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There are few more healthy, economical or delicious lunchtime options than a warming bowl of home-made soup. As soon as autumn appears, it becomes my midweek go-to – but the need to watch over and stir the pot can put a halt on my good intentions. The best plug-in soup makers are an excellent way to reduce the time spent. After a quick scout in the fridge for a few odds and ends, I can whip up a tasty soup in around half an hour.
There are two main styles, including the more affordable all-in-one model which looks like a large kettle. This is ideal for simply throwing in your ingredients, choosing a smooth or chunky setting, popping on the lid (to which the blade is attached) and leaving it to run. They cook at set temperatures and in the main are not suitable for cooking raw meat, but can work wonders with leftovers such as roast chicken or ham along with a scoop of frozen corn or peas. They may have some additional settings such as blending or sauce-making and in general have a large capacity, averaging out at a maximum of 1.6 litres, enough for six servings.
The second style is taller, heavier and closely resembles a traditional blender or food processor, consisting of a base and separate glass jug with blades in the bottom. These tend to have more controllable functions and reach higher temperatures, so are safe for cooking raw meat. Since the blades are at the base rather than top-loaded, they can handle smaller quantities and soup is less likely to stick.
I’ve tested both sorts, from all the main manufacturers and you can read my reviews in full below, followed by answers to some frequently asked questions. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at my top five:
Which is the best soup maker in 2024? At a glance
What to look for in a soup maker
Two key functions to consider are sauté and auto clean. The sauté function heats the base of the jug, so that ingredients can be fried at the beginning of the process. The diameter of the hot plate is significantly smaller than an average saucepan, so the amount you are able to cook is pretty limited.
Not all models have this function and you may decide it’s easy enough to sauté your onions etc in a frying pan before adding to the jug, or opt to simply toss the ingredients in raw and let the machine simmer them down.
As the jug and blades of a soup maker are integrated and cannot be fully submerged, cleaning them is a little tricky, especially with rich or creamy soups. So auto clean is a key feature for me. It works by adding water and a few drops of detergent to the jug and running a cycle. It proves really helpful for cleaning sharp blades. For models without auto-clean, it’s worth checking whether or not a specially-shaped cleaning brush is included with the machine.
A further factor is the chunky setting. While some machines chop during this cycle, most simply heat, which means you’ll need to keep your chef’s knives sharp in order to dice the ingredients before adding them to the jug. If there’s no blending or stirring taking place, having suffered several scorched bottoms, I’d suggest avoiding thicker soups such as lentil or pea and ham on this setting. Those work much better on a smooth programme.
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