A flavour of the future...
THIS TRIO OF MAGICAL GADGETS IS A RECIPE FOR COOKING SUCCESS
BY NOW we should all have a little box in our kitchens that we can ask for any kind of food we like, and within seconds find it within – like magic. That’s the future science fiction promised us all those years ago, and I for one am disappointed to still be slaving over a hot stove.
Or rather, I was disappointed until I discovered a handful of devices that might not quite fully deliver on that promise, but certainly get us someway there, each in their on way. And they all can, on occasion, feel like magic.
VORWERK THERMOMIX TM6
THIS looks a little bit like an oversized food-processor, but if you think the Vorwerk Thermomix TM6 is just there for chopping, mixing, and grinding, then think again... and think much bigger.
Of course it will do that, but it will also weigh and cook things for you, too. In fact, its makers say it’ll bring more than 12 useful kitchen functions into one device.
Perhaps the best part of the whole thing is the large LCD touch-screen on the front – that’s not just the place you control the Thermomix from, it’s also where you’ll find the its secret weapon – guided recipes.
The companion online Cookidoo service (which requires a subscription after the first month, costing £30 a year) features more then 40,000 recipes for the Thermomix. Each will guide you step-by-step through the process.
Because the device is weighing the ingredients, and setting the temperature and time of the cooking, you can’t really go wrong.
The mixing bowl is at the heart of the device, and is where most of the magic happens.
It features a rotating mixing knife in its base, which can stir at low speed, mix at medium speed, and grind and chop at high-speed.
A simmering basket can sit over the mixing knife, for steaming and boiling things you don’t want to mix. On the top of the whole thing sits the Varoma – a steaming basket that’s perfect for cooking vegetables and fish.
As a very simple example, a basic tomato pasta sauce guided recipe begins with the addition of 150g of onions (you do have to peel them and chop them in half!), a clove of garlic, and 50g of olive oil.
The Thermomix measures as you add, then chops the ingredients before sautéing them at just the right temperature and for just the right amount of time, before you’re asked to add 800g of crushed tomatoes and some salt and pepper.
Then the Themomix drops the temperature and reduces the mix for 20 minutes. The result is perfect.
That’s a very simple example of what it can do – more complex recipes using more of the devices functions and accessories are just a touch of a button away – downloaded via wi-fi and displayed on the Thermomix screen.
There is a Cookidoo app for smartphones, so you can browse and save recipes just about anywhere. It’ll even compile a shopping list for you so you can be sure to have everything you need.
The Thermomix also allows for a number of special modes, from high temperature cooking, so you can make things like caramel and toffee safely, to a sousvide function.
You can also use the Thermomix for fermentation and it doubles as a slow cooker for stews and casseroles.
■ The Thermomix TM6 costs £1,099 and is available only from Vorwerk directly. Book a demo at vorwerk.co.uk/vorwerk/requesta-demonstration/thermomix
THE GENIE
NEXT up is a new device that’s been in the works for at least half a decade, but looks set to hit the market soon.
The Genie actually looks like the food printer of our sci-fi dreams, and is expected to cost in the region of £800 when it arrives.
Its Israeli makers had gone quiet for some time, but a recent resurgence in Facebook activity, plus the ability to register interest in the Genie on its website, has heightened expectation.
It’s described as a “pod” cooker – a bit like the pod coffee makers that are inexplicably so popular these days. You insert the pod into the machine – it looks a bit like a
Pot Noodle – and a few minutes later out comes a nutritious meal that the Genie’s makers say will be good for you and the planet.
The device itself is capable of steaming, boiling, stirring, whisking, baking, and heating – and knows just what to do with any pod by scanning a barcode on its side.
■ Register your interest in the Genie at genie.cooking/uk
INSTANT POT DUO 7
LASTLY we have the budget option that’s best described as a nextgeneration pressure cooker.
It’s not quite as sophisticated as the other two devices, but for just £90, what would you expect from the Instant Pot Duo 7? It claims seven functions – it’s a “pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté/browning cooker, yogurt maker, steamer and a warmer”.
At that price you can’t argue, and let’s be honest, any device that can whip up a risotto in less than 15 minutes has a lot going for it.
A large control panel with lots of presets make it a cinch to operate – all you have to do it sit back and relax while the Instant Pot does the hard work.
■ Find out more about the Instant Pot and buy at instantpot.co.uk