Jam tutorial

Ever had runny jam from your Thermomix? Or what about too sweet? (Though my husband calls me the sugar Nazi, I believe I am in good company when it comes to enjoying less saccharin sweet jam). I love REAL jam. Lumps of fruity goodness whispering to me that not long ago this was bursting with flavour in the Australian sun. And I love that the Thermomix is actually a secret weapon for getting really fresh lovely jam.

It's all about getting the amount of pectin and sugar right, and not overcooking, (thank you Thermie).

What has helped me enormously is this tutorial by a forum user. If you are reading this...rear your fabulous head and claim your recognition.

Here is the tutorial:

I absolutely adore preserve making, and use my thermomix 90% of the time, but there is a knack to getting low pectin fruit to gel, and so I am finally getting off my butt and posting in the hope that this will be helpful.



I don't use the recipes in the TMX cookbooks as I find they don't work as well as I'd like.



I don't use a lot of sugar in my jams, as I find 1:1 way too sweet for most fruits. 

I can go down to 400g sugar:1kg fruit and still have it set and keep for over 12 months just fine.



I do add lemon juice to most of my jams as I love the balance of flavour it gives, and it also adds pectin.



Jam sets, when the acid, sugar and pectin levels are 'right' and when the jam has reached high enough temp.  You can't normally reach that temp at 100C in the tmx, you need to go to varoma.  



But first...you want to macerate the fruit.  This means the fruit has 'taken up' the sugar, and release some of its water content.  Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to tell the difference, but until then, keep a relatively close eye on the mixture - if it looks like chunks of fruit floating in liquid (kind of like fruit in a punch bowl), it's not ready.  If it looks like it is stewed/softened/mushy and it is more incorporated into the liquid, it's probably done. 





So... Chop up your fruit (if you chop in the tmx, it will be harder to tell if the fruit is macerated) - I usually just do halves for apricots n figs 'cos I like it chunky! Liz here - I use 400g sugar to 700g fruit

Add in sugar n lemon juice (10g juice:100g sugar is a good ratio), then macerate the fruit by mixing on REVERSE, speed 2, 100C.  I normally find 20 mins is enough time. 

Taste the mix, if not sweet enough, add more sugar - it will only take about another 5 mins to dissolve.



Then... turn up the heat to Varoma, and put the steamer basket on top.  The mix will expand, depending on how dense the fruit is, but about 700g of fruit will be the max you can use before it is oozing all over your TMX.  Berries are the worst!  And I can only do 500g at a time.  

The amount of time at Varoma you need will vary with acid/sugar/pectin contents. 

For most fruit, I find 15 mins is enough, but you can experiment by putting a small plate in the freezer and dropping a blob on the plate.  If it gels, it's ready, if not, keep going. 

Remember also that jam will set over about 24hrs.  I made some apricot jam recently that I thought was too runny but by the next morning it was perfectly soft set and oozy, just the way I like it.  

Remember, the longer you cook jam, the darker it goes, so you want to cook it for the least time and the lowest temp in order to get a beautiful colour. 

That's why you don't just cook it at Varoma the whole time.


So Liz here. Today I did a strawberry jam and this was the recipe:

1 very large tart green apple

700g strawberries ($4 a kilo this week - WOW)

400g raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon citric acid

Method: Chopped the green apple (skin seeds and all) for 4 seconds speed 7. Then scraped down and added the strawberries and sugar. Macerated for 30 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse speed 2 with simmering basket on top.

Cooked for 19 minutes Varoma temperature, reverse speed 2 with Simmering Basket on top. (I checked it at 15 minutes and gave it 4 minutes more). You just put a saucer in the freezer, add a teaspoon of jam, put it back in the freezer and check after 2 minutes if it wrinkles when you tip it sideways.

The time will always vary depending on the natural pectin content of the fruit.

Hope this helps!

THE SECRETS - Gluten Free Bread tips from the expert

Now I love Cyndi's recipe, but I have had the occasional gluggy flop, and then it really piques my scientific brain when Lynne turns up to every cooking class with a PERFECT gluten free loaf.

Now to cut us all some slack, Lynne is the expert when it comes to bread - sourdough, gluten free - anything!! And she is a wonderful teacher as well. So last Tuesday, she finally let the cat out of the bag and told us her secret technique tips.

