Nutritionist Belinda Rennie looks at how men can destress in the kitchen

One of the greatest stress busting activities for men apart from exercising or watching sport is getting creative in the kitchen. In the clinic, I often hear from women how their husbands enjoy cooking and when they come home from work are greeted by enticing smells wafting through the front door. Heaven! Put your feet up and relax.  I think back nostalgically how my husband wooed me with his wonderful culinary expertise. From Thai curries to Mexican hand rolled tortillas and later when we moved from Paris to Dubai, homemade pasta and pesto from basil grown in the garden.

This might just be a growing trend – or simply optimistic - as more women work longer hours and try to juggle family responsibilities, cooking can become a shared responsibility amongst the family. My husband is one of the many men who are intrigued by the Thermomix , dubbed the smallest, smartest kitchen in the world.  With a footprint no bigger than a lap top it can take all the hassle out of cooking by whipping up everything  - cutting, sautéing, blending , cooking -in a two litre pot. Men love state of the art gadgets and this one can produce full meals with guaranteed results.   No slaving over the hot stove for these guys and there is the nutritional benefit of cooking everything in one pot where the nutrients are retained in the food.  

back to top

Anthie Petrou, Middle East distributor for Thermomix  says delightedly, “ a lot of our customers say that their husbands are using Thermomix, systematically following the recipe and are amazed by the effortless results and the endless possibilities”. Many men are renowned for leaving the kitchen a disaster zone after cooking, taking the pleasure out of the experience. The beauty of Thermomix is the only extra kitchen item you need is a knife, none of the usual utensils, clutter and mess….So while the machine does the stirring and the cooking, guys have  got plenty of time to put back all the ingredients, wipe down the benches  and even set the table!

Interestingly, Anthie has recently sold a few Thermomix lately to be used on boats. The requests came from men who saw Thermomix in the kitchen, tasted the results and thought that it would be the ideal gadget to have on board. Not only does it save space in the galley, is safe and stable, it allows you to chop, mix, heat and steam while you are enjoying a drink on deck. If you need to trim the sails the machine will keep the food warm and keep stirring so it doesn’t go lumpy. Magic! Thermomix can convince those guys who don’t cook, to actually try it and entice those who have taken leave of absence from the kitchen to sharpen up their skills and impress their friends.

back to top