I am Italian: everyone has a Thermomix in Italy, we call it Bimby. This is also true in Germany, France, Spain, and most of the places I've visited in Europe. If you go into any kitchen, you'll probably find one. You would expect a high-end and very expensive machine like this to be found collecting dust only in posh, boring kitchens - but for the Bimby, it's not the case.Europeans make a long-term investment in this appliance because it will give you back hundreds or thousands of your work hours over a lifetime. And you see everyone using it. Vorwerk is the brand that gave us vacuum cleaners that cost a kidney but will work for 30 years. Same with the Thermomix, it will work forever. All the cheap copycats? Suit yourself!This thing will make you an absolutely perfect preparation that would normally need your constant attention, such as risotto or polenta - the basics, but it can also achieve high-cuisine tricks. I have played a bit with the "modernist" books and the Bimby made it possible.Please, join our cult! :)