My must-have Thermomix accessories

What are the best accessories to complement your Thermomix?

Excited new owners often ask me what accessories they need to buy before their Thermomix arrives.  I know the smart business move on my part would be to upsell, but, I’m a terrible salesperson, and the honest answer is:

Nothing.

The Thermomix comes as a complete package.  Everything you need will arrive in the box with your Thermomix.  And your Thermomix should simplify your kitchen, not add more clutter to it.

I always recommend waiting for your Thermomix to arrive before browsing TheMix Shop.  The Thermomix offers a different way of cooking.  Working out which Thermomix accessories will make your life easier depends on:

1. how well stocked your kitchen already is.
2. how you will use your Thermomix.

And the best way to answer those questions is by actually using your Thermomix.

So, if you haven’t done that yet, go and do so now. I’ll wait.

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Now you’ve taken my advice: you’ve had your Thermomix for a couple of weeks.  You love it and don’t know how you lived without it.  You’re using it for breakfast, lunch, and tea.  You’ve decided your life’s mission is to cook your way through Cookidoo.  And you reeeeeally want to know what other life changing gadgets are out there.  That means you’re ready to see my* top five favourite Thermomix accessories.  So here it goes – my list of “must-have” Thermomix accessories:

Bowl, Blade and Lid Set

Remember your first Thermomix “wow” moment? Was it when you saw raw sugar become icing sugar at your first Thermomix Cooking Experience. Or the first time you put a restaurant quality meal on the table in under 20 minutes. Or that time you realised how much you could bulk out a layered Varoma meal. Whatever is was, l had as big a “wow” moment when I used a Thermomix with an extra bowl for the first time.

Even though I don’t feed a tribe of kids or cater for allergies, the second bowl is still my favourite Thermomix accessory.  I use my Thermomix on the weekend since that’s when I have more time. I like to do cook ups and having a second bowl speeds this up considerably.  As a general rule of thumb: if your Thermomix has made cooking easier, an extra bowl will take it to the next level. Here are 20 reasons why.

20 cm Rose Gold Spring Form Cake Pan

After my second bowl, my 20 cm spring form cake tin is the accessory I use the most with my Thermomix.  I use it in the oven to make things like  Torta Caprese or half a batch of Herb and garlic pull-apart bread.  But the main feature of this tin is that it is the perfect size to fit in the Varoma meaning you can make desserts like Chocolate chestnut cheesecake or Sticky toffee pudding without heating up your kitchen.  As a bonus, anything you make in a 20 cm diameter tin will also fit in your 2.2 L/2.6 L ThermoServer which is handy for transporting.  

You can get Round Pre-Cut Parchment Paper designed to line the tin, but I prefer to use squares of ordinary baking paper. It isn’t as neat, but I find a larger square of baking paper much more practical.  It makes it much easier to lift the cake off the base of the tin and straight into a ThermoServer or onto a cutting board.  And you’ll want to do that because you won’t want to cut on and damage the base of your tin.

Thermomat Duo Pack

This is another one for the bakers out there (are you starting to notice a theme yet?) – the ThermoMat Duo Pack. A ThermoMat is a high quality, reusable, non-stick silicone baking mat. The pack includes two sizes – the standard (large) size and the oven (small) size. Basically, with these ThermoMats, you can turn any surface into a non-stick one.

I use my standard ThermoMat when making bread, pizza bases, pastry, fresh pasta, rolled biscuits… pretty much every time a recipe says “transfer onto a lightly floured work surface” or “transfer into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap”.  Because it is non-stick, I don’t need much extra flour when working dough. The result? Light and fluffy bread and a clean kitchen bench.  I also wrap and prove my dough it in.  The fibreglass mesh inside the silicone works as a heat trap and creates a nice humid environment to help the yeast do it’s thing.

I use my oven ThermoMat in place of baking paper to line my baking trays.  It can handle temperatures from -40° C up to 280° C meaning I can use it in the oven (as long as it isn’t a gas oven) and in the freezer. When I’m making a big batch of gnocchi I arrange some on a tray lined with my oven ThermoMat and freeze them for later without them all sticking together.  Another thing I like to do is make ciabatta on my oven ThermoMat. I prove, shape and bake this dough as one big loaf all on the same tray using my oven ThermoMat.  No mess, no fuss.

Pasta Machine

If you eat pasta, once you get a Thermomix you’ll be wanting to make it from scratch.  Trust me.  It is the work of two minutes in your Thermomix, you’ll reduce your environmental footprint, and, most importantly, it tastes amazing!  If you are making the odd batch every now and then, you could use a rolling pin and cut by hand. But if you are making pasta often, having the proper tools is a no brainer.  Roll the pasta while you’re waiting for the water to boil, then drop it straight in to cook it fresh in a few minutes. Or do a big batch and dry it for later.  And it isn’t only for pasta; I regularly make herbed lavosh using my pasta maker and you can also roll out things like dough for wonton wrappers and fondant for cake decorating.

You can get this pasta maker and dough roller from TheMix Shop. It is a traditional hand cranked model and it is extra wide.  But you can get one for any budget from any kitchen shop (or sometimes even second hand) and it will still do the trick.

Muffin Trays

And where would I be without muffin trays?  Definitely not baking!  Of the various sizes available, I’m going to pick my 24 hole mini muffin tray, as the one I can’t do without.

I often take my baking in to work and I’ve noticed that people are more tempted by bite-sized treats.  Rather than wasting mini cupcake cases, I pour the batter straight into my silicone tray.  It doesn’t need greasing and the steel frame makes it easy to handle without spilling batter.  Besides mini muffins and cupcakes, you can use this tray to make all sorts of things, including: tartlets, little cups, and mini quiches.  You’ll find similar trays to mine in TheMix Shop under the Silicone Muffin Trays – Steel frame category.

Many, many people swear by this cupcake pen for filling their cupcake cases or making pancakes, but I find it’s too much bother. My main complaints are:

1. It doesn’t hold a full batch of batter
2. choc chips block up the tip
3. it can’t squeeze out it’s full volume. I always needed to scrape out at least a muffin’s worth of batter that remains stuck in the pen at the end.

I prefer an old-fashioned tablespoon, measuring cup, or ice-cream scoop because, for me, it’s less messy.

So those are my favourite (and a couple of my least favourite!) Thermomix accessories; what are yours?  Visit TheMix Shop and browse the range.

* Remember, the way you use your Thermomix and the way I use my Thermomix won’t be exactly the same.  Everyone is different and your list might look nothing like mine. ^