Contents
Tefal BL841140
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Fast Programmes
- Stay Warm Function
- Recipes Included
- Best For Smooth Soups
Cons
- No Saute Option
See Amazon Price
(Now 46% Off RRP)
In this review, we’re going to go into detail on Tefal’s highly rated BL841140 soup maker, which also features highly in our top ten choices. Like the Morphy Richards 48822, this Tefal soup maker is very popular, commonly featuring as one of internet giant Amazon’s best sellers. As you read this review, you’ll learn why it’s so popular, so why don’t we get started?
See Amazon Price
(Now 46% Off RRP)
Tefal BL841140 Soup Maker Review
As usual, we’re going to look at two key areas in reviewing this soup maker, its features and what customers think. The first section is a factual look at what you get and what you can expect from this Tefal offering, whereas the second looks in detail at the comments previous customers have made about the BL841140 soup maker.
Tefal BL841140 Features
To address the product by its full name, the Tefal BL841140 Easy Soup Maker has lots of controls to help you create your perfect soup, many of which you’ll probably never use once you’ll worked out how to make your perfect bowl. However, as with all types of products, it’s good to understand the detail of what you’re buying, so let’s get started with the features included in this Tefal soup maker.
Easy To Use
First and foremost, this soupmaker is designed with the inexperienced chef in mind. If you’re the sort of person who just wants to make their own soups with the minimum of fuss, this Tefal model might be exactly what you’re looking for. As you might have gathered if you’ve looked at our homepage – if you want more control the 48822 by Morphy Richards gets our nod.
Put simply, this Tefal machine is great if you’re looking for something that allows you to roughly chop up some veg, throw it into some water or stock and leave it to cook on its own.
Good Capacity
While it’s not the biggest we’ve seen, the Tefal offers a reasonable 1200ml capacity. That’s good for four normal sized soup portions, perfect for all but the larger families. What’s more, as there are programmes designed for speed, you can always get a second helping cooking as you enjoy the first! More on that next…
Fast Programme
This model features a fast 23 minute soup making cycle, which stacks up well against many rival machines. That’s the smooth, creamy soup programme, with the chunky version you’ll need to allow another couple of minutes on top, as that weighs in at a still impressive 25 minutes.
If you want an even more smooth soup than the quickest option provides, there’s even an additional blend program to get things as close as you’re going to get to ‘totally liquefied’!
Soups Stay Warm
A really nice feature with the better electronic coup makers is the fact that though has gone into keeping the soup warm after the cooking cycles complete. In the case of this Tefal, once the audio beep indicator tells you that your meal is ready, it automatically moves into keep warm mode, meaning that it will remain at an ideal temperature to serve for 40 minutes. In fact, it’s even longer that that as the heat retains well even after the mode deactivates.
Recipe Book Included
If you’re new to home soup making, you’ll be encouraged to know that you’re not going to be left high and dry out of the box to learn things yourself. You’ll get a simple recipe book to help you get started, so that you can learn to use the machine with confidence. We don’t think it’ll be long before you plucjk up the courage to get experimental, though!
The Customer View
In this section, we look at probably the most important, influential and informative points that can be made in our reviews – the opinions of previous customers. As this soup maker is so popular, there’s a huge amount of experience to dive into, so we’ve summarised the opinions below to help you understand common views, and save you wading through it all yourself.
Very Smooth Soups
While there’s also a lot of praise for results of the ‘chunky’ programmes, if you’re a fan of smooth and creamy soups, you’ll be pleased to know that the Tefal has attracted praise in this department.
Easy (ish) To Clean
A common complaint for poorly designed soupmakers is that they’re really tough to clean. It’s especially difficult if you use ingredients that have a tendency to stick or burn inside the machine, and is even worse if you don’t thoroughly clean them before reuse.
This Tefal gets mixed reaction, but on the whole is positive. It includes a cleaning cycle as a built in programme, making the job much easier. However, there are several reports of sticking ingredients, particularly with ingredients like cheese that can sink and stick to the bottom of the container during heating. Other than ingredients trying to fuse themselves to the base, there’s a few notes about having to pay attention to the rim section, where you’ll often need to wipe away residue after use to avoid further build up over time.
Seasoned Owners Give The Thumbs Up
A powerful view held by people that have replaced old soup makers with this Tefal is that it’s a huge improvement over lesser models. Some go as far as to say it’s the best on the market. Of course, we do slightly disagree on that, as evidenced by our top ten table, but we do still agree in as much as we rank it highly!
It’s Not Just For Soup!
While we tend to focus on the soup making prowess of these machines in our reviews, it’s worth noting that many of them (this one included) aren’t one trick ponies, and are perfectly capable of creating other things too.
For example, you can use the blending function as you would with a normal blender, simply avoid the cooking functions! That means you’re able to create smoothies and compotes, as well as things like baby food if you’re a new parent (or babysitter) too!
It Doesn’t Sauté
There’s always a downside to any product if you look hard enough, and in this case, the fact that it doesn’t sauté seems to be the Achilles heel. If you’re looking for a soup maker that also will sauté for you, our recommendation is the Morphy Richards 501014 soup maker, as that does a great job of both.
If you want to use this machine, you can easily do so on the hob in a pan first. It does feel a little like you’re taking away from the convenience of buying a soup maker, but it’s not that much hassle.
You Can Cook Less
Another thing that we can sometimes overlook in our reviews is the fact that not everyone wants a huge batch of soup every time. If you live on your own, or are the only soup lover in the house, you might find yourself wondering if you can half fill a soup maker.
Typically, the instruction books refer to filling the chamber, but customer comments refer to their successes in making a little less. We wouldn’t advise running the programmes too far below capacity, but there are several reports of success at 75% and a couple at half full. The big caveat is it often results in thicker results, so might end up adding more water (or stock) anyway if you’re not careful with ingredient measurements.
The Souped Up Summary
This is undoubtedly a great soup maker, but does feel slightly lacking against the top ranking alternative that you can read about in our Morphy Richards 48822 review.
Having said that, as we highlighted, there are plenty of owners that swear by this model, so you don’t need to take our word for it. As with so many type of products, the best choice for one person may not be the best for another.If there’s a specific group of soup fans that this will please, it’s going to be people who appreciate a very smooth liquid, rather than those preferring something a little more substantial and chunky.
Find out how much the Tefal BL841140 is currently selling for on Amazon here: