A machine to compete with TMX or not.

[cookie1]

I noticed in todays 'West Australian' an ad at the Kitchen Warehouse shop for a machine called a Vita -Mix. It says it dices, chops, blends, kneads dough, mixes batters, cooks hot soup and grinds whole grains into flour. It's cost is $999.
Does the Thermomix have a competitor? I'm wondering if it has reverse and different speeds and temperatures. I am so curious that I hope to get to the local Kitchen Warehouse tomorrow and have a look.  I think the TMX is a much nicer looking machine. This just looks like a blender.

[quirkycooking]

Hi Cookie - the Vita-Mix has been around for ages - it's a very powerful blender/food processor, but I'm not sure if it's as powerful as the TMX.  It does heat food, but only by friction - it has to spin it really fast to heat it, so it's basically only soups/sauces & maybe custards.  Doesn't steam or have reverse, and I think the temperature depends on the time you leave it mixing.  I don't think sorbets or ice-creams would work too well, as the friction would heat them up - could be wrong, not sure.  Doesn't have safety features, so can still go with the lid off.  I saw a recipe on You-Tube with it that said 'make sure  you switch it off at the wall while adding ingredients, as you don't want the kids accidentally pressing the button while your hands in there' !!!!  Not too safe, hey!  It's pretty popular in the USA, and more well known than the TMX there.

[JaneeZee]

What Jo says is all true.  It's also a plastic blender bowl & it must be very noisy.  They had one at the food & wine show a couple of months ago here in Melbourne & they'd constructed a special sound-proof box to house it in while it cooked the soup (which I have to say tasted pretty good!) & carried on demonstrating chopping stuff for a juice.  Temperature totally uncontrollable however.

[andiesenji]

I've had my first Vita-Mix, stainless steel container and base, for 37 years and it lived through the teenage years of my kids who used it constantly.  I did have the power cord replaced some twelve or so years ago but I still use it, especially outside on the deck, in case it gets knocked off the table.

I also have the newer, "plastic" ones, (Total Nutrition Center Super-5200) although the containers are made of high-impact Eastman Tritan copolyester, not just plastic, and it came with two containers with different blade types, one for wet blending and etc., and the other for dry grinding of grains. 
I guess I have used them for so long I don't notice the noise - except when grinding ice and it is not as noisy as the TMX at that task.

The Vita-Mix does come with a 7-year warranty which is pretty good. 

The price for the USA machine with both containers is discounted to $650.00  but that is for 120 volt.  The 240 volt machines (commercial) cost a lot more to manufacture and sell in the US for  1700. for the full package and 1200 for the 'stripped-down' package.
That is why they are so much more expensive in Australia and in the UK and Europe. 

[cookie1]

I went to have a look at this when I was shopping this morning. It doesn't have a heating element and the 'cooking' that it does is from the friction of the blades wizzing in the mix. eg The soup is cooked because you have the blades wizzing and it gains something like 10 degrees every minute. So to reach 80 degrees you have to wizz it for 7 minutes. As you have said no reverse either. It looks more flimsy than the TMX. You also need to buy a dry food bowl separately.
It does have a lovely cookbook though with beautiful pictures.

[Thermomixer]

Yes cookie1 - only heats but blitzing the hell out of it.  So not as good with cooking/steaming at all.

[maddy]

TVSN are selling this at the moment.
 https://www.itvsn.com.au/include/sweb.dll/search_start?customer_no=&site_id=ITVSN&session_id=&searchstring=vitamix&department=00000

I personally think it's ugly!     The dry food jug is $185 extra.
 It doesn't have the features of the TMX, but is priced around $995.00 (AU).
I think if you are going to spend nearly a grand on a high speed blender that heats (by friction), you may as well spend that bit extra and get a TMX with temperature  control and steaming, as well as the the other features it offers.

[cookie1]

DH was speaking to a guy the other day who's BIL had just paid around a grand for a machine that was supposed to do everything and they are very disappointed. I think it must have been one of these. DH extolled the virtues of the TMX and he couldn't believe it, they hadn't heard of it at all. Naturally DH just happened to have some biscuits that I had made.  I think there may be a TMX sale there.