By TECHBOOK | Aug 15, 2023 at 8:15 am
Although the food processor from the manufacturer Vorwerk costs a whopping 1399 euros, the Thermomix is a real bestseller. After all, it saves time and money when cooking – at least that’s what many buyers argue. TECHBOOK once calculated when and for whom the investment is financially worthwhile.
The Thermomix TM6 has many fans. After all, the cooking machine from the Wuppertal-based company Vorwerk is said to make numerous individual kitchen appliances unnecessary. A scale is included, as is a blender and steamer, and there are step-by-step instructions for individual recipes. Even the storage space is comparatively small. But the miracle tool has one big catch: its self-confident price of at least 1399 euros. This begs the question of whether you actually save money as well as time. We will help you with the cost-benefit analysis and unravel for whom it is actually worth investing in a Thermomix.
Sample calculation: Thermomix for a family of four
TECHBOOK once calculated for whom a Thermomix could be financially worthwhile. Not only are inflation and rising energy costs driving up the average cost of a meal, they have also pushed up the price of the Thermomix TM6 from €1359 to €1399. Is the kitchen helper now even more worthwhile or rather much less? In both sample calculations, we assume a family of four with a healthy appetite.
Example family 1 eats warm food together five times a week and is willing to rely fully on the Thermomix for the preparation. Example family 2 even eats together seven times a week, but not only wants to use the Thermomix, but also sticks to the classic evening meal.
Also interesting: What you should know about the manufacturer Vorwerk
Example family 1:
Weekly costs without Thermomix: 162.90 euros Food is ordered two evenings a week; at around 8.50 euros per person, this makes a sum of at least 68 euros per week. Cooking takes place on five evenings. The groceries cost an average of 4.63 euros per person. That results in total costs of 92.60 euros per week. Depending on which cooker is used and with what power, cooking costs around 46 cents per hour. In addition, there is the time that at least one family member has to invest in cooking Weekly costs with Thermomix: 132.86 euros + purchase For the Thermomix from Vorwerk, the family has to invest a one-off amount of 1399 euros Ideally, the Thermomix replaces the food orders There are also the costs for the ingredients. At 4.63 euros per meal and person, that is 129.64 euros per week over seven days. In cooking mode, the Thermomix consumes almost 1 khW depending on the specific program, so that the costs are similar to the stove at around 46 cents.
Also read: 6 tips to help you save electricity in the home
Example family 2:
Weekly costs without Thermomix: 111.92 euros Cooking takes place on four evenings. The groceries cost 4.63 euros per person. This results in total costs of 74.08 euros per week. Snacks are available on two evenings for 3 euros per person and meal. That should remain the case with Thermomix. All in all, that’s 36 euros in one week. Depending on which stove is used and with what power, an hour of cooking costs an average of around 46 cents. On four evenings a week, that’s 1.84 euros Added to this is the additional time cooking, about an hour, which a family member has to invest Weekly costs with Thermomix: 111.92 euros + purchase For the Thermomix from Vorwerk, the family has to pay a one-time fee of 1399 Investing euros Added to this are the costs for the ingredients. At 4.63 euros per meal and person, that’s 74.08 euros per week. Snacks are still available on two evenings for 3 euros per person and meal. That’s still 36 euros. In cooking mode, the Thermomix consumes just under 1khW depending on the specific program, so the costs are similar to the stove at around 46 cents.
overall assessment
Whether a Thermomix is worth it purely financially is one thing… Orders, groceries and electricity costs result in weekly costs of 162.90 euros for example family 1. If you were to prepare all meals together with the Thermomix, i.e. avoid taking orders and going to restaurants, you could save 30.04 euros per week. With this weekly difference, our test family would have to cook for almost 47 working weeks – a good 10 months – for the device to actually pay off.
Anyone who realistically saves many visits to the restaurant with the Thermomix and is otherwise employed can make the purchase worthwhile within ten months. In addition, you gain some of the valuable time that is not wasted cooking – a value that everyone has to quantify for themselves. However, one must also add as a qualification that many families often put together a lunch from the leftovers of a cooked dinner. Here the Thermomix could reach the limits of its capacity for a family of four when the main course is being prepared in it. If, on the other hand, the Thermomix is used more for the preparation of individual components such as rice, sauces or pasta, there is no problem here.
In the bread-affine example family 2, however, the Thermomix does not pay for itself – at least not in terms of price. Here, the time savings, potentially healthier diet and convenience should be important to buyers. That too can be worthwhile. If you want to rely entirely on the Thermomix for cooking, you can also save yourself the purchase of a microwave, kettle and various pots. Or resell them profitably on Ebay.
Also read: How meaningful are the EU energy labels really?
Is the Thermomix worth it for couples or singles?
A household with two people who behaves like family 1 spends an average of 5.67 euros per person for a cooked meal plus the food orders. This would mean that a two-person household with Thermomix and without delivery meals would save a narrow 10.40 euros a week. In order for the Thermomix to be worth the price, you would have to cook for at least 135 weeks or 31 months. For single households, the purchase is even less worthwhile in purely financial terms.
And also when it comes to the cooking experience, it is a real question of type whether the Thermomix is an asset or a brake. Especially those who like to improvise or try out creative things will sometimes feel inhibited by the Thermomix. And even those who only use individual functions such as the rice cooker or the mixer may be better off with one or two cheaper individual devices. But if you really have access to the majority of the 15 functions and enjoy the small storage space of the device, you will be able to try out a large variety of recipes.
May be worth it from a health perspective
Financially, a Thermomix for couples or singles is obviously not worth it. But: The kitchen appliance can help to buy fewer ready meals in the supermarket. Home-baked bread, fresh sauces, even yoghurt or pickles – you can do it all yourself. This means you do without unnecessary additives, plastic packaging and flavor enhancers that are found in many everyday foods. In general, a more conscious examination of your own diet can motivate you to lead a healthier lifestyle.
But be careful: the example calculation above only applies if you operate the Thermomix yourself. If you want access to the large recipe database with “Guided Cooking”, you pay another 48 euros per year (previously 36 euros) for the recipe subscription. Our example families would therefore have to cook with the appliance for almost two weeks longer in order to make this edition financially worthwhile as well. Owners of the predecessor, the Thermomix TM5, pay a one-time fee of 99 euros for the WLAN antenna.
Inexpensive alternatives from 200 euros
If the original Thermomix TM6 from Vorwerk is too expensive, you can fall back on numerous competitors. The increasingly cheaper alternatives, which are often on offer at Aldi or Lidl, sometimes only cost 200 euros. TECHBOOK took a close look at the Thermomix competition. The conclusion: Anyone who can do without smart frills like the recipe chip is also well served with a Thermomix alternative from the discounter.