save with thermomix Archives - One Girl and her Thermie

Save money with Thermomix: Icing sugar

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Save money with Thermomix. It’s what we as owners and users say all the time. But finally, I’m able to share some of the cost savings with specific recipes like this icing sugar but also one that is a wow, demonstration recipe.

Why is it a wow recipe? Well simply put it shows off the milling function beautifully. Speeds 7 – 10 and Turbo: Grinding or miling ingredients such as sugar, wheat and coffee beans, blending to a completely smooth texture for creamy soups, smoothies, and ice-cream and chopping tough ingredients such as cured ham and hard cheeses.

Powdered sugar, also called confectioners’ sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. Powdered Sugar is made by grinding granulated sugar with cornstarch to the desired grain size. White in color, powdered sugar has a sucrose content of approximately 97.0% and a cornstarch content of approximately 3.0% to prevent caking and increase shelf life. However, making your own in your Thermomix can your money on buying ready-milled icing sugar and you can do it instantly, hence not needing any corn starch too, so 100% pure.

But we’re here to talk about cost savings, so I’ve done a quick search for some tomato soups in an online supermarket. I’ve chosen Tesco today, but I will be comparing all of them in this series of articles to be fair.

Compare this with the cost of their granulated sugar, which you can mill into icing sugar

The cost savings would be £1.15 on the Silver Spoon and only 70p on the Billingtons.

That kind of makes sense, as Golden Caster Sugar is more expensive so you would see a saving but not as much. But image how much you could save on a weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis. These pennies can add up to pounds very quickly especially if you bake a lot which I do.

*What Is Golden Caster Sugar? Most commonly found in the UK, golden caster sugar is made from unrefined sugar cane and sometimes beets. It has a subtle buttery flavor and gives baked goods a lovely shade of brown.

Ingredients

200 g sugar

Preparation

Place sugar in mixing bowl and grind 20 sec/speed 10. Use icing sugar as needed.

Hints & Tips

Icing sugar can be stored for long periods of time in an airtight container.
For best results, grind sugar in 100-200 g batches.
If more icing sugar is needed, repeat the process.

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r178855

Save with Thermomix and make your own Yorkshire Puddings

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Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water and is so easy to buy these days, but even easier if made in your Thermomix. Save over £2.50 each time you make our Cookidoo recipe.

Ingredients

500 g water
1000 g potatoes (see tip), peeled, quartered (approx. 5 cm)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
coarse sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
5 – 6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed, to taste
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only

Preparation

Place water in mixing bowl. Place Varoma dish into position then weigh in potatoes. Distribute potatoes between Varoma tray and Varoma dish, ensuring some holes remain uncovered for steam to circulate, then insert Varoma tray. Cover Varoma then steam 16-18 min/Varoma/speed 2 until almost cooked and edges are softened (see tip). Towards the end of this time, preheat oven to 190°C.
Remove covered Varoma and shake slightly to roughen edges of potatoes, then transfer to a large roasting tin. Drizzle over oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste then roast for 30 minutes (190°C). Turn potatoes, add garlic then roast for a further 10 minutes (190°C).
Add rosemary then roast for a further 5-10 minutes (190°C) until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Hints & Tips

Roast potatoes are an essential accompaniment to any roast meal. In this version, we steam the potatoes in the Varoma before finishing them off in the oven with a couple of garlic cloves and a few sprigs of rosemary. Serve them to your guests and watch them fight over who gets the crispiest ones!
King Edward, Maris Piper and Désirée are good roasting potato varieties.
To get ahead, par-steam potatoes in step 1 then allow to cool before freezing. For extra crunchy results, transfer frozen potatoes to a large roasting tin and continue with recipe, roasting from frozen, watching carefully in step 3 to avoid over-cooking.
Goose fat can also be used for roasting the potatoes. Although no longer vegetarian, the results will be even crispier.

Nutrition per 1 portion

Calories 892.4 kJ / 213.3 kcal
Protein 3.5 g
Carbohydrates 30.2 g
Fat9.6 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g
Fibre 3.8 g
Sodium 14 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r491037

Save with Thermomix and make your own spuds

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Try making your own potatoes this Christmas and save with Thermomix. A simple, healthy side dish bursting with festive flavors. These classic roasties with garlic and rosemary are perfect sides for your Christmas lunch and can be frozen ahead to make your life easier.

