Soymilk maker + Tofu Kit - Midzu

Very pleased with the milk maker .

I've been drinking soy milk for the last year when my friend from Taiwan asked why I did not bough my own soy-milk maker. She recommended different brand (Joyoung), but that, being in Europe, was not easy to get. After some searching I found Midzu. I loved the design of it and after testing it at home I love the functional part of it too.Few of my worries:1) "stainless steel body looks good, but will be hot" - yes, it is hot, but will not burn your fingers. It has double-layer insulation like some hot-drink mugs have.2) "having no filter there will be a lot of pulp left" - yes and no, there is some pulp left and you can feel it while drinking freshly mixed milk, but pulp sinks down very fast, so after 1-2 minutes your milk will be "pulp free".3) "cleaning is going to be a nightmare" - actually my friend from Taiwan recommended to buy a model without filters etc. - having no filters Midzu is very easy to clean

First of all, I'll mention that the package arrived very promptly, the milk maker was well wrapped, and all accessories were included in the package - I know, this should be expected but I've just had two or three recent deliveries with missing bits (not from Amazon I hasten to say!). As far as the delivery times are concerned, I was also surprised by the fact that the parcel - although dispatched from Spain - arrived here sooner (almost a week sooner) than a book I'd ordered from a British seller and which was being dispatched from the UK, where I, too, am located, go figure... Anyhow, on with the review per se:This soya milk maker comes with a very basic booklet (with the usual multi-languages sections); the instructions will give you a general idea of what to do, weights and measures, the parts and basic troubleshooting remedies, but do not expect a step-by-step guide with loads of recipes and suggestions. This was not a problem for me as I have been making various milks for a long time. I have a collection of trusted recipes and I feel confident enough to alter things to my liking.This being said, if you are new to soya milk making, you may wonder whether the purchase is worth it, if you are not sure you will be making soya milk regularly; this is why I have given 5 stars to this product, instead of a 4 stars - which I would have given due to two small 'negatives' I will describe below.If you do not use the soya milk function, you can still use this 'blender-cooker' to make cooked soups, or you can make fruit or vegetable juice (cold soups?) without throwing out the pulp like in a juicer (remember the pulp is where the fibre is!), as this machine can do both 'raw' and 'cooked' programs - they are not called this, but it is self explanatory 'fruits' being for 'raw' things - personally, I prefer raw almond milk, I find the taste more delicate.You can also make what the booklet refers to as 'paste' - which I have not tried yet, as I am not sure what is meant by it, maybe someone has tried it and could enlighten me?So far, I have made raw almond milk twice, soya milk three times and one yummy gaspacho style veggie soup. I have also made congee and oats. The soya milk was lovely and the okara very fine; I increased the amount of beans for my second and third batches as I found the first one, made with the recommended amount, slightly too watery for my taste; however, I must confess that I am using up my leftover supply of beans which is a few months past its 'BBE' date and the beans did not swell as much as usual during the soaking, so I cannot fault the machine for this. The taste was excellent, and I do not add any salt, sugar, sweetener or anything else like the shop bought one. This soya milk was also good enough to make tofu, using the included filter to shape it (you will need to buy the coagulant - nigari, gypsum or other - elsewhere).The soya milk maker does not have a filter to retain the pulp, so you need to filter it after it is made - not a big issue, and a fine mesh strainer is included, though on the small side, I prefer to use a cheesecloth.So, for the small negatives:- I have noticed there could be a slight tendency for stuff to stick / burn at the bottom of the machine, I guess because the heating element must be right underneath. Provided you clean the machine promptly as soon as you have emptied the container this will not be a problem, as it does not burn enough to affect the tast of the milk / soup. I think this happens in particular when you add spices to the mix, but I think that if you take the time to wipe the inside of the container with a cloth dipped in coconut oil, to give it a kind of non-stick quality, it will be absolutely fine. As I said, it a small negative.- The lid has a steam valve - which I would recommend you make sure to clean carefully after every use, to avoid the second small negative possibly becoming bigger over time. At the beginning of the hot programs, I have noticed a little bit of steam, a couple of drops, not much - escaping at the back, where the handle part of the lid locks into the body; unfortunately, this is just where the electrical connections are. The steam condenses and forms a drop which could, possibly, run into the wiring. Again, as long as you are aware of this and just wipe off the drop when it forms. It seems this is only right at the start of the hot programs, so really nothing to worry about I think.This is my second soya milk maker, the first one - which could only do hot milks - lasted a little over two years but had cost me £40 more than this one at the time, and repairing it would have been another £60... so I am very happy with this purchase!I recommend this product without hesitation.