Name: Optimum Blender Review Plus Healthy Tomato Zucchini Soup
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 9 min
Ingredients: 5 small tomatoes; 1 small zucchini (courgette); 1 small garlic clove; 8 large basil leaves; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 dashes Tabasco sauce; ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt plus pepper to taste; 1 cup water

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This post contains a review of Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender plus easy Tomato Zucchini Soup recipe (see bottom of the post).

Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender Review

If you are considering buying a blender but cannot decide which to get I hope that my short review will at least help you better understand and make up your mind about one particular blender that's currently on the market - Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender.

I have never been too keen on kitchen gadgets and always stuck to uncomplicated tools, which did the job without producing spectacular results. But that was ok because, after all, every kitchen tool has its limitations. I never expected to have my smoothies velvety smooth and my soups perfectly creamy. Though to be fair, I wasn't exactly unhappy with the results. My expectations were quite low so there was no room for disappointment.

My simple kitchen gadgets usually came with several different containers and blades, all for convenience sake, of course. Most of the time these never left the box and after a while I forgot about all these additional bits, which were supposed to make my life easier.

And then my Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender arrived.

One jug with powerful blades in it and a compact, sturdy base housing the motor - the heart of the blender.

What does Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender do?

The first surprise was seeing a gallery of pictures on the box showcasing the kinds of things that this blender was capable of making. There were 15! Not 15 different types of smoothies! There were 15 photos of different dishes and only one of them was a smoothie!

As it turns out I've been completely in the dark about what a blender is capable of. This blender can make so much more than just a smoothie! It can make dips and spreads, dressings and marinades, it can grind grains and nuts, make nut butters, nut milks, dough (that's right, it kneads dough too!) and much more. When I saw a photo of a bowl of soup on the box it took me several seconds to realise that that blender actually 'makes' the soup, not just purees a soup that's been boiled the traditional way.

And it does all these things in that one jug.

There is no limit as to how many easy healthy blender recipes you can create using this machine!

(Scroll down to the bottom of the post to get my Healthy Blender Tomato Zucchini Soup recipe!)

Another remarkable feature of this super smart blender is that it removes the air from the jug prior to blending. This helps to prevent oxidisation and preserve the nutritional value and flavour of ingredients (ie. of fruit and vegs, as 'vacuum' shouldn't be used with 'nuts' and 'soup' functions). This also means the ingredients won't be prone to discoloration and will stay fresh for longer. How clever is that?

Is it easy to use?

This blender is very easy to use, which also came as a surprise. I was always under a misapprehension that 'serious' kitchen gadgets came with lengthy manuals requiring hours of study. Neither is true with this blender. The manual is very to the point and is actually a pretty good read (as far as blender manuals go:).

The blender has a few preset functions ('smoothie', 'nuts', 'soup, 'vegs&fruit', 'pulse'), using which involves a mere touch of a button. However, you can use the blender in a more traditional way if you prefer, by setting the duration and speed yourself. So it's flexible allowing you to adapt it to your specific needs.

Cleaning this blender is a breeze. Just rinse, then add a drop of washing up liquid, water and run the blender on high speed for several seconds (refer to the manual for full instructions). Rinse and allow to air dry. You don't ever have to dismantle the machine and wash anything separately. So it's simple, quick and safe.

Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender is in my view the ultimate blender. It's powerful, flexible, adaptable, easy to use and compact. It's the only blender you'll ever need!

One final thing I'd like to mention is that the blender comes with a little book (70 pages long) filled with colourful recipes, which offer loads of blending inspiration. From smoothies and dips to snacks, soups, desserts and even meals so there'll be something for everyone. And you won't ever have to worry about running out of blending ideas.

Because this blender can do so much more than just make a (fabulous) smoothie!

Tomato Zucchini Soup - healthy blender recipe

I leave you today with my very first recipe using Optimum VAC2 Air Vacuum Blender - Tomato Zucchini Soup. This is also the first time I have made soup in a blender so I was especially curious about the results.

I can tell you that, although equally delicious, it doesn't taste the same as soup cooked using the traditional method. This is largely due to the duration (the blender takes only about 6 minutes to make the soup). The ingredients are pureed and heated simultaneously and the mixture doesn't reach a boiling point. Your soup will be pleasantly hot, perfect for serving straight away.

I was actually a little surprised at just how smooth the soup was. The texture was silky smooth, almost fluffy (I've never said that about a soup before!). Definitely different from a soup that's been cooked traditionally and then pureed.

One huge advantage of making soup in a blender (in addition to the speedy cooking process) is that no chopping is required. So preparation time takes seconds!

Just place the ingredients in the jug, touch 'soup' and 'on/off', then sit back, relax and let the blender do the rest!

Check out also this collection of over 12 creamy vegan soups.

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*This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.