Ingredients

500 g water
1000 g potatoes (see tip), peeled, quartered (approx. 5 cm)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
coarse sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
5 – 6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed, to taste
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only

Preparation

Place water in mixing bowl. Place Varoma dish into position then weigh in potatoes. Distribute potatoes between Varoma tray and Varoma dish, ensuring some holes remain uncovered for steam to circulate, then insert Varoma tray. Cover Varoma then steam 16-18 min/Varoma/speed 2 until almost cooked and edges are softened (see tip). Towards the end of this time, preheat oven to 190°C.
Remove covered Varoma and shake slightly to roughen edges of potatoes, then transfer to a large roasting tin. Drizzle over oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste then roast for 30 minutes (190°C). Turn potatoes, add garlic then roast for a further 10 minutes (190°C).
Add rosemary then roast for a further 5-10 minutes (190°C) until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Hints & Tips

Roast potatoes are an essential accompaniment to any roast meal. In this version, we steam the potatoes in the Varoma before finishing them off in the oven with a couple of garlic cloves and a few sprigs of rosemary. Serve them to your guests and watch them fight over who gets the crispiest ones!
King Edward, Maris Piper and Désirée are good roasting potato varieties.
To get ahead, par-steam potatoes in step 1 then allow to cool before freezing. For extra crunchy results, transfer frozen potatoes to a large roasting tin and continue with recipe, roasting from frozen, watching carefully in step 3 to avoid over-cooking.
Goose fat can also be used for roasting the potatoes. Although no longer vegetarian, the results will be even crispier.

Nutrition per 1 portion

Calories 892.4 kJ / 213.3 kcal
Protein 3.5 g
Carbohydrates 30.2 g
Fat 9.6 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g
Fibre 3.8 g
Sodium 14 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r491037

Save with Thermomix and make your own Parsnips

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This is one of the nicest ways to serve parsnips, baked crisp and golden brown in the oven with a Parmesan coating. Try making your own Honey Parmesan Parsnips this Christmas and save with Thermomix.

Ingredients

100 g Parmesan cheese, cut in pieces (2 cm)
5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 pinches ground black pepper
100 g polenta
3 Tbsp olive oil
30 g unsalted butter, diced
500 g water
800 g parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthways
4 garlic cloves
100 g runny honey

Preparation

Place Parmesan, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in mixing bowl then grate 10 sec/speed 10.
Add polenta and mix 10 sec/reverse/speed 4. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Place oil and butter in a roasting tin and set aside.
Place water in mixing bowl. Place Varoma dish into position then weigh in parsnips. Remove Varoma and divide parsnips between simmering basket, Varoma dish and Varoma tray (see tip), ensuring some holes remain uncovered for steam to circulate. Insert simmering basket then insert Varoma tray. Place covered Varoma into position then steam 15-18 min/Varoma/speed 1 until just tender. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 190°C then place prepared tin inside to preheat.
Remove Varoma dish and remove simmering basket with aid of spatula then immediately transfer parsnips to bowl with Parmesan mixture and toss to coat.
Remove roasting tin from oven and carefully place parsnips in hot oil. Mix well to coat then roast for 15-20 minutes (190°C) until lightly golden and crisp. Meanwhile, discard steaming water, dry mixing bowl and continue with recipe.
Place garlic in mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula then chop again 2 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula.
Add honey and mix 10 sec/speed 6. Once parsnips are roasted, pour over garlic honey, toss to coat and bake for a further 3-5 minutes (190°C) until golden. Serve hot.

Hints & Tips

Roasted parsnips are always a favourite at the Christmas table, and we’ve added a twist to make this popular dish even better. The herby Parmesan and polenta coating makes them extra crunchy, and the honey dressing helps the natural sweetness of the vegetable shine through.
When distributing parsnips, place larger pieces in simmering basket and smaller pieces in Varoma tray to ensure even cooking.
If desired, the garlic honey glaze can be omitted. Simply stop the recipe at the end of step 6 and serve crispy Parmesan parsnips as they are.

Nutrition per 1 portion

Calories 1390 kJ / 333 kcal
Protein 9g
Carbohydrates 33 g
Fat 17g
Saturated Fat 7g
Sodium 313 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo here: https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r491061

Save with Thermomix and make your own stuffing

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Try making your own gluten-free mushroom stuffing this Christmas and save with Thermomix. This GF Vegan Mushroom Stuffing is loaded with mushrooms, onions, & herbs, for a fantastic holiday side dish that you will love.

Ingredients

25 g dried porcini mushrooms
boiling water, for soaking
100 g hazelnuts
10 g fresh parsley leaves
3 garlic cloves
80 g shallots, halved
20 g olive oil
300 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
250 g fresh portobello mushrooms, cut in pieces (3 cm)
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1000 g water
150 g quinoa
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 pinches ground black pepper

