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5 products to help you make a better soup

Las Vegas doesn’t have to deal with the frigid weather that’s been plaguing most of the country, but January still means shorter days and chilly evenings — perfect for soup. Here are some handy kitchen helpers for easier, faster soup-making.

You can cut down on the cream in creamy soups by pureeing some of the vegetables with the Black + Decker Infuser 3-in-1 Blending System. The 6-cup machine has a filter insert for making infusions and juices. $49.99, Target stores and target.com

Those wonderful stock makings — the meat, vegetables and herbs — can cause a big splashy mess when it’s time to strain it, which is where Regency Soup Socks come in. The fine-mesh bags keep it all together until you’re ready to lift it out as a unit. $4 for three, Sur La Table stores and surlatable.com

Cauliflower’s having a moment, so if you find yourself prepping a lot of it, the Chef’n Stalkchop can make the job easier by removing the stalks and stripping the outer leaves. It works with broccoli, too. $7.99, chefn.com

Slow cookers let you easily prepare hearty, deeply flavored soups while you focus on something else, and the Black + Decker Wi-Fi Enabled 6-Quart Slow Cooker enables you to set time and temperature or start or stop cooking from your phone. $35 in Walmart stores or $49.96 at walmart.com

Once you’ve created that super soup, serve it in style (and keep it warm) with the BIA Cordon Bleu Soup Tureen with Ladle from Bed Bath &Beyond. The handles make it easy to move the 3 1/2-quart tureen from kitchen to table. $29.99, at select Bed Bath &Beyond stores and at bedbathandbeyond.com

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