For beginners and experienced users alike – everything you need to know to get the most out of your soup maker, use it safely, and make batch after batch of delicious soup with ease every time.
New to a soup maker?
Have you got a soup maker and are unsure where to start? Or have you already made some soup in it and were rather disappointed?
When I first got my soup maker it sat in the box for a week or so, as I simply didn’t know where to start with it.
I get it. I know about that excitement of getting a new gadget, then you don’t use it straight away as it all feels overwhelming and too much. (Years ago when I bought my first Instant Pot it sat in the box for at least a month before I used it).
See Also
- All my soup maker recipes for inspiration
- How to thicken soup (and how to never make soup which is too thin even again)
- How to make canned soup taste better
And I’ve made a fair few batches of disappointing soup in the last year. Too thin, not enough flavour, too much onion.
Having now consistently used my soup maker for well over a year, I’ve made at least 100 batches of soup. And I am now confident that each one will come out well. Food is expensive and neither you or I have the money to waste on ingredients.
Are soup makers worth it?
If you are thinking about buying a soup maker then you will asking yourself if a soup maker is worth it. So did I.
I am going to fess up and say that I originally thought that a soup maker really was a waste of time and counter space. Why on earth would you need one when a pan and a cheap stick blender would do the job just as well?
My friend Sue, on the other hand, has long raved about her soup maker. In fact, hers gets such heavy use that she has replaced it several times over the years.
So eventually, I gave in and bought one. After much research, I bought my current Ninja Soup Maker and you know what? I LOVE it! It was expensive but has replaced my even more expensive power blender. I have found it to be worth every penny.
We eat a lot of soup, having a bowl for lunch on most days, so it definitely earns its counterspace in my tiny London kitchen. However, even if we ate much less soup, I still think I would love it.
2 types of soup maker
There are broadly two main types of soup maker, suiting different needs.
Kettle / jug soup maker
- These look like a jug kettle, with the jug frequently made of stainless steel.
- They have a heating plate at the bottom of the jug, and the bender is attached to the lid, and hangs down into the soup.
- They may or may not have a sauté function.
- They tend to be more restrictive about the minimum and maximum amount of soup that they can make in one batch.
- Generally they are a little cheaper than the blender types.
Blender style of soup maker
- These are increasingly popular, although more expensive, and are basically a large blender which heats from the bottom.
- Generally you can vary the quantity of soup you are making more.
- They will work without any heat as a regular blender, making them a two in one gadget.
- The higher end ones are are powerful as a power blender, and will have fancy cycles for jam, smoothies and slushies.
I have a Ninja soup maker (full name in the UK – Ninja Foodi 2-in-1 Blender & Soup Maker), but many of these hints and tips apply to all soup makers.
Why I love my Ninja soup maker
- It is huge. It will make 1.7 litres of hot soup and even more of a cold liquid.
- It is so powerful and comes to the boil in a few minutes, even when full.
- The blending is amazing. Soups are velvet smooth and it is as good as a power blender costing 3 or 4 times the price. It is also great for crushing ice (hello, cocktails!).
- It has a sauté function.
- It is adaptable with programmes for chunky soup, smooth soup, hot and cold drinks, sauces and dips. You can even make jam in it!
- It has a self-clean cycle.
- Once you have started the cycle, it is fully automated and it will turn itself off, or keep warm. There is no need to set a kitchen timer or risk forgetting about a pan on the stove. This is great if you are easily distracted. This is especially handy for older teens who, if they’re anything like the ones I know, might wander off and forget about their batch of soup.
Soup maker hints, tips and hacks
To make delicious soups
- Remember that the sauté function is not always amazing, and not all soup makers have one. Generally go easy on the onion and other alliums (leek, garlic etc). Without sautéing you get boiled blended onion as an ingredient. 1 is fine, more than that can be too oniony. If you want lots of onions in your soup fry them in a pan, then add to the machine.
