Extracted from an original article published on The Straits Times by Senior Food Correspondent, Wong Ah Yoke
Sales of multi-function Thermomix soar with more people cooking at home
SINGAPORE – For more than two years, Ms Diab Mastura was eyeing an appliance in her sister-in-law’s
kitchen.
Called the Thermomix, it looks like a large blender slotted into a base. But it can do a lot more
than blend. It can also weigh, chop, mince, mill, mix, whip, knead dough, boil, sous vide, fry and
steam.
It can do practically everything you need to in the kitchen except deep-fry and bake. There is
even a function to aid cleaning.
At $2,398, the gadget does not come cheap, though.
Ms Diah, 40, says: “I was worried I wouldn’t use it and that it would be a white elephant. It
looked tempting because it can cook so many dishes, but that wasn’t enough to sway me at first.
The housewife succumbed two months ago.
The school holidays are coming and my teenage children will be home most of the time. They love
baking, so they can use the machine too, says Ms Diah, who has four daughters aged 11/2 to 14 and
a five-years old son.
She uses the appliance mainly to prepare batter and dough for baking- something she seldom did in
the past as she was not confident the results would turn out well. She also found it too messy.
But with the Thermomix, she can weigh out the ingredients and, using an attachment called
Cookidoo, access a digital library of more than 75,000 recipes via Wi-Fi. With the required time,
speed and temperature programmed into the machine, the results are consistent.
She uses the machine at least once Land sometimes up to five times – a day and has baked scones,
muffins, lemon cake and different kinds of bread.
The gadget. whjch Ms Diah’s daughters have named Mixy, has helped the family bond.
Her older girls- Sharleez Nadya, 14, and 13-year-old twins Mysha Nadya and Myreen Nadya – often
join in the baking sessions.
“It’s become a family activity- everyone enjoys it,” says Ms Diab. She is not the only one
converted to the cult of Thermomix.
With more people cooking at home during the Covid-l9 pandemic, the smart machine is a boon,
especially for new cooks who just need to follow simple instructions.
Ms Dolly Chin, regional director of brand and marketing for Thermomix, says sales have more than
doubled during the pandemic. Each month, about 1,500 machines are sold in Singapore.
In a list of Singapore’s fastest-growing companies this year compiled by The Straits Times and
Germany-based global research firm Statista, Thermomix came in at No. 9, with a compound
annual growth rate of 151.4 per cent.
About eight in 10 Thermomixes sold here are purchased by home cooks. Food-and-beverage
businesses and laboratories that use the machine to test recipes make up the rest of the
customers.
And with the latest, fully digital model launched last year – which can cook at a higher
temperature of 160 deg C instead of 120 deg C – there are more male and younger users too. says Ms
Chin.
Thermomix was conceptualised in France in the 1960s and registered under its brand name 50 years
ago. It has evolved over the years with added functions and is now in its sixth generation.
The appliance is not sold in shops, but through users called Thermomix cooking advisers who are
trained to conduct demonstrations for potential buyers.
Each adviser also creates a chat group for customers who have questions or wish to share their
experience.
Ms Christy Chang, who bought her first Thermomix 15 years ago, became a seller in
2014.
The 40-year-old used to hawk about 10 machines a month but, since the pandemic, that figure has
gone up to more than 20 – qualifying her as a star seller.
Her record sale of 42 units came in April last year, when the circuit breaker started.
The housewife with four children aged six to 13 now earns more than $10,000 in commission each
month, compared with just $800 when she started.
She sells through face-to-face demonstrations- either singly or in groups – as we11 as via Zoom and
Facebook Live.
Many of her customer are referrals from others who had bought the appliance from her. And she
follows up with after-sales service like delivery and unboxing the item with the buyer.
But she is not just a seller. At home, she uses the Thermomix religiously to whip up almost all
the meals for her family. She has three units, including the latest model.
“I cook on my dining table, not the stove,” she says. “My four children have different diets. One
likes rice, another likes Western food and another likes bread.”
Her 13-year-old daughter is a special-needs child who is immobile and non-verbal, and Ms Chang
finds the Thermomix perfect for cooking congee for her as the stirring action prevents the gruel
from getting burnt.
