Do I want a soup maker?

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I keep seeking ads pop up on my SM accounts for a mini soup maker. I am quite tempted - but are they any good?

I can’t imagine soup made without sautéing onions, celery and carrots as a base can taste all that good though? Or will it taste like boiled veg (I’m a veggie)? I’m imagining slapping it on in the morning as I get ready by throwing in whatever’s in the fridge and having to ready to take to work with me.

Or is it just one more gadget I don’t need? (I do have a mini Nutri bullet in the office and use it quite often).

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I have a soup maker and can make a really nice tomato soup from raw ingredients put straight int to pot but not been successful with any other soup flavour

I make soups a lot with a saucepan and I use a stick blender to make it smooth. It’s not difficult. I dislike too many gadgets and prefer to keep it simple.

big saucepan and high quality stick blender
soup makers weren’t for me, restrictive and not that effective!

Maybe put ingredients in a slow cooker overnight and blend in the morning ? Or just make it at the weekend and freeze.

Yes, I love mine! It has a sauté function, so I put onions etc in first to cook, then add the rest. Not quite as good as sautéing separately perhaps, but well worth it for the convenience.

I bought a 2nd hand one for £10 worth it

not sure I would pay any more than that they are a bit gimmicky nothing a pan and stick blender won’t do

the big advantage is you don’t have to worry about it boiling over and turning heat up and down . You don’t have to keep your eye on it

I’m just a gadget junkie! 🫣

I have one but wouldn’t replace it if it broke, I’d just use a pan and the hand blender

I bought my first one last month and l wish l had bought one sooner.
I've joined a FB group and made some gorgeous soups.. both chunky and smooth..
If l prep it's mainly throwing tomatoes / onions/ peppers in airfryer to roast.. then putting in soup maker.. l use a lot of cheats garlic.
I use a potato to thicken.
Might not make as much soup in the summer. But will make more smoothies then .

This is how we make our soup.

Well, I say we but I mean I. We have a soup maker which DH uses when he’s making soup, but I prefer the saucepan/stick blender method as those are easier to clean!

I’m not a gadgetty person, but i love my soup maker, because it doesn’t need any supervision. I put the ingredients it, sautee for a couple of mins, then let it get on with it while i go for a shower/out/walk the dog/to work/wfh etc.

I've currently got minestrone in my slow cooker, I'm not sure how a soup maker would have made it better?

I bought mine half price in Sainsbury ( Tefal one that sautes )

I chop and roast a few onions and freeze in small tubs so I have them ready done . Any leftover roast potatoes get frozen.
They make the base and I don;t need extra oil. Tomatoes especially the ones going soft .

Marigold Bouillon for stock .
We're vegetarian , soup makers are brilliant for a quick meal .
Roll on Hallowe'en , I can get pumpkins

I've had 2 soup makers - both high-end.
The Morphy Richards with a sauté function stopped working after about 10 uses.
The glass bowl ot the Superior Lakeland one cracked.
Luckily, they were both from Amazon , so refunds were easy.

I've gone back to saucepan + stick blender if want a smooth soup.

LIDL have the saute and soup maker for £49 this week. I;ve just bought one so will let you know how it goes. I'm a bit concerned about pp saying it broke after 10 uses but LIDL are good on returns.

I want something I don't have to watch having burnt one too many pans.

The advantage is that you can leave it for 20 mins to make your soup, rather than having to stand over a pan with a stick blender. If you are using up already cooked leftovers, you don't even have to prep anything, just chuck it in. It really depends whether you find manually blending your soup particularly onerous. I've had mine about five years now, I think, and I go through phases of using it.

Why would I need to stand over a pan with a stick blender for minestrone?
It's not blended.

I’ve just made some lentil soup the old fashioned way. Mmmmmmmmm.

If you only ever consume soups that are not blended, clearly the purchase would be redundant.

I tend to make soup using the instant pot , sauté veg first and then add the stock etc and it’s ready in 10 mins

I asked this on her last year and so many people said it was an unnecessary gadget and what was wrong with using a saucepan and stick blender.
I’m glad to say I ignored them and bought one anyway and I love it. As another poster said the real benefit is that you can completely leave it alone and 20 minutes later you have amazing soup.
I’ve just used mine today now the weather is cooler. Delicious bacon, leek and potato. If you’re a gadget lover (as I am) go for it.

You still need to saute ingredients but once they are all in the soup maker does the rest. I think you can get ones that do that.

I have a saute one but lots of the recipes I use don’t require sautéing. You just put all the veg in with the stock/liquid. Lid on, select smooth or chunky and push the start button. So simple.

I bloody adore my soup maker. I had a cheap one and it was ok, I’ve got a ninja one now and the soup is amazing! I use it loads this time of year and the soup is just incomparable to other soup machines.

I LOVE mine

Saute and then pop it on and go and do something else.
So convenient,no getting splashed with hot soup or splattering the cooker .
Saute, cook, whizz it up and pour
It waits for me with no risk of burning.
I hate stick blenders with a passion.
Really couldn't be doing with ladelling hot soup into a blender either.