With food allergies, intolerances and dietary restrictions on the rise, can a Thermomix help? It’s a question worth asking.
In Australia, allergies are estimated to affect around 1 in 10 babies, 1 in 20 teens and 1 in 50 adults. We all have to be more careful with the food that we buy and prepare.
Catering for friends and family is proving more difficult. Reading labels can be confusing. Paying for the special ingredients or food is costly. As someone who has recently bought a Thermomix, we are in awe of just how versatile it is. Not only has it saved us time and money, but it is also helping us navigate life with allergies.
How has it helped my family?
Our Thermomix has given us the tools we need to make more things from scratch, helping us save money and eat better. It has opened up a whole new world and made the impossible feel possible.
I have coeliac disease and one of my sons has been recently diagnosed too. We have a lifelong allergy to gluten which is found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Gluten is an ingredient in many everyday grocery items.
While we are lucky to have so many gluten-free products available on shelves, these are expensive to buy. On average, gluten-free products cost three to six times more. It feels unfair seeing that they are normally smaller packets and not as tasty. Having to cater for a food allergy adds an extra expense to the grocery budget. I feel for those families who have multiple allergies and intolerances to buy for.
What have I used my Thermomix for?
Since purchasing our Thermomix, we have used it multiple times each day. We use it to make meals, snacks and everything in between. Our family favourites so far are risotto, butter chicken, mashed potato and san choy bau. We love the spaghetti sauce and meatballs, falafel and zucchini slice. We enjoy pad thai, sausage rolls and pumpkin soup.
We have made gluten-free sweet biscuits, muffins, brownies, cinnamon donuts and lamingtons. We love the caramel popcorn, lemon meringue pie, protein balls and chocolate caramel slice. We have made peanut butter, pancakes, naan, cheese puffs, brioche buns and pretzel bread.
I mill my own rice flour (both white and brown), icing sugar and baking powder. We make breadcrumbs. stock and gravy. I have made both condensed and sweetened condensed milk. I have shaved soap to make my own washing powder, credit to Serina from The Joyful Frugalista for the recipe.
What am I yet to try?
There are so many things that I still want to try in the Thermomix. I would like to make gluten-free bread, Worchester sauce, yoghurt and almond milk. I’d like to try marshmallows, puddings and chocolate spread. I want to try pesto, hommus, thai green curry paste, salad dressing and taco mix. With the price of butter and cream going up, I would like to make these too.
Here are 3 ways a Thermomix can help with allergies:
1. Saves Money On Groceries
We all want to save more money on food, especially when we need to cater for allergies and dietary restrictions. Although there is a significant initial outlay, a Thermomix can go a long way to help reduce your grocery bills. It enables you to make from scratch rather than buying expensive prepackaged goods.
You can mill your own flour and sugar, make your own breadcrumbs for schnitzels and nuggets and bake delicious goodies to take for those morning teas. You will be less likely to hand over good money for a brownie when you can whip up your own super easily.
Need baby food? The little pouches are handy to keep in the pantry or nappy bag to have on hand when you need it. Purees are also super easy to make in the Thermo. It weights, cuts, cooks and mashes it for you while you put your feet up (haha not really but I don’t need to tell you that) and you can buy cute reusable pouches to put them into.
Since buying our Thermomix, I have noticed my patterns changing. I no longer duck into the shops as much. I make do with what we have. I am cooking all the time. I bring baked goods with me wherever I go. I would expect that those who have an allergy would notice greater financial savings when using a Thermomix compared to those who do not.
2. Saves Pantry Space
I have noticed that since buying a Thermomix, I don’t need to keep as many types of ingredients on hand. Items like icing sugar I can mill as I go. I can make shortcrust pastry for pumpkin pie. I can make tandoori paste for butter chicken and naan bread and raita for sides.
I no longer need to purchase as many items in my weekly shop or find space in my pantry to store them. I can make them fresh when a recipe requires it. In saying that, we have started buying bulk flour in different varieties for gluten-free flour mixes. It just means that rather than needing to buy more containers, we have plenty of spare ones to use now.
