Imitator or Innovator? We Test the Thermocook Pro M 3.0 All-In-One Kitchen Appliance

Part 1 Unboxing and Checking Out its Features

There is a hot war being fought for supremacy in our kitchens!
You might say it’s a Thermo – not quite nuclear – fight for which brand will reign supreme on our kitchen benches.

Not surprisingly, the top contenders have the “Thermo” moniker in their name. Thermomix and Thermocook.
So inevitably, people will make comparisons between the two.
Which one is better or: is it a Ford and Holden comparison?
In other words, is it a case of preference?

We shall see.

 

The fact that this brand-new model has the label “Pro M 3.0” indicates that this is not Optimum’s first rodeo with bringing out an All-in-One appliance.

Their Distributor is Froothie here in Oz and they were kind enough to send us the long-awaited 3.0 model with the 7” screen.

The Thermocook Pro M 3.0 comes in 2 varieties, differentiated by the screen size: 7 or 10 inch.
And that difference can save you another couple of hundred bucks on the already low purchase price.

The improvements over the 2.0 model are a better screen interface, a more powerful motor for faster and smoother blending, and additional pre-programmed functions for more versatile cooking options.

The new version also sports a slicer and grater attachment, a larger 3L jug and has even more recipes.

All these improvements come on top of an already very capable cooking appliance, so let’s head to the features that makes the Thermocook a great kitchen hand.

 

MAIN FEATURES

My wife has drawers full of kitchen appliances and their various attachments. Some of these live almost beyond reach in the corner cabinets…

Wouldn’t it be lovely if they could all be relegated to the local tip shop and replaced with just 1 do-it-all kitchen appliance?

Probably not, but the Thermocook is making great headway by being able to get you Chopping, Whisking, Cooking, Sauteing, Slicing, Shredding, Grating, Mixing, Emulsifying, Milling, Kneading, Slow Cooking, Blending, Stirring, Food Processing, Steaming, Precise Heating, and Weighing.

That’s a looooong list!

And to help you with all these functions, there are about a thousand recipes built in, to get your ingredients to a perfect presentation, step-by-step.

 

UNBOXING

The Thermocook weighed double boxed a hefty 12kg when I collected it from the Post Office.

The main 7” unit itself at 8.5kg is very solid in looks and stability.
Have you ever had a kitchen appliance that started walking when kneading or chopping?

Fat chance with this one: once you place it on a smooth surface it is stuck!
The 4 feet have octopus-like suction.

I marvelled at the superb quality of the Aussie design and engineering, coupled with the best that China can manufacture.

The machine comes very complete with all the accessories you might want, including a slicer/grater (new for this model).

What I also like is the hidden power on/off switch on the side of the unit.
You don’t want your kiddies to start the appliance like they play around with the washing machine settings.

Initial startup was reasonably quick before the Home Menu screen came up.
I was looking for the Settings icon to connect it to my WiFi but you have to click the Top Left of the Home Screen before accessing the Settings screen.

Actually, as you can see in the video below, there is an orangy “hamburger” button in the very top left, right on top of an orange slice!
Good thing I’m not colourblind…

With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth exchanging pleasantries with my network and phone, I could now use the App and also update the machine with the latest firmware and, yep, more recipes.

The App is called Cobotmix and it seems very generic.
Even my Thermocook comes up as “Smart Cook (063)”.
Not overly impressed with the app at first sight but I will reserve my judgment.
There seems to have been no development over the last years as the App version is still 1.0.0.

One thing that is not explained in the manual is why the backlit big knob (only on the 7” unit) keeps on flashing red/white constantly.
Is it a fault indication or will it stop once I get cooking?

It will indeed stop flashing once you press Start Cooking. Phew!

Another thing I noticed that, whilst there is a Brightness function in the Settings menu, I was not able to adjust the brightness of the screen and/or knob backlight.

 

FIRST RESULT

After giving the bowl and accessories a bit of a wash I was keen start with some simple recipes.

What can be simpler to make than a Creamy Rice pudding for these still wintry days?

A quick “rice pudding” search in the data base of nearly 1000 recipes generated 3 possibilities.

I could work with the suggested ingredients and quantities but substituted full cream milk with almond milk, and sugar with maple syrup. Added some vanilla and almond essence, pressed Start Cooking and 50 minutes later I had 4 serves of delicious rice pudding with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Now that I have seen how easy it is to find a recipe that will work with what you have in fridge and pantry, I’m keen and excited to try out more challenging dishes.

This Thermocook is a genuine time saver if you can walk away once you’ve pressed Start.

I kept checking frequently for the first round as 1) I was fascinated to follow the process and 2) I didn’t know if I could totally trust the machine yet.

Now that our first “date” was a success ( I paid for the meal and she did the cooking) I am confident of a long lasting relationship – strictly for work, of course!

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Imitator or Innovator?

That was the question I asked in the headline.

The Froothie website has some comparisons of their models with those of other brands.

Whilst much comes down to personal preference, all brands have garnered their own loyal followers. But there are some key differences to note for first time buyers.

The new Thermocook has the largest bowl, and the built-in recipes are free and regularly added to. The other brand has a paid subscription to their recipe library.

The Thermocook has a much more powerful motor and comes with many more accessories.

Finally, the Thermocook Pro M 3.0 (10”) is about a thousand dollars less than the Thermomix TM6.

Conclusion: the Thermocook scores very high on our Value-for-Money meter!

 

WHO NEEDS A THERMOCOOK?

If you’ve read this far, and you are already salivating at employing this very capable kitchenhand, I’ll try to justify it for you in a moment.

Busy households are the prime beneficiaries, of course.
And I can think of plenty of other folk that would be more than happy to employ a Thermocook.

But what about someone who can’t cook but who would like to?
Both my daughters and my wife are brilliant cooks.
They had their own restaurant.
But me – no need to bother.

I can look after myself with a couple of meals that I can slapdash together but beyond that, don’t come over to my house for a meal.

However, I can follow instructions (my wife might disagree on that score) so following a recipe and seeing a machine do all the hard work, yes, count me in!

In Part 2 I will show you some of the menus I tried. I might even try to plate up the dishes as well…

Come to think – that’s the only feature missing in the impressive capabilities of the Thermocook: Plating Up.

 

JUSTIFYING A THERMOCOOK

If you know how much the other main brand charges for their current top model, you’ll be pleased to learn that the Thermocook is only asking about half of that for essentially the same capabilities.

For the 10” model of the Thermocook Pro M 3.0 the RRP is AUD$1349.

If you want to save even more money and still enjoy all the same capabilities, you might want to consider the 7” model which retails at $1149. That’s the unit we are reviewing here.

However, for readers of this article, Froothie has generously made available a Discount Code of $50, available for a month – till Oct 10th. The Code is DRN50.

With the 2-year warranty, that’s an investment of less than 2 bucks a day over that period and zilch after that!

Check out the Thermocook product page for more details and also browse the Froothie website for all their kitchen appliances.

We hope to do a Part II soon with some of the results I will have been able to cook up!

I might again include a short video like the one below…