Might be a daft question but how do you make soup without a soup maker?

[Girlwhonevercooks]

I'd like to try making homemade soup. It would be either lentil soup or a vegetable soup of some kind. Obviously having a soup maker (Ninja etc) would make it easier, but I'm sure people made soups before soup makers existed. How would you do it without a soup maker? I am actually wondering if I should just cave in and buy one. 😄

I quite often roast the vegetables before I make soup as it brings out the flavours. Works particularly well with Mediterranean type veg, but my favourite is celeriac soup. Chop the celeriac and an onion (and maybe a couple of bacon rashers if you’re not veggie), roast till cooked - about 20-30 minutes - and then add to a pan with some stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes (soup is not an exact science) and then whizz with a blender to get the consistency you like. This one is lovely, really creamy and celeriac is low-carb too, which is a bonus. Doesn’t spike your blood sugar so it’s good for diabetics.

@Girlwhonevercooks I tend to follow Jamie Oliver but he seems to have a fixation with having every kitchen gadget imaginable for every recipe

that’s becuase he has a huge kitchen, lots of money to fritter away or is given them !

Hand blender

Google would have told you this?

Been making soup for over 30yrs and never owned or used a soup maker.

It is always vegetable soup and I just make it in a big pot.
Chop the veg, add a veg stock cube, pepper, horseradish, mustard etc to taste and simmer for an hour or so.
For the first couple of days we have it chunky (with homemade crusty bread) and then we blend it and have it smooth. I add more water after a couple of days as it tends to dry out with reheating.

Often I will divide it and put some in the freezer.

Saucepan and stick blender. Never had a soup maker and I make soup every weekend.

@Girlwhonevercooks Did your parents just not cook? Never seen them make a sauce or a soup?

I have a soup maker now and love it because it blends everything so smoothly as I don't like lumpy soup.

Before that , I used a slow cooker, chucked everything in first thing, then cooked it until lunchtime and then blended it with a stick blender. It left it bitty though.

I much prefer the soup maker and it makes it in 20 minutes, which is amazing. It gives me 4 bowls each time.

I love celeriac but have never made it into soup! How many do you use for a decent sized pot of soup @abbey44?

I just open a tin.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/food_and_recipes/5397199-soups-glorious-soups?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

There's some nice recipes on this thread

fry off onions, carrots , celery and garlic (or similar veg) add stock to cover and other vegetables, herbs and spices, cook until veg is soft (time varies depending on veg) then blend using a stick blender (around £10 from larger supermarkets and Argos)

Ps you can also use leftover cooked veg and potatoes, just add at end of cooking, blend then bring back to boil before simmering to reduce to desired thickness. Add extra water or cream to loosen.

also add chopped cooked meat and cooked rice if desired after you blend.

Where can I buy ham stock? I don’t usually cook/eat ham.

I grew up in a house where no one ever cooked from scratch. It was all ready meals. Now paying the price unfortunately as I struggle with cooking anything. I just don't find it intuitive or easy at all.

Ah OP sorry you've had some quite unkind replies.

If you're really not a confident cook (and I'm sure I'll get slated for this on here) maybe start with buying one of these packs from the supermarket, just until you're feeling a bit more confident.

I'd start by softening the veg in a large pot with some butter, on a medium/low heat for around 10 minutes and then add some stock (Marigold bouillon is my preference but cubes are fine too, ham cubes are particularly nice if you're using lentils) bring it all to the boil and add a couple of handfuls of lentils (I use dried red ones which I rinse in a sieve for a minute or so before adding). Let it simmer for about half an hour or until everything is soft, I like to use a masher to still keep it a bit chunky but nice and thick. I'll always add plenty of pepper to this and a splash of lemon juice is great. I'll add a few of my favourite recipes for once you're feeling a bit more confident too.
Turkish lentil soup
Minestrone
Spiced lentil
Roasted tomato and red pepper
Nana's magic soup
Chicken and rice soup
Lentil and bacon soup
Leek & potato
Pea and mint
Chinese chicken noodle
Corn Chowder

Saucepan and stick blender.
A really easy online cook to follow is Jacques Pepin. He does simple traditional recipes with old-fashioned implements.

@Ironfloor269 Knorr do ham stock cubes, I've seen them in all supermarkets but they're also available on Amazon for about £1.50

@Girlwhonevercooks don’t worry it’s really easy, maybe watch some videos on YouTube where you can watch step by step, I’ve done that with lots of recipes and it’s surprising what you learn.

This is my fave, you can’t mess it up really
I have used cherry tomatoes instead, left the ginger out, added butternut squash
I love cooking so if you want any help or to ask any question even if you think it’s stupid then PM me if you don’t want to ask on here

I grew up in a house where no one ever cooked from scratch. It was all ready meals. Now paying the price unfortunately as I struggle with cooking anything. I just don't find it intuitive or easy at all.

Good for you for trying to change then.
Soup is actually a good thing to start with because it's extremely difficult to make it "wrong". It's a way of using whatever leftover veg you have, cooked or raw.
Try some of the ideas on here and don't worry too much if you haven't got one ingredient you can put something else in, or if you dislike a particular flavour leave it out. My soup comes out different every time, some better than others.

I learned a great tip last year. Take a jug of the soup out before you blend, then add it back after. It gives back a little texture while still having a thick soup.

A soup maker doesn't really do it all anyway, you still have to peel and chop the veg.

In a big saucepan. I use a stick blender if I want it blended. I don’t get soup makers.

I don’t chop or peel anything. Lob all veg in the slow cooker before work with some stock. Use a stick blender when it’s cooked. Add some cream if I am feeling fancy!

Agree that soup is perfect for learning to cook.

My advice for a novice is to take your time, don't rush, let everything cook low and slow so you get all the flavours out and don't burn anything!

Leek and potato is a nice easy cheap one to try first.

I don't own a soup maker, OP, I am the soup maker.