The Tesla of kitchen appliances

It’s not often you see a kitchen gadget steer north of triple digits, but the Thermomix TM6 rakes in at a whopping $1,500 and thus, has set the bar of expectations sky-high.

Wildly popular in many European households, Thermomix has been changing the kitchen game for 50 years now, serving as a personal assistant for everyone from world-class professional chefs to even the most novice of home cooks. But with the current price tag so high, we’re left wondering if the do-it-all appliance is really worth the hype. Spoiler alert: it is. Not only is the TM6 meant to merge your Instant Pot, grain cooker, slow cooker, Vitamix, KitchenAid standing mixer, and even your stovetop into one splurge-worthy appliance, but it offers functions that’ll cause the dust to settle on your knife, grater, and wooden spoon too.

Overview

The TM6 uses high-tech German engineering to revolutionize the cooking process. It offers built-in WiFi capabilities, a foolproof touch-screen, and a digitally-synced online recipe platform (called Cookidoo), which features over 70,000 recipes alongside step-by-step directions. Initial set-up takes no more than 15 minutes, and while you don’t necessarily have to download the Cookidoo app on your phone to use the TM6, it makes things like meal planning and creating grocery lists a lot simpler. (The TM6 comes with a six-month subscription, but after that’s up, the Cookidoo sub costs $39 annually.)

The TM6 can perform up to 24 different functions and techniques, delivering complete, gourmet meals and assisting you along the way from start to finish. It uses volumetric measurements, so if you’re used to cups and tablespoon measurements on a recipe card, it may seem odd seeing ounces. That being said, the TM6’s built-in scale automatically weighs your ingredients as you add them into the mixing bowl and displays the measurement clearly on the touch-screen, nixing the need to ever pull out a measuring cup or spoon again.

Measuring in the Thermomix.
Credit: Michelle Rostamian

Ability to create weekly meal plans

Visually speaking, the TM6 is not for the faint of heart. Sure, some may see it as large and obtrusive, but this isn’t an appliance that’s meant to be stored away. It’s meant to stand out. Serve as a conversation starter. Act as a piece of decor as it adorns your kitchen countertops. Think of the TM6 as a prized possession that’s worthy of being on display. In Europe, it’s almost like a right of passage, and showing it off on your countertop is standard practice for those who can afford it.

If you’re new to the Thermomix world and feel intimidated by the dizzying amount of features, options, and recipes, after purchasing the brand offers the option of booking a free demo with an expert consultant to help guide you every step of the way. Afterall, if you’re shelling out $1,500 on an appliance, you may want—and frankly, demand—a full concierge experience. And that’s exactly what the getting-going demo provides to ensure a shortened learning curve and ultimately, confidence when cooking with the appliance.

What can a Thermomix do?

The real question is: What can the TM6 not do? Anything you can possibly think of (aside from air frying), the kitchen workhorse can accomplish—weigh, whip, whisk, caramelize, brown, chop, steam, sauté, blend, boil, knead, ferment, and emulsify. It comes with a built-in scale (located on the feet, so be careful dragging it across your countertop) as well as multiple modes from boiling eggs to cooking rice. Needless to say, it’s the mother of all multi-cookers.

A rundown of all of the functions on the Thermomix TM6.
Credit: Thermomix

Multiple independent cooking modes

After hooking up your Cookidoo account onto the unit itself, you can browse through the digital library of Thermomix guided recipes. You’ll find everything from turkey chili and shrimp pasta to homemade chicken stock and New York cheesecake—and, if you’re visual like me, you’ll appreciate the fact that every single recipe has a photo of the end result. The Cookidoo platform is extremely user-friendly, easy to navigate, and designed to be a content hub for inspiration, effectively filling in the gap between finding a recipe and actually executing it.

How to Use the Thermomix

While you can use the TM6 independent of the Cookidoo guided recipes, I found that following along with the guided recipes was the easiest way to cook with it. Once landing on a dish, you’ll see a traditional overview of the recipe complete with serving size, prep time, cook time, basic nutritional information, an outline of steps, cooking tips, and recipe variations (for example, making a dish vegan). The screen will prompt you on measurements, steps, and which attachments to use, taking all of the guesswork out of cooking.

Parmasean cheese before.

Credit: Michelle Rostamian

After the cheese was grated.

Credit: Michelle Rostamian

Using the TM6 is as simple as reading the step, following the step, and clicking next. It’ll automatically set the cooking time and heat setting depending on the recipe you choose, meaning you won’t have to account for certain things you would on a stovetop (i.e., turning down your heat when you add garlic into the pan to avoid burning).

I tested a parmesan risotto and the meal took me 30 minutes to complete from start to finish. It finely ground hunks of parmesan cheese in under six seconds (albeit, loudly), softened and chopped my onions and garlic, stirred my rice, and cooked my risotto to perfection. It was satisfying seeing a meal I prepared turn out exactly like the recipe photo, especially when it comes to an overly-complicated, near-impossible dish to master like risotto, which typically requires babysitting on the stovetop, the perfect balance of low heat and precise stirring, and more patience than I bargained for.

Before, during, and after cooking the onion and garlic mixture.
Credit: Michelle Rostamian

The final product.
Credit: Michelle Rostamian

Is the Thermomix worth it?

If you lack inspiration in the kitchen, you’re a distracted cook, or you’re looking for a kitchen appliance that’ll do all of the precise cooking for you, the TM6 is definitely worth the splurge.

While I was initially put off by the integrated scale since it’s not something I’m used to, I eventually found that it made measuring my ingredients a no-hassle task. I love that its powerful blade gives my vegetables a chef-worthy chop, and that it offers multi-level cooking so that I can prepare an all-in-one meal complete with protein, vegetables, and grains. If you enjoy the visual process of seeing a dish come to life, or prefer stovetop cooking with a wooden spoon, you’re better off sticking to the basics.

Michelle Rostamian is a freelance beauty, wellness, and lifestyle writer with bylines at Cosmopolitan, USA Today, Yahoo, W Magazine, Women’s Health, and more.