As the evenings cool, nothing beats a pot of homemade soup. A soup maker or a good blender makes batch cooking quick and cheap. Here's how to choose.
Soup maker vs blender
- Soup maker: adds ingredients, presses a button and it cooks and blends the soup for you — hands-off and ideal if you make soup often.
- Blender: more versatile — soups (you cook first), smoothies, sauces and more. A heat-safe jug blender can handle hot soup; personal blenders are great for smoothies.
What to look for
- Capacity: 1.5L+ for batch cooking a family's worth.
- Power: higher wattage blends smoother, faster.
- Programmes: smooth vs chunky soup settings on soup makers.
- Easy cleaning: dishwasher-safe parts and self-clean cycles.
Our picks
- Versatile blender: the Ninja 2-in-1 with Auto-iQ.
- Smoothies: a Nutribullet — see the full food preparation range.
Final thoughts
Make soup weekly? A soup maker is wonderfully hands-off. Want one device for soups, smoothies and sauces? A powerful blender is the flexible pick. Browse blenders online or ask in any of our 60+ stores.
