Wednesday 3 June 2009

Me and Fee

(Picture above is cut and pasted from Thermomix website)

Rita had an epiphany last night. I feel like a person who has suddenly ‘found’ god!

What caused the skeptical Rita to feel this way? Well, it was a small-ish kitchen appliance called a Thermomix.

This little number has the appearance of a food processor, but does way more than a food processor. It chops (as in vegetables, fruit etc), beats (as in cake mixes), whips, grinds (as in grains, seeds etc), kneads (as in bread dough), minces, grates, juices, blends, heats, stirs, steams and weighs food.

It makes salads, peanut butter, sorbet, fresh juice, butter, pizza or bread dough, hollandaise (blends the ingredients and cooks it totally), custard (as for hollandaise), soups, dips, jams and the list goes on.

It is fast, efficient and is tailor made for those who are interested in their own, and their families, health and well being.

Fiona Hoskin, owner of top ranking Fee and Me restaurant in Launceston, is the Tasmanian Group Leader sales person of this wonder machine, and popped down to Hobart last night to do a demonstration of the Thermomix for Rita and two friends.

I had never met the mythical Fee before last night, and have to confess to having come away very impressed with her.

Fee admitted to total skepticism (like me) prior to actually seeing the Thermomix, but now has 3 of them in her restaurant kitchen. Paul Foreman has one at Marque IV and Justin at Moorilla ditto.

They are magic, and I was bowled over with the performance of this machine. In two hours, Fee made for us THE most gorgeous sorbet I have ever had (and I am not a sorbet fan by any means), a mushroom risotto, bread rolls, custard, a dip, plus the best salad I can remember ever having had – beetroot, carrot, apple and fresh herbs - sounds pretty damned ordinary, but the flavours were out of this world. Prior to making the sorbet, she put a cup of raw sugar into the mixer, and two seconds later - da-da – out came white icing sugar!

You can make your own butter, choux pastry, curries, mayonnaise, ice cream, fresh fruit and vegetable juices. You can steam food. The machine weighs the ingredients as you pop them into it, if you want it to. There is no way to stuff up, basically!

I heard today about a guy who bought a Thermomix a month ago, and has cooked his dinner in it every night (except one) since he bought it.

Fee warned us to come along hungry, and I was glad I obeyed her!

One of my friends bought one there and then last night. I am still considering it, but have to admit to being a tad biased now! I want my oldest daughter Nellie to at least look at one, as I believe the best people they would be suited to are parents who care about their growing children, and are genuine in their attempts to provide them with as healthy a diet as is humanly possible. The Thermomix will do this for the time-poor parents of today.

No – I’m not a salesperson for Fee, but am more than happy to endorse what I saw last night. Fee is currently compiling a recipe book of Thermomix recipes from happy customers, and will be donating proceeds from the sales of the book to the Save the Tassie Devil fund, as that is another thing she is passionate about. Well done Fee.

Posted on by Rita
25 comments

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

so, how much? and where do you get them?

Fee said...

Hi Rita,

Glad you enjoyed the Thermomix revelation! The more I use mine, the more I love it, and I am constantly discovering a myriad of new uses for my kitchen wonder!

Thermomix is great for people of all ages and stages of life as well as busy families. It'll make cooking for one a joy; cooking for two a breeze; save older hands from hours of stirring and chopping, and make a welcome addition to a commercial kitchen's brigade of hard workers ... and it won't want overtime, sick leave or holidays!

In answer to the post by anonymous - you can only see a Thermomix by going to a demonstration or a cooking class as you need to see this baby in action to believe it! Demos can be organized by contacting me and I can also take bookings for the next cooking class which is the 15th June in Launceston and the 21st June in Hobart. (Based around gluten free cooking by popular demand this month.) Demos are free and there is a $10.00 charge for classes to cover hall hire etc.

Look forward to hearing from you all because life's too short to eat bad food or spend too many hours slaving in the kitchen!

Fee

fiona@feeandme.com.au

Stephen said...

Hope you've got a couple of grand burning a hole in your pocket.

Thermomixer said...

Hi Rita, had to laugh at your post. It is hard not to become enthusiastic when you see them in action. I am not a sales person for the Thermomix, but should get commission. Check out the www.forumthermomix.com site for some more info.

As Fee said "a welcome addition to a commercial kitchen's brigade of hard workers ... and it won't want overtime, sick leave or holidays!". A friend purchased one for his restaurant and said that it has saved him a lot more than it cost. It saves him a full wage (possibly not good for the unemployment issue-but less stress having to find reliable employeees)

Thermomix in Australia said...

Hey Rita,
so happy you were happy, Fee of course is almost as amazing as the Thermomix!
We have linked to this page!
Look forward to more from your blog!

