TMX is cheating

[versaceyoyo]

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. 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

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!!!

[cookie1]

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.

[maddy]

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. 
I don't care what the knockers say......my family are definitely not complaining 

[Amanda]

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!
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.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

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.

[CreamPuff63]

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!)

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

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  .  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.

[versaceyoyo]

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.

[cathy79]

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.

[CreamPuff63]

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 

Good topic.

[quirkycooking]

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!!)

[faffa_70]

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    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 ?

[judydawn]

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.

[cookie1]

.  People who say they can't cook don't want to cook in my experience.

Never a truer word has been spoken.