Hints

  I am often asked about what recipes I have on the blog that are great for freezing. Believe it or not, most of mine are freezer friendly! Some of my freezing tips for cooked foods: Cool foods before you freeze them. Placing hot food straight into a freezer only brings the core temperature of the freezer down and also encourages ice build up on the food as its cools and freezes. Wrap and store the food item well before placing into the freezer to prevent freezer burn - it isn't pretty and makes the food taste pretty average. Freeze smaller portions for quicker thawing. Label everything that goes into [...]

   Thermomade Christmas gifts made in your tmx or similar machine for friends and family is not only easy and cost effective, it's also a beautiful gift from the heart. Below are just some of the items I like to place into hampers as Christmas gifts. Baby's First Christmas A homemade batch of rusks or teething rings make a great addition to a gift for baby. Include a little print out of the recipe so Mum can make them too (Ideal from 4-6 months+ old). Banana Biscotti Rusks  Oat Cereal Oatmeal Rusks Teething Rings A hamper of basics These are great packaged in small jars with ribbon and a little [...]

   I am always asked about Costco and what can people buy from there in preparation for their Thermomix to arrive. I am a huge Costco fan. If I could live there I would. Whilst I dont buy everything from there, there are my regular items that I go often to buy. Costco is great for staples. Costco have a large range of fruit and vegetables as well as a meat section in addition to what I have listed below. Some of my tips for shopping at Costco: Don't go in hungry.You'll walk away with a years supply of cinnamon or a bag of chips bigger than your baby. Take [...]

I often get asked about how I make shaped cookies or crackers without ruining the shape of them between cutting and placing them on a baking mat. I thought I'd share what I do. 1. Roll out the dough on the mat you intend to bake them on.      2. Using your desired cutter cut your shapes out. Keep in mind you will need some space between them especially if making biscuits or cookies as they do grow in size. I'm making crackers here so  they can be closer together. Try to utelise the space and get as many in as you can (can you see I forgot that [...]

I'm probably the last person to realise this but I thought I'd post just in case (I almost forgot to take a photo!). Tonight is a super simple dinner for the kiddies - pasta with homemade tomato and bacon pasta sauce from the freezer (lots of veggies hidden in this!).  I cooked the pasta in the tmx bowl as normal but defrosted and heated the sauce in a heatproof dish in the varoma rather than the microwave or stove. I just pulled it out of its freezer container and straight into the dish and popped it in to the steaming attachment with the lid on whilst the pasta cooked at [...]

I love silicone cups! When steaming veg pop the smaller items in silicone cups on the varoma tray. I often do this for our "fried rices" as I don't eat corn but I can easily add it to my partners serve individually. It's an easy way to keep it all together if steaming a range of veg.  

Use your measuring cup to smooth out bases, bars, slices etc. If its slightly sticky, cover the measuring cup in baking paper and secure with a rubber band. Too easy!!!  

I'm still waiting for my nut bags to arrive but needed coconut milk for a recipe today. An easy way to strain is by covering a jug with a clean, new chux type cloth. You may need to help it a little with a spatula or back of the spoon to work it through the cloth. Make sure your chux is clean, new and has been rinsed in hot water before using. Check your packet as some clothes have a solution put through them before packaging. The packet will tell you if this is the case.    

Did you know the Tmx lid can hang from the bowl? A great way to air out the bowl and lid!  

The basket can be used to prevent splattering during cooking and allow steam to escape. This will avoid the mc jumping around and food splattering everywhere. How clever!