Test of the HOTPOINT-ARISTON TB 060 C AX0 steam blender

At first glance, it looks like just a stylish and powerful stationary blender with ample space for chopping and blending any ingredients. But in fact it is a steam cooker that cooks food with steam, as well as a very interesting and original soup bowl. The principle of the steam cooker is somewhat unusual: the blender bowl is loaded with prepared foods, and water is poured into a special container located on the side of the body. Steam is dispensed into the food bowl during cooking by steam pipes.

It starts to produce steam almost instantly – on the second second of operation. The blender blade remains stationary: it is not involved in the process. The difference from classic steamers is that in the blender’s bowl the steam condenses and turns into water, as a result, the food at the end of the cooking time is covered by the liquid, into which the steam continues to flow – you get a kind of hot geyser. Some models are equipped with food baskets, in which case it is possible to simply steam something without allowing water to enter. There are no restrictions on what kind of food you can put in the bowl of a pot of soup or a bowl of boiling water.e. You can put chicken breast, fish, and meat in the blender jug.

Steam blender

Bowl: glass made of impact-resistant and heat-resistant glass, max capacity of soup hot ingredients 1.4 l, cold ingredients 1.75 l, built-in knife.

ACTIVITIES: grinds and crushes food, crushes ice, steams, baby food, sauces, purees, soups.

CONTROL: electronic, ON/OFF button./Off., Steam cooking – “+” and “-” buttons to set the time from 0 to 30 min., Button to start blender – rotary switch – 4 speeds + pulse mode, automatic shutoff and buzzer at the end of cooking time, if there is no water in the container.

POWER: Steam is 1000 W, Blender is 600 W.

SAFETY: blender will not turn on without glass, steam cooking will not start or will stop if there is no water in the jug.

CARING: hand wash the cup, after use we recommend 3-minute decalcification with lemon juice solution, 20-minute decalcification after every 15 cycles of steaming.

Puddles of liquid around the ingredient tumbler can form a small puddle.

WEIGHT: 5,5 kg.

WARRANTY: 2 years. SHELF LIFE: 3 years.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: CHINA. BRAND: Italy.

TEST #1. COOKING LENTIL SOUP

In the instructions of the blender is no recipes for soup puree, and let’s just say that at first I was skeptical about the idea of cooking in this device soup, yet for me it is more accustomed to dip the vegetables in water, preferably boiling – and so cook first course. The way of “dry” cooking seemed to me strange, I was not sure that the liquid in the bowl would be enough. But a test is a test. I decided to check.

So, in the bottom of the bowl, I put half a carrot, a piece of onion and poured the lentils. I put the bowl on the body, closed the lid. I filled the container with water up to the top mark and put it in place. I set the maximal possible time – 30 min., because lentils take a long time to cook.

The water ran out after 20 minutes, all the while the blender was steaming and “puffing” intensely. By this time almost all food is already covered with liquid. I added water to the bowl and continued the process. After 30 minutes everything was ready. Surprisingly, the soup turned out very thick. I added boiling water directly to the bowl of soup and turned on the steamer for 10 more minutes. I must say that the total volume was not more than a liter, but the liquid was actively rising upwards, as in a real geyser, reaching the lid of the device.

After the end of cooking, I turned on the blender, I whipped the mass, and a couple of minutes later, the soup-mashed potatoes came out.

TEST #2. PREPARE A MILK-BANANA SMOOTHIE

Cooking took 2 minutes, the work was carried out on 2-3 speed blender, switch to 4 speed was not necessary. Everything was quite homogeneously crushed and blended. It was easy to pour a thick drink thanks to the convenient spout.

TEST NO. 3. COLEME LEAD

The manual does not say anything, but the manufacturer told us that this blender can make ice for drinks. We decided to check.

The first couple of seconds the blender was gathering its strength, and then vigorously began to turn the ice into crumbs. I was not sure that the liquid would be enough in the bowl.

CONGRATULATIONS

The blender surprised us, above all, the principle of operation. First of all, it is a blender, and the ability to boil hot soup in it is a nice addition. The process of cooking is not complicated, although it differs from the classic one. Nothing sticks, no need to stand and stir.

