Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: versaceyoyo on March 23, 2010, 03:35:33 am
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Has anyone come across this opinion when discussing TMX? what do you think?
For example, some contend that to truly understand a bearnaise, you need to make it from scratch and that if you have only ever made it in a TMX you don't understand bearnaise. I tend to agree with that, but on the other hand, there is no way I am making bearnaise from scratch on a regular basis (partly because I have never learned the art but also because I generally don't have the opportunity to concentrate in the kitchen due to a certain 3 yo DD)...
This interests me because so many top chefs swear by the things. In the UK TMX newsletter they are always featuring Michelin starred chefs who love TMX.
I am interested in your views.
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There are different opinions on TMX out there. Some people seem to think that the essence of cooking is lost and that we are merely operating a machine.
My uncle (who is a gourmet foodie from way back) was very intrigued by my TMX purchase and when over from the UK recently spent time examining my cookbooks and my machine. He was very open-minded about it and was impressed on many levels. He decided however (when comtemplating whether to buy one or not) that many of the things that he really enjoys and finds relaxing about cooking are many of the things that the TMX would do for him (chopping fresh herbs, making risottos and custards from scratch etc). He could certainly see how it was making life easier for me and thought that the end results of my cooking were great, but the process of cooking in the TMX wasn't for him. I don't think that TMX cooking is for everyone, but it is certainly for me!!!
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Personally I think anything that encourages people to cook at home and with healthy ingredients has to be the best. I sort of agree that maybe the TMX leaves out 'the art' of cooking. But doesn't healthy food for us all cover that. I'm sure that all of us with a TMX would agree that our cooking repertoire has improved (I couldn't be bothered making things that took heaps of stirring) and I'm sure we now make so many more things from scratch. eg I now make all my bread, jams, sauces and lots of other things.
Off the soap box now. :D
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I think those who say it is cheating, or you are not truly understanding the recipe by using this brilliant machine.......obviously don't have a TMX ;)
The type of foods I am making now, I would never have contemplated making, prior to purchasing the TMX. ;D
I don't care what the knockers say......my family are definitely not complaining ;)
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I'm not sure that those sorts of criticisms are necessarily "knocking" the TM.
I think that there is room for both arguments.
I love to cook and there are some things that I prefer to do myself or think that the TM doesn't do quite so well.
For some people, on the other hand, the machine has introduced them to whole new realms of food and cooking and that can't be a bad thing at all!
After all, there are those who prefer to use a wire whisk instead of electric beaters! :o
I think that really the TM is just another tool that we can choose to use or not - if we are fortunate enough to be able to afford the choice.
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I think you're right Amanda. If only people could word things as well (and as nicely) as you just did. Then we wouldn't feel quite so defensive of our Thermie-Babies.
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I am enjoying my food more because my TM is my little helper in the kitchen, so we share the preparation and cooking so its not such an arduous task cooking. Recipes are so easy and fool proof! With our busy lives and so many people who eat pre-packaged/prepared food or takeaway food, any machine that promotes healthy eating styles and makes it easier to put quality food on the table has got to be good. Although I have always cooked from scratch, so many more ingredients have been introduced into our familys diet because of the TM. If someone gets enjoyment out of a slower paced method of cooking, thats great and it works for them, but for me I will never look back. I know an old Italian lady who always makes her own pasta and says there is nothing better than handcut fetticine - even compared to home made pasta using the machine -- so I guess it all comes down to the individual. When (?) my kids leave home, they will leave with a TM tucked under their arm. ( :-))not mine of course, that stays!)
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I think my boys will also need to leave home with a TMX (a long way down the track) because they won't know how to cook without one ;D. I sometimes debate whether or not I should be teaching them traditional methods of cooking, but I think they will love TMX so much by then that they won't bother with traditional cooking methods anyway.
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Thanks for all those insights.
The TMX is a bit of a paradox really. Whilst it enables you to do so many more things from scratch, it does so in a labour-saving way...
I think it can also act as a way to spark interest in more traditional methods of cooking.
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For me, the TMX experience has been about a lot more than "making things easier". I'm starting to put nutrition and food into the same ball park, rather than food being something we consume at certain times of the day. It has opened up a whole world of possibilities to me, and the education, exploration, imagination etc that can be part of the experience is the best bit.
Hopefully I'll be able to teach my girls the joy of cooking, not the laborious daily grind.
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I look at this way: The invention of the motor car certainly made things a lot easier for everyone, but it doesn't mean that you can't take a ride in a horse and cart every now and then if you want ;D
Good topic.
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I agree CreamPuff!!! Well put! I for one make things that I'd never made before TMX - I just wouldn't have had time for them, or know how! I do teach my kids both ways, so that they know how to dice onions, etc, as they may not always have access to a TMX, but hopefully they'll all have one when they grow up! (That will be my wedding present, for sure!!)
