Soup maker thoughts please

I would probably get one if I had more kitchen worktop/cupboard space. But I make a lot of soups just with pan and occasionally blender, though we like most of ours unblended - often very thick, main-meal type.

Mine are typically multi-veg, with red lentils and/or pearl barley/orzo pasta. Onion (always) and celery (usually) essential for flavour. I add anything like quartered sprouts/cabbage, for the last few minutes only.
Unless I have stock from a carcass, or ham stock, I use Knorr chicken or vegetable cubes.

Being an idle besom I often buy soffrito from M&S if it's reduced. It's a ready finely chopped carrot, onion and celery combination. A good base for any soup.

Aveline

Being an idle besom I often buy soffrito from M&S if it's reduced. It's a ready finely chopped carrot, onion and celery combination. A good base for any soup.

Tesco sell it too - in the frozen aisle. I usually make all my soups from scratch, but I like to keep a pack of that handy to help whip up some quick soup if needed. I also buy veg which it's reduced or on offer and chop up into soup-sized pieces which I then freeze for similar occasions.

I make butternut squash and sweet potato soup using the frozen versions, as butternut squash is so much easier and cheaper frozen. I defrost first, and it tastes just as good as fresh.

Callistemon I found a new way to use up my Brussels this year - Brussels, leeks, Gruyere and Cheddar cheese baked in the air fryer/oven. Almost like a creamy salad.

AreWeThereYet - are you the woman I met in Tesco just before Christmas? 😁
She gave me a similar recipe although she did add a carton of cream over the veg as well!!

I simmer my veg on the hob and/or roast veg & use a hand held blender. No need for an actual soup maker, blender is perfectly adequate.

That's fine if you want to stand over the cooker and stir and blend etc. The whole benefit of soupmakers is that you can pop the veg etc in and leave it to it and go and do something else. 21 minutes later perfect soup. Simples.

Aveline, I think that’s it. I made soup in a saucepan for years. It was good soup, and I usually filled in the time in between cooking/stirring/blending etc. by doing something useful.
Now I appreciate the chance to add ingredients, close the lid, press the button and produce equally good soup without watching, stirring and blending.
OP are you going to buy a soup maker?

Daisymae would you be able to share your recipe for red pepper and tomato soup, it sounds delicious.x

I love my soup maker, it takes just 19 minutes to use up any veg lurking in the basket or cooked potatoes in the fridge. Even Mr B uses it. The other day friends popped in at lunch time, I was out of it with pain and mr;hine. So Mr B impressed my very fussy friend who thinks all men are useless in the kitchen, by making a soup and serving it it with fresh bread that he had also made. Every house should have one, both a Mr B and a soupmaker

Should be morphine

Is there a way to sautée first and then the gadget add the other veg or do you have to stand over it whilst the sautéing is going on and then put the other veg in?
Just wondering as boiled onions and mushrooms (gor example) are very different to those sautéed first...

I have no knowledge of soup makers.

I never saute the veg. Always turns out nice.

I’m another one who loves my soup maker. Mine is a Morphy Richards model. This is a recent soup I made: celery, red onion, garlic, leeks, sweet potato, potato, chill flakes, squirt of tomato pureé, shake of Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and 2 stock pots (low salt, if preferred), add water to maximum level. I sautéed, then chose the smooth setting. 😊

Arlme

Daisymae would you be able to share your recipe for red pepper and tomato soup, it sounds delicious.x

Chop small onion and 1 or two red peppers deseeded. Dissolve stock cube or stock pot in hot water. Put onion,peppers and a can of chopped tomatoes in soup maker and top up with water to the required level. Put on to creamed soup setting. Hope you enjoy! Enough for 4 servings.

Barmeyoldbat Mr A has also been trained in the use of the soupmaker 😄 He's actually reasonably useful around the kitchen once he's sure of what he is doing. Once we had made three different soups together (I'd never used it before either) he was away.

NotSpaghetti

Is there a way to sautée first and then the gadget add the other veg or do you have to stand over it whilst the sautéing is going on and then put the other veg in?
Just wondering as boiled onions and mushrooms (gor example) are very different to those sautéed first...

I have no knowledge of soup makers.

Some will saute but I bought one that doesn't based on reviews. It turns out great soups with minimal effort. You really don't miss the sauté input. Crikey sounds like an advert!

My gs asked for one for Christmas after using mine. Takes it to work and makes soup for his lunch. Probably sells any he has left over. I don’t sauté anything, just chuck it in with a bit of stock and away you go. No standing over it.

Daisymae - thamk you. Don't mushrooms have a problem with just being boiled rather than sweated?

And is there a method for putting veg in without coming back to it if you are using the sautéing thing?

As a regular soup-maker I'd like to be able to just walk away. It would be the time-saving hands-off thing I'd like.

What do others think about not sweating mushrooms and letting onion become translucent (or caramelised)?

Also, (thinking for my daughter) wonder if they are big enough for a family?

I often make mushroom soup. I just roughly chop them a bit (or use ready sliced ones). No sauteing. It's one of
DH's favourite soups.

I make soup often with just a saucepan and a blender. I don't feel the need for a soup making machine, but I suppose if you make large quantities and if it makes it easier, then it's worth it.
Last week I made the best soup ever. Broccoli and cheese. It's meant to be broccoli and stilton but I didn't have any stilton so I grated cheddar and added some St.Agur and some little triangle cheeses etc. and it was wonderful. One of tastiest I have ever made.

Yes, I've made broccoli and 'other cheese' soup henetha, very tasty.

New Year resolution:
Delve in the cupboard, find the soup maker and start making healthy soups more often in 2023.

As to what veg to put in, besides the obvious onion and potato, for my multi-veg base in winter I usually keep larger cut-and-come-again root veg in the fridge - swede, celeriac, turnip. Celeriac does go brown and manky-looking once cut, but a thin slice is easily taken off.

Dh prefers non blended soups now*, but often, when we had guests after Christmas I used to make a blended ‘root soup’ for lunch - onion, potato, carrot, and swede, plus of course stock cubes - with milk and a little butter added at the end. And some chopped parsley if I had any. Always went down very well.

*Though having said that, I have a jar of roasted red peppers that’s been sitting in a cupboard for ages - so there’s going to be a tomato and toasted red pepper soup coming up soon.

NotSpaghetti

Daisymae - thamk you. Don't mushrooms have a problem with just being boiled rather than sweated?

And is there a method for putting veg in without coming back to it if you are using the sautéing thing?

As a regular soup-maker I'd like to be able to just walk away. It would be the time-saving hands-off thing I'd like.

What do others think about not sweating mushrooms and letting onion become translucent (or caramelised)?

Also, (thinking for my daughter) wonder if they are big enough for a family?

I've never had a problem with not sweating mushrooms. In my opinion, it make little difference to the final taste to sweat onions and mushrooms.

You can't add the veg that don't want sauted until you have finished sauteing the ones that do. I chop the others while sauteing for a few minutes, stirring at intervals, then add them and the rest of the ingredients - and walk away until the reminder that the soup is ready (It is loud, you can hear it from another room). You can pour it out into plates - no need for a soup ladle.

The Morphy Richards makes six good platefuls. If you make it with more solid ingredients than necessary, you could add a small amount of boiling water before serving to make it go a bit further.

Also mine only takes 19 mins to make soup so if I have more than 4 people I just make two batches and add together