Cuisinart SBC-1000 Blend-and-Cook Soup Maker, Black

I have used this about twice a week since I bought it in 2011. I love that I can make homemade soup sautéing the veggies and stirring them right in the blender, add other ingredients, simmer, puree if desired, and do it all in one container. I have made many types of soups and the results have been excellent. I love it so much that I take it back and forth, north to south, each year. I have had no problems with any part of the machine.I do have some tips:Read the instruction booklet for starters and reread it after a few weeks.Allow extra time to sauté the veggies in butter or oil if that is part of the recipe and plan to use the stir function now and then while sautéing. The heating element is small and it takes longer than if using a large skillet obviously.I often heat any water to be added in a large pyrex measuring cup in the MW to speed up the process although this isn't necessary.Get some good recipes and add quality ingredients if you want good soup. The device doesn't add flavor on its own. I have tried several recipes from the enclosed booklet and they are very good.Making puddings and thick gravies can be done but the heating plate gets coated with residue and requires extra attention to clean.Notes to manufacturer:I do wish you would add an optional intermittent gentle stir function that would stir the soup while the cook is busy elsewhere. I wish the timer could be set for longer than 30 minutes.Save the box -- you may want to take this on vacation with you like I do!

I have always been curious about blenders that make soup, so when I needed a new blender, I did quite a bit of research. Granted, Vitamix is the Grand Dame, and it should be for the cost. Looking at reviews, no blender is perfect. So I bought this one at what I thought was a great price. Note: Amazon had it retailing for $290 and I got it for $79 in Dec. it is now $59! Cuisinart website lists it at $149. (What a racket this all is.)Pros: I LOVE making soups - very fun after years of stovetop cooking. The recipes in the booklet are interesting and delicious. I've made the carrot/ginger (I complemented it with ginger/mango Stilton cheese and crusty bread-made the meal to die for!) and the lentil (every bit as good as a stovetop recipe-I added celery)Smoothies: I've been making green smoothies regularly. I have to admit that the blending isn't perfect. I sometimes have chunks of banana (how could it not blend a banana?) or pineapple (the fibers catch in the blade). Maybe I just need to run it longer. The greens blend beautifully. I freeze my kale, parsley or spinach and break off chunks as needed.Con: the biggest issue I have (and warning) is to be very careful how tight you screw on the jar! It is a b----- to get off! My husband (over tightens everything) agrees that this is a design flaw. There is simply no way to get a good grip to unscrew it. One time it was stuck and I got it off by spraying cooking oil in the crack between the base and the jar. I also had it on the blend itself and it gave more leverage. I'm concerned about unscrewing it this way though. Anyone else have problems or tips and tricks??Overall, I would recommend, especially at the current price of $59!! It's really not a cheap appliance!

I'm probably the only person who was turned on to this appliance by my favorite bartender. Yep. Not kidding. He was talking about a "cleanse" he and his wife were doing and said he'd found this awesome Cuisinart thingie that made smoothies and soups. I was skeptical, but went home and started Googling.He paid $200 at Williams-Sonoma, but Amazon came through with $150 plus free shipping. I was still skeptical.I'm not the review-writing type, but I have to say this is the single best kitchen appliance I've ever had. I've had it for exactly 48 hours and I've made the yummiest Coconut Butternut Squash soup, an eggplant and red bell pepper veggie spread, and now tomato soup. For each recipe, here's my total cleanup damage: 1 knife, 1 cutting board, and the machine. That's it. If we were going vegetarian, I swear this is the one gadget that would get me there.I don't know what people mean when they say their machine gets the food lukewarm. Literally within 45 seconds of turning it on to heat oil, butter, etc, my machine is ready for the next step---usually onions and garlic. When I made the tomato soup, everything goes in at once, and it was bubbling hot within 1-2 minutes.I can't wait to try more recipes. I have limited kitchen space and this machine will do so much with so little space.To my bartender----thank you!!!! (I'll tell him in person when we go out to eat again, but that may be awhile because I'm in love with my soup maker.)