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We have had one comment along the lines of "what are you teaching our children when it comes to food!!" thank goodness my DH is very on the ball and his reply was...
We are teaching our children the art of cooking their own food quickly and healthily with fresh ingredients instead of replying to "Do you want fires with that!!"
Needless to say he got his point across that it doesn't matter how the food is prepared as long as it is good food. Some of us just will not and can not spend hours in the kitchen cooking from scratch, yet for others it is their true form of relaxation and enjoyment.
I for one know that my family's health and eating habits have changed immensely due to the TMX and I am grateful that it is a part of my life :D I know my kids will be leaving home with their own TMX - AND yes they probably won't be able to cook traditionally (well maybe one that wants to be a chef lol)...in the end does it matter that they can only cook with a TMX ?
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I still maintain that if you can read, you can cook - be it traditionally or with the TMX so I can't see a problem with converting back from one method to the other. Recipe books are usually very explicit in their description of how to cook something (far too much information for seasoned cooks) but for new cooks who need this information, it is generally all there - step by step. People who say they can't cook don't want to cook in my experience.
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. People who say they can't cook don't want to cook in my experience.
Never a truer word has been spoken.
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I still maintain that if you can read, you can cook -
Hey~ that's my favourite saying!! :D ;)
There are different opinions on TMX out there. Some people seem to think that the essence of cooking is lost and that we are merely operating a machine. that many of the things that he really enjoys and finds relaxing about cooking are many of the things that the TMX would do for him (chopping fresh herbs, making risottos and custards from scratch etc).
I'm thinking that people who love to cook and find it relaxing can only do it in their 'spare' time on weekends etc but with TMX you can still do that but also have a risotto or something fab midweek insted of waiting til you get time. :)
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i can kind of understand it, but i'll bet he uses things like an electric beater, peeler, masher etc because they make the job easier. not so different to the thermomix. you think bearnaise sauce is not 'real' in it then don't use it for that - but as a time saving tool that lets you cook even more it's fantastic.
funnily i posted on my twitter asking if cooking from packets and jars was really cooking. i only got one response from a friend who said yes it was, because the food wasn't cooked before you 'cook' it. i definitely disagree but i can't really explain why. why does starting from scratch make it cooking and using preweighed and measured ingredients not? i'm not sure but i think they are not LOL
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i can kind of understand it, but i'll bet he uses things like an electric beater, peeler, masher etc because they make the job easier. not so different to the thermomix. you think bearnaise sauce is not 'real' in it then don't use it for that - but as a time saving tool that lets you cook even more it's fantastic.
funnily i posted on my twitter asking if cooking from packets and jars was really cooking. i only got one response from a friend who said yes it was, because the food wasn't cooked before you 'cook' it. i definitely disagree but i can't really explain why. why does starting from scratch make it cooking and using preweighed and measured ingredients not? i'm not sure but i think they are not LOL
Karen I agree that it can be a fine line between cooking and merely heating something up! It's funny because I think a lot of the 'recipes' in the 4 Ingedients books for example aren't really cooking because they merely use existing processed foods and mix them together to form something else.
And actually, having just written that, I think that the level of processing that has already taken place has something to do with whether it is really cooking or not. Making a pasta alfredo from a packet is basically just heating up processed food. Making a pasta alfredo (even better with your own pasta) is cooking, as you are using the constituent elements of that particular meal (eggs, flour etc). TMX allows you to be in control of even more steps in the process (milling, grinding, grating) rather than relying on industrial processes to provide these ingredients to you, so in my opinion it teaches you a lot about ingredients and how to bring them together.
So, getting back to my original post, I think, yes, if you are a serious cook you should probably know certain fundamental processes without the aid of a TMX but at the end of the day, if you cook with TMX at least you will be using the basic ingredients rather than 'cooking' with processed foods. Also, most of the people on this forum seem to be cooking for families as an everyday task rather than kicking back with a bottle of wine on a Saturday afternoon and doing a bit of recreational cooking (in which case you probably aren't interested in a TMX),
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I was thinking about this while having my shower this morning and wondering why having my TMX means I have rekindled my interest in cooking and I am experimenting more with better results
To my mind cooking is producing wonderful food using the best ingredients. The TMX is a luxury which allows one to spend less time doing the mundane tasks and more time concentrating on producing flavour and maybe producing more variety, sauces etc. It also means you end up less exhausted at the end of the production process, so you enjoy the fruits of your labour even more.
Cheating would be paying someone else to do all the shopping, preparation and presentation and pretending you did it yourself. ;D
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And you only have to look at how many of us tweak the recipes to adjust the flavours, thickness, colour, ingredients etc to see that we're real cooks. Otherwise, we wouldn't know how to thicken our sauces, stretch our meals, fix our bread, or turn one dessert into something else entirely! Cheats can't improvise.
