We've gotten a few queries lately from our readers about which soy milk maker we recommend.  As many of you know, we own the  Tribest Soyabella Soymilk Maker.   Jane got it that soy milk maker as a Christmas gift from her mom way back in December of 2007.  We were very happy with it when we first got it -- we learned how to make soy milk -- but do we still love this machine?  And would we buy it again?  Are there other machines worth trying?  And some of you are wondering, with all the prepackaged soy milks out there, is it worth the effort?

Are Soy-Milk Makers Worth Buying?

I'll answer the last question first.   YES!  By making your own soymilk you save money, control your intake (you control the ingredients), and you also cut down on the inherent costs to the planet in packaging and transportation costs.  But the soymilk you make at home is not the same as the soymilk you purchase in the store.  First, there is no binder in your homemade milks, so they do tend to separate out.  All you have to do is stir the product up before using it, but this does tend to freak out some people.  Secondly, with all the soymilk makers we've experienced, you have to strain the soy milk again, otherwise you'll wind up with a slightly gritty milk.  Thirdly, homemade soy milk has a very different taste than the soymilk you buy in the store.  If you do nothing to the milk (i.e. add vanilla and sweetener) it will have a "beany" taste.  Finally, the milk you at home is not fortified, so if you're counting on getting a healthy dose of calcium or vitamin D from your milk, think again.  Try some turnip greens or bok choy, or white beans instead.

Soy Milk Maker Reviews:

Soyapower Plus: If we were buying a machine today, this is the one we would get.  Jane's friend has this and adores it.

• Pros:  Easy cleanup.  Power cord attachment in a better place than the Soyabella (our machine).  Insulated so it's pretty quiet, and the body doesn't get hot.
• Cons:  When your milk is done, it doesn't stop beeping until you unplug the unit.  This could drive you crazy!

SoyQuick Premier 930P: This machine would get my vote, but it's $60 more than the Soyapower Plus (above)... so factoring in the cost, this machine gets my second place vote.

• Pros: No internal filter so, easier cleanup.
• Cons:  No internal filter, so you have to strain the milk after it's made.  If you are making soymilk, this means that you need to let the milk cool in the stainless steel body before filtering it through the plastic sieve.  For the price of the unit, the sieve should be better.

Joyoung CTS1048:  Another of our friends has this model soymilk maker.  She's had to return it to the manufacturer twice for repairs.  The manufacturer graciously replaced the machine both times, but who wants to go through all that trouble.  We're not sure if this is indicative of a quality control issue, or if she just wound up with a lemon.

• Pros:  Easy to clean.
• Cons:  Gets hot to the touch (as a tea kettle would).  This machine also has a plastic pitcher you are supposed to pour the hot milk into.

Soyabella:

• Pros:  The machine is very easy to use.  We've had no issues until now.  In making soy milk, we've never had it boil over, but the machine does get a little hot to the touch.  But you wouldn't put your hands on a tea kettle, would you?  Makes hot and cold milks (soy, nut, rice, oat).
• Cons: After 2 1/2 years of making almond milk weekly, the blades are beginning to dull a bit and it isn't grinding as well as it used to.  Unfortunately, Tribest (the manufacturer of this soy milk maker) doesn't seem to sell replacement blades, and the warranty period is up, so I can't wholeheartedly endorse this product.  My blender, which I use daily is still going strong after 9 years, I would expect my soymilk maker to do the same.   With power connections on the top and base, you need to ensure that they don't get wet when cleaning.  Not a huge issue, but poor design.  The milling cycle is very noisy.

As with all the soymilk makers out there, you have to make sure that you don't overfill the machine.  All the ones we've seen have easily identifiable water fill markers on the inside of the canisters.  Also it's a good idea to pre-soak your soybeans before making the milk.  It will help improve the taste of your finished product.

