Photo: Gunnar Geller for the Tina
- They are electric all-rounders: But what good are the Thermomix alternatives?
- The "Thermomix" from Vorwerk
- "Prep & Cook" by Krups
- "KM-2513" by Rosenstein & Söhne
- Tina-Test: The food processors at a glance
They are electric all-rounders: But what good are the Thermomix alternatives?
Everyone is in thermomix fever! But the original by Vorwerk is pretty expensive. Hobby cook Anja Schmidt has tested two competitors of the market leader.
Text: Katrin Neumann
Meanwhile every 30 seconds somewhere in the world a Thermomix from Vorwerk is sold. No wonder the competition is not sleeping and bringing their own devices to the market. But how good are the models of other electric brands or the cheap cookers from Lidl, Aldi and Co.? And does the Thermomix really live up to its reputation as a "kitchen wonder"? Property manager Anja Schmidt (42) from Ahrensburg has taken the test. The enthusiastic amateur cook has long considered whether she should buy such an all-rounder.
In their kitchen compete against each other: the "Thermomix TM5" (1109 €), the food processor "Prep & Cook" Krups (about 800 €) and the "KM-2513" by Rosenstein & Söhne (house brand of the online portal www.pearl .de, about 330 euros).
Anja wants to cook her favorite dish, a hearty potato soup, with all three devices. "The list of ingredients is clearly arranged, so I can concentrate fully on operating the kitchen machines and judge the finished dish easily."
The three devices in the test:
Photo: Gunnar Geller for the Tina
Somehow strange ... The taste of Thermomix potato soup convinced Anja not
The "Thermomix" from Vorwerk
The first is the market leader. Anja installs a chip in Thermomix in a few seconds, on which hundreds of recipes for the device are stored. The self-explanatory menu navigation of the display then retrieves the list of ingredients and then guides you step by step.
Thanks to the integrated balance, the Thermomix weighs down the vegetables, says Anja during "Guided Cooking" exactly when and how much of which ingredient to fill, which function key to press and at what level the appliance should run. "Super easy!", Anja finds. "Even if I've never cooked a potato soup, nothing could go wrong."
However, she finds it strange that onions and ham come straight into the container. "I would always fry that, " she says. But this function is missing the Thermomix. Also, the volume with which the device works, she finds annoying. "If I had an open kitchen, this noise would be extremely annoying!" After almost half an hour, the thermo-mix almost alone prepared the soup. Anja opens the lid, costs - and is disappointed: "The consistency is pulpy, the taste quite bland. If I cook myself, it definitely tastes better! "
Photo: Gunnar Geller for the Tina
Everything goes raw into the Thermomix, it is cooked instead of sautéed. Roasted flavors? Wrong!
"Prep & Cook" by Krups
Second, Anja takes on the Prep & Cook. This unit does not have a "Guided Cooking" program, so Anja must take all the steps from its cookbook. Actually no problem, she finds, the operation of the display would not be so complicated. Again and again she has to pick up the instructions for use until the machine finally does what it needs to do. However, the results of the individual work steps do not convince them either: When crushing the onions, coarse pieces remain behind, the cut vegetables do not fit through the opening in the lid of the container. "It's not really a relief, " says Anja. And when she sees the final result - a watery soup with pieces of raw vegetables - it is clear to her: This device is not worth its price.
Photo: Gunnar Geller for the Tina
The Prep & Cook crushes onions only partially. There are big pieces left
"KM-2513" by Rosenstein & Söhne
When Anja finally wants to test the food processor KM-2513, she first encounters a problem: the manual contains only a handful of recipes, so she has to search the internet and finally use a recipe originally intended for the thermomix. "It's a bit confusing at first, but it works surprisingly well with the simple menu navigation, " she says. However, the finished soup can not convince Anja either. "I think I continue to cook myself. This is more time consuming, but I can determine the consistency and taste of the court itself." Well then: good appetite!
Photo: Gunnar Geller for the Tina
The display illumination of the KM-2513 is too dark, the operation is very easy
Tina-Test: The food processors at a glance
THERMOMIX TM5, VORWERK
Price: 1109 euros
Functions: steaming, emulsifying, kneading, cooking, controlled heating, grinding, mixing, stirring, whipping, mixing, weighing, crushing
Strengths: Thanks to "Guided Cooking", the recipes are guaranteed to succeed; self-explanatory menu navigation; Self-cleaning function; huge recipe selection directly on the device, on the associated chip, in the cookbook or on the Internet; integrated balance; Shopping lists available via app
Weaknesses: machine works extremely loud; only 2.2 liters capacity
Conclusion: If you can not cook well and do not want to invest a lot of time in the recipe search, you will love this device. Gourmets are not likely to convince the Thermomix courts.
PREP & COOK, KRUPS
Price: about 800 euros
Functions: cooking, braising, steaming, steaming, stirring, kneading, whipping, dough, emulsifying, mixing, mixing, chopping, slicing, grinding
Strengths: extensive recipe book and accessories; the large stainless steel container holds 4, 5 liters, prepares recipes for up to 6 people; 6 automatic programs
Weaknesses: the display is not coherent and self-explanatory; when crushing, z. Of onions, large pieces remain; too small filling opening; Cover is difficult to close and only inadequate to clean and dry
Conclusion: Unfortunately, the functionality of the device can not keep up with the appealing and modern look. For the price is definitely too high!
KM-2513, ROSENSTEIN & SÖHNE
Price: about 330 euros
Functions: cooking, steaming, melting, controlled heating, chopping, pureeing, grinding, kneading, mixing, stirring, whipping, emulsifying
Strengths: very easy menu navigation; works comparatively quietly
Weaknesses: poorly lit display; Danger of scalding when opening the lid after cooking; cheap processing; no own recipes for this device available
Conclusion: Good value for money, because the extremely cheap machine can do amazingly much. However, the search for suitable recipes annoys.
Continue reading:
Thermomix and Co: Cooking kitchen machines under test
Thermomix: Which is best? Original, Lidl or Aldi?
WW5
