Before I purchased my Thermomix TM6, my husband encouraged me to buy one for years; I would tell him I had other tools or skills to achieve anything the Thermomix TM6 could offer:

I have a Kitchenaid with every conceivable attachment. I can make beautiful bread, dough and pastry by hand, even without the Kitchenaid. My kitchen scales are so precise that they can measure fractions of grams, something Thermomix doesn't even do! I can cook perfect rice in a pot via absorption and steam anything in a pot. I also have a sous vide stick (which I love!) and a large slow cooker. I have high-quality cookware, such as Le Creuset & Staub, perfect for creating gorgeous dishes. I also have every conceivable tool & appliance to produce stunning meals, including an ice cream maker with a compressor (that freezes as it churns) and an egg boiler/poacher machine that I love!

I caved and bought myself a Thermomix about a year ago, and for the first 6-8 weeks, I cooked with it or experimented with it every day. It was dismal; none of my food compared to what I make without it. Not only that, but everything tasted terrible. So much so that I actually threw out an entire meal-- something I've never done before. And trust me when I say that I can usually turn any kitchen fail into something edible (or at least palatable), but this...there was just no saving it.

The primary complaint I have with Thermomix TM6 is its lacklustre browning ability. Fond, or the dark bits that form on the bottom of a pan during cooking, hold much of the flavour in food. When cooking without my Thermomix, I gently and patiently coax fond out of my food; however, you cannot produce fond in the Thermomix. Consequently, it's challenging to produce something that tastes good when relying only on Thermomix TM6 to create a meal.

Another issue is the blades are also annoying and challenging to dislodge food from, leading to food wastage; this issue usually puts me off when I think about using mine. Pro tip: Do not melt chocolate in it; you'll sacrifice half to the blades! Likewise, the constant need to stop the machine and scrape down the bowl is irritating. 

Thermomix is often touted as the best tool for baking, but in my opinion, it falls short. The Kitchenaid or even your own hands are significantly better tools for making pastries, bread, cakes or biscuits than Thermomix. Thermomix has a very limited range of features. The Kitchenaid gives you much more control, making it a more versatile baking tool. Furthermore, a Kitchenaid is considerably cheaper than Thermomix. Dough, pastry and batters stick like glue to the blades.

My Thermomix consultant let me down after making many promises during the buying process. Shortly after purchasing my Thermomix TM6, I was pressured by my consultant to host a party. I was reluctant because I wasn't sure if I could handle the pressure of badgering my friends and family into attending a demonstration for this tremendously expensive kitchen gadget. Consequently, my consultant wasn't interested in helping me learn to use my machine; she merely wanted me to throw a party. 

Thankfully, I learned how to use Thermomix TM6 from YouTube. However, it would have been nice if my consultant had been more helpful and supportive and followed up on her promises to me. Be prepared to have zero support unless you want to harass your loved ones into attending a party they don't want to be at for an appliance they probably won't like. 

Another issue for me is that, when I cook, I love to make extra and freeze them for later use or utilise leftovers for lunches. Unfortunately, the Thermomix isn't suitable for cooks who like to get ahead or meal prep because of its small capacity. Ergo it is similarly unsuitable for large batches or families. 

The Thermomix TM6 is promoted as an all-in-one machine with 13 cooking modes and 20 functions to help you cook "smarter". I discovered it is a jack of all trades yet a master of none. While it can do many different tasks, it doesn't do any one task as well as a standalone machine or gadget; this limits its appeal and makes it a less desirable choice for consumers. 

Even though the Thermomix TM6 is advertised as a way to declutter your kitchen by replacing multiple appliances, I have not dispensed with any other appliance or tool because the Thermomix just doesn't work well for everything. I recently even bought a mini food processor and stick blender; they live next to the Thermomix on my countertop alongside my egg cooker, Kitchenaid and mortar and pestle. And my ice cream maker? It's in the cupboard beneath now! I still cook my rice in a pot with the absorption method. The Thermomix TM6 is actually the largest, most expensive, least often used appliance that I own now, and its accessories take up quite a bit of space in one of my cupboards. 

Although the Thermomix Cookidoo software gives users access to a wide variety of recipes, very few have high ratings. In addition, the annual subscription fee is prohibitively expensive for people who have already spent over $3000 on their machine. Good luck figuring out how to use your Thermomix without the Cookidoo App. Profiteering at its best from Thermomix! 

If I had the chance to do it over again, I would not have bought the Thermomix TM6 because it is very expensive and doesn't work well. Get a machine that suits your needs better instead of wasting money on this one that does an inferior job of almost everything.