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When I got my TMX and was describing it to friends, I found that my description varied depending on their attitude to cooking. I came to the conclusion that the TMX can be different to different people:
If you can't cook or don't have much time etc, and use processed foods or stuff like that, the TMX can help you to learn to cook those foods or cook them quickly eg shepherd's pie, lasagne etc
If you can cook a little, it can help you to expand your range eg bearnaise, proper custards etc etc
If you are a keen and capable cook or chef, it helps you to experiment eg developing recipes
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It's funny because I think a lot of the 'recipes' in the 4 Ingedients books for example aren't really cooking because they merely use existing processed foods and mix them together to form something else.
That's very true and I have that set of cookbooks but have only looked at them once in the 12 months that I have had my TMX (there was a fudge recipe I needed ;)). There are some recipe magazines at the supermarkets that I no longer buy as the recipes all seem to require a jar of this and a packet of that! I remember buying one magazine for the icecream special and then was so disappointed because it merely involved stirring up various chopped items through bought tubs of icecream. I just assume these days that recipes will involve cooking everything from scratch. :)
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@AnneUK
very true re the differing levels of expertise. The top chefs seem to use the TMX to develop complex recipes which would be difficult to replicate day in day out in a commercial kitchen without a TMX.
and Cathy you are right - this forum is evidence that using TMX need not be a 'cook by numbers' affair.
Supermarkets exist to shift massive volumes of product, most of which is processed, not whole foods. LOL at the 'ice cream special'! Exactly the type of 'recipe' which causes me to :-))
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I used to buy all those recipe books the supermarkets sell Versaceyoyo - somehow the picture on the front always got me in and even though I vowed I would not fall for that trick again, I did so time and time again. They made nice reading in bed and I would mark a few recipes but never do many at all because my existing recipes were always better. Then along came the TMX and I am now proud to say I can walk past those magazines and not be tempted at all - another way I am saving money since buying my 'Rowdy'. That would be at least 4 magazines a month, sometimes 6 depending on where I was shopping - at the end of the year that would be quite a saving. However, IF they ever sold those TMX magazines in supermarkets that Bron can get in Spain I guess I wouldn't be able to help myself once again :-)) :-)) :-))
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However, IF they ever sold those TMX magazines in supermarkets that Bron can get in Spain I guess I wouldn't be able to help myself once again :-)) :-)) :-))
If only JD . . . . . I would certainly be lining up to buy them! ;D
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i'd never bought the 4 ingredients books for that reason chelsea, however i did buy the gluten free version as i wanted some quick after work alternatives, and they use few ready made / processed ingredients which is nice :)
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I have always looked to cheat. No problems - why knead bread for 10 minutes when you can whack it in the TMX and watch it.
Even more fun is to show a smartypants chef the sabayon/zabaglione recipe and make it while sitting with your feet up rather than sweating over a pot of simmering water.
I am happy to cheat.
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I have always looked to cheat. No problems - why knead bread for 10 minutes when you can whack it in the TMX and watch it.
Even more fun is to show a smartypants chef the sabayon/zabaglione recipe and make it while sitting with your feet up rather than sweating over a pot of simmering water.
I am happy to cheat.
You rock TMXer!
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I have always looked to cheat. No problems - why knead bread for 10 minutes when you can whack it in the TMX and watch it.
Even more fun is to show a smartypants chef the sabayon/zabaglione recipe and make it while sitting with your feet up rather than sweating over a pot of simmering water.
I am happy to cheat.
:D Love it!
I think the same argument came into being when microwaves were introduced.
I don't need to understand Bernaise in order to make it.
I don't have TIME to understand Bernaise.
I love Bernaise and my Thermomix makes it every time without fail....
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At the end of the day "cooking" is about providing healthing nourishing food for our bodies and souls is it not? I totally agree that "processed" foods are no good for us. Personally I believe (and note that until I came across Thermomix I thought differently) using them is "cheating" not only cheating in cooking, but cheating our bodies and our families of good, healthy & nutritious real food. We also damage our bodies with the harmful chemicals, preservatives, additives etc that they add to these processed foods.
Like already mentioned in other posts here most of us cook for families. Whether or not we work on top of that, we're so busy that the Thermomix makes providing our families the best we can, so much more achievable.
Now with a Thermomix, I tackle so many more things that I just wouldn't had the time or the confidence to before hand (even "real" custard). So weather it's a daily meal or something special to impress, Thermomix has it's place.
And don't forget it's so fun to show off too! ;D :-))
So, I don't think Thermomix is cheating. I'll take what ever advantage I can to make healthy living that much more achievable.
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I think it is all about different strokes for different folks. Who cares? Eat drink cook and be happy. I ain't looking over your shoulder while you do it.
Gretch
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Well, if cooking with my beloved Thermy is cheating, then bring it on :D
I'm loving cooking, and my family is loving all the new recipes.
Like meganjane, I don't need to "understand" bernaise - I just like to eat it ;D