Soup makers?????

So, the latest gadget my wife wants to clutter up the back of the kitchen cupboard with is a soup maker.

After my hilarious response of ‘What? A pan?’ didn’t go down very well, I took a look and they do seem a pretty decent idea, are reasonably cheap, quick and get good reviews. As my wife does take soup to work most days it might actually be used so I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations/experience/tips etc?

If I get one at least it takes the stress of sourcing a Christmas present away….

Morphy Richards one.

I’ve got one and use it a lot, fresh soup in just over 20 mins.

2nd all the pies. Just lad it up and have a cup of tea.

Just had one of these as a birthday present.
Bloody brilliant.

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_325003085797?CMP=SSH&tmcampid=28&tmad=c&sku=7652984&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=7652984&placmp=SSH_7769505706_308704387_18759734947&mkwid=s8pg6Lbba%7Cpcrid%7C87491852587%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cpdv%7Cc%7Cprd%7C7652984&gclid=CJDMuY-gz8kCFasBwwodsWQLvA

I’ve got one and use it a lot, fresh soup in just over 20 mins.

Just like a pan then?

Morphy Richards here as well. Use it a couple of times a week. Much easier than a pan and blender.

You could put some vegetables in a pan for 20 minutes but im fairly sure you wouldnt get soup.

You could put some vegetables in a pan for 20 minutes but im fairly sure you wouldnt get soup.

Almost. It’s not complicated.

Fry some onions, courgettes, potato for a few minutes. Add stock, spinach, handful of parsley*. Simmer for twenty. Blend. Add cream/milk. Season.

Rinse blender.

(Make croutons!!) 😉

*your vegetables may vary.

But the point is that all you need to do is bung the stuff in and 20 minutes later you have soup.

Your approach means you need to be sat over it more, frying, adding ingredients at different times etc.

Just had one of these as a birthday present.
Bloody brilliant.

Rule for life no.457
“Never take gadget advice from a man who’s still in the “Just got one of these…” phase.

I don’t quite get the soup maker either. When I do soup a few things have to be done certain ways, partially blended, caramelised onions, clarification, ingredients added at different times to get textures right and so on.

Maybe it’s similar to a bread maker in that it produces one type of meal and if you’re happy with that then great, but I rarely want everything chopped up the same size and cooked for the same length of time! Plus it seems to take the same length of time as using a pan, so it’s not a time saver either.

But the point is that all you need to do is bung the stuff in and 20 minutes later you have soup.

Boiled blended veg, that’s not soup.

Your approach means you need to be sat over it more, frying, adding ingredients at different times etc.

Yes, but I was addressing the point that the pan and the soupmaker take similar times. The limiting point is cooking time of the food, not the contraption it’s being cooked in.

But…. I agree with glasgowdan ^^. My soups aren’t overly complicated, but some things need frying, some things need adding at different points. I’m sure there wouldn’t be a massive difference in taste and if you’re happy using a soup maker, go for it. 🙂

I’m sure there wouldn’t be a massive difference in taste and if you’re happy using a soup maker, go for it

I think it’s more the point that his wife thinks she’ll be happy using one.

Don’t forget the blender.

Hmm, takes a couple of minutes with a cheap hand blender. Not sure that’s significant?

Tbh though, I’ll make a batch of soup in the morning, let it cool and then blend it and add cream later on before re-heating it. I rarely do it all together.

Vital stuff this, eh?

We chuck ingredients in go about morning routine waking up having breakfast. Transfer to a flask go to work and have nice fresh soup for lunch. Could just take a tin of hienz.

Ok, I’ll bite. What is it? A kettle with some sort of blade in the bottom?

If thats what the Mrs wants then thats the gift.

Hmm, takes a couple of minutes with a cheap hand blender. Not sure that’s significant?

This. I can see the attaraction of a do-it-all device and its better than buying off the shelf soup but there is no way the result will be as good as a soup made by hand in a pan, eg frying/softening onions/shallots before adding veg and milk/stock/water and checking seasoning and finally whizzing it up (blemder attachment goes in dishwasher). Make enough to eat some and freeze some etc. Choice is yours based on pan size chosen.

Thats kinda exactly what it is cougar.

I’m also in the not seeing the problem with a pan approach.

I’ve just watched the Morphy Richards promotional video for their soup maker, and I can’t see how this would save any time over a conventional pan. The soup maker has a saute function so you can saute your veg and/or onions etc like a pan. After doing this you add the stock and other ingredients, and only then can you close the lid, set the timer and wander off to do more interesting stuff.

You still need to chop the veg, prepare the stock etc like you would if you were making soup in a pan, and preheat the soup maker before adding any ingredients, the only benefit is that if you don’t want chunky soup it can mix it as it cooks. But it also has a blend function you can use after the preset cooking time is up, so it looks to take as long as just using a hand blender anyway.

Think I’ll give them a miss.

preheat the soup maker before adding any ingredients

You don’t have to do this.

You don’t have to do this.

Ah, right. Sorry, I’ve never used one. Just going by what was in the video I saw

Wow..too busy to make soup.. One of the simplest meals to make..I reckon I’d try to save time elsewhere in my life before buying that…..but I know, not the point of OP’s post, so I apologise for my pointless post., I’ve obviously got too much time on my hands….. 😀

Wow..too busy to make soup..

Yep, both work, have two young girls with active ‘social’ lives and a house in need of complete modernisation so we don’t have that much free time.

FWIW, I try to make soup most weekends with left-over Sunday dinner (if we have it) but my wife wants a bit more choice rather than chicken and potato soup…