite diligent about eating naturally. I would prefer to eat all my foods home made, including breads and pizzas. As I work full time- I don’t have the capacity to do this. We used to get a lot of take out- otherwise soups from cans with some sandwich bread. Since we bought the Thermomix I am able to have so much more control of what goes into my food, plus it honestly takes as much effort to cook with it than it does to heat up some soup and bread!