Here are the best soup makers I tested, starting with my favourite. This recipe is excellent and can be easily adjusted to prepare on your stove top. It has a slightly different taste than some other curry powders. This soup will definitely be a staple in our house this winter.
Rather, it was the most versatile device, with some extra functions that pushed it ahead of others, even if they add to the cost. Firstly, I found it to be the most similar to using an actual pan. This is because it came with a sauté function – everyone knows browning cuisinart soup maker of onions, which caramelises them, adds a wonderful depth of flavour. Of course, with other devices, you could do this in a pan beforehand, but this saves time. There’s even a stir button which ensures the onions (or whatever you’re frying off) don’t burn.
First a curry paste, with the machine having no trouble grinding up ingredients for a smooth result using ‘level 3 blend’ (there are 1–4 speeds available). Soups take minutes, whether you’re going for chunky or smooth, and you can blend smoothies too. Will I be giving up my traditional cuisinart pots and pans set method of cooking soups? I still enjoy a good pot of bubbling soup simmering on the stove. However, I will use this Blend and Cook Soupmaker for quick soups and lunches and recipes that require a really nice pureed texture. From broths to bouillon, this is soup making simplified.
Whoever came up with the advertising slogan, “Soup is good food” was spot on. And good for you, too, especially when you make it yourself. Cuisinart is set to introduce (sorry U.S., looks like just U.K. for now) the Cuisinart Soup Maker in September 2009. The name may be uncomplicated and accurately reflect the simple nature of soup, but this blender-meets-heater is all business.
For her second trial, she made prawns in tomato sauce, a pasta sauce recipe also from the recipe booklet. You need time to chop, slice, sauté and stir—which occupies all your burners and leaves Burj Khalifa-sized stack of pots and pans in your sink at task’s end. Nothing quite beats a soul-warming, homemade soup.
We started by sautéing onions on low for a Scotch broth, with the heating plate helping to release the aroma and taste of the onions. The best thing about soup makers is how hands-free soup making can become. Instead of having to boil vegetables in a pan, then get out the blender or the food processor, it can all be done at once in one small sized kitchen gadget. But the reason it came up trumps is not aesthetic.
All soup makers make a bit of a racket when blending, but some are noisy during cooking too. The blender makes smoothies in no time at all, too. More sophisticated models come with additional functions, some of which are useful, though they tend to drive up the prices. Some have a sauté function, to brown off onions and garlic, for example, for added depth of flavour or colour.
The lid comes with a hole, filled by a measuring cup, which allows you to add ingredients during cooking; ideal if you’ve got ingredients that cook at different speeds. The stir function ensures everything mixes together perfectly – a squash and red pepper soup I tried was superb. The great thing about Cuisinart’s electric soup makers is that they also double as regular blenders, allowing you to create cold smoothies, shakes, baby food, salad dressings, and more. Thanks to their razor-sharp blades, they can even crush ice cubes, which is not something every regular blender is capable of!