I love this. It is so versatile. I've used most of the functions but I use it mainly for soup. Just pop in the ingredients (it will chop and sauté), add your stock and 20 minutes later you have lovely soup. If you're really pressed for time you can buy bags of ready chopped veg. The cleaning function is really handy but you do still need to rinse it after. It's very sturdy. Just be aware be jug is quite weighty. Also it's fixed to the base so you can't submerg it in water. It comes with a recipe booklet but there are plenty of ninja groups and books available online (largely for the American market but it can all be adapted). I would definitely recommend this as s gift or a treat to yourself.