Smart Kitchen

Hi guys,

Julia here. At Junique we are all about modern lifestyle, unique décor, and smart, healthy cooking. I might have mentioned, but I do love cooking and experimenting with new smart appliances. I am so excited about my newest addition, the Thermomix, that I thought why not introduce these new, innovative gadgets to you?

Let’s be honest, cooking and baking can take a lot of time. From prep to finish, it can sometimes be an all-day event depending on how many people you are cooking for, and can ultimately be an exhausting endeavor. But innovative kitchen appliances have come a long way and got a lot smarter to make your life a whole lot easier. And the best thing is that you don’t even need to be a great cook to be able to use these. It’s actually the opposite and your appliances will do most of the heavy lifting for you. I am serious!!! You will achieve better results and your food will be more healthy due to better and more gentle cooking methods that preserve valuable nutrients.

Thermomix TM6, the best kitchen assistant I ever had!

This brings us to the Thermomix. I am talking their latest model, the TM6. If you’re anything like me, you’re wondering “what the heck is it???” In simple terms, a Thermomix is the world's most powerful blender but it can also cook, stir, knead dough, and mix batter. It comes with two steamer baskets, a small one that fits inside the blender bowl and a large one that perches on top. My favorite feature is its built-in scale, so you can add ingredients by weight. No more guessing or using a separate scale that you also have to clean later. 

But guys here is the best part!!! The appliance has a touchscreen, connects to Wifi, and comes pre-loaded with recipes, so it can instruct you, step by step, how to make, say, salmon in mushroom cream sauce, or Parmesan risotto, or focaccia. The promise is that you can cook without thinking about cooking — no need to evaluate onions' progress as they brown in some oil, no tasting to see if the carrots are tender, etc. 

Cookidoo, Thermomix’s Recipe Platform. You’ll love it!

Thermomix has an app, too, that syncs with your phone and provides you with the shopping list for each recipe. The appliance is so smart that it stores all the settings for each recipe so you can’t really go wrong. Let’s say vegetables have to be chopped at a specific speed, so the appliance is already set to that particular level. Genius, right? That means less time to think about what to make for dinner, and more time to enjoy the delicious food! I’ve done my fair share of test runs using the Thermomix and have been blown away every time. It’s so easy that the kids can use it too and it teaches them to cook at the same time! Win, win for the whole family!

Another of my favorite kitchen appliances is a combi steam oven. I have to say there is quite some overlap here with my Thermomix and most people will have either or, but I really want to introduce this appliance to you as well. My Miele steam oven is even plumbed so that I don’t have to manually add water or drain. The combi-steam can bake, steam, broil, defrost, reheat, and even has a sous-vide mode. The oven has a high-tech interface, just like your smartphone, which allows you to scroll through the menu seamlessly. I love the Menu Cooking feature that allows you to cook different items together and instructs you exactly in which order and how you have to place them so that all is ready at the same time - no more guesswork. Genius! This saves me so much stress when cooking. The Master Chef is similar to the Thermomix and cooks food according to type. All you need to do is prepare and the oven handles the rest.

Miele Combi Steam Oven

Lastly, for today, I’m sure that some of you share my love of good coffee, right? As you’re probably into great food you might be very particular about your coffee too. Ever heard about Ember mugs? Well, the Ember mug is a smart gadget that allows you to set an exact drinking temperature for your coffee via the app, so your coffee is never too hot, or too cold. Ember then maintains your chosen temperature for up to 1.5 hours, so you can easily get work done while sipping at a comfortable pace. As if that isn’t enough, they have a mug with longer battery life for on-the-go coffee as well! You can set the temperature from your phone and keep your coffee at the perfect drinking temperature even if you forgot it in the car.

Love Ember Mugs! Never have cold coffee.

I hope you’re feeling inspired by some of these amazing appliances. It might seem a bit complicated at the beginning but as soon as you get used to them you can’t imagine cooking otherwise anymore. I have to admit these premium products do come with a premium price tag, but it’s well worth it. Each device combines multiple functions, limiting the number of appliances you’ll need in your kitchen. Your kitchen will feel less cluttered and the food you cook will taste better than ever! 

As always let me know what you think and if you’d like to learn more. I’d love to learn what kitchen appliances you love! What’s made your life easier?

Cheers & talk soon,

Julia