Do you recommend a soup maker for homemade soups?

[Bweave]

I like making homemade soups. Like parsnip and apple soup
Beetroot soup

There are so many soups.

I usually use a saucepan and boil everything and then blend with a handheld blender.

I am considering getting a soup maker. I think it would be good to put it into the one container and blend it there too.

Anyone here have a soup maker and would you recommend one?

That sounds lovely. Do you use coconut milk?

Can I ask which one you’ve got that cleans? (Presuming you mean you stick it in dishwasher, which could be very handy)

People are so divided on soup makers.
It's a gadget to make things simpler. Like any gadget.
Yes you can make soup in a pot and then blend it.
You can also make toast in the oven grill.

A toaster is quicker and easier for its purpose.

And so is the soup maker.

I love mine, but I don't just use it for soup. I make bulk pasta sauce in mine too. Could I do that on the stove too? Yes but it's easier and quicker to make in the soup maker.

I leave it out in the winter as I do put in scraps that might have been thrown out, and make up quick soups for lunch. If I haven't planned anything, it's done from start to the bowl in 20 mins. And then I didn't throw away the veg that was a bit past it's best.

I also make bulk smoothies / milkshakes in it in the summer. It's bigger than the blender so can do for a crowd in one go.

I have one and it is easy to use. Ie. Chuck ingredients in, amd hey presto, soup all prepared.

However, I find the soup all tastes the same, and is a bit bland.i’ve told myself that if I don’t use it this winter, it’s going.

if anyone has any good recipes, them fire away.

Morphy Richards has a 'clean' mode - you put in water and a very small amount of washing up liquid and it runs for about 5 minutes, loosening the food debris so you can then just wipe it off.

The jug part can be dunked in the sink, it's the lid you need to avoid immersing as that's where all the electricals are, and that's where bits of food can congeal - I believe that's how most soup makers work.

Just get any '500 soup recipes' type recipe book for inspiration, I've got several I picked up from charity shops for peanuts.

For me, the biggest difference - if you like smooth soup - is the texture. It's much smoother in a soup maker, as if a blender had been used. It's not possible to get that using a stick blender, and mine has a dedicated soup 'wand'.

A slow cooker sounds like too much faff to me. You'd have to saute in a saucepan first if you want the best flavour (my soup maker has a saute function), then transfer to a slow cooker, then blend. That's a lot of washing up.

Mine has a sauté function but the footplate is so small I’m not sure it makes much difference. Thatsis it only sautés a bit of onion or whatever. If I don’t use it much this winter , it’s going.

I love my Ninja one use it at least weekly. I prefer it to other soup makers as you can make one portion if you want and up to a litre because it heats from the bottom. Other soup makers I've seen heat from the top and you have make a minimum of 1 litre. I've also seen an individual one that only makes 300ml but not larger. Ninja can do both small and larger portions AND it be used as a food blender too

Absolutely no need for a soup maker when you have everything already

I found that the soup would become quite watery due to condensation. I also thought that it didn’t have the depth of flavour that you get with making it in a pan. I’m going to try making it in a slow cooker.

My Ninja soup maker has earned its place in my little kitchen. I absolutely love it. Soup in winter, smoothies in summer, it gets used weekly, if not daily.

I asked AI to convert my old soup recipes into the right quantity for the Ninja soup maker and they come out great. Weigh in the ingredients, press a button and relax for half an hour.

The Ninja is like a glass kettle so you can’t put it in the dishwasher but it has a clean function that works very well.

I use my air fryer to make soup!
Chuck a few chopped peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions in with a glug of olive oil, roast until nice and browned, add chilli, herbs, salt and pepper and roast a bit more. Add a bit of stock or water then blend. I then freeze this in portions. To serve, put a portion into a saucepan, add water/milk/cream as preferred and heat up.

I got one for my birthday. Used it a few times and now back to making it in a pan. The machine requires specific quantities of various ingredients to work, and I'm a chuck it all in kind of chef. Also the sautee function doesn't work well and my ingredients burned and stuck to the bottom. I'll be getting rid and asking for a big blender next birthday!

I love soup and love my soup maker

Top tips..
Get one with a saute function
Get a large one because you don't have to fill it

I have made soup on the hob for decades and it doesn't matter how much you blend with a stick blender you'll never get soup as smooth as a soup maker does

Really recommend this site, some of my favourite recipes are in here!

lianaskitchen.co.uk/soup-maker-recipes/

Another appliance to clean & store, a pan & hand blender does the same job.

Love my soup maker. My first Morphy Richards one died - and I replaced it with a new one! I made too much mess with a stick blender anyway!!!

I bought my soup maker last year second hand for a tenner, very pleased with it and use it all the time. My veg intake has increased and I don’t throw out any veg waste as it all goes in – broccoli stalks leave etc. I used to use a saucepan and stick blender, but inevitably missed the odd lump, and usually resulted in splatters on the hob and surrounding worktop! It is very convenient to chuck it all in and come back to silky smooth hot delicious soup 19 minutes later. Mine has a self clean function so just needs some water and a squirt of washing up liquid, 4 mins later I just pour the hot sudsy water down the sink and rinse it out.
I don’t have the saute function so I do cook chopped onion in a pan first otherwise I find soups can taste of raw boiled onion if that makes sense….
I use the low salt veg stock pots from Lidl rather than stock cubes which can be a bit too salty for my taste. I tend to use the smooth function most then add to it after for texture – eg carrot and red lentil soup with a tin of butter beans added after.

I think the big advantage is that you don't have to watch it, it just does it's thing.

If you're like me, who tends to wander off and forget about it, or spends a lot of time doing three things at once, I can definitely see the advantage of 'set and forget without it boiling all over the hob',

I already use the air fryer and slow cooker to this advantage rather than the grill, oven or pan so can see the benefit. But I'm now tempted by trying the slow cooker method, as I have a really good stick blender so don't need a soup maker, but am tempted as it also does the blending itself. And on a previous soup maker thread, a few posters said the soup was nicer than making it in a pan.

I always said I didn’t need a soup maker, cursed my husband when he bought me one as a surprise present. Adore it. Use it all the time.

Morphy Richard’s kettle style here. Did treat myself to a Ninja, but hated it and retuned it as it was so noisy (my dog barked at it🤣).

And on a previous soup maker thread, a few posters said the soup was nicer than making it in a pan.

It is! I like smooth soups and they come out velvety, and you just can't achieve that the same with a stick blender.

We make dustbin soup in our house

Just chuck in all the stuff in the fridge that is nearly ready for the dustbin - hence the name

I have one. It’s quite good. The advantage is that you set the time and it blends itself. Although sometimes I prefer to half blend and leave some chunks in which you can’t do. It’s not THAT much of an effort saver compared to a pan and stick blender so if kitchen space is at a premium then don’t bother.

Easier to use a pot and a stick mixer 😊

I have one and they are excellent! Come with a little recipe book, which also has a guide on how to make your own smooth and chunky soups. Sauté and self-cleaning functions are brilliant. Only downside is you only get 4 portions but you an make these concentrated and add more water later if a batch cooker. Do it! I also have a massive Ninja slow cooker that has a sauté mode and after reading the posts I'm wondering whether to use that and stick blender for the soups I really like to...