Let's talk Thermomix

Hello everyone! Have you ever heard of Thermomix?

Had you asked me a couple of years ago, I would have been as clueless as probably most of you are right now. Then, my Italian fashion coach, mother-of-two best friend introduced me to it. I remember it was around Carnival and she emailed me that she had made "chiacchiere", an incredibly complicated pastry typical of the carnival season. Since she had just quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom, I joked about how she was putting her newly found spare time to the best use. No, she replied, the Thermomix made the dish. I had no idea what she was talking about.

A few weeks later I went to Italy to visit my family and she invited me and my son for dinner to demonstrate the Thermomix's abilities. Think a bread machine on steroids -- that is, which can cook anything from liqueurs to bread to first and second courses, desserts and more. Most of all, it works by itself, so that you can go and do other stuff in the meantime (read: giving the kids a bath).

When we moved to Italy last year, my mom got one for us as a gift. We ended up not using it much, because my mom did most of the cooking. I knew it was going to be a life saver when we came back to Canada though. As soon as I recovered my fonctional abilities towards the end of the summer, I went searching for the right power converter. The holy-graal-look-a-like-search led me to a shady electric store on the Plateau, where I got what I needed for 100$. Since then, the Thermomix has indeed become my best friend in the kitchen, especially right now during the holidays. Making lasagna for Christmas had never been easier. And did I say its original calling was to make baby purees? I cannot wait to try making those...