She plans her meals a week in advance and inputs them into the machine. She often cooks one-pot
meals and also likes recipes that allow her to cook two dishes at a go. The Thermomix comes with an
attachment that allows a dish to be steamed while another is being cooked under it.
Ms Chang has also adapted her mother’s recipes· like braised duck and stewed bittergourd with
chicken – for the Thermomix.
Ms Diah, who has 66,000 followers on lnstagram, has also become an adviser. She sold 40 machines in her first month and 46 in her second, earning five-figure commissions.
She conducts some demonstrations in person, but finds that most customers prefer to watch her
videos online because of the pandemic.
One of those who bought a machine from her last month is Ms Amelia Mohd Ariffin, who is married
without children.
The 28-year-old, who works in advertising,says she had been looking for a multi function kitchen
appliance for a year and heard about the Thermomix from a friend. She then learnt more about it
on social media.
She and her husband of two years are living with her mother and younger brother while waiting for
their Build-To-Order flat.
She does most of the cooking for the family, who prefer healthier dishes. What attracted her to
the Thermomix is its steam and self-cleaning functions.
“My mum is a clean freak and does not like people to mess up her kitchen,” she says.
Frying sambal is great, too, because the oil does not splatter – unlike cooking on the stove.
The machine is also a remarkably fast worker. For instance, it peels garlic in two to three
seconds.
Ms Amelia also uses it to chop nuts and fruit for salads.
All the time saved means she can cook every day despite having a full-time job.
“Home-cooking is wonderful because you know exactly what you’re putring into the dish.”
Two popular Thermomix recipes
The recipes can be converted for other appliances. Speed ranges from one (slow) to
10 (very fast), while Varoma means the highest temperature of 160 deg C.
Ayam kapitan
Ingredients
• 6 to 12 dried red chillies, trimmed and deseeded if preferred
• Warm water, for soaking
• 40g vegetable oil
• 4 to 8 fresh long red chillies, trimmed and deseeded if preferred
• 2 garlic cloves
• 100g eschalots
• l00g red onion
• 2 candle nuts
• 5cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled
• ½ tsp shrimp paste
• 20gwater
• 4 to 6 whole chicken legs, cut into pieces
• 150g coconut milk
• I tsp salt
• I tsp sugar
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves
Method
- Place the dried chillies in a bowl, cover with warm water and set aside to soak for five minutes. Using a simmering basket, drain the chillies and set aside.
- Place the oil, fresh chii.lies, garl.ic, eschalots, onion, candlenuts, turmeric, shrimp paste, water and drained chillies into a mixing bowl. Blend for 20 seconds at speed JO.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. Sauce for IO minutes at 100 deg C, speed two.
- Add the chicken, coconut milk, salt and sugar. Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma, stir speed one.
- Add the lime juice and kaffir lime leaves. Cook for three to five minutes , Varoma, stir speed one, or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow it to stand in the mixing bowl for five minutes before serving.
Dani Valent’s basque cheesecake
Ingredients
• 7 eggs
• 1kg cream cheese, cut into 2 to 3cm pieces
• 350g white sugar
• 500g pouring (whipping) cream
• 30g plain flour
• Fresh cherries or berries, to serve (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin with baking paper, ensuring the paper extends 10cm above the top of the tin. Set aside.
- Place eggs in a mixing bowl and mix for 20 seconds at speed four.
- Add the cream cheese and mix for 30 seconds at speed five. Scrape down the sides of the bowl
with a spatula. Mix for another 30 seconds at speed five or until smooth. - Add the sugar and mix for one minute at speed five using a spatula.
- Add the cream and mix for 30 second at speed five. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Mix for another 30 seconds at speed five or until smooth.
- Add the flour and mix for two minutes at speed five. Pour the mixture into the tin. Bake for
an hour at 200 deg C or until it is just set, but dark and caramelised on the outside. Cool in the
tin for an hour, release the sides of the tin and remove the paper. - Serve with fresh cherries or eat as is.
Read the same article on The Straits Times : https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/sales-of-multi-function-thermomix-soar-with-more-people-cooking-at-home