Paper short abstract:

Bimby (aka Thermomix) has gained wide sales success in many southern European countries and is a kitchen appliance that promises to revolutionize the way people cook. In a period of economic crises the paper looks at the demonstrator's discourses and creative practices of frugality and food re-use.

Paper long abstract:

Bimby (aka Thermomix) has gained wide sales success in many southern European countries and is a kitchen appliance that promises to revolutionize the way people cook. In a period where concerns are raising about the demise of cooking skills, Bimby is being heralded in the media and the Internet as a magic gadget that turns dreadful cooks into notable 'chefs'. This cooking appliance is directly sold by sales representatives, after a demonstration in future clients' houses. The demonstration mixes economic, social and cultural elements - a good illustration of the cultural economy workings operating in them. Based upon a case study of a demonstration this paper pays special attention to the vendor's discourses around frugality and economic crisis along with occurring creativity processes (e.g. improvisation, shortcutting steps in recipes to save money). The empirical material is based on a visual ethnography to record both performative and discursive elements of cooking practices.