Soup makers

[BlackAlys]

Do you have one?
Are they worth it?

I do like and appreciate a good soup but am wondering if this is another novelty gadget.

'It's the weather for soup, after all.

@FemaleAndLearning

I borrowed one to try and thought it was a complete faff, much easier in my large saucepan with my hand blender.

Yep I agree.

I love it. I’ve got form for falling for gadgets but succumbed to an eBay bargain and it’s brilliant. It is pain free to make and gives that glorious velvety texture that the stick blender just doesn’t get. Mine threw itself off the worktop a couple of weeks ago and blew the fuses thereafter and I bought another straightaway, that’s how good it is!

@SomethingNastyInTheBallPool

I love ours. Yes, you can do just the same in a saucepan with a stick blender but the reason I like it is that it doesn’t require supervision. You just stick everything in, go off and do something else and 20 minutes later, hey presto! Soup!

This. We used our weekly in the autumn/winter, DH does vegetable (cabbage, butternut squash cauliflower etc) I do butternut squash and sweet potato. Mushroom is good too. I have the Covent Garden 365 soup recipe book and there are some superb recipes in there.

Bloody love mine. My DM has a long and illustrious history of filling my house with gadgets that I neither need nor want. I generally use them once to show willing then shove them in a cupboard in the utility room. Not so with the soup maker! It’s probably my most used kitchen appliance and I’d never go back to the pan and stick blender.

I’m disabled so using a pan and blender is impossible. My soup maker is wonderful and used a couple of times a week.

Not sure how its a faff when you just chuck the ingredients in and it does everything for you.
Its so much easier and less mess.

I prefer to use my pressure cooker for soup, cooked in no time and if I want to blend it I use my stick blender.

I forgot to add that the soup maker is like a jug so no faffing about ladling spilling soup.
Just pour it straight into the bowl or soup cup.
I dont think those without realise how much easier and less mess it is!

Ditto a vote for soup maker. A lot less faff and washing up than a saucepan & blending. Takes 20 mins from start to eating and easy way to use up sad looking veg in particular. The Saute version adds more flavour (and mine doesn't need the lid on when sauteing).

Best recipes:

1. Sweet potato, can of coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, extra chilli if you like it hot, and a squeeze of lime when serving. Can make a pumpkin or butternut squash version as well.
2. Roasted red pepper and tomato soup is lovely (roast peppers in oven first, and a can of tinned toms with chicken stock).
3. Tinned lentils, spices of choice and some veg is quick and filling though best the next day when flavours have developed a bit.

I make tons of soup. Disagree that a pan and blender is easier. Traditional way - chop food, put into pan, stir, add liquid, stir, adjust heat, put lid on, check periodically, stir to prevent burning, put stick blender together, blend, take blender apart, clean blender parts and pan, pour soup. Soup maker - chop food, put into pan, add liquid, switch on, pour soup, clean jug and lid.

Love mine too - PIL bought it for me.
I like how you can just stick it on and leave it to do it's thing.
Easy , consistent soup. Easier to clean.
We make soup more often.

I love mine. I got it as a gift from my dad and I was initially a bit but it’s great.

Literally just chop some veg, add some stock, then leave it and 20 mins later you’ve got a delicious soup. No standing over a pan checking it’s not boiling over, no mess blending it.

I gave in and bought one after being a saucepan and blender soup person for many years.

I use it every week. I use frozen veg usually, onions, butternut squash, sweet potato, garlic, plus real carrots, stock powder, water, salt and black pepper pepper. The only thing I need to do is wash and cut up the carrots.

No stirring,or forgetting the pan and burning it. Switch on , walk away and twenty minutes later it switches itself off and there is soup, keeps hot in the soup maker for quite a while.

The only irritation is cleaning it because it doesn’t go in the dishwasher !

I don't get them either, a pan (or instant pot) and a liquidiser/blender.

I use the liquidiser on my Kenwood Chef - no mess whatsoever.

I love mine! My Son bought it for me the Christmas he started work! Absolutely treasured and so useful .I have a stick blender bu a lot more faff .

I don't completely understand how chopping up some veg, adding stock then blending with a stick blender is a faff. I find it very easy to do and I'm not an enthisiastic cook at all. However, I am glad for you all that you are making soup because soup is fab.

My current favourite is sweet potato, lentil and tomato but I also love a tomato soup (Nigella?) where you soak crusty bread in olive oil and balsamic then add to tinned tomatoes and stock.

I’ve got the Morphy Richards one and love it!

I throw everything in and 20 minutes later I have soup, with no mess. It also has a saute function and chunky or blended soup. I’d recommend it to anyone.

I love kitchen gadgets but think my saucepan does the job. I like my soup to have lumps in it so got rid of my stick blender. I have a liquidiser for my food processor if necessary.

My parents had one. But decided it's cheaper to buy ready made rather than have to hit loads if ingredients.

@TroysMammy

I love kitchen gadgets but think my saucepan does the job. I like my soup to have lumps in it so got rid of my stick blender. I have a liquidiser for my food processor if necessary.

Same here. Soup isn't that hard to make. And I often do a soup using up leftover veg and meat. Add some nice bread and butter, and you have an easy meal.

You don't even need a blender - I just use a potato masher to break up my soup. Perhaps it's healthier too as you have more roughage to digest rather than a liquid.

I love my compact one, sauté stuff first in pan.

I like the way soup stays hot for a while and makes lovely smooth soup

Also don't you have to cool soup down to use stick blender or liquidiser then reheat again

I have a Tefal one, had it for about 4 years. I really rate it. I had some unpleasant scalds on my arms from soup splatter with a stick blender! Mine doesn’t have a sauté function but I never felt I needed one. It does have chunky or blended options.
Home cooked soup in 20 minutes and to clean you just add warm water and do the clean setting. My best soup recipes are tomato and Basil (keep Basil in the freezer), mushroom, and roasted butternut squash and sweet potato (okay yes you have to roast the veg first but it’s worth it).

I've got the drew and cole one with saute function and love it. You don't need to put the lid on to saute. It does both smooth and chunky soups (plus has a blend function so you can blend a chunky soup to be a bit smoother).

I currently have a newborn so it's not being used, but I used it three times a week last winter. I'm rubbish at making soup in a pan but it's great from the soup maker. saute onions and garlic, add other ingredients, pour in boiling water and press a button. Job done, it keeps it warm so you can come back when suits.

Favourite recipes:
Leek and potato
Butternut squash, ginger and lentil
Tomato and lentil
Minestrone (any veg in the fridge plus pasta/rice)
Broccoli, pea and spinach (tastes very green!)

Made pumpkin soup last week 😂

Basically, you can just use up anything in the fridge that needs eating so is great for food waste. I have a leek in there that I'm not sure what to do with, so I might have to make some soup now 😂