Preparation

Place a bowl on mixing bowl lid and weigh in porcini mushrooms. Remove bowl from lid, cover with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes then drain mushrooms, discarding soaking liquid. Meanwhile, continue with recipe.
Place hazelnuts in mixing bowl and chop 2 sec/speed 7. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Place parsley in mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Transfer to bowl with hazelnuts and set aside.
Place garlic, shallots and oil in mixing bowl then chop 3 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula then sauté 5 min/120°C/speed 1.
Add chestnut mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, thyme and reserved drained porcini mushrooms then, with aid of spatula, chop 3 sec/speed 4. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula then, with aid of spatula, chop again 1 sec/speed 4. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula then insert measuring cup and sauté 5 min/120°C/reverse/speed spoon. Transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool completely. Meanwhile, continue with recipe.
Place water in mixing bowl. Insert simmering basket and weigh in quinoa. Rinse 10 sec/speed 5 then cook 10-15 min/Varoma/speed 4 until cooked. Remove simmering basket with aid of spatula and set aside. Discard steaming water.
Preheat oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place reserved mushroom mixture, reserved cooked quinoa, reserved hazelnut mixture, salt and pepper in mixing bowl then mix 20 sec/reverse/speed 4. Finish mixing with spatula if necessary.
Use to stuff the turkey neck cavity if desired (see tip) then shape remainder into balls (approx. Ø 4 cm) and place on prepared tray. Bake for 15 minutes (190°C) then cover with foil and bake for a further 30-40 minutes (190°C) until golden. Serve warm.

Hints & Tips

Only stuff the neck end of the turkey, just before cooking, and seal it by tucking in the skin. Make sure to allow enough room for stuffing to expand during cooking. Do not stuff the body cavity. Make sure you calculate the correct cooking time – as a guide, for every 500 g stuffing used, add an additional 10 minutes to the unstuffed turkey cooking time.
This stuffing is also delicious served with a vegetarian or beef Wellington or used to stuff a roast chicken.

Nutrition per 1 portion

Calories 807 kJ / 194 kcal
Protein 7 g
Carbohydrates 13 g
Fat 12 g
Saturated Fat 1.1 g
Fibre 4 g
Sodium 80 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo here: https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r491061

Save with Thermomix and make your own Sprouts

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Try making your own Brussel Sprouts this Christmas and save with Thermomix. A simple, healthy side dish bursting with festive flavours.

Typically boiled or steamed, sprouts are considered an essential addition to the Christmas table. Here we serve them raw, shredded and mixed with lardons and cranberries in a delicious salad that is perfectly served with cold cuts on Boxing Day.

Ingredients

500 g water
450 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
140 g butternut squash, peeled and diced (approx. 1 cm)
60 g unsalted butter, diced
80 g pecan nuts
50 g dried cranberries
30 g light brown sugar
30 g balsamic vinegar
15 g freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. ½ lemon)
½ tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
1 pinch fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Preparation

Place water in mixing bowl then place Varoma dish into position and weigh in Brussels sprouts. Cover with Varoma lid and steam 4 min/Varoma/speed 2.
Carefully remove Varoma lid and weigh in butternut squash, secure lid and steam a further 12 min/Varoma/speed 2 or until vegetables are tender. Transfer steamed vegetables to a serving bowl and keep warm. Empty mixing bowl.
Place butter in mixing bowl and melt 2 min/100°C/speed 1.
Add pecans, cranberries, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, chilli flakes, salt and pepper then cook 2 min/100°C/reverse/speed 1.
Transfer to serving bowl with steamed vegetables and gently mix with spatula.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition – per 1 portion

Calories 1615.7 kJ / 386.2 kcal
Protein 4.5 g
Carbohydrates 14.7 g
Fat 18.6g

Get this recipe on Cookidoo here: https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r491061

Christmas Gifting – Honeycomb

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Honeycomb made in the Thermomix and the cost saving you can have compared to buying it.

Whether you call it honeycomb, hokey pokey or cinder toffee, this Thermomix recipe is amazing.

Ingredients

1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted
300 g white sugar
1080 g water
20 g honey or golden syrup
50 g vinegar

Preparation

To guarantee the success of recipes using Sugar Stages, please follow the exact quantity and description for all ingredients. The recipe should also be cooked immediately after placing the sugar with the other ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Line a square cake tin (18 x 18 cm) with baking paper (paper should be approx. 5 cm higher than the tin – see Tips) and place on a heat-resistant surface.
Sift bicarbonate of soda and set aside. Place sugar, 80 g water and honey into mixing bowl and start Sugar Stages without measuring cup.
Immediately add reserved bicarbonate of soda around the blades and quickly stir with spatula until mixture foams up, taking care not to over mix. Transfer immediately into prepared cake tin. Using spatula, remove any mixture from the mixing bowl rim to be able to close the lid correctly for pre-cleaning.
Place 1000 g water and vinegar into mixing bowl and start Pre-clean.
Allow to cool completely to room temperature and break into pieces. Store in a sealable container at room temperature (see Tip). Use as required.

