THERMOCHEF vs Thermomix TM31 vs HotMix PRO

I was just reading through some recent comments on my blog and noticed some new names popping of new machines that appears to be in the market to compete with the Thermomixer. I was so excited because, for me now there is more to choose from with machines that are comparable. Without anothre thought, I quickly order take out for dinner and began researching!! Kids love it when I am researching {wink}.

So from what I can gather, not seeing a Thermochef in the flesh as yet and limited, for now, and not having near as many demos on Youtube compared to Thermomixer. I am intrigued. It think the biggest draw card at this stage is definately the price. Its around $800AUD with a 2 year warranty. Wow! What a delight to be able to have an amazing cooking machine for less than $1000. The moment I laid eyes on this machine, I straight away thought of the Thermomixer TM21. Yes, they seemed to have copied this model fairly well, although the Thermochef is stainless steel in apprearance. The thermomixer has a stainless steel jug but the rest of it is a hard plastic. The size of the jug is the same as the thermomix, so for me, still not a bonus. I would love a 3 or 4 L jug please! It weighs your food, to the side. The Thermomix does it in the jug. Does it matter? Not sure really, I would say it would come down to a personal preference. If you have not had a thermomixer before you would not no the difference.  The controls are a touch pad, not a dial. Not thinking this a big issue in the long run. The Thermochef has a steamer much like the thermomixer, but not is stainless steel and not plastic like the one on the Thermomixer. Could this be a safety issue? Youtube has a few demonstrations, one in particular is for pumpkin soup, and for me, it was not too bad. My only thought was that perhaps the Thermomixer would have made the soup silky smooth, but this is only a minor thing and as I don't actually own a thermomixer can't comment on this outcome.  The more I read, the more I wanted to know. So I decided to head over to the Thermomix forums to see what the guys and gals over there think of this. Naturally, there are some fairly defensive comparisons. I have to wonder, are they a little annoyed that there is something available at the fraction of the cost? There are some differences, for sure. Only one could assume it would not be exactly the same for that price. A lot of comments on the forums were, " You can what you pay for" and " I am worried because its made in China".
Let's think for a moment about what the price of a Thermomixer would actually be if it was sold in a mainstream department store or other large outlets? Would it actually be the same price? I personally, think it would not. I would say it would be more like $1200-$1500. The price you are paying for a Thermomix also includes the demonstrators commission. Generally speaking if something is being sold via party plan, it generally is much more expensive than if it was sold in the shops. The point I am making here, is that the cost of $800 is what it is, because it needs to appeal to all consumers, so it doesn't necessarily mean, that you are getting an inferior product. The machine is also assembled in China, but it has been designed in Switzerland. Who doesn't have things made and assembled in China? There are many machines,appliances, whitegoods etc that are designed in European, American, and Australasian countries but assembled in China.Just because something is assembled in China, doesn't mean it is less valuable, or not good. They assemble to the design.  I also understood that the TC(Thermochef) is a little slower and doesn't reverse.I'm not to worried about it being a little slower. It still grinds, crushes ice, and mills. In regards to the reverse action, for an avid and loyal Thermomixer user, I could see why this would be an issue. However, for someone that doesn't know any better, I couldn't see it being a problem. Why do you NEED to have the reverse action?  What I got from reading the forum thread, was basically the Thermomixer lovers will stay true to their machines. Why not, they paid a bundle for them, I would too. I would be a little shocked if you turned your back on this great machine for the TC. I think the market for the TC are for those (like me) that have struggled to purchase a Thermomixer because of the price. The TC will do almost everything a TM31 can do. The TC from what I can gather from the internet would be a better purchase than a Viatmix and even a Kenwood Cooking Chef as its a bit smaller and more compact than the Kenwood Cooking Chef.  If I could have the capacity bowl of the Kenwood Cooking Chef and the machine of a Thermomixer for the ThermoChef price, all the boxes would be ticked and I would sing its praises!!!

I am very keen to see a ThermoChef in action. For the kinds of things I would like to make, I think it would suit me very well. I still prefer to use my slow cooker because it has a capacity for my family. But the TC will make things like custards, sorbets, sauces, breads, drinks, mill, spice mixes, cook rice, steam and so on. It makes sense to me to check it out for that price, I can definately justify it. My husband once said, " If the Thermomixer was under $1000 it would be ok." I wonder if he will remember this conversation??!!!

Check out the ThermoChef and see what you think. At the end of the day, its up to you, you are paying for it.

A comment was left mentioning a HotMix Pro. Natutally, curiousity got the better of me and I Googled it. This machine looks and sounds amazing. Like a Thermomixer, but perosnally I thought it looked a lot sleeker in style and definately better in function. I read the details on the website and basically realised that his is a commerical product with a commercial price. A site that I found was selling them for 1850GBP, which for us aussies is approx $2500AUD. So a little more expensive than a Thermomixer but a much better machine in my opinion. I'm curious to know if they will have a domestic version soon? It wouldn't take much to make a domestic version, and provide this market with more competition. Check out some of the demos on youtube, but word of warning use "HotMix Pro System" as your search request!!
If anyone knows more about the HotMix Pro system, would love to hear from you.

Well, there you go, what I know about the ThermoChef, Thermomixer TM31, and the HotMix Pro System. Three great cooking machines and I hope you consider my opinion and research yourself or tell me your own experiences with any of these machines. I am still yet to decide on and purchase a cooking system, but I will definately blog about it when I do!