This has to be one of the most frequent questions I get, once I mention I have a Thermomix. A Thermomix isn’t a cheap piece of kitchen kit, it’s expensive and many people want to know if the benefits of having one, are justified by the price tag. It is probably worth noting that they sit in the kitchen of most of the michelin starred chefs. It's also worth investigating where you buy it, the price varies significantly from country to country, it is much cheaper to buy one in Germany, where they were originally developed, than it is to buy one in Hong Kong. In fact, I think it’s cheaper to buy one in most countries, apart from Hong Kong! And if you're looking at re-entry to a 'home' country or you are moving to somewhere you won't have help, and I think every Expat Family leaving Hong Kong and saying good-bye to the dearly loved Yaya, should buy one. Ours was purchased in Australia, just after the TM5 – the current model, had been released and we have since moved it to HK. I know that Thermomix in Hong Kong could service it for me if anything were ever to go wrong with it, touch wood, but I would hate to send it away for a few days, and as it’s an integral working part of the kitchen, it’s as important to me as my oven! Back to my original question, what do I use it for, well; most days it is a busy little machine: Smoothies – Breakfast without arguments, bliss! I know that my kids are getting at least a couple of their 5 a day in, starting the day this way. You’d be surprised how many grown-up options are available too.

Superfoods in the morning aren’t just for kids, give yourself a boost before you tackle the day? See the Skinnymixers Banoffee Smoothie, that’s a one way to combine your coffee in a tasty breakfast and consolidate your morning routine. Or for you Vegans, Raw Diet & Paleo-diet Devotees out there there’s a Paleo Breakfast Smoothies. In fact there are lots of options to be found, Cinnabean Smoothies, Fruit and Chia Smoothies, Wheatgerm smoothies or even Wheatgrass Smoothies and it’s ideal for making your own nut-milks.

TIP – Leftover Smoothie can be put into Ikea’s popsicle makers (there are three different types), and frozen, then you can re-serve it to them for dessert another night! Lunches – It’s Sunday Lunch and you’d like a winter warmer to take the edge off the chilly spring weather, the kids haven’t re-acclimatized yet and sure it’s still winter! Or your having friends for a BBQ and want some dips to serve whilst your husbeast is all manly at the BBQ in the pouring rain, so people don’t chew their own arms off waiting for soggy BBQ’d food, serve them dips you whipped up earlier!

 Sunday Roast - Do you think a Roast Pork with Applesauce, Mash and Steamed Veggies would take the edge off? http://skinnymixers.com.au/skinnymixers-roast-pork-belly-with-caramelised-apple-sauce/  The Pork gets twice cooked and it is a sure-fire hit. Yeah I’m sure that the crackling would distract them from the dank weather!

 You quite fancy some Peri Peri Chicken to put in your summer salad with the BBQ? http://skinnymixers.com.au/skinnymixers-peri-peri-chicken/ None of the nasties you’d find in ready-made marinades.

 Dips are a cinch in the Thermomix, Vegetarians - you're in for a treat, we use it for Chick Pea Hummus, Walnut and Beetroot Hummus, Dukkah, Carrot Hummus, White Bean Hummus or Baba Ganoush, whip up several dips to serve before a BBQ?

Do you have egg yolk left over from making pavlova? Make a delicious, fresh, quick mayonnaise to go with your salad, without the nasties that come in jars and squeezy bottles.

 Dinners - Now we come to what I think is the ultimate forte of the Thermie. And I really, honestly, do think every Expat Family leaving Hong Kong and saying good-bye to the dearly loved Yaya, should buy one. Parents, You Will Never Have This Much Time To Yourselves Ever Again, your re-entry to non-Expat life can be made easier by getting a Thermomix! Build your dinner plan around it, on the days when you know you have th least time do the easiest thing.

Risotto - Want a risotto but don’t have time to stand there stirring it? Well thank you Thermomix, excellent, I’ll have Tomato and Mozzarella Risotto, thanks. Or any other Risotto you can think of! In the meantime you can read through Kid E’s 3 readers and a library book with her.

Beef Stroganoff – The kids love this one, and so do I because whilst the thermomix is gently tenderizing the steak as it cooks it, I have time to do homework with Kid A.

Potato Mash – Oh, you’d like to have mash with your Stroganoff? No problem, the cooked Stroganoff goes in a Thermoserver to stay hot whilst the Thermomix makes a nice creamy batch of mash for you whilst you play a quick game or 4 of Just Dance Wii with your Three Precious Moppets.

 Beef Korma – Why yes, what an excellent idea, my kids love a mild korma and this can easily be adapted to a Lamb Korma! The Thermomix can tenderize and cook a kilo of blade steak korma (or Lamb) for you whilst you do Maths long-division with Kid K. Serve half to the kids and freeze half so you have another meal for another night wen you have even less time.

 Butter Chicken – The kids don’t always like Beef or Lamb but I’ve never met a kid who didn’t like a Butter Chicken, have you? So grab 750g of boneless chicken thighs and a couple of breasts because you’re about to make a Paleo Butter Chicken that you can get at least two dinners out of, and while it’s cooking you’re going to get through the Kata with the three kids at least 5 times.

 Steamed Rice – Hmm, you’d like some steamed rice or even a pilau rice to with your Beef Korma would you? No problem, just pop the Korma or Butter Chicken into the Thermoserver whilst you steam your nice, fluffy rice in the Thermomix. Now you can ask Kid K where the literacy homework is and finish that off too.

 Mac n’ Cheese with HV Sauce – Yes, you can hide a multitude of vegetables in a simple Mac n’ Cheese and no-one will be any the wiser. Make it in advance and freeze it in appropriately sized portions. Defrost it, warm it up and pour over their favourite pasta. http://skinnymixers.com.au/skinnymixers-macaroni-cheese-twist/ . You know you have just snuck another of the Three-Precious-Moppets-5-a-day in, so give yourself a high-five!

Steamed Salmon with Rice and Steamed Vegetables - You can cook it all in one hit with the rice in the basket inside, and both levels of the Varoma busy, one level will have salmon steaks, the next level will have your veggies.

 Satay and Rice – Yes, you can whip up a Paleo Satay marinade in no time and then, if you want you can cook your marinaded chicken in the Thermomix but my kids prefer it fried in a little coconut oil. The kids love it, transfer it to the Thermoserver and whilst the Rice is cooking, use the Varoma, above the rice, to steam some veggies to go with it.

Soups – Sometimes Soups are the best way to end a long day. We use our Thermomix to make a variety of vegetarian soups - Cauliflower Soup, Beetroot and Cumin Soup, Tomato Soup, Curried Butternut Squash Soup and for the Non-Vegetarians a Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup (that will blast away man-flu) .

Desserts – Semi-Freddo’s, Ice-cream, Ice-cream Cakes, Sorbets and Curds are all a cinch in a Thermomix. As are Pancake Batters - Never miss another Shrove Tuesday! Easy peasy Cake Mixes and super quick pizza doughs. Yoghurt – Set it and forget it. You can either put the cycle on before you go to work in the morning or just before you go to bed a night, and you’ll come back to almost 2litres of thick creamy yoghurt with nasties and no added sugar. Need More Inspiration? Check out the The Australian Thermomix Recipe Community    - https://www.recipecommunity.com.au/search There are a multitude of recipes and ideas to choose from here and if you add your own you can earn community points that go towards things from the shop. http://skinnymixers.com.au/recipes/ http://www.quirkycooking.com.au/ https://tenina.com/recipes