Soup makers - Worth it?

[TropDrôle]

In the winter months I love having a hot soup for dinner. I usually just throw a load of veg and a stock cube in a pot and blitz it.

Tell me why love your soup maker so I can justify another gadget!

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Glad so many people treasure every second they spend in the kitchen! But if OP is interested in time and effort saved then obviously it’s easier and quicker, I don’t understand the comments saying that nothing is simpler than sauteeing, stirring and watching for half an hour, blending and clean up when the thing that is much easier and quicker than that is the whole point of the thread!

I don’t really watch it while it cooks, my involvement is really the chopping annd five minutes of sautéing. And surely you have to clean at the end equally. However I’ve never had one so maybe I am missing out. If it chopped the vegetables I’d definitely be interested!

I have one. I do think that soup made “properly” by sautéing the veg first gives better flavour however the soup it makes is decent and I find it particularly handy when working from home. Chop the veg, throw everything in set it to make soup and blend if required. Go away and do some work, come back to soup which is ready, blended and only have one thing to clean up.

Also much less in the way of splatter than when using a stick blender.

I got one for Xmas and used it twice. Wasn’t impressed with the soup and it’s really difficult to clean. Without frying the onions etc it doesn’t taste great.

I'm very tempted to buy one with the sauté function, I like soups with broth mix in (split pears, barley etc) can you make this type of soup in it too?

It makes smoother tastier soup,it's much easier to clean and less hassle.

I don't really understand what it's supposed to save you doing? It's not difficult to make soup.

I don't stand in the kitchen watching my soup either!

Yes you can, mine has a saute function , yes definitely going for that option

How is it easier to clean than just putting a saucepan in the dishwasher?

I can see smoother might be nicer (but I am not that bothered TBH)

I dont have a dishwasher, but i just put a bit of washing up liquid and hot water in then whiz up and it 's clean

I was given a soup maker as a present but I've moved it on.
Pan and blender or processor is much better.
It's just another piece of equipment taking up space when a pan does it in no time as well.

I have the small Morphy Richards one. The only thing I cook first is to clarify some chopped onion. Everything else goes in raw and chopped. It's excellent for leftovers. I made a Sunday dinner soup one day. So Beef, Roasties, carrots, cauliflower, all sat in the fridge and about to be thrown out. Very delicious.
It makes good Lentil and chorizo soup too, I have never followed a recipe.

Love mine! Sone weekends I'll make soup for breakfast lol - mmmm soup!

We love ours. It's just so easy. To have tasty, homemade soup that we know has no salt or added sugar (diabetic husband) in 30 minutes, including preparation, is great.

Ok I think I’ve made my mind up to stick with my saucepan and stick blender.

My reasoning is that I want to sauté bacon bits or onions etc for the deeper flavour plus tweak it as I go.

Thanks everyone for your varying responses ☺️

I've not been persuaded either.

I like texture in my soups so don't blend them anyway, I find soups are easy and quick to make and I have a non stick pan.

I have an Aldi one and use it most weeks in the Winter, sometimes twice. I make Leek and Potato, Tomato and Lentil and Winter Vegetable soup. I rotate the 3. I wouldn't want to be without it. I bought my DD one and she uses hers too. It's a cheap and warming lunch with crusty bread.

@bruffin thanks, I can see a purchase happening

No temptation from me, soup is so easy to make that it would in no way justify a space in my kitchen.
My mum had one, used it once and then gave it to my brother (who had bought it for her for Christmas) and he said it was a pointless gadget and passed it on… as far as I know it’s still being passed on 😂

I love mine and use it 2 or 3 times a week in the Autumn/Winter. Mine is a Salter that I’ve had for 5 or 6 years. I’m disabled so it makes life really easy for me.

I’ve bought DS2 & DDIL a Ninja one for Christmas because he wanted something that makes a smoothie. However, they’re due a baby a couple of weeks after Christmas, he’s also starting his masters and works shifts, so I thought it would make DDIL’s life a bit easier when she’s on her own. And she loves soup. The one I’ve got them sautés I think. Yes, it does

This. A decent soup starts from sautéed veggies.

I just can’t seem to get the consistency right with mine. It’s always too watery. I prefer a pot and stick blender. I can also make a bigger batch in a pot. I never use mine, it’s just sat in the garage.

A lot of marketer’s dreams on here.

Ultimately if you have a a saute function you have to do exactly the same as you would in a pan, and saute the veg first and then add the stock etc o might as well save space and money and use a saucepan.

And surely no-one would think that it was a good idea to just tip a load of ingredients into a pan, switch on the hob and boil the lot until you were ready to blend them, so I find the idea that people think it’s ok to do it with a gadget baffling.

Do they always have to blend or is it optional? I quite like a chunky soup.

Eta, yes, I could do that in a saucepan but in that case I'd do all soups in a saucepan and not bother with another gadget.

I bought one for my husband to use, and he loves it. He doesn't like cooking. If I make soup, I do it 'properly' because as PP have said, sometimes you want to take those extra steps. Soup is so quick and easy to make, I prefer to make it on hob and use stick blender. I always make a batch and freeze some for those days when nobody wants to peel, chop and cook.