The classic ice cutting, smoothie making blender may never be the same, now that Panasonic has thrown a heating element and self-cleaning function in.
A quick glance to the mercury tells you that the cold season has arrived, and with it a part of the year we like to call “soup weather”. You know what we’re talking about: colder nights demanding warmer food, particularly the kind able to warm you within.
Making soup isn’t exactly a difficult endeavour (this journalist made a smashing pumpkin soup this evening) but it does typically need a large pot and ingredients, and isn’t the sort of thing you’re ideally going to leave by itself. You can’t throw everything in, head out to work, and then come back home for a night spoonful, because that soup isn’t going to make itself.
Interestingly, Panasonic has been working on a bit of a fix for this, though it may have come in an unintended way. The company’s latest blender doesn’t just pulverise ice and fruit and veggies and make nut milk, but also contains a heating element to warm up and cook for, able to make soup without you needing to be there.
That’s just one of the features of the MX-HG6401, a blender from Panasonic that probably needs a better name, but does come with a variety of features made not just for the colder months, but the warmer ones, as well.
Ten preset programs allow you to jump between juice and porridge and soup, the latter of which uses a heating element that can support temperature ranges from 40ºC to 100ºC, cooking while blending, or just cooking before it blends.
The sheer concept of that reminds us a little of a Thermomix, only one that doesn’t come with the several thousand-dollar price of that competitor, given Panasonic’s option is $329 in Australia.
“Cooking with pots, pans and utensils can be a lot of work. Now you can reduce the effort by just placing ingredients in the jug, and selecting your preferred setting to cut, heat and blend all at once,” said Ginger Yu, Product Marketing Manager for Small Appliances at Panasonic Australia.
Of particular note is the inclusion of a self-clean, which uses 70 degree water and blender pulses to remove odours and stains, and could make life a little easier overall.
There’s even a magnetic sensor in the lid to prevent accidents, plus a programmable timer to help you coordinate when your dinner will be done, possibly when you’re arriving back home.
Panasonic’s MX-HG6401 blender is heading to stores shortly, where it will be priced at $329 in Australia.
