8 best soupers
Soup is the perfect healthy work lunch, cheap to make and a great way to pack in the vegetables. But if you don’t have the time or the patience to make it the old fashioned way, there is an alternative to the pricey and lacklustre ready-made options.
Soupers do exactly what they say: make hot soup. There are loads of different recipes to try, but essentially you throw in all your chopped veg and around 20 minutes later you should have a batch of warm homemade soup. There are loads of models on the market, some sauté meats, others self-clean, so whatever your budget is, here are our favourite soup makers.
Morphy Richards 48822, £44.99, Argos
This is a great quality souper for the price, it is solid and easy to use but feels like it will last a long time. It has four functions: smooth, chunky, juicer and blend, and is easy to use and clean. It makes up to 1.6 litres of soup making it perfect for families. A well-priced soup maker that punches above its weight.
Tefal My Daily Soup, £59.99, Argos
The My Daily Soup really does do what it says on the tin: it’s super easy to use and makes soup in under 25 mins, allowing you to rustle one up pre-work if you don’t get around to it the night before. The chunky or smooth setting is perfect for adding a bit of variety and each batch should make 4 servings, although realistically three, if you are hungry/greedy. The self-cleaning function works well, although it’s not dishwasher safe. A good first souper.
Cuisinart SSB3U, £119.99, John Lewis
This is a step up price-wise but it has more cooking features allowing you to sauté meat and vegetables, eliminating the need for separate pans. It’s quick too, making 1.4 litres in 20 minutes. It’s got a variable kitchen timer, which means that it can either be just set and left or can be adjusted if the soup is done earlier or needs longer. All in all a good option for thoses who want to feel like they are doing a bit more cooking without the faff.
Lakeland Touchscreen Soup Maker, £124.99, Lakeland
The Lakeland touchscreen looks super slik and will look the part in any kitchen. It’s easy to assemble and use and can even be used to crush ice too, making it as useful in summer as winter. It worked really well, although there was some splashing out of the top when making some sauces. The temperature and time can’t be adjusted on the pre-set soup or sauce functions, which makes it less flexible, although there is the option of using the manual setting. Nice looking and makes good tasting soup.
Salter EK2411, £49.97, Amazon
This is a good value option for those who just want to make simple soups without having to wash up multiple pans. It has three settings: chunky, smooth and purée depending on how you like your soup. It also has an intelligent control system designed to prevent overspill and burning which seemed to work well. It can’t sauté like some of the other models, but if you are looking for simple and affordable then this is a great option.
Pressure King Pro, £49.99, High Street TV
Not just a soup maker, but this digital pressure cooker has a pretty decent soup function that did the job as well as the others in its price bracket. Because it is a slow cooker it can be left on a delay timer, meaning that you can throw all your ingredients in and come home to fresh soup. It’s not self cleaning, but considering the price of many soupers, it feels like a good value option if you want to get more than just soup and sauces for your money.
Hairy Bikers Stainless Reliable Souper, £39,78, Amazon
This is a nice looking souper and it works well for both chunky and smooth soups. It doesn’t have a sauté function, so some of the recipes needed a pan too. Unlike some of the other machines, it isn’t as versatile for making non-soup things like mayonnaise. That said, it’s a good price and makes tasty soup quickly and easily.
Vitamix Ascent , £625, Lakeland
A round up of soup makers wouldn’t feel complete without the inclusion of an all in one blender. The Vitamix is a bad boy blender which can whip up a hot soup in five minutes. It also makes ice cream, hummus and comes with a ten year guarantee. At over the five hundred pound mark it is one pricey bit of kit and it is quite loud when in use. But this is an investment you will have forever if you look after it. The Holy Grail of soupers.
Verdict: Best Soupers
if you can afford it then get a Vitamix that will last you forever and dop so much more than just soup. If you are after a basic, yet reliable souper then you can’t go far wrong with the Morphy Richards.
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