You don’t even need to refill it after cooking – conversion into mashed potatoes is done in the same bowl. The only thing you need to do is to periodically add water to the container.

LIMITATIONS

You can use any foods, but you can’t boil the eggs.

When steaming soup, like in a geyser, jets of hot liquid “jump out”, and although the lid is tightly closed, a small puddle may form around the ingredient cup.

There is an active process of steam, this should be considered when choosing a place for the blender: do not put it, for example, under the shelf with the products, which can get damp.

FEATURES

The cup is made of thick glass – environmentally friendly and durable material. In addition, interesting is the blender blade, it has a complex shape and is very sharp. The bowl is attached to the base, which theoretically and according to the manual can be unscrewed.

Practically it is an impossible task. On the one hand this is good: less hassle, on the other hand it makes the appliance more difficult to care for. If the bowl was unscrewed, you could wash it in the dishwasher.

CONTROL

Simple and logical enough. There are two blocks on the panel: one for the steam cooking control, the other one for the blender. In the first case, you need to set the operating time the manual has recommendations for different types of food with the “+” and “-” buttons and press the Start button. At the end of the operating time the device will switch off automatically.

Time and countdown are indicated on the display. If you have done something wrong and the device does not turn on, the error number will light up on the display, the deciphering of which you can see in the manual.

In the second case the rotary switch controls the work, you can choose one of the four speeds of rotation of the knife in a bowl or the pulse mode the leftmost position of the regulator .

The display shows a countdown during steam cooking. If the container runs out of water, the process stops and a loud beep sounds. When you refill the water and press Start, the timer continues to count down – this is very convenient.

The operation of this appliance is very simple, but there are two small remarks: the button Start needs to be pressed with some effort, and the fourth speed is located at the bottom of the rotary switch, and you might not notice it.

CARING

You have to wash the bowl manually. You can pour warm water into it and turn on the 2nd speed of the blender, which will clean the walls and the bottom from dirt.

As with any appliance that works with boiling water and steam, the blender needs to be periodically descaled. The manufacturer offers two options.

First, after each preparation, you can add a little citric acid to the water container and turn on the device for five minutes with an empty bowl to rinse the system.

Secondly, after 15 cooking operations it is required to add the descaler to the water and turn on the system for 20 minutes.

SAFETY

Designed seriously enough. I really like the fact that cooking will not start if there is no water in the pan and it stops automatically when the water runs out. If the bowl is not installed correctly or not installed at all, the blender does not turn on: when you press the On/Off button, the blender turns on without a lid. nothing happens.

The only thing that is not clear – why there is no protection from turning on the blender without a lid. And it turns on without a lid in both chopping and steaming modes. In both cases this can result in splashing of the contents,

INGREDIENTS

This isn’t your ordinary blender, as there are many, but a blender with steam cooking.

At first glance you get the impression of a robust and powerful blender. This is reflected in the materials, design and construction.

Cooking soup in this blender takes some getting used to, getting used to, and here the recipe book would be very helpful. But unfortunately it is not, the instructions only put a table with the recommended cooking times for different products, and give a few recipes at the end. There was only one soup among the selections, and that had to be cooked on the stove. There is also a recipe for gazpacho, but from the description it is not quite clear whether it’s a soup or a sauce. In general, we are waiting for a book or at least a brochure

This blender has a lot of features and we recommend it to creative housewives and owners who like to experiment, think up and try new things. This blender will also come in handy for families with young children, as it allows you to steam cook and immediately grind food, turning it into a delicate puree. In addition, the blender will also find a use for those who like delicious hot and cold sauces.

In general, I got interested in the device, it is interesting to work with it and I want to continue to “communicate” by trying to make new dishes with it.

The price/quality ratio is good. The blender cannot be called a cheap blender, but the thick-walled glass bowl in combination with the sophisticated blade cannot be cheap.

OUR EVALUATIONS

Functionality – excellent.

Ergonomics – good.

(Reduced rating due to the fact that the blender turns on without a lid, and because the Start button needs to be pressed vigorously .

Excellent design.

Good value for money – 4.

(Such an assessment is given not even because of the price, but because of the lack of colorful booklet with recipes and because of the “peculiarities of translation” in the instructions. Manufacturers of quality, technological and expensive products should not skimp on such things .