Many of my customers have been telling me that they are not confident when converting recipes for the TM. So I thought I would put together something to help them along and thought I would also share here.
Consultants feel free to pass this along to your customers also. (Acknowledgement would be appreciated however
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Converting recipes for the Thermomix involves a combination of trial and error and knowledge of what the machine can do. Once you become familiar with your Thermomix it is very easy. Here are some tips to help you convert your favourite recipes.Read the whole recipe before you start and work out which ingredients you can chop or mix together.
Consider the order in which you need to chop or mix ingredients. If you have ingredients which need to be finely chopped such as garlic, chilli, herbs, onion, do these first. You can then add any other ingredients which need a chunkier chop next. you may not necessarly have do things in the order of the original recipe.
Aim to save time where possible— The less times you have to wash the bowl the better. Eg grating cheese, grinding seeds and grains, making breadcrumbs can be done first and you don't have to wash the bowl before mincing, chopping, heating etc.
Some things always need to have a clean bowl eg. Whipping egg whites or cream or making butter. You need to decide whether you can do these things first and set aside or add the other ingredients eg. Flour, sugar when making a cake OR are you going to mix, chop or melt first and then clean the bowl before whipping.
Use the recipes in the cookbooks as a guide. Eg regardless of what casserole, pasta, risotto, soup, sauce you make the basic steps and order will always be the same. Chop, sauté, cook, puree if needed.
Less is best—If you are not sure how long to chop something for, chop for a few seconds at a time as you can always do it for longer. Use sound as a guide! As the pieces get smaller the sound of chopping decreases.
Speed can be important. Use your fridge magnet or the table in the front of your basic cookbook. Too fast or slow can result in an uneven chop. REMEMBER speed 4 is the maximum speed when you are using your butterfly. Any faster and it may come off the blades and get chopped up.
Take notes—I always have a scrap piece of paper or a pencil and measure cups measurements as weights. By recording the weight measurement of your ingredients and writing it next to the recipe, you can weigh straight into the bowl next time.
Trial and error—Converting recipes doesn’t always go 100% smooth the first time. You can always adjust the order, mixing, chopping or cooking times next time you make the dish. Remember to take notes for future reference.
Be confident! There is no such thing as a failure in the Thermomix! The worst that can happen is you forget to set the temperature or puree instead of chop. I have chopping failures but I just cook them up and give them to the dog or chooks or use as part of my vegie stock. Fruit can be used up in smoothies, juices or sorbets.
Happy converting!!
