Product Review: Cuisinart Soup Maker

I think I've mentioned on my blog before about making soup. I'm not a keen soup maker but that's mainly because I always thinks people like Heinz can do it better than me. I've never been particularly enamoured with the ones I've made but recently I've wondered if I've just made bad recipe choices. Attempting more soups is something I've wanted to do for quite a while so when Cuisinart asked if I'd like to try out their soup maker it was too good to pass up!

At first I was a little "oh yeah, isn't it just another variation of a blender?" but it's not, it's so much more than that. The Cuisinart soup maker combines cooking and blending to enable you to make homemade soups in as little as 20 minutes. The soup maker sautes, cooks, simmers and blends - everything is done in this gadget.  I think possibly, the only thing that would make this better is if it peeled and chopped the veg too! Asking a bit much? Probably.

Assembling the soup maker was easy, no instructions required, pop it altogether and you're ready for the off. I have found that getting all the ingredients prepped and ready next to the soup maker is by far the easiest and most efficient way of cooking so once that part is all done, it's on to the fun part - cooking the soup.   The first stage is melting some butter or using oil to saute and gently soften your base ingredients (it has a non-stick cooking plate). Next you add the stock and any other raw ingredients and bring it to the boil to make sure your raw ingredients are thoroughly cooked and then you leave it to simmer. You need to remember to add any cheese or cream right at the end and don't let it boil before embarking on the the final step - the blending part which takes literally seconds and is done to perfection.

There are four speed settings for blending plus a pulse function and a really handy stir button  - when you're sauteing or cooking, give this a quick press to "stir" everything around - I loved this feature and it helps to stop anything sticking.  I have to say, it's a real sturdy product, the lid fits really well (mega important with a blender unless you like your ceiling and walls pebble-dashed with tomatoes ) and the thermal glass jar, which is heavy and robust, kept the soup warm for absolutely ages. Cleaning was a doddle to thanks to the self-clean feature (you add some water and a little washing up liquid and simmer for a couple of minutes, followed by a quick blend) although I've also done it the traditional way - in a bowl with hot soapy water. Either way is fine and thanks to the non-stick cooking plate at the moment, it's not hard work in the slightest - even when you have turned it bright green...

The soup maker comes with a recipe booklet full of delicious soups to try but also other ideas for using your soup maker - curry sauces, desserts, dips and dressings and also drinks like "real hot chocolate" - can't wait to try that!

It's fair to say I am pretty much delighted with this soup maker and I can foresee it being used a lot in our house - I'm planning lots of soupy experiments.  It's a really well-made product and makes soup making so much easier, especially as you don't have to spend time washing up pots and pans and all the other paraphernalia you end up using in the kitchen!  I think to get maximum value out of the soup maker (and actually any small kitchen appliance) it's best to keep them out on the worktop ready for use - I don't know about you but I find that if things are put away in cupboards they rarely see the light of day. It's quite a bulky bit of kit too but looks rather stylish I have to say!  All-in-all, the Cuisinart Soup Maker gets a big thumbs up from me! 

I'll be posting the soup recipe I made shortly and keep your eyes peeled, as later on the blog I'll be giving you the chance to win your very own soup maker!