We use our soy milk maker predominantly to make almond milk.  The real reason behind this is that Jane has a strong history of breast cancer in her family and there is so much conflicting information out there as to whether or not soy should be avoided... so we err on the side of caution.  We know we're getting some soy product through the limited amount of processed foods we eat (there seems to be soy in everything these days!), and Jane likes to cook up a soy stir fry or tofu scramble for dinner at least once a week.  Plus we enjoy edamame and miso soup (remember to watch out for bonito flakes in your miso).  One further reminder to those of you considering venturing out to make your own soy milk:  most soy is genetically modified.  So you should look for soybeans which are non-GMO.

Recommended Soy Milk Maker

So, in summary, Jane and I would recommend the Soyapower Plus soy milk maker, rice milk maker, nut milk maker. If you would like to see all of the popular models available, you can check out the current best selling soy milk makers, just click here.

Alternative milks cost much more that conventional cows milk.  If you are committed to making the transition to non-dairy milk, or have already done so, you may want to consider investing in a soy milk maker.  A good soy milk maker can save you a lot of money over the course of a year.

Reviews From People Who Bought This

The buying public completely agrees with us. Those consumers who have purchased this soy-milk maker and have reviewed it on Amazon have given it a collective score of 4.85 out of a possible 5.00 ratings. That's nearly a perfect score!  It's very rare to see any product get such a high score after it has been reviewed by many people.  Here's a sampling of some of the comments that real consumers have written about this soy-milk maker:

• Overall, I am very happy with it. It is so simple to use, almost foolproof!
• The Soyapower Plus soy milk maker makes absolutely delicious soy milk.
• This is the best Machine EVER. it is so easy to use. And cleaning it is so simple and fast. I have their other SoyaPower and this is even superior.
• Finally, a product that does what it says!
• I love my SoyaPower Plus Soymilk Maker.

Where Can You Buy It?

We have shopped around and looked at prices for this particular model. We have found that the best price that you can get for this soy-milk maker is from Amazon.com. Currently, Amazon is also offering free shipping on this (and other) soy-milk makers that they sell directly through their website. So when you factor in the cost of shipping into the total price, the deal from Amazon is unbeatable.

Ready to buy: CLICK HERE

Jane and I sampled two of the Mezzetta Vinaigretta salad toppings recently.  We tried both the Southwest (pictured)  and Mediterranean toppings.   The product comes ready made in a jar.  Their tag line is "just add lettuce."  Jane loved the idea of the product as something quick to prepare for those days when getting a meal together can be a challenge.  I was  a little leery.  I'm not a huge fan of things like this... I feel that the ingredients all tend to gelatanize over time and become a soft mush.   But I'm not the cook, and if the cook needs to have the occasional quick fixins I'm not going to complain.

We were concerned about the lactic acid and "natural flavors" on the ingredient list.  This is the email we received:

The Vinaigretta is indeed Vegan (except for flavors with honey, which is debatable). Regarding your questions:
1) The lactic acid we use is produced from the fermentation of sugar.
2) The natural flavor is derived from spices.

Let me know if you have any further questions, thanks so much!

So how did it taste?  Neither of us loved the Mediterranean Vinaigretta.  It had an odd taste and was rather oily.  The Southwest Chipotle Lime Vinaigretta was better.  I liked it, Jane thought it was okay.  Neither of us in any rush to run out and buy more, but it makes a nice meal if you don't really want to think about putting together salad dressing and fixings.

Jane has never been a huge fan of tempeh. We've tried it a number of times. I like it, but we both much prefer seitan. Recently, Lightlife came out with a new Tempeh product, Tempeh-tations. It comes in three varieties: Zesty Lemon, Classic BBQ, and Ginger Teriyaki.

Last night we tried the Ginger Teriyaki. The package is 6 ounces and makes two servings - 160 calories each. Jane sauteed up a bunch of vegetables and made some brown rice to go along with it. She also added some chicken vegetable stock to the sautee pot to make a little sauce, otherwise it would have been a tad dry.

The verdict: I thought it was delicious. Jane thought it was better than other tempeh she'd tried and would have it again, but still had a hint of bitterness. What she loved most about this product is its ease of preparation. It's another option for a quick and easy dinner, and I will happily consume it.

Next time we'll try the BBQ I think.

