When it comes to cooking, versatility is the ultimate goal for anyone. You want an appliance that does the work seamlessly, occupies minimal space, and has extra benefits. Cooking should not distract you from conducting your chores. It would be best if you get appliances that let you cook while doing other things.
JUMP TO:
Soup Maker Vs Slow Cooker
Not once or twice, I’ve seen people asking on Facebook and Instagram what is the real deal between a soup maker and a slow cooker. Both appliances are essential in the kitchen. They have excellent features that are very handy in day-to-day cooking tasks. When purchasing a good gadget, its advantages have to outweigh the limitation.
Although you can buy both appliances, you can do with one of them. It depends on your favorite meals, recipes, and lifestyle. This article gives you a review of both appliances and helps you make the ultimate purchase.
Soup Maker
Although many people think making soup is super easy, it’s not. Making some classy soup requires some dedication. You need to have some ingredients, spices, time, and lastly, a cooking appliance. There’s a dedicated soup maker that makes the task easier.
Unlike the conventional method of making soup, you don’t have to keep a close watch for close to half an hour with a soup maker. A soup maker brings some class to making soup. You don’t have to start from scratch. Furthermore, you prepare the ingredients, plug in the appliance, and proceed to other chores. The soup maker blends the ingredients and cooks the soup at a ridiculously insane speed.
Wait a minute! A soup maker goes beyond making soups only. You can utilize the gadget to prepare some other dishes. Some models allow you to sauté meat. Also, the soup maker has a keep warm function to maintain the warmth after the soup is ready.
Features
1. Range
A soup maker goes beyond making soups. You can also use it to sauté meat or make smoothies and milkshakes. Furthermore, the appliance allows you to choose between various textures, juice, smooth, blend, and chunky.
2. Control Panel
Soup makers are equipped with a control panel with an LED timer. The control panel allows you to use the preset functions. The timer will enable you to set exact times when preparing soup. The timer also displays the time the cooker has been on and the time left.
3. Keep Warm
Some appliances have a function to keep the soup warm when it is ready. You can cook your soup and serve it later without the need to reheat it.
4. Reheat
Some soup makers have a reheat function which is essential when you intend to serve your soup later.
5. Compact
A soup maker, like a blender, is compacted. It occupies the minimalist space in your kitchen as compared to other utensils used to make soup. The gadget also fits in most kitchen cabinets hassle-free.
6. Ease Of Use
A soup maker has not complex procedures to operate. Cut your ingredients into small pieces, put them inside the appliance, select the ideal setting (smooth, chunky, or thick), and set the timer.
A soup maker is also one of the easiest gadgets to clean due to its advanced top-down design. You flash water on the interior and exterior and wipe with a clean cloth or sponge.
PROS
- Stylish
- Multi-usage
- Affordable
- Ease of use
CONS
- Small capacity
- Somewhat noisy
Slow Cooker
When you are looking for some recipes online, you will encounter a slow cooker more often. It’s one of the most common kitchenware in the traditional kitchen. The appliance is designed to sustain rather low temperatures, letting food cook for hours without attending.
You can now cook your meal as you do other chores. The appliance is economical and is famous for retaining incredible flavours. It’s also safe to handle, and thus you don’t have to worry about your little ones at home.
The versatility of a slow cooker allows it to handle various types of meals. You can use it to prepare dishes that take a long time to cook (stews, meats, and roast) and still use it on food that take less than 3 hours (desserts).
Features
1. Large Capacity
A slow cooker generally has a large volume. Most models range between 1.5 litres to 7 litres. Subject to the size of your family, you can get an ideal size that will serve your needs.
2. Timer
Some models have a timer. A timer is very critical, especially in the current times when everybody leads a busy lifestyle. Once the timer is activated, the slow cooker switches to the keep warm mode or switches off when food is ready.
3. Keep Warm
Most slow cookers have the keep warm feature. After your food finishes cooking, the appliance preserves its warmth until when you serve the meal. Depending on the model, the keep warm feature auto-switches on, or you manually switch it.
4. Indicator
Slow cookers have a light to show whether the appliance is turned on. The indicator is handy, especially when in a hurry. It helps you to avoid putting the food in the slow cooker and leave it turned off.
5. Sous Vide
Sous vide means under vacuum. It is a new technique where food is cooked in a sealed pouch inside a water bath. The technology allows the food to retain original flavours and juices that would escape via conventional cooking. Sous vide is gaining popularity in the slow cooking sphere.
6. Auto Cook
The auto cook mode allows slow cookers to start cooking on a high setting and switch automatically to the low setting. This feature is useful when you want quicker cook time while the food gets slow-cooked.
PROS
- Multi-usage
- Transparent lid
- Dishwasher safe
- Ease of use
CONS
- It takes longer to cook
- Feature-rich gadgets are expensive
Where To Buy?
You should be able to pick up both products in most local homewares stores. However, Amazon UK usually has next day delivery and often excellent prices.
-
Soup Maker
Slow Cooker
-
Functions
Soups, saute, make smoothies and milkshake
Soups, meat, bread, pasta
-
Options
textures choose (juice, smooth, blend, and chunky)
Sous vide, auto cook
-
Ease Of Use
✓
✓
-
Keep warm
✓
✓
-
Timer
✓
✓
-
Reheat
✓
X
Soup Maker Vs Slow Cooker? What Do You Choose?
If you are looking to purchase these appliances, it’s best to have both unless you are cash-strapped. Both gadgets are unique and offer great dynamism and flexibility in home cooking. In the latter case, a slow cooker will serve you well if you lead a busy lifestyle, have a huge family, want natural flavours in meals, or prefers home cooking.
On the other hand, a soup maker is an ideal appliance if you prefer light cooking and care about your health. A soup maker lets you prepare custom soups with your preferred ingredients to reduce unhealthy additives.
Did you know that the roots of slow cookers are deeply entwined with the sabbath?