I tried to angle this picture to show you how bendy and flexible this loaf was. And it's delicious.
It's very simple! Ready:

1) There are some recipe modifications - but very minor, and she has not been forthcoming. For myself, I like to use 40g of sticky rice in place of some of the basmati for more binding. And I like to use the gluten free doctor's "pixie dust" to help reduce the amount of xantham gum. For start though, STICK TO THE RECIPE! you may add a tiny bit more yeast, but only by rounding your teaspoons.

For other modifications - like egg free you can use similiar ingredients to the pixie dust (like making a gel out of chia seeds and adding that instead of egg. I'll give that a go myself soon. For egg free, dairy free, gluten free and yeast free, I direct you to the wonderful work of Me and My Thermie and her new loaf

2) The mix. Both Lynne and I like to set aside the dry ingredients (leave sugar out) after mixing and heat the liquid on 37 degrees for 1.5 minutes WITH THE YEAST AND THE SUGAR. Then let it sit for 5 minutes while you go and get other things on, so the yeast has a chance to get started.

Then - proceed as normal and combine all ingredients for 15 seconds. THEN - KNEAD ON INTERVAL SPEED FOR 2 MINUTES. Haha! Now that's a sneaky manouvre.

3) THE KEY CLUE - is the long rise. I see some recipe community hints and Sarah Santos have all noticed that 30 minutes for a rise is better. Lynne's recommendation is an hour, or as long as you can. She even does a second rise sometimes...I'll get the details on that soon. For now, make sure you choose somewhere warm, but not too warm. My mostly defunct microwave is a good spot for us. Too warm and it will rise too quickly and give those larger holes in the loaf.

All of you science lovers can join me in the geeky question - WHY DOES THE LONG RISE MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE? Well the structure in the gluten free bread depends on the yeast breaking down the sugars in the loaf. The yeast interacts with the proteins to make it rise...but without the structure provided by the broken down sugars (think of all the starches you put in the loaf), it doesn't have a firm skeleton to stay risen when the heat goes away. Glug!

That's why it's important to have at least 30% starches in your gluten free mixes. This loaf has slightly higher. And the long sitting and yeast digesting the sugars is why Quirky Cooking's artisan loaf is so fantastic and has a great texture and flexibility.

4) The oven. Lynne puts her oven on 210-220 and then turns it down to 190 after the first five minutes of cooking. If you have an unreliable oven thermostat....I would buy one that hangs in your oven!

Cool huh? Have a play. Tell me your thoughts and Bon appetit!

EASY CLEANING

I have heard a few people say that they don't find the Thermomix bowl easy to clean - but with a few little tips it's an absolute cinch - and very quick.

I have my photo series below to show you the best way to clean off a sticky mess. Enjoy

This is what out bowl looks like after scraping out the porridge, (also applies to batters, sticky breads)

Step 1 - pop the bowl back onto the TM unit and fling any excess batter off your blades by whizzing for 1-2 seconds speed 7-9.

Step 2 - quick re-scrape 

Then cover the blades with warm water (drop of detergent for milky or buttery mess) and place brush bristles between the blades and wiggle side to side while going around the bowl. then do it on the opposite sides of the blade. Then swish the brush quickly around the sides of the bowl.

Return to the Thermomix unit and whizz for 20 seconds speed 8

Voila! The hard work is done!!!




















In general here's the cleaning document I prepared and Leonie from ThermoFun has kindly tweaked and promoted.

here's to easy cleaning!!