Rita said...

Hi Anon - as Fee said, you can't buy them in a shop, but only through the authorised representatives, and you need to have a demo first, as admittedly they are a large investment - as Stephen rightly points out, you need that spare couple of thousand in your back pocket. Having said that, if you only invested in that one machine, you wouldn't need a juicer or a food processor, or a Kitchen Aid (much as I adore my little red baby!), or bamix, or an ice cream machine, and the list goes on. If I could rewind the clock 2 months, I would buy the Thermomix in preference to the new (used ONCE!!) red Kitchen Aid I've been slathering over for the past 4 years, and finally got!
Fee - thanks for your comments. I was sincere in what I said. I look forward to another demo soon with Nellie.
Thermomixer - thanks for dropping by. As you know, I have read your blog for a few years now with interest, and at last finally got to see a 'live' Thermomix in action! Reading between the lines, you might be able to tell that I was impressed! I had previously checked out the forum site, as referred to previously on your blog, but encourage anyone else who is interested to look at it.
Hi and welcome Thermomix in Australia. Geez you guys were quick to pick up my post about the Thermomix! Anyway - it's great to have you join us here, and you're right about Fee - she does the product credit.

Rita said...

PS - as a fellow blogger humourously pointed out on the phone to me today - if this machine could additionally take on the marital responsibilities of the bedroom variety - well, I think a lot of us would be overjoyed to make the $1900 investment, and go home very happy! (He didn't put it quite that politely! I have sanitised what he said)

Thermomixer said...

LOL - my wife complains that I spend more time with my Thermomix than with her - it would be great if it could take care of the bedroom business and keep us both happy.

Don't sell your Kitchen Aid, Bamix, etc yet. I still use them as well- especially for egg whites - but have the Thermomix on the bench ready to perform at all times.

sir grumpy said...

Yes Rita, when they are reluctant to give the price out you know it's expensive.
They try to hook you in with a demo and charge you into the bargain.
I've LONG given up on gadgets. Just another thing to go wrong and take up space.
Pestle and mortar, decent knives and a bamix are it.
Then decent pots and just the cooktop and oven.
I also hate this trend of using Americanisms for people's desciptions. Tasmanian Group Leader sales person. Come on.
It'll be President, Vice-President and Oberlieutenantgrupenfuhrer next.
Aaaaaargh.

Rita said...

Sir G - that was my fault - I didn't know what her official title was so just pulled that one out of my hat!

Stephen said...

There's also the issue of being able to taste the food as you prepare it. I'm no prude, but I hesitate to stick my tongue in a Thermomix.

Stephen said...

...unless it'll buy me a drink first.

Rita said...

Stephen - that was the bonus of having Fee doing the demo. In her, you have someone who is totally at home with, and in synch with, the many facets and flavours of food. There's no way on this earth I would ever have even suggested that salad combo she blended for the Thermomix salad I mentioned in the post. But when I tasted it, it absolutely blew my mind. It wasn't just 'nice' - it was fabulous! Generally, despite feeling virtuous after eating salad, I can't say a salad is something I'd ignore a peppered steak for!
Fee's salad was different. I'd believe her before I'd believe many others.

Justin @ Moorilla said...

Good stuff Rita. We now have two and they go with us everywhere. So far they have accompanied us to Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and soon the Gold Coast. I cannot speak highly enough of these and I promise ANYONE who gets one will be converted. They are brilliant and so much better and cheaper than anything equivilent. There are so many other gadgets you can buy but nothing comes close to these.

sir grumpy said...

PS Rita, Fee's little ``it won't need overtime, sick leave or holdays'' gave me the shits.
How flippant. Yes, let's do away with people's jobs. Then no one will be able to eat out or in or buy that new shiny gadget.

Anonymous said...

good grief : now this blog is an infomercial blog? how ratty is that? very ratty. it's bad enough with the atrocious spelling, but now you are flogging goods?
sheesh

Wayne said...

Agree with Mr G about the remarks made by Fee Hoskins, they seemed a little insensitive especially in times when people are losing jobs. Dont agree with him on the crockery & glasswar comment though. If he says Fee's comment was flippant then his one suggesting that most stemwear is cheap is also-Mr G, dont be a hypocrite.
Last anon, Rita is merely talking about a product that she was enthused by, is that so bad? I think you are being very small minded & pious. If you are a regular reader of this blog you will konw what she stands for, if not you'll be prone to making a judgement based on one of her posts.

Fee said...

Dear Mr Grumpy and Wayne,

I'm afraid I'm being misquoted. Please read my comments again - 'make a welcome ADDITION to a commercial kitchen's brigade' not a replacement for staff. My three apprentices are still gainfully employed alongside the three Thermomixes in my kitchen.

