Soup Maker - good present? Are they worth it?

Mat_Lock

My girlfriend wants to buy a soup maker for her Dad for her birthday and I want to know if they're really worth it over a pan and a hand blender etc. I said I would help out researching it before she buys it.

We've seen a Morphy Richards one at Currys for £44.99 but has mixed reviews with burning, cleaning the product etc.

Does anyone have a better suggestion for around the same money. Are they actually worth it?

Cheers

maman

Personally I'm quite happy using my slow cooker for making soups. I tend to like my soup quite chunky but occasionally use a potato masher to make it a bit smoother. I don't bake so I've never got around to buying a blender/mixer but am thinking about that.

I suppose the answer to your question is whether her dad is likely to use it. Is he a keen cook? Would it just get left in the box cluttering the place up? Would a slow cooker be a better onion for soups and other dishes? What's her purpose behind buying it? Is he a 'gadget man'?

To answer your question, I'd say it's a waste of money and soups can be made on the hob or in a SC if that's what he wants.

Mat_Lock

He loves cooking foods and soups, lots of pastas, lentils and veggies so she thinks a soup maker will be good. He does have a small blender thingy but that's still blend and then cook on the hob so if it helps him out by literally leaving it to it for 20 mins then that is good.

I have a slow cooker, and used it twice in a year. I think they're a waste. So I guess it's personal opinion with anything.

shop-to-drop

My mum was given one for a present maybe a year ago and hasn't used it yet as she simply doesn't have enough space on her worktop to store it. She makes soup each week though in a heavy bottomed pan.

Steve059

Personally, I can see this lurking in the back of a cupboard. I manage perfectly well with just a saucepan and hand blender.

MysteryMe

If he's already a cook I'm not sure he needs a gadget to make soup. I think a slow cooker is more useful as it can be used for many types of meal. Perhaps a good quality saucepan / fry pan / pasta pan or set of kitchen implements/ or really good chopping knife?

K9sandFelines

I have one and i also have pans, stick blender and slow cooker. Mine gets used often. I blend up veg into pasta sauce (mainly ariabatta) for the kids, and i also blend milkshake for the kids, and obviously make soup. I like the fact that you can leave it to do it's own thing, especially if you have to nip out. I also like the fact that there's no chance of splattering it whilst blending.There is a chunky option and a smooth option on mine, and it can be easily cleaned by filling it once empty with a little soapy water, and pressing the pulse function. It has burnt occasionally at the bottom, but it doesn't do this all the time. IMO, i am glad i got it. Mine is the Delta one from Aldi from a while back.

MaryDru

Love my slow cooker, use it at least once a week. Immersion (stick) blender gets used about 4-5 times a week, for soups and sauces and dressings and bread crumbs.

But what I really love (which you didn't mention) is my rice maker. Rice is cheap and healthy but it takes a long time babysitting it on the stove. My rice machine is a dream - load it and plug it in, come back later and it's perfect. Also use it for many other grains, and it's great, and the best ones also can steam vegetables, etc. Also - they are often very cheap.

Lifeforms

Ive got a morphy richards soup maker, and probably the same one you've looked at.

Basically the bottom will get hot, so anything heavy will fall down to there, but i've never had any issue with burning, and cleaning is more than easy to do with it. Just remember not to immerse any of it, and you're fine, thus it's not suitable for dishwashing.

Frankly if you're a big soup maker from scratch you probably wont use this, habit and making in a pot will always win over it. But if you're a cba'd with the mess, and hassle of boiling a soup for 2 hrs (etc) but do want cheap soup then yes! I fall into the last catagory, and do like using mine. I am lazy though and buy the soup packs, however I need to cut money and start using mostly frozen cheap veg.

You can get ones that do more than just soup, like fry it in and stuff, but they're the dearer ones.

I guess does the dad like gadgets and time saving things. If so and he makes soup, then probably it'll be used. If not, I doubt it.

My mum users hers a lot too, but she tends to do it monday and throw the last of sundays dinner in it to make a soup

Mat_Lock

Thanks for all your feedback. I think he'll use it as it's a less mess method of making it, he can also leave it cooking while he does something else.

Cheers