Cuisinart SSB1U

Soup making is simple with the Cuisinart SSB1U. It will both cook and blend your ingredients into soup in as little as 20 minutes, all in the blending jug. The (often tiresome) soup-making process is hassle free with this appliance when compared to the traditional manner of making soup in a pan and then transferring the ingredients to a blender. With the SSB1U, time, mess and washing up is reduced.

This soup maker features a non-stick cooking plate beneath the blending jug. this plate has a 1000 W cooking element that makes it possible for veggies and meat to be sautéed, as you would do in a pan. During the sautéing process, ingredients can be easily stirred thanks to a stir function. ensuring there's no risk of your food burning. Once you've added stock and let your food simmer, simply turn the dial to blend your soup to the exact consistency you like. It really couldn't be simpler!

The thermal glass blending jug has a large capacity of 1.75 L for cold liquids and 1.4 L for hot. Thanks to the jug's clever design, it is able to keep its warm temperature after cooking is done. Though the primary use of this blender is soup making, those who like variety will be happy to know it can also be used as a "normal" 500 W blender to make sauces and smoothies. Not only that, but the Cuisinart SSB1U has stainless steel blades, which are powerful enough to crush ice. This appliance's triple seal lid features a measuring cup that can be removed to add additional ingredients, spices or liquid. However the lid doesn't come with a steam vent, so steam is left in the blending jug during the blending process, which can lead to a slightly watery soup. What may put some off too is the fact that this appliance can be a little noisy (as with most blenders) when in use.

The base features a dial control offering a selection of four different speeds plus a pule function. The temperature (low, high, simmer) can be set using the buttons beneath the dial, and because the appliance has a digital countdown timer, it's easy to know when a cooking cycle is complete because it will beep. The Cuisinart SSB1U has a self clean feature. All you need to do is fill the jug halfway with hot water, a squirt of washing up liquid and press blend. The heating plate is however a little difficult to clean and the blades aren't easy to detach from the base. Although the jug is dishwasher safe, other parts have to be hand washed.

If the Cuisinart SSB1U sounds like the perfect device for you, but you just have no idea where to start, then there's good news. It comes with a recipe book offering users 43 recipes to try out.