Morphy Richards 1.6L Total Control Soup Maker, Smart Response Technology, Portion Control, 9 Settings, Keep Warm Function, Cool Touch, Touchscreen Display, Stainless Steel Pan, White, 501020

Not made soup before; never had a soup maker. Wanted to get more veg into our diet - and swap out some meals occasionally for soups. As a subscriber to consumer champions Which?, I looked at their soup maker tests & reviews and this model was the outstanding winner - so I bought it. It's very straightforward to use (and I'm tech-averse): it has an inner jug that does all the work and lifts out for cleaning, it sautes (no separate frying pan needed), has 3 soup-type programmes - smooth, medium & chunky, a blender, pre-clean mode, does smoothies, and keeps soups warm once made. The timer on the lid counts down during cooking. The manual comes with a few recipes but the BBC Good Food website has lots of soupmaker recipes. It's a powerful machine, feels robust and is heavy to lift. It isn't compact in my opinion but it can make up to 1600ml which is a positive trade-off for me. (freeze excess), or simply make less. My only niggle is that you have to disconnect the cable when the program is finished - there is an on-off switch, but the off seems to operate only with the saute function. I might email them about this as it might be me. I love that you can make a delicious soup using just 3 utensils: a chopping board, knife and a WOODEN SPOON (don't scratch the non-stick base with metal versions). Blending otherwise chunky soups into velvety heaven is a feature that really elevates this appliance. It's not cheap (shop around and be careful to pick this model number because several variances omit the saute function) but if you want a top soup maker that is simple, solid with clever features, and works very, very well this meets your brief - and brilliantly.

This model is the best because it has the saute function which makes all your soups taste so much better. Easy to use, easy to clean, makes great soup in 24 or so minutes. This is a great product. It is very robust and stable.

A good gadget to have for saving time in the kitchen. I have made soup for many years but had begun to find the process tedious. Chopping and preparing ingredients, bringing the soup to the boil then simmering; typically the whole process would take a couple of hours.In many ways a soup maker is just a blender with a heater and programming chip but it does save time. I chose the Morphy Richards partly on manufacturer's reputation and also because of the range of features, especially the keep warm function.This soup maker does make good soup. If I'm honest I think my traditional method produces better soup but the difference is not so large as to make me not use this and I think that over time I can adapt the recipes and devise new ones to work in the soup maker. The rating is four stars because it is noisy, awkward to clean and the instruction and recipe booklet could be improved (see below).The instruction book seems to have been printed for an earlier model but then modified because some things don't apply to this model. For example the sauté function can only be used with the lid on the machine. The instructions suggest otherwise. The recipes are also misleading and can be improved. First ignore the suggested preparation times - these are all too short. Unless you are a top class kitchen knife expert it's going to take you more than five minutes to peel and chop the vegetables that, for example, go into the tomato and basil soup. I'd estimate typical preparation time is around fifteen to twenty minutes for peeling, chopping and weighing ingredients. After following the recipe for my first batch of tomato soup (apart from using fresh tomato instead of tinned) I decided to cut down on the potato. I think potato is being used as a thickening agent because you can't make a roux (butter and flour) with the soup maker. If you use the suggested portion of potato the tomato soup tastes more of potato than tomato. My advice would be to adapt the recipes, then experiment with your own.Overall the soup maker has meant I can make tasty soups in under an hour start to finish. Do use the pre-clean function after making your soup while it doesn't totally clean the interior it does make the final clean much easier. One tip would be to have a study deep measuring jug next to the soup maker so you can lift off the lid and place it upright in the jug for support. This keeps the vicious chopping blade safe and stops soup dripping on surfaces.

I didn’t make soup because it was too much hassle. I am not a great cook but I do like home made soup. A bit of leek and potato in the microwave was about my limit. Now with this Supa-Dupa Soup Maker I make soup 2 sometimes 3 days a week. I am trying all sorts of new (made up) recipes with the veg left in my Fridge - the stuff you think about chucking out but is not quite off. My soups are now full of flavour, my Son loves them too!! The fact that you can Saute in this too makes a big difference for me. It locks in all that lovely flavour. I sauté onions etc and throw them in my slow cooker and add in more to make a soup! Two meals in one. Why not, while you are chopping veg anyway. It’s very easy to clean. The inner compartment just pops out at the push of a button so its easier to hold and clean. I hold it over the bowl and wash with a cloth and soapy water then rinse under the tap. It does have a self clean which I use if I have a thick soup that might stick to the sides a bit. Not often that happens though. I think its worth paying a little extra for the extra features, the centre popping out for cleaning, the self clean function, the sauté function. It quick too and the soup tastes lovely and you only chopped veg and threw it in the machine! With a chicken stock of course. The soup tastes good without using the Sauté too. You can also make cold fresh fruit drinks and milkshakes. I love it. It looks good on the counter too.