Hints & Tips

This lovely treat looks similar to real honeycomb. Bicarbonate of soda is the secret to achieving an airy texture. Stirring it in at the last minute is the reason for its namesake appearance. Honey is used to flavour the caramel. Honeycomb is great to decorate with and it is also good added to other desserts. Break the honeycomb into pieces or crush it and sprinkle over ice cream, for example.
Honeycomb cannot be left out in the open for an extended length of time, as it will draw moisture from the air and become sticky. Store in snap lock bags or wrap in plastic wrap and place into a sealable container for up to a week. However it is best eaten soon after it is made. Dipping honeycomb pieces into melted chocolate helps extend shelf-life by a few days.
Extending the baking paper up the sides of the cake tin encourages the honeycomb to rise.

Nutrition per 1 portion

Calories 445.3 kJ / 106.3 kcal
Protein 0 g
Carbohydrates2 6.2 g
Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Fibre 0 g
Sodium 830.4 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r437218

Christmas Gifting – Amaretti

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Amaretti made in the Thermomix and the cost saving you can have compared to buying it.

Amaretti di Saronno refer to a type of amaretto, a bitter-sweet flavored macaron, that is traditional to Saronno, a comune of Lombardy, Italy. It is one of many types of traditional amaretti, but the only one made with apricot kernels.

Ingredients

oil, for greasing
2 egg whites, from large eggs
2 tsp honey
1 pinch fine sea salt
180 g ground almonds (see tip)
150 g caster sugar
100 g dried mixed fruit (e.g. apricots, cherries, prunes), quartered
100 g mixed whole nuts (e.g. pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts)
icing sugar, for dipping

Preparation

Preheat oven to 190°C and lightly grease a baking tray.
Insert butterfly whisk. Place egg whites, honey and salt in mixing bowl then, without measuring cup, whisk 2 min/speed 3.5. Remove butterfly whisk.
Add ground almonds, sugar, dried fruit and nuts then stir 20 sec/reverse/speed 2.
Using wet hands, shape tablespoons of mixture into small, rough balls and dip half of each ball in icing sugar. Place on prepared tray, icing sugar side up, and bake for 10-12 minutes (190°C) until just golden.
Leave on tray to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve or package up to give as gifts.

Hints & Tips

The literal translation of these Italian biscuits is ‘the little bitter ones’ as they were traditionally flavoured with bitter almonds. Plain almonds work just as well, and you can grind your own with Thermomix®. Prepare a batch and give as gifts, or serve alongside coffee or dessert wine to add some Italian flair to your Christmas meal.
To grind your own almonds, place 180 g blanched almonds in mixing bowl before starting the recipe and grind 10 sec/speed 10. Transfer to a bowl then clean and dry mixing bowl thoroughly before beginning the recipe.
In step 3, add 50 g dark or white chocolate chips

Nutrition per 1 piece

Calories 442.3 kJ / 105.7 kcal
Protein 2.8 g
Carbohydrates 11.8 g
Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 0.6 g
Fibre 1.6 g
Sodium 22 mg

Get this recipe on Cookidoo https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r85060

Christmas Gifting – Florentines

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Christmas is around the corner and homemade Christmas gifts are a great cost-saving and a way to show you care. Here’s a recipe for Florentines made in the Thermomix and the cost-saving you can have compared to buying it.

A Florentine biscuit is a sweet pastry of nuts and fruit. Florentines are made of nuts and candied cherries mixed with sugar melted together with butter and honey, cooked in an oven.

Ingredients

50 g pistachio nuts, unsalted, shelled
30 g walnut halves
75 g unsalted butter, diced
75 g Demerara sugar
15 g double cream
1 pinch salt
30 g dried cherries, halved, quartered if large
60 g mixed candied peel
50 g dried cranberries
60 g flaked almonds
150 g dark chocolate, small pieces or callets

Preparation

Preheat oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Place pistachios and walnuts in mixing bowl then chop 3 sec/speed 7. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Place butter, sugar, cream and salt in mixing bowl then melt 3 min/Varoma/speed 1.
Add cherries, candied peel, cranberries, almonds and reserved chopped nuts then mix 10 sec/reverse/speed 3.
Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture (approx. 20 g each) into a ball using hands, place on prepared trays and flatten out as much as possible, leaving 5 cm between each to spread. Bake for 8-10 minutes (180°C) until golden then leave on tray to cool completely. Meanwhile, clean and thoroughly dry mixing bowl.
Place chocolate in mixing bowl, grate 5 sec/speed 8 then melt 4 min/50°C/speed 2.
Spread chocolate evenly over one side of each florentine and leave to set completely (see tip). Store in an airtight container until needed.

Hints & Tips

Florentines often have a wavy pattern on the chocolate. If desired, once chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape (30-60 minutes), use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate.

Nutrition per 1 piece

Calories 531 kJ / 127 kcal
Protein 1.7 g
Carbohydrates 12 g
Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Fibre 1.5 g
Sodium 12 mg

Get recipes on Cookidoo here, https://cookidoo.co.uk/recipes/recipe/en-GB/r754184