Soup Week was last week, but that doesn't mean we're not still soup-crazed! Today we made soup using our sale rack margarita blender and something was just off. So we turned to the internet to find an appliance that would really help us next time we made a vegetable-based soup — and look what turned up! Is it a lower-priced American competitor to Thermomix, the European dream machine?
We sort of fell in love with this new Cuisinart Soup Maker & Blender. Ignore the name, which implies that it's a uni-tasker. (Who needs a soup maker when a pot will do? We think Cuisinart might have really misfired on the naming with this one.) No, this is a multi-tasker — even more than your usual blender. The blender will tackle anything you throw its way, including ice for cocktails, roasted vegetables for a soup or frozen fruit for a delicious smoothie.
But then, you're probably asking what sets this blender apart from any other? This blender actually cooks the vegetables while making them into a delicious soup.
It has three heat settings, ranging from a low simmer to a high boil. Throw in some chopped vegetables, turn on the heat setting and get cooking. The blender has a plastic base with a glass container and even comes with a brush for cleaning (we've always hated cleaning our blender!).
We're hoping this soup maker and blender takes off in the states. Combo appliances like these aren't generally too popular here but the Thermomix is much more common in Europe. In a small kitchen, a heating-whizzing-cooking-mixer-blender-thingie can actually be an amazing asset.
• Read more about Thermomix: The Way We Eat: Dream Machine - by Amanda Hesser in The New York Times, November 2005.
Thermomix is really the leader in the market right now, but we're thinking the Cuisinart may do well here, depending on how it performs.
• Find It: Cuisinart Soup Maker & Blender, $199.95 at Williams-Sonoma
Have you seen this thing in action? Do you own one? Tell us what you think!
Related: Spicy Soups To Keep You Extra Warm
(Images: Williams-Sonoma)
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Vitamix lite?
I'm skeptical. I've been very disappointed in Cuisinart products lately.
This is amazing and looks great. If it can do what the Thermomix does, it's a winner. The Thermomix is so expensive.
@s7mylsup - This is definitely not a Vitamix lite. Nothing like it.
I make soup in my Vita-mix all the time. I am not familiar with this particular Cuisinart product, but I'd definitely recommend the Vita-mix instead, even though it is more expensive.
Hmmm... good for baby food? Looks like a more versatile Beaba.
I really hate products like this that create yet another piece of stuff. What the heck is wrong with cooking the soup on the stove & then blending it? I just don't get it.
Or...use a food mill, which has so many uses and takes no power at all.
Still a Thermomix fan here. My mother bought one when I was 4 years old, and when she bought the upgrade twenty years later, I ended up with the old one that works just perfectly fine. I don't know where that Cuisinart blender will be in 10 years, but I'm guessing a dumpster, whereas my Thermomix celebrates his 25th birthday.
There is only one problem with the Thermomix. If you want a new one, you'll have to find another excuse than "I broke it" (because you can't). I'm not so sure about Cuisinart products.
I have this product, and I love it! For those who would question why households need another appliance like this, I think you're missing the point. It's a BLENDER!!! Do you know how many blenders there are on the market? This thing is going to take the blender market by storm! Most American households have a blender...sure you can make soup in a pot and then slop the contents getting it into a conventional blender...but this Cuisinart product is GENIUS! You can meet your traditional blender needs AND make soup all in one vessel! I think people already in the market for a blender will flock to this appliance because it does so much. And by the way (just my opinion) the Thermomix is VERY costly, and it only heats through friction...it makes a lot of noise running that thing long enough to produce heat. This is a quality product...and it won't be anywhere near a dumpster 10 years from now...wait and see. Great job Cuisinart...providing a more affordable product over thermomix for consumers.
Here in the UK, we take some time to catch up, every store over here markets the Cuisinart Soup Maker as just that, they forget it's actually a versatile blender. After a late product launch last year, then problems with stocking from Cuisinart, it is at last routinely available in the UK.
Check out the Cuisinart Soup Maker.
As a TM fan, I won't comment on the pros and cons of one product over another but I would like to offer a correction on a misunderstanding.
Thermomix is heated by a regular element, built in to the base of the surgical grade stainless steel bowl. It does NOT heat by friction - though there are other products on the market which do heat that way.
I'm a huge Cuisinart fan! We have a wonderful review of the Cuisinart SBC-1000 Blend and Cook Soup Maker on our site, Reviewsofblenders.com. I encourage everyone to check it out.