soup makers?

jingle you have great ideas for presents for your DDs, I remember that unusual Christmas present a few years ago

I have just cooked the gammon and will make a pan of broth tomorrow.

I wouldn't actually by that one for my DDs! It was the first one that I alighted on after googling.

Might get that one for me though. Very tempted.

I'm the "soup maker" in our house. Coincidentally I made myself a pan of lentil and bacon soup for my tea. There is still loads left for DH when he comes home from work.

durhamjen I too do 'chuck it all in' soup but like a bit of inspiration occasionally to do something a bit different. I find all the recipes over on Mumsnet very useful, especially when faced with yet another chicken breast.

I make it in a big pan and use a hand blender. DH likes smooth soup, I like it a bit chunky, so I take some out for him and whiz it until it's really smooth [yuk]

Soup recipes can be useful Jendurham - I like soups to have a distinct flavour and don't make them by just throwing in a load of veg that needs to be used up!

DD1 has one. It doesn't seem to save much time really provided you have a hand whizzer thingy. The main advantage for her is that, with two young children and various animals generally causing mayhem, she can just leave it to do it's thing. For me, I wouldn't bother.

This was all very useful as I was tempted by one in a sale recently, but resisted the temptation.
I often throw the veg in a roasting tin with some oil and seasoning and roast it for 30 mins or so. Then pour over some stock and pop it back in 'til veg are tender. It saves standing over a a frying pan and works well with tomato, red pepper, onion and carrot mixture.

Juliette, thanks for telling us about the recipes on mumsnet. There are some good ones there.

Who needs a recipe? As said, just throw in al the veg you want to use up. I quite often add tofu for added protein, or miso for flavour.

Jingl, that's an expensive soup maker. Mine's from Cooper's and was a third of the price.

Blending often thickens it and you may have to add some more liquid. x

I have tried making soup recently. The flavour is nice but blending it makes a kind of mousse texture. Any recommendations on how to get the shop bought thickness?

When making soup, I peel the veg, put them in my blender (it's very tiny), then put this mass of tiny pieces in the saucepan to fry then add water/stock; when it is cooked I then use hand blender in the saucepan at the end if needed.

Mincing the veg first makes it cook quicker, and sometimes obviates the need for blender at the end as I quite like a bit of texture in my soup.

Harissa paste is my stand-by for flavouring and adding a bit of zing.

Nelliemoser there are some excellent soup recipes over on Mumsnet. Simple to prepare and very tasty. Sorry can't do a link.

Love mine, sling the veg in and leave it to do its thing, done

Same here Galen, refuse to fry the veg separately as in the recipe booklet.
As said, just chuck it all in- it works very well. Ours is a Philips.

I've the cuisinart, in fact I'm on my third in 10 years. The first I tried to fry the veg in it as directed:- that doesn't work, they stick and burn on the base. The second burnt out with overuse. Each replaced by Lakeland at no cost. The third is still going and I wouldn't be without it, but don't fry the veg in it. I don't peel veg first unless necessary.

I would LOVE to run a guest house.

No, all the cooking came from a longing to be self-sufficient. I wish I had been born a few years earlier and managed to find someone to start a smallholding with. I grew all my own veg for many years, until last year in fact. So had to find recipes that were acceptable to everyone, but quick and easy to make because before I could cook Sunday lunch I had to dig up half of it and scrub it under the outside tap in all weathers.

Having grown all that veg and slaved over it, I wasn't going to waste any of it, so winter lunches have always meant veg soup being available. This year everything was scaled back - hopefully only temporarily until I can get DBH to make me lots of raised beds - and the only big crop I grew was carrots, with a few rows of garlic and a big herb bed. We should all have extraordinary eyesight by now. What a shame it was all a fib made up during the war! I have only just finished the carrot crop, and almost finished off the frozen parsnips from the previous year.

DD1 has a Thermomix - very, very expensive but she loves it!

A Thermomix makes soups and a whole lot more.

Do you run a guest house, janer?
From reading your posts I would like to come and stay. However, can't eat celeriac!
ps DH said that this year's Christmas cake was the best ever - the recipe you posted on here minus the nuts!

It's not as simple as opening a tin.
Soup is not difficult to make if you have a liquidiser and a hob. The machine probably saves a bit of washing up by "one pot cooking."

It's just another gadget that would clutter up ones kitchen though. If you have the cupboard space and the money its up to you really.

Finding a good soup recipe is another thing though.

Too small and expensive. I make a week's worth at a time, which can be 16 portions if we are all at home. I use a pressure cooker and a hand blender. Fry onion and garlic, add veg and seasonings, add stock and cook for 20 mins, blend with hand blender. This week's was spicy butternut squash, next week's will be celeriac. Last week's was carrot and coriander. I peel a few more veg every time I pop into the kitchen, because I get bored! But could probably do it in my sleep.

As said on previous thread- we just love ours. And several of my UK friends have bought one and think it's great.

Yes, soup is so easy to make in a pan, but then you have to blitz it if you want ti smooth. The main advantage for us, is that you don't have to keep an eye on it- not pan boiling over or burning. So can chuck it all in and go to the garden, for a walk, shopping, whatever- and it's ready whenever we get back. Very easy to wash too- would not be without mine now. Look for one in the sales or special offer.

Oops, couldn't see original post.

Good grief, not at that price. I'll stick to using a pan !!

Your a very generous mummy jings