Lush Thermosphere and ThermoFun

Present

CLEANING THE THERMOMIX HINTS AND TIPS

SECTION / RECIPE	TWEAKS AND TIPS
Basics: Cleaning sticky messes	1.    If you have excess food on the blades – simply return the bowl to the TM base and spin the blades for 1-2 seconds on speed 6-8.  Then re-scrape the sides with your spatula. 2.    If it is still doughy – put some flour on the blades and spin again. 3.    For any starchy or sticky mixes, I cover the blades with water, run a dish brush around the blade post a few times, and then proceed to ‘wash’ at speed 7-8 for 15 seconds or more. 4.    If it is a real mess in the bowl, I put in at least 600g of water, set to 5 mins, 100 degrees speed 4.  When finished, carefully take the speed dial to speed 7 and ‘wash’ for 15 seconds.
Basics: Cleaning smelly, oily messes	1.    The first step is your basic ‘wash’ but with some drops of detergent and any of; lemon ends, vinegar, bicarb, citric acid 2.    If needed - Repeat with a little bit of water, and more of the above ingredients.  Then make sure everything can aerate well. 3.    If your silicon lid is stained – follow the above steps, then cover with lemon juice and leave to dry in the sun for an hour. 4.    If everything still smells, you can ‘season’ your silicone seal by cooking 60g+ of cheap oil with vanilla or citrus peel.  You will need to cook 3 minutes+ on 100 degrees.  Then carefully raise the speed to blitz on speed 9 for a minute.
Basics: Cleaning a burnt or filmy bowl.	1.    Follow your normal ‘clean’ procedure. 2.    Make a paste with equal amounts of bicarb and washing soda (or just the bicarb if that’s all you have) and a ½ amount of citric acid, then adding a few drips of water.  If you don’t have citric acid, pour several drops of lemon juice or vinegar onto your paste.  You can also grind up salt, and add a little bicarb and lemon to make a paste. Leave this for at LEAST ten minutes. 3.    Agitate with a NON-SCRATCH scourer or a brush.  Over several minutes, all the build-up should come away.  You can do a longer soak with vinegar and water (in your EDC). 4.    Cooking with salt, or cooking up a cleaner helps.  Try this beautiful lemon concentrate from the UK website: http://www.ukthermomix.com/recshow.php?rec_id=87 5.    A slight film is fixed by soaking with lemon juice.

If you have any cleaning the Thermomix hints and tips - we would love to include them in our next revision of this document.

You can either email Leonie from ThermoFun at:  leonie.cavill@infoclarity.com.au

OR

Liz from Lush Thermosphere at:  lushies777@optusnet.com.au

ENJOY!  And Happy Cleaning and Cooking!

From Leonie and Liz   J

That love-hate relationship with menu planning

Planning to succeed 

Recently I have had a couple of phone calls that went something like this: 'I'm really struggling with menu planning and making healthy meals', from lovely folk who contacted me via my Facebook page. Their stories were ones I could relate to well. Dietary restrictions or health goals were seemingly overwhelming amidst the demands of family life and other commitments...how could they make the changes needed or come up with meals that will be eaten?

These conversations were mutually encouraging and touched on two key elements that I have been learning:

1) Energy - You need an energy source for positive steps, and usually, when you most need help you are most energy depleted.

2) Abundance - menu planning from an abundance of ideas on a brainstorming page really helps. Having an abundance of the right foods and ingredients stocked up is wonderful.

Firstly, the issue of energy is really important. Instead of judging yourself for not being more motivated or successful, accept that menu planning to adapt dietary needs takes mental energy that you may not have to spare. You need to create the energy. The folks who called were smart, the phone conversations energised them. So might a cooking class, or brainstorming session with a friend in a similar situation. I remember the early and super draining days of the elimination diet I called a wonderful friend and just sobbed on the phone while she comforted and prayed for me. It is good to be cared for! Then she shared with me the stories of change for their family which gave me the energy to hang in there. So what do you think would energise you with your menu planning? Do you need to be more kind to yourself?

Then to abundance. Language is important, words like 'nourishing' instantly feeds into our psyche of 'the good old days' and our need to be cared for. Working on the principle of abundance is good psychology for approaching a menu planning session. If I'm just looking at a list of days to write meal ideas beside, I usually get stuck by about Wednesday. But if a cover a page with 'potential options' in a brainstorm session, and then just pull out choices, I can fill a week much more easily. It's good to have a brainstorm page available somewhere that you can add new ideas as you see them on the net or in books.

You also make better choices when you have an abundance of helpful foods and ingredients. My recent call was about healthy eating with a preference for whole foods and lots of fruit and veg.