The Thermomixes take over the repetitive tasks such as peeling garlic, chopping chillies, mincing kilos of onions, cooking and stirring anglaises, and cooking and blending purees so that the apprentices are free to learn new skills. They still learn the traditional knife skills needed for their careers ahead so can still be seen chopping parsley etc by hand. Hopefully, after using Thermomixes, my apprentices won't need shoulder reconstructions when they're my age - a legacy from 20 years of stirring, kneading, and repetitive chopping actions.

I was, without a doubt, the biggest sceptic when I first saw the Thermomix in action but I've had to eat my words over and over again. It is THE best investment I've made for the kitchen and saves me lots of money on repairs as well as cutting down on wastage. Parsley oil doesn't discolour, pestos remain vibrant green, and custards don't catch and burn on the bottom when someone steps away from the stove for a second. My oldest two machines are 8 and 6 years old respectively and they haven't missed a beat or needed a service. They have outlasted far more expensive commercial equipment.

I see the Thermomixes as an extension of my kitchen, not a replacement for staff. We can create textures and flavours that were beyond our reach without them.

We are all going to have different opinions and there are always going to be adversaries to things but please don't accuse me of saying things I didn't say. I value my staff and look after them as best I can while they are with me.

Have a great long weekend everyone.

Fee

Christina said...

Hi Rita,
It must be hard having to defend yourself with every decision you make about what to put on your blog and what to leave out.
Myself, I enjoy all aspects of information I receive, whether I can use it or not.
I am one of those people who soaks up information { which Phil calls useless trivia }, like a sponge for use whenever I may need it.
I don't think I'll ever be in the market for a thermomixer, but I was very interested to hear all about it.
I understand your passion. When I find a good thing I tell all who will listen how wonderful I think this product is, be it service, wine, a meal I've enjoyed etc. I just want everyone to have the great experience I've had.
Yet again you'll find you can't please them all.
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life, and one man's trash is anothers treasure, {oh the cliches!}
I could go on but I'll leave it, I'm sure you know where I'm coming from, but while we're on the subject of wanting everyone to experience something pretty good, I've got two words! Snug Tavern!.
Okay, it is what it is, but I had THE best Chicken Schnitzel Parmagiana, $19, that I've ever had ever, and Phil's $19.50 Super Rump was astoundingly good.
So much so that on the back of a quiet countery for 2 on a Monday lunch time, we now have a booking for 20 on a Saturday at the end of the month.
I've just spent an hour trying to download photos from my phone, but it's not happening.
Keep up the great work Rita, sorry this is so long.

Rita said...

Thanks Christina - I'm not in the slightest bit put out at Anon 1.40's comments! I will defend to the grave my right to open these forums up for anyone who is interested to add to.
You and Wayne are correct. I was merely being overly enthusiastic about a kitchen product I saw and loved, and telling you about it here in my blog. Not for one moment would I expect anyone to go out and buy one - but having said that, I wholeheartedly recommend you ALL get on the phone NOW and order one from Fee!
I'm about education and information-giving. I suspect many who read my blog will never have even heard of a Thermomix - so now they have at least heard of one, and must be vaguely aware of what they have the potential to do in the kitchen. So I've achieved what I set out to do.
Thanks Fee for pointing out that salient fact. I have been away and returned tonight to find much reading matter here on the blog.
Great to hear from you too Justin. Good to see you you beating the Thermomix drum as well!

sir grumpy said...

By the way Wayne, I believe most glassware on most restaurant tables is middling quality at best. Top places use top stuff. Fair enough./
But to cite breakages as part of a list to NOT offer free corkage is a bit of a long bow.
Come on.

sir grumpy said...

By the way Wayne, I believe most glassware on most restaurant tables is middling quality at best. Top places use top stuff. Fair enough./
But to cite breakages as part of a list to NOT offer free corkage is a bit of a long bow.
Come on.

hrv said...

Sir G - Our establishment uses quality stemware (glasses) that cost around $12 to $20 per unit because we believe that customers should get the most from the wine that they have ordered. We factor about %5 per annum breakage into our beverage costs but last finnacial year when we did (glass)stocktake we found that 60% have either been stolen or broken. This equated to about $3700 in replacements that we need just to cover our operational needs for the coming year. Breakage and theft are not such a small part of your margins. Luckily we replaced our stemware with a product of stronger but equal quality, put in procedures to prent theft and we are currently looking at only 8% this year.

sir grumpy said...

Well, from the horse's mouth, HRV I can do nothing other than bow to your hands-on knowledge.
I'm surprised at that cost.
Fair enough.

Anonymous said...

Well put & clearly said HRV