Jane and I were asked to review a soon-to-be-released new product recently. The product is Nogürt, a non-soy based vegan yogurt. It's not only soy-free, it's also GMO free, dairy-free, casein-free, lacotse-free, gluten-free, and certified organic to boot. In other words, it's a healthy option.

Since going vegan, we've pretty much given up on yogurt. Jane does use soy yogurt in some of her cooking/baking, but neither of us has been satisfied with the soy-yogurt substitutes we've tried eating straight from the container. So you can imagine how excited we were when the folks at Nogürt contacted us. The product arrived during the holidays, so we had a little sampling with two of our family members. The tasting group wound up being three adults and one child. We were sent three flavors to sample: Orange, Blueberry, and Pomegranate.

First the Orange.

Nutritional Info -- Serving Size:6 oz /170g; Calories: 220; Fat 1.5 g; Carbs: 50 g; Protein: 3 g

Neither Jane nor I had ever tried orange yogurt; to us, that flavor didn't really make sense. Although we both did love creamsicles when we were children... It smelled okay, but the taste and texture didn't work for any of us. Of the three flavors, this was the least palatable to the four of us.

Next we tried the Pomegranate.

Nutritional Info -- Serving Size:6 oz /170g; Calories: 230; Fat 1 g; Carbs: 52 g; Protein: 3 g

When we opened the container, we were all pleased with the aroma that came from within. It wasn't as tart as some pomegranate products. Of the three, this was Jane's favorite, and her sister-in-law's as well.

Finally, there was the Blueberry

Nutritional Info -- Serving Size:6 oz /170g; Calories: 220; Fat 2 g; Carbs: 48 g; Protein: 3 g

Blueberry was always my favorite flavor of dairy-based yogurt. And this wound up being my favorite of the Nogürt brand. Our nephew also thought this was the best of the three (is it a gender thing?). It didn't smell as good as the pomegranate, however.

Overall product review:

The Nogürt, while not as smooth as dairy-based yogurt, is far superior in texture to any soy yogurt we've tried. Since we tested flavored varieties, Jane didn't cook/bake with any of them, so we can't report on that. Will we buy this product? Absolutely. However, as with most vegan "substitution" products, I don't think it is superior to the product it is replacing. If you or someone you love suffers from allergies, this product is a must-try.

As of this time, Nogürt is not yet available. Look for it soon in your local Whole Foods and if you're in Colorado, Vitamin Cottage and Sunflower Farmers Market as well.

I have to admit, I'm not the target demographic for this type of product. Jane's tried to beat it into my head that we need to wash things before we eat them, but I'm a guy, and when I want to eat something, I simply want to eat it.  Washing things tends to get in the way.  However, the vendor contacted us and asked us if we'd like to review Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash.  Since at least 75% of what we eat is produce, Jane thought it would be worth a test run.

The website and instructions claim you'll notice a marked difference between the produce you wash with Fit and the produce you rinse off in the sink.  Our experience didn't hold that to be true for most things we tried.  However, as I've mentioned before, we buy almost all of our produce at our local farmers market, and most of that is organic and/or spray-free.  So I'm not sure how much residue would be removed anyway.  We didn't find a significant difference when washing supermarket apples however, and that was a bit disappointing.  Jane is torn.  We know that the skin of apples has cancer-inhibiting properties, but there is usually a significant coat of something (wax?) on the skin, so we often eat our apples peeled.

We did notice a huge improvement using Fit on our citrus peel.  If you use the zest of lemons, limes or oranges in your cooking/baking, this product does a great job getting the waxy coating off the citrus rind.  I tried to capture before and after images, but it's too subtle for the camera.  The results are quite obvious in real life though, the rinds felt cleaner and weren't as shiny as they had been prior to washing.  We also had success using fit when washing blackberries.

Fit is easy to use.  You either spray, rub and wash for individual items, or add a capful to a bowl of water and soak things like berries, mixed greens, or cauliflower. Using the product, we noticed no aftertaste, no smell, no residue.

All in all, I can't say I agree with all the advertising claims made by Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash, but I do see a place for it in our pantry.