What Is The UK’s Best Soup Maker?
Is there anything better on a cold day than a hot bowl of soup? Not only is soup warm and comforting, but it’s also a healthy lunch option. If you’re looking for a way to make soups quickly and easily at home, one of the best tools to use is a soup maker. Soup makers are appliances that allow you to create delicious soups with very little effort. In this article, we’ll look at the best soup makers on the market to help you start making delicious, inexpensive soups for lunch and dinner.
Soup Maker Reviews
Soup Maker Buyer’s Guide
A good homemade soup is something of an art, but prepping ingredients, making stock and blending it by hand is extremely time consuming. Allow us to introduce the humble soup maker. These little kitchen gadgets allow you to make delicious soups in minutes, all you need to do is chop your ingredients and the soup maker will do the rest of the work for you. Perfect if you’re after a speedy midweek dinner or you need a quick and delicious starter at dinner parties.
But choosing the best soup maker can be tricky with so many options on the market, each with an array of features. Whether you’re after silky smooth or thick and chunky veg soup, here’s what to look for when you start soup-maker shopping!
Capacity
If you’ve got a big family you’ll be cooking for, a larger soup maker is essential! Go for something with a 1.6L capacity or more. If you’re only going to be making soup for yourself, you can get a smaller, more compact model. Soup can last for a few days so if you’re after a week’s worth of packed lunches, a larger soup maker might suit you better.
Look out for the size as well as the capacity. Much smaller compact models are available for kitchens that lack space, and these can be stored away easily in cupboards. If you have more worktop space and want to make more than just a couple of bowls, a larger soup maker will suit you better.
Speed
Most soup makers are designed to be super speedy, having your soup ready in around 20 minutes or less. Go for one that requires you simply to chop the ingredients and add them, you can then turn the soup maker on and come back to it a bit later.
Soup Settings (Smooth, Chunky etc)
The best soup maker will have both a smooth and chunky option. Chunky vegetable soup can be comforting on a winter’s day, while silky smooth soup is great for dinner parties where you want something quick but fancy! Some soup maker s have a medium-texture setting making them extra versatile. Remember that you can always blend the ingredients manually in a soup maker if it’s not quite the texture you like.
Many soup makers have a smoothie setting and can also be used to puree vegetables for baby food. Some soup makers also have a saute features, which allows you to lightly fry meat or vegetables before you cook them. This can add to the flavour although it will add to the price tag.
Ease of Cleaning
A soup maker that’s easy to clean will make the entire process even quicker. Some will have a cleaner built into them, and others will require just some soap and water. Ensure your soup maker is fully cleaned after every use.
If your soup maker doesn’t have a self-cleaning function, ensure the parts are removable and dishwasher friendly. A non-stick surface will make it easier to clean.
FAQs
How to use a soup maker?
Soup makers are exceedingly simple to use, and once you’ve had a few goes you’ll likely find the entire process a breeze! Most soup makers look like kettles, and although not quite as simple as making a cup of tea, they’re not far off.
Some people choose to fry their ingredients before putting them in the soup maker to give them a little more flavour (or many soup makers come with a saute option). This is totally up to you and you might want to do this for onions, garlic or spices. However, if you’re in full-on time saving mode, you might want to skip this step.
The most simple soups will require chopped ingredients, salt and some other spices. Remember that the chunkier you chop the ingredients, the longer they will take to cook. If you’re cooking meat, it’s usually recommended to cook the meat separately first.
How does a soup maker work?
Soup makers blend and heat ingredients gently. The ingredients are cooked at the same time as blended, meaning you’ll have piping hot soup to greet you after just a few minutes. They normally take around 20-30 minutes, and have a choice of chunky or smooth.