Whoopi Goldberg recommends this $1500 kitchen robot – here's a $100 alternative that makes home cooking so easy

Our experts are always looking out for kitchen appliances to make your life easier, and apparently, so is Whoopi Goldberg. To celebrate her 68th birthday, the actress shared her favorite gifts of the season on The View. The list included several home-related gifts including a Paint and Puzzle Kit and a Seedsheet. However, the most interesting item on the list to us was the Thermomix TM6. 

This multi-purpose kitchen robot has 28 functions including weighing, chopping, grinding, sauteing, steaming, and whisking. It claims to replace 5 kitchen appliances in one and reduce cleaning time. 

The only catch? The Thermomix TM6 is priced at almost $1,500. Luckily, our team has been monitoring the multi-cooker market to find a worthy budget alternative. Priced at only $100, the Ninja Foodi multi-cooker accomplishes many of the same functions at under 7% of the cost. Let's compare.

There are many similarities between the machines. Our review of the Ninja Foodi gave this multi-cooker 4.5 stars, the same rating as the Thermomix TM6 at a fraction of the cost. Like the Thermomix, one major drawback is the size, as the machine takes up a large amount of counter space. However, the Ninja Foodi made #4 on our list of the best multi-cookers of 2023, while the Thermomix did not rank.

Though the Ninja Foodi has a reported 14 settings compared to the Thermomix's 28, in terms of everyday functionality the Ninja Foodi covers all of the cooking methods you are most likely to use. If you are interested in more advanced features like Wifi connectivity, a touch screen, and built-in stirring, the Thermomix is the best option. But it comes at a price. 

For the standard home chef looking for an affordable multi-cooker, the Ninja Foodi is a great option. If you don't need all 14 settings, a highly-ranked airfrier is a wonderful way to cook quickly with a short preheat time. We think Whoopi would approve.