3. Know Exactly What Is In Your Food
When you make food from scratch, you know exactly what is in it. This is useful for those managing dietary restrictions and allergies but is also just better for your health. It reduces the salt, sugar and preservative content.
Often when I’m baking cookies, I’m surprised with just how much sugar (not to mention butter) is in them. It is often far less than found in shop-bought varieties though.
If we can make small changes and start to switch some of the things we normally buy to make instead, we can make a difference. it is healthier, it saves money and it can reduce the impact on the environment. By reducing our consumption of prepackaged goods, we reduce the need to truck and ship food around our country and the world.
Who Would Benefit From A Thermomix?
I honestly believe that every household would benefit from having a Thermomix. Those would benefit most, would be those:
- with someone or multiple people with allergies or dietary restrictions
- who want to have less additives and preservatives in their food
- someone who is time poor
- someone with a baby starting solids
- wanting to spend less money on groceries
- wanting to make more food from scratch
- wanting to be more self-sufficient
- wanting to experiment with new recipes
I can’t afford Cookidoo. What else can I use for recipes?
Although Cookidoo is wonderful, it is another expense. Admittedly, we have gotten used to it now and can’t go back (well played, Thermo!). A subscription to Cookidoo is not essential but certainly handy.
You can simply google Thermomix-inspired recipes. Many consultants have websites and publish recipes and cooking hacks. You may have heard about Skinny Mixers. It was started by a home cook, but now is a successful business enterprise with a blog, cookbook series and Facebook Group with over 230,000 members.
With a Thermomix, anything is possible.
I honestly feel that Thermomix has been a game-changer for our family. It has given me a newfound passion for baking. Catering for gluten-free and other allergies doesn’t feel so difficult.
I love trying out new recipes. I am forever telling people about our Thermomix and that it’s the reason that I’m always baking now. A Thermomix takes a reluctant cook to a confident one.
Milling flour makes me feel both clever and self-sufficient, although I really can’t take any of the credit. One of the consultants I follow online goes by the handle, ‘With Thermi I Can.’ I think this is brilliant. With Thermomix, you really can create anything in the kitchen.
Is a Thermomix expensive? Well yes. Over $2500 at the time of writing. It is also a pretty amazing kitchen tool. I write more about it here. I genuinely believe that you get what you pay for. There are cheaper multi cookers out there but they aren’t the same. Most people I know who have bought these have ended up buying the Thermomix later anyway (admitted they spent way more money in the process).
If you or someone in your family has food allergies, life is already expensive, right? You pay more for smaller packages of food which often taste inferior. It sucks. I often experience inner rage whilst grocery shopping and seeing how much more I have to pay than the average shopping. By ‘investing’ in a Thermomix, you have the initial outlay but then save money moving forward.
Keen to make a purchase? I now have a referral link. I am still not affiliated with or sponsored by Thermomix. Anyone can apply for a link (even you!). It simply means that I receive a $50 voucher for the Mix Shop in return for spreading the word. This would be a lovely bonus for our family (but not expected by any means).
You can still add the name of a consultant to support them too, without it costing you any extra. It might just make their day. Here is a directory of consultants that I’ve put together for you.
For more information:
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia or ph: 1300 728 000
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy
Coeliac Australia or ph: 1300 458 836
Health Direct or 24 hour hotline ph: 1800 022 222
Thermomix Australia or ph:1800 004 838
Does someone in your household have food allergies or intolerances? How do you manage it?
I’d love to hear from you below or connect with you over on Instagram or Facebook. Come and say hi!
Melanie Wegener
(I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Thermomix. I have been asked to partner with Thermomix in exchange for some goodies from the Mix Shop and while I admit this was tempting, it just didn’t feel right. It’s hard to trust what someone says if they have been gifted a product. I want to remain impartial in my opinion and want to be a trustworthy review. If I am not gaining anything from writing this, then I hope that readers will be able to form their own opinions and not be swayed or pressured into making a decision.)
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