TMX is cheating

[Nay-nay]

I still maintain that if you can read, you can cook -

Hey~ that's my favourite saying!! 

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. 

[brazen20au]

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

[versaceyoyo]

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),

[Katya]

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.   

[cathy79]

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.

[ANNEUK]

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

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

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. 

[versaceyoyo]

@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 

[judydawn]

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 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

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! 

[brazen20au]

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

[Thermomixer]

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.

[versaceyoyo]

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!

[meganjane]

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.

  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....

[I Love Bimby!]

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! 

So, I don't think Thermomix is cheating. I'll take what ever advantage I can to make healthy living that much more achievable.