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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I didnt need it cooked down more, its just that when I do cook things I cook them for a long time, this is a departure from that

I dont make soup myself, its hard for me to chop things and hard to manage the blender stick and pan.

I'll continue to see how this does. Its a good way of getting more veg in easily and using things up

I’ve always made soup without one, usually not blended - our substantial main meal soups (a lot in winter - cheap and healthy!) are never blended. If I want blended, e.g. curried parsnip or Thai style pumpkin, I use the stick blender.

The main reason I don’t have one, however, is that I don’t have a huge kitchen so I don’t want anything else cluttering up the worktop or crammed into a cupboard.

You will need to play around and then you will see what does and doesn't work for you.

I use mine for quick meal soups. But if I have cheap cut of meat or something that needs a slow cook, I'll use my Dutch oven.

I don't do meat based in the soup maker, unless I have left over chicken etc that I add in towards the end.

The one I like the most made in the soup maker is butternut and roasted peppers. Mostly I roast them in advance (but not always) and then you get a deeper flavour. Also leek and potato. I don't pre-roast either of these.

Yes Im thinking up some ideas. Im glad I bought the saute version.

Off the back of this thread I took the soup maker out today (it's summer here so not really soup weather) and it will stay out now as I'm trying to eat better.

I made some to have for lunches during this next week. Although I have already tucked in. Just for some ideas this is what I did, and everything I had in and needed using up.

First I fried off one onion
Small yellow pepper
Two carrots
Two orange sweet potatoes (they are small ones )
Two baby potatoes (with peel on)
I did add in a veg stock cube and boiling water. Salt and pepper.

Cooked on smooth (I have chunky, smooth and extra smooth). Took 21 minutes. After the final beep I added in fresh coriander (which was past it's best but still had flavour ) and two slices of ginger in brine.
Then I whizzed it again for two bursts of 10 seconds.

And it's really tasty. The ginger has given it a slight kick too.

And everything that is in it, I probably would have had to throw out in a few days.

Well I drove further than I wanted to a Lidl out of town and got the last Morphy Richards one/ there was no stock left on the closer stores. It was the sauté one- but compact. It’s mostly just me eating soup though so if shouldn’t be an issue.
having a roast this evening so should be able to use left overs in the soup maker.

What does the saute version do the others dont do?

It sautes

😉

Didn't know the compact one has that function. Mine doesn't

It’s odd because I the compact being sold on Amazon doesn’t have the sauté feature either. The Lidl one did. Have no idea why.

Exactly, when I went out hunting yesterday, originally for the Aldi one, I saw the MR one in Lidl first but didnt buy it, then saw there were none in Aldi and when I got home I checked the reviews for the MR one and the functions, the one in Ldl with the saute function was 44 quid, no where online could I find it at that price, I think the saute version on Amazon is 70 quid or something

So I went back out to get it!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-501027-Stainless-Aluminium/dp/B07RW6ZBBV/ref=sxin_12_recs_zoco_stores_brand_identity_bs?content-id=amzn1.sym.ecc1ecf8-8d1c-4bbd-b655-da936e24b538%3Aamzn1.sym.ecc1ecf8-8d1c-4bbd-b655-da936e24b538&crid=2FY7OUVXD6X7E&cv_ct_cx=morphy+richards+soup+maker&keywords=morphy+richards+soup+maker&nsdOptOutParam=true&pd_rd_i=B07RW6ZBBV&pd_rd_r=9ba9ca3d-4be3-4f66-9a95-efcc33494127&pd_rd_w=cFohR&pd_rd_wg=KUy9J&pf_rd_p=ecc1ecf8-8d1c-4bbd-b655-da936e24b538&pf_rd_r=D5B81JD50WPZXMXQ14G7&qid=1737318268&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=mor%2Caps%2C90&sr=1-4-0723f66e-ff99-43ba-a202-1be1089a8603

Thank you!

I use mine a lot, very quick about 20/30 mins and easy.

Can do chunky or smooth soups.
If you buy loads of veg you can cut up the veg and bag it into portions of whatever soup you want and freeze it, quicker to make.

Sometimes put soup kettle on before work and by time I'm ready to go out the soup is ready for me to take to work.

Kids love it after school if hungry or for lunch when at home.
Great way to get kids to eat vegetables.
Would not be without it.

https://www.morphyrichards.co.uk/collections/soup-makers
Try Morphy Richards direct, they have a discount for first time buyers as well

Right Im back

Im doing a soup again tomorrow

Any recommendations that you have actually done, for a sweetcorn chowder or creamy sweetcorn type thing?

No but I'd love a recipe for that.

Right I really need some help with using this thing

So the first soup I did was just veg, with some fresh chicken stock mixed with water

Today I have used onion, leek, celery, carrot and swede, with a roasted corn on the cob shredded off. I topped it up with plain water and then a bit of jersey milk, to make it creamy

The thing is leaking all over the place and I didnt even fill it up to the minimum level, its spitting out of the top and running down the front. When I lifted the lid it looked like it had curdled. Im waiting until its finished to see the full horror of it

What has gone wrong, why is it spitting all over the place and why did it look curdled. I wanted a lovely smooth creamy soup?

One thing I do is put milk or cream in at the end. I have always done that when making soup in a pan so carried it on in the machine.

Are you sure the lid is firmly shut and in the right direction? I probably have a different make from yours so can't really say.

The machine wont turn on unless its plugged in at the top so its on the way it needs to be

I wonder if its about milk boiling over or something?

The problem is if I want to make a soup will all milk rather than stock thats a nuisance to add it in at the end

Plus the state of the thing after cooking it, loads of milky curdy crud in the lid all around the seal, Im starting to hate this thing. Really difficult to clean becuase you cant immerse it in water the clean function only goes so far, I still had a burnt bottom, which I still have because I cant scrape it off and also round the lid, blade, seal, I was trying to clean it all off but was getting water in the electrics

I will try again next week

What type do you have? I've never made soup with milk rather than stock, by either method. Does it work well when you do that in a pan?

Its the Morphy Richards saute version I posted earlier in the thread

Have only made soup a few times in a pan due to disability in my hands its quite difficult and sometimes used milk and cream, other times not.

Im not sure why that would be unusual, we prefer creamy milky stocks, cullen skink is one of our favourite soups but it costs a bomb, also sweetcorn creamy soups, cant buy that in a tin and have to be lucky to see it in a restaurant so wanted to try to be in control of having it.

I think it's the milk. The one I have is like a kettle so it boils rapidly for the time it's on. If I were to make a soup on the stove, I would cook it longer and at a much lower temp than the soup maker uses.

I think this is why it is so quick, as it's on a rapid boil for most of the time.

I wouldn't even consider putting milk in it in all honesty. But have added cream at the end, but not to be boiled. This is most likely why it's curdled. Too high a heat.

I use mine for basic veg based soups that I am okay with being quick cooked. Anything more complicated I do in my cast iron on a slow cook on the stove.

Yes I think this is right actually. its a shame because I cant think of many soups that I would like without the cream or milk. Anything that is in my head for the planning involves milk or cheese

Except French onion soup but Im not even sure about that in a soup maker

We often make french onion soup in ours and it works well.