Cuisinart SSB1U SOUP Maker > Reviews (4)

When it comes to kitchen appliances there are those that you use on a regular basis and then there are those that you buy and start off all enthusiastic with but they soon end up sat in the back if a cupboard. I am sure we have all been there and now I think long and hard about which kitchen appliances I am going to use. One appliance that makes regular appearances sat on top of my kitchen worktop is the Cuisinart Soup Maker (Model number SSB1U). The idea of a soup maker had never appealed to me until after Christmas, in fact I did not know that such an appliance existed however after New Year I started on the Slimming World Diet and soup soon became my regular lunchtime meal. Making soup from scratch is not that long a cooking process but with the help of this appliance it soon became even quicker.

It was a friend at the Slimming club that told me about a soup maker and after doing a little research they were all coming up at over the £100 mark, now I certainly did not have £100 to spend after Christmas on a soup maker, in fact I would not spend £100 at any point but after looking a little deeper I found that on Amazon the soup maker had been reduced down to £70.00. I appreciate that it is still expensive but it is certainly cheaper than £100. Keep your eyes peeled as the offers are out there, at full price this will retail at around the £99.00 mark.

The soup maker came all boxed up with an instruction booklet and a 2 year manufacturer’s guarantee. The device is basically a blender but it also heats the food up and cooks it for you, for me that is the benefit, you do not have to stand over the device and stir and wait around, you just pretty much add and go. The soup maker is black in colour and has the logo on front. The base is the part that will plug into your mains, there is the black on and off button and then above this is a silver coloured dial. There is then what I would call a flat piece and then sat on top of this is the jug where all the ingredients go to produce the soup.

The dial is the button that you need to pay most attention to, there are the sauté, heat or boil options and then there is the option to blend or pulse your soup ingredients. I have used all of these settings and been impressed. The only other component as I mentioned is the jug. The capacity for this is 1.2 litres. I have to admit that I would like to have seen this being a little bit bigger. For me, this only makes about enough soup to cover about 3 meals and so if you are using it to cook for a family then you may be put off by this capacity feature.

That said, this is my only complaint, the product is really easy to use and I also find it really safe and accurate. The jug has clear markings on so you can measure your stock out well and the blades of the blender seem to find no haste in chopping up the ingredients. I have found the smaller that you chop the better the soup maker will handle the ingredients. I have used quite watery stock as well as thicker stock when making my soups up and all have worked well.

I like that once the ingredients have been added I can just let the soup maker do the rest. This is perfect for bulk cooking or just when you need a quick fix and in a rush. I like that I can use this to cook my soup whilst using the hob of my cooker to cook my tea, I am a pro at multi tasking with this. I also leave the soup to stand in the jug when I am waiting guests if I have cooked soup for a starter and it tastes great after. I have never found this soup maker to be too noisy either so it is all really positive.

The soup maker is really easy to clean. The jug will click out of its slots; I found it a little difficult to begin with but have now got to grips quite well with it. It just needs soap and warm water or will slot into your dishwasher.

In summary, whilst I appreciate this is not a cheap Kitchen appliance; it certainly has paid for itself over and over again in my household. It is easy to use, safe to use and safes me time which is the best part.

4 out of 5 from me on this one

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