Are soup makers actually any use?

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Aldi have one in stock atm. I like soup but often can’t be bother with all the faff. I like the idea of chopping things up and having a machine do it all. However, it might end up being another item that doesn’t get much use.

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Mine does. I think they all do? I peel veg that needs it but tend to use veg that doesn't.

It's a standard feature - there is usually a blade in the lid and it works like a blender.

I throw the onion in and garlic if I'm using it. I press the chop button. I add butter or oil and press the heating button so it sautés. I throw the rest of the veg in and press chop. I pour the water in, press the heating button and the time button and go away.

At some point later when I'm not on a work call or whatever I come back and press the blend button if I want smoother soup. Other than that it is ready.

So it blends raw veg, but if you wanted to fry it off you have to do that separately?

I dont really get how they work to be honest

I prefer pan made soup because I can add ingredients at different stages.

That said, I use my soup maker a few times a week. Chuck in vegetables. Set it going. Do my hair and makeup. Send the boy off for the school bus. Then tip my soup into a thermos flask before leaving the house.

See my post just above yours explaining my steps. The machine fries it.

Mine is a ninja and it chops and sautés.

Mine has a sauté function

I have never bothered to fry it off, I don't even use the sauté function.

Not really unless you love gadgets. I use a standard knife to chop, a pan to cook it then a £10 handheld blender if it's a smooth soup. Less faff than cleaning a soup maker (my mother has one, so fiddly to clean)

We have an Instant Pot and I make soup in that then stick blend. I prefer to have gadgets that do more than one thing and we use our Instant Pot for SO many different meals.

Is hers an old one? Mine has a self cleaning function.

Mine gets used daily, either for soup or smoothies / milkshakes. It has a cleaning function too.

Gets used more than anything else in the kitchen probably (other than the kettle).

Im another soffrito fan..but please can i have your minestrone recipe, its our favourite soup here and i never cook it right!

How have I missed that you can buy frozen soffritto??

So another question before I go out and try to get the Aldi soup maker, can it make things like cullen skink or smoked haddock chowder as these are the sort of soups we liek you cant find them that easily for a good price in the shops and even in restaurants you rarely come across them

Best present my dc have bought me; used at least twice a week, summer and winter.

Chop veg, stick in pan, add water and desired flavours, boil up, use stick blender if smooth required. All done in one saucepan - why would you need a special machine?

I just make it up @ssd. It is very moveable.

I start with ⅓ bag of frozen soffrito and some frozen chopped garlic, sautéed for a bit. Add a tin of tomatoes (I use Mutti finely chopped), generous squirt of tomato puree (I prefer Gia sundried), a kallo stock cube. I rinse out the tin with water and add that plus about half a tin. Salt, pepper and a piece of parmesan rind, cook for 15 mins

Add pasta, I use a shape that is easy to eat at work - whatever the kids have left a measly portion of in a bag that isn't enough for a portion tbh and about 8 leaves of chopped cavelo nero. Cook for the however long the pasta takes to cook.

Check the seasoning, remove the parmesan rind and add herbs - usually parsley and basil (chopped fresh from the freezer - Waitrose) but whatever I've got.

This makes four portions, I put them in individual lock and lid cups in the fridge for a grab and go lunch.

Looking into buying one now based off this thread.

Is there any model people would recommend?

Thank you @CloseYourRingStress , i will definitely be trying this

I've often thought about an instant pot/multi cooker type thing that could replace some of my gadgets. Is the soup setting on your instant pot like a pressure cooker or normal boiling setting? Do they air fry as well?
Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye out for that.

@CherryRipe1 I've never used the soup setting. I find it really useful though tbh.

Chilli for instance, I use black turtle beans, put them in close the lid and press the bean setting (20 mins) from dried without soaking. Drain the beans and rinse the inner pan, press saute and use that to sauté everything that you need to, add tomatoes, whatever liquid you are using, add the beans back and bring it to the boil using that saute function before pressing the slow cooker function on low (which is still a bit fierce tbh) setting the time to one hour.

I love the fact that it is a one pan job.

Mine doesn't air fry, I haven't gone down that route yet.

I haven't tried but generally meat and fish are better added afterwards as otherwise they lose their texture. Eg shredded roast chicken with soup poured over to warm it through.

Maybe look back on this thread and read the many posts answering this.