- When you first get your machine follow a few of the recipes in the instruction book to get a feel for what works.
- Generally less is more – a throw everything in soup can be delicious – but usually one or two dominant flavours/ingredients will be more successful.
- For the perfect texture of soup always add less liquid than you think you need. It is easy to add more liquid to thin a soup, but trickier to thicken soup. A good rule of thumb is to have the waterline 1-2″ BELOW the vegetables.
- You do not need fresh stock, but most soups will benefit from the addition of a stock cube / pot or two. With a large blender soup maker if you are filling it up you generally need more than one stock cube depending on the recipe – I find that one and a half is ideal.
- Season at the end of cooking. As well as a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon, knob of butter or a few chopped fresh herbs can transform a dull soup into something more special.
Can I make soups with raw meat as an ingredient?
It depends, so read the instructions manual for your machine – some you can and others say no.
The Ninja has a powerful boil so any meat will be properly cooked, but you do need to chop it up properly first.
With some of the kettle style soup machines you can stir as you sauté so it is easy to fry off raw meat before adding the rest of the ingredients, as you are effectively not adding raw meat to the machine.
I prefer to sauté / fry raw meat separately then add to the soup, as it will just taste so much better.
Other soup maker hints and tips
- You do need to do some preparation of vegetables, I find some rough chopping into 5cm / 2″ pieces is ideal. The soup is going to be blended so you do not need good knife skills, but you cannot throw a whole carrot in.
- There is no need to dissolve stock cubes before adding – just throw them in.
- Defrost frozen vegetables before adding.
- I leave the central bung out when sautéing so the steam can vent more easily. Always check the central bung when running the main programme. Make this a habit every time. Yes, I’ve been there when it popped out.
- They are perfect for hybrid workers as a work from home lunch – sauté and add the rest of the ingredients during your morning coffee break – then nip away from your desk and press go half an hour before you want to eat.
If you get held up on a call or Zoom the machine will keep the soup warm, so it doesn’t matter if you forget about it.
Leftovers make a great packed lunch on office days – take in a flask, or microwave at work.
- On the subject of homeworking you will not be able to take a call if you are in the same room as you soup maker – they can be quite / very noisy when blending.
- Empty the jug when the soup is still hot. I pour the soup out into storage containers. Then swirl a little water around the jug to rinse and then add that to the pots, so no soup gets left behind!
- Rinse, and clean (or at least soak) immediately. Because of how they are made soup makers generally can’t be immersed in water or go into the dishwasher. I half fill the jug with hot water, add a few drops of washing up liquid and then either run the self cleaning cycle or blend for a few seconds. Rinse again under the tap and wipe the outside of the jug, and then leave to dry upside down on the dish rack.
If the blades needs cleaning then use the brush that came with the machine. Do not try and use a dish sponge or cloth. Those blades are sharp – you do not want them anywhere near your fingers. Been there. Done that.
- Fresh soup will keep for several days in the fridge – and nearly all soups can be frozen – I’ve got lots of tips on how to freeze soup.
- Soup made in a powerful soup maker can separate, especially after freezing and defrosting. This is normal. Do not worry, a good stir as you reheat it will bring it back to freshly made perfection.
Soup Maker Safety
- I know you will want to dive straight in and make some soup when you get your new soup maker. But please read the instructions first.
- Do not ignore the minimum and maximum fill lines (maximum fill for hot is generally less than for cold).
- If the lid has a central bung make sure it is properly in place.
- Do not try and open / remove the lid during cooking. The machine does have safety features which will make it cut out, but not before spraying boiling soup everywhere. With kettle type soup makers the blades are in the lid, you do not want them spinning near you.
- Make sure the machine is at the back of the counter, not near the edge, and the cable is also well away from the edge. They can “walk” especially if overloaded.
- Use a brush if the blades need cleaning.
- Do not immerse any part of the machine in water.
What are your favourite soup maker hacks and recipes?
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