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Soup Makers

(144 Posts)
NotTooOld Sun 11-Oct-15 20:53:54

I'm thinking of getting a soup maker. Morphy Richards do one for £49.99 from Argos. It has a serrated blade but not a sauteeing function. Is it worth paying more for the sauteeing function, anyone know?

mumofmadboys Tue 20-Oct-15 23:50:47

My soup maker arrived today. I'm delighted with it ++.Bellanona I notice the Morphy Richards one with the sauté function is still £49.99 if you look on e bay. I got mine from Cooperative electrical and the price included delivery. I don't think the sauté function is essential but it may be useful occasionally to sauté onions first for a special occasion perhaps??

yogagran Wed 21-Oct-15 11:05:19

Mine has the sauté function & it is good for doing the onions before adding anything else. Go for it if you can, you don't have to use the function but it's there if you want to

Bellanonna Wed 21-Oct-15 11:09:34

Thanks. Can't wait! Early C****** pressie to self smile

wotanuisanceABC123 Wed 21-Oct-15 19:54:46

I bought a Murphy Richards soup maker after reading this thread but the veg and bacon soup I made today was like dish water! Help! Please! I used mixed frozen veg and a stock pot but no potatoes and set it to chunky.

wotanuisanceABC123 Wed 21-Oct-15 21:11:52

But it ended up all watery!

Elegran Wed 21-Oct-15 22:12:47

Use less water next time? Try again with some potato as well as the veg? Put it back in and blend it? Do a different recipe altogether to get the feel of the machine?

Indinana Wed 21-Oct-15 22:24:47

Definitely add potato and/or some other root vegetables such as parsnips, swede etc. My daughter borrowed mine today to use up some leftover veg - red cabbage, sweet potato, red and green peppers and onion. But there wasn't really enough sweet potato (and it doesn't thicken quite as much as ordinary potatoes - less starch I think), so it was thinner. Not watery exactly, but thinner than she'd expected.
If you want a chunky soup, then you need more veg and less water, I'd say! Just keep experimenting. And look up recipes online - there are plenty out there.

wotanuisanceABC123 Wed 21-Oct-15 22:41:24

Thank you! Makes sense about starchy veg..potatoes etc. I will persevere!

NotTooOld Wed 21-Oct-15 22:48:35

Don't make the mistake that I made if using lentils. My recipe said 50g of lentils but it didn't look much so I put in 120g and - guess what? It came out like wall paper paste - you could stand a spoon up in it. 50g would have been plenty although it was fine when watered down.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 21-Oct-15 22:53:39

No matter how you make your soup, you will be hungry again very shortly after eating/drinking it. Unless you add meat and have it as a stew.

Indinana Wed 21-Oct-15 22:58:12

Gosh, vegetarians must be permanently hungry!

durhamjen Wed 21-Oct-15 23:21:14

Strangely enough, I am not, Indinana, and I eat a lot of soup made in my soupmaker.

Wotanuisance, don't forget that frozen veg will contain water, and water down your soup.
While you are getting used to your soupmaker, use the minimum water measurement. You can always thin it down with hot water if it's too thick.

Nelliemoser Wed 21-Oct-15 23:42:29

Jingle I am a vegetarian and not permanently hungry at all.

wotanuisanceABC123 Wed 21-Oct-15 23:43:35

Also, I wasn't sure if I should be adding hot stock or cold. when I use my slow cooker, I add hot stock.

Leticia Thu 22-Oct-15 08:07:39

Cold with the soup maker.

Leticia Thu 22-Oct-15 08:09:19

I very rarely use meat in my soups and they are very filling!

Leticia Thu 22-Oct-15 08:10:20

A soup maker is a very different concept from a slow cooker and that is why you use cold - think of it like a kettle.

seacliff Thu 22-Oct-15 09:42:51

You are all tempting me. I was so anti the idea of a soup maker - I have saucepans and blender (which I hardky ever use). I am no cook, but do love fresh home made soup. Can I justify yet another gadget!

Indinana Thu 22-Oct-15 09:49:03

Durhamjen I was vegetarian for many years and I was never hungry either. You seriously don't need to eat meat to feel full, do you confused

Indinana Thu 22-Oct-15 09:53:29

seacliff go for it! My initial reaction was the same - why on earth would I need another gadget when I can make perfectly good soup using a pan and a blender? However, I have had my soup maker for only a few days now and I know it was one of my better decisions, so much easier and quicker than pots and pans and blenders. And less washing up, which is always a big plus for me grin

seacliff Thu 22-Oct-15 10:06:07

We like quite a big bowl of soup - would they do enough for 4 people?

Also, I don't really want to pay more than £50, so is the saute option really good to have? Do those who have it, use it?

I am veggie, I always thought frying onions/garlic first made difference to the flavour? I'm googling prices and hoping for an offer. come on Morphy Richards!

Indinana Thu 22-Oct-15 10:10:37

They definitely make enough for 4 people. When I use it at the maximum level there are usually 5 very generously sized portions. I do have the sauté function and I have to say I haven't yet tried it without this, so I don't know if the ones without this option are OK. You could always sauté separately I guess, but that kind of defeats the object of the 'one pot' benefit.
Someone upthread mentioned getting the MR sauté one for £49.99 on eBay from Cooperative Electricals.

Indinana Thu 22-Oct-15 10:14:24

seacliff here's a link to the eBay one

seacliff Thu 22-Oct-15 10:25:51

Thanks Indi.

wotanuisanceABC123 Thu 22-Oct-15 17:06:42

Not too old.... 50g of lentils look such a small amount, but I will heed your advice!