I think these photos would make a Tupperware consultant weep, but whatever you use,it's much easier to succeed when you have containers of seeds in the cupboard, and containers of cooked brown rice, mesclun, veggies and herbs in the fridge. All you need to do for lunch is a quick chopped salad with lots of seeds thrown in for protein, and stir it through the baby spinach or mesclun. Loads of veggies, colour, flavour and speed. Keep left over bits and pieces of veg for soups, and leaves of greens for smoothies. Have the materials to make change easier.

Thank you to my callers, and to my friend who saved my sanity! Let's be kind to ourselves and brainstorm away.

Stay tuned for my next post about menu planning to use up ingredients and rethink the lunch box with healthy winter options. For now....I would love to hear about your brainstorming for your menu planning.

Saving Money with the Thermomix

Making the Thermomix work for you and your wallet

                                       

Enjoyment is the key!

The most common question I am asked is exactly how I got the Thermomix to take money off my grocery bill! I am a ‘hunt for the cheapest groceries’ kind of gal, choosing fewer options to save…and yet the Thermomix saves us 25-$30 each week! How?

1. Focus on the greatest need the Thermomix is meeting. Is it speed? Then choose the simplest meals and enjoy the freshness of the food and the simple preparation. Let yourself get the time back while having fun!

Is it meeting specific dietary needs? Then find meals that rejuvenate your eating. Thermomix allows you to use whole foods more easily. Buying whole grains means cheaper, bulk buying without your food going rancid. If it is creativity, allow yourself to re-energise with the incredible creativeness you can now enjoy! The sky is the limit.

2. Once you have started to gain some fun and time back in the kitchen – focus on the big ticket items in your food expenditure. Is it take-away? Look at the recipe community and try at least 3 times some yummy recipes that take less than a ½ hour to prepare. You will develop the habit and expand your repertoire quickly. Is it a staple in your grocery bill? Ours was yoghurt, and it only took four times for it to become routine and even something our children can make. Now we get to enjoy much healthier yoghurt for 1/5^th of the price! If it is special grains and milks – you will soon love the fresh taste of your produce, and the savings start to add up quickly. Almond meal costs me $7/kilo now! Let me know if you need help finding bulk suppliers.

3. Let the little things start stacking up. Make your own vegetable stock concentrate instead of chucking the wilting veggies,  easily make Jam out of the in-season fruit from your neighbor or market. Make coconut milk and cream instead of buying it. So easy! 

4. You can have your cake and eat the sorbet too! Sorbet is one of our biggest money savers. Ice, seasonal fruit and an egg white, 2 minutes later a $7 container of sorbet is made for less than $1.50. Instead of buying naughty’s, we enjoy custards and easy ice-creams.

5. Do yourself out of a job. It is FUN to use the Thermomix and my children love preparing the spreads or treats that save money. A little bit of chopping for them and they can make your Tuesday night dinner for you.

6. Use your consultant’s resources. Come along to a cooking class, or book another demo. This was what helped my confidence soar. My consultant picked up on the easy things that I could be cooking to save us money.

7. Plan! Use the meal plans from the Thermomix App, or ThermoNerd's or Quirky Cooking’s menu plans .

8. Enjoy cutting down on waste and energy costs. 

Well, now I have owned a thermomix for a couple of years and started to experience what a long lasting and quality tool it is, I need to do a little Thermomaths with you so that you do not put yourself under pressure that it should pay for itself in a few months but appreciate what a good money investment it is.

Cost per week over a twenty year life span - $1.80 (should last longer but being conservative)

Just making two items each week that regularly replace grocery items (e.g. for us, yoghurt and a sorbet treat, taking ingredients into account) - $8.00 saved per week.

That's more than four times the cost. At that super conservative rate, it's paid for itself in just under 5 years, and will therefore bring more than $6000 in savings in it's remaining life. 

Now realistically - only replacing two items per week is on a rushed week. For us, it's at least 6 or 7 items. For some it's take away. The average Aussie family, if they replace one take away meal a week and some prepackaged food is apparently $40 (from a survey).  That means, an 'average Aussie family' will pay for their thermomix in grocery savings in one year, and over the next 19 years will save $39, 000 in groceries/minimum takeaway. That's a good chunk of money to invest in something better than food that doesn't help your body.

However, how do you put a price tag on improving your family's health and taking away all the additives? Not just a bonus, it's the most important factor. So enjoy your investment, and I hope all my tips above help you to get it working for you even better!