The Magimix Cook Expert used in this review was supplied to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
When it comes to kitchen appliances, I am certainly not naïve. I have tonnes of them. I have the world’s tiniest kitchen though (by food blogger standards at least ) and space is at a premium. That’s where a machine like the Magimix Cook Expert is an amazing helper.
Being both a food processor and a thermal cooker, the Magimix Cook Expert allows you to do everything you need to do to cook dinner in one machine.
From the prep of slicing, dicing and grating through to the cooking, it has you covered, in one convenient machine with a 30 YEAR motor warranty. 30 years? Wow! That’s commitment to quality.
The Cook expert has a whole range of builtin programs, but where it really shone for me has been the expert programs. They allow you to use any thermomix recipe on the web or any conventional recipe out there and convert it to be done hands free in the Magimix.
Let’s get down to business. There are lots of bits in the box of the Magimix Cook Expert, and all of those serves a purpose. First up there are two bowls. The metal one…it’s for all things cooking and cooling. The clear plastic- it’s for all the traditional things you would use a food processor for, slicing, grating etc.
Using the metal bowl you can use the cook, bake, blender and expert programs. Using cook, there are some pre-programmed options, like creamed soup, pureed soup, simmer and steam (use the steaming baskets). Bake allows you to prepare bread and dough, pastries and cakes or whisk (with the whisk attachment). Blender has smoothie, crush and frozen dessert as its options. There is also a rinse pre-programmed so you can quickly clean the bowl.
The expert mode is however where you will find yourself spending your time. I’ve made risotto- the first time I’ve done so using a thermocooking machine and actually had a risotto comparable to those I make on the stove due to the adjustability of the Magimix Cook Expert speeds and temperatures. I’ve also made fudge for the teachers at school, adapted my grandmother’s caramel slice recipe and used it to make curry paste. The metal bowl is large too, and easily cooks enough for a family of four.
Using the food processor and the clear bowl you can chop, or use the slicing or grating discs to grate and slice. The mini bowl and mini blade are ideal for small amounts of anything- think nuts or seeds.
There are also a whole host of additional accessories you can buy to make this machine even more capable.
I’m finding that I’m using it more and more as I come to terms with its capabilities. It truly does make dinner easier (and more interesting), as it affords me time for hands off cooking. I can make fudge without stirring, make the béchamel for lasagne without needing to slave over the stove and the more comfortable I become with the Magimix Cook Expert, the more I am realising just how helpful it can be.
One of the other reasons it is so helpful: all the bowls, blades, discs, whisks etc can go into to the dishwasher- meaning clean up is super easy. It’s easy to take apart and put back together and the rinse program means you can loosen anything like…melted chocolate before it goes in the dishwasher.
The recipe book contains over 300 recipes that will inspire you and get you experimenting. There is also an app, which will walk you through a week of inspiration when you first get your Magimix Cook Expert that will get you cooking!
The clear glass lid is awesome for seeing what is going on inside the metal cooking bowl and the removable cap means you can have complete control over letting moisture escape or trapping it in the bowl.
The adjustable speed can go from immobile…to 1a (alternating) which means it switches between still and super slow movement right up to super fast 18. You also don’t need to only make things that require heat, but if you do, your temperature choice can go between 30 degrees and 140.
I also love the fact that the metal bowl is just that- a metal bowl- no plastic. The same goes for the steamer. The machine base itself is strong. It’s heavy and feels like it will stand the test of time. It doesn’t weigh in the machine, but I don’t really think that is a negative. When you compare the skills of this machine to those of other thermocookers, this one has a much wider array of tasks it can complete.
My next experiments: Pecan fudge slice, breakfast porridge, more bread, barbeque sauce and frozen desserts!
(I also made this slice in the magimix Cook Expert- check out the recipe here.)
Who is the Magimix Cook Expert ideal for? Busy people who want to cook more from scratch but are time and or skill poor. It really helps to make you feel like an expert in the kitchen. It helps you to use more fresh food and make your own rather than buying ready made food.
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