Review in collaboration with Kambrook
A house warming gift from Kambrook that is really warming our winter days and nights right now.
SOUP 2 SIMPLE
Soup is always on the menu in our house at this time of year and if I can find a way to bring healthy homemade soup to the table more often, without slaving in a kitchen for hours, then I’m going to take it. My house warming gift from Kambrook, the Soup 2 Simple soup maker does just that and I’ve been having a whole lot of fun road testing this appliance in the kitchen in our new (to us) home this past month.
I must confess, I still absolutely love, love, love my Kambrook pressure express multi cooker (my review here) for making quick and easy soup but I also love it for just about all our family meals. There’s hardly a day that goes by that it isn’t in use. It’s one of three appliances that gets a constant look in and resides pride of place on my new and largely improved kitchen bench. The multi cooker creates curries, stews, roasts, risottos, soups… you name it. So, having a second appliance that can make soup (or a jug of Margaritas) at the same time, cutting down my time in the kitchen, is going to get my worth casing seal of approval.
The Kambrook Soup 2 Simple soup maker, really makes soup making simple. For the most part, it’s a simple case of throwing all your ingredients in the 1.5 litre jug, popping on the lid and locking the jug into place before hitting a button. You’ll have delicious homemade soup on the table in 30 minutes or less.
You have the option to select manual blending if you find after the pre-set function you want your soup more blended. There are three pre-set functions to choose from:
- BLEND: Best for smoothies and milkshakes.
- SMOOTH: Perfect for smooth soups.
- CHUNKY: The setting to select when you are cooking chunky or more hearty soups.
Personally, I just stuck with the three pre-set functions and left the manual for my cocktail making. YES, this big boy also makes a jug of cocktails or mocktails, as well as baby food. I suspect a house warming supper party at my house is just around the corner.
SOUP 2 SIMPLE SOUP MAKER – UNDER REVIEW
The emphasis really is on simple for this appliance. Not in terms of how it performs or the results, more a case of how simple the Soup 2 Simple soup maker really is to use.
Some of the soup recipes do require a two-step process. As in, you will have to sauté the onions for the French onion soup in a fry pan first before adding to the soup maker. Not really a problem though as I tend to caramelise onions in bulk to make relish when I get the chance, which means this device is making me a tad more efficient and productive in the kitchen.
I’m finding that last night’s left-over meals, make this evening’s super easy soup. They even add to the flavour factor, using vegetables that have been roasted first. I’ve also noticed a huge reduction in food wastage, since the soup maker has been in use, which has me saving money in the long run. Those veggies that look almost past their prime, get a new lease of life thanks to my Soup 2 Simple soup maker and the results are lick your plate clean impressive.
I think my favourite soup concoction so far is my 40 cloves of garlic chicken soup. Which is in fact a result of left-overs from my 40 cloves of garlic chicken baked dinner. Yes, I basically roast a chook with 40 cloves of garlic. It’s slightly more complicated than that and tastes a whole lot better than it sounds. It’s the perfect dish to have on the menu if you are wanting to ward off the cold and flu doing the rounds at this time of year, as well as vampires I suspect.
There are plenty of recipes included in the instruction manual to get you started. I’m looking forward to attempting lasagne soup and prawn laksa next. With more than enough recipes to keep me in soup heaven this winter over on Kambrook’s website A Perfect Pantry, including a soup recipe book you can download for free (HERE).
Although, I must confess, I’m having a whole lot of fun making soups up as I go along, using the ingredients I have on hand. After a quick trip to my local seafood co-op, I’m currently attempting to make our family favourite seafood chowder. It’s usually a long winded and complicated process, which means it doesn’t see the light of day nearly enough and I’d dearly love to bring our creamy seafood chowder to the table more often with the help of my Soup 2 Simple soup maker.
This is a weighty machine but I found the weight together with the sturdy non-slip feet on the appliance make bench life a whole lot easier, you can safely leave the machine to do its thing (generally 25 to 30 minutes) and come back to piping hot soup ready to serve. The appliance is relatively quiet and cleaning is super easy. There’s even a handy cleaning brush included.
Do you have a favourite soup recipe?
Who wants to join me for a soup detox?
How gorgeous are my flowers from Lotte and Aud?
