Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker Review

I was given the Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker 501020 by AO to review, but all the opinions here are my own.

When I first tried it, I wasn’t entirely convinced I needed a soup maker. Making soup in a saucepan isn’t exactly difficult, and I wondered whether this would turn out to be one of those kitchen gadgets that seems exciting for a week and then spends the rest of its life taking up cupboard space.

I was pleasantly surprised.

What I particularly liked was being able to put the ingredients in, choose how much soup I wanted and select the consistency rather than standing over a saucepan and then getting the blender out afterwards.

If you’re considering this particular machine, here’s how I found it to use and what I’d want to know before buying one.

Which Morphy Richards soup maker is this?

The machine I have is the Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker, model 501020.

It has a 1.6-litre capacity and lets you select different soup textures as well as different portion quantities.

This particular model is still sold by Morphy Richards, although obviously prices and availability can change, so check before buying rather than relying on the price I paid or saw years ago.

What can the Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker do?

This is where I think the Total Control model has an advantage over a very basic soup maker.

You can choose between smooth, medium and chunky soup settings, which means you aren’t restricted to either completely blended soup or vegetables floating around in stock.

It also has sauté, reheat, keep-warm, drinks/smoothie and cleaning functions.

One feature I’ve always particularly liked is the portion control. You can make different quantities rather than feeling you have to fill the entire machine every time you fancy soup.

That makes much more sense if you’re making lunch for yourself rather than feeding several people.

How many portions does it make?

The Total Control Soup Maker has a 1.6-litre maximum capacity and is designed to accommodate different portion quantities.

I’ve found the portion choice useful because sometimes you want enough for several people and sometimes you really don’t need an enormous vat of soup.

The markings and controls on the machine help you select the appropriate amount.

Whichever quantity you’re making, stick to the fill levels and instructions supplied with the machine rather than guessing. Soup expands and bubbles as it cooks, so the maximum line isn’t there as a friendly suggestion!

What soup textures can you choose?

There are three main soup textures:

• Smooth
• Medium
• Chunky

Smooth is the obvious choice for things such as blended vegetable soups.

Chunky is useful when you want to retain pieces of vegetables rather than blending everything.

Medium sits between the two.

I like having the choice because not every soup benefits from being blitzed into exactly the same texture.

Does it sauté ingredients?

Yes, and this is one of the features I find useful.

The sauté function lets you cook ingredients in the machine before adding the rest of the ingredients and starting the soup programme.

That can save you having to soften things such as onions separately in a saucepan first.

Obviously, whether you actually need to sauté anything depends on the recipe you’re making.

How long does the Morphy Richards soup maker take?

The exact time depends on the programme and quantity you’re making.

In everyday use, you’re generally looking at soup being ready in roughly the time it would take to cook it in a pan, but the difference for me is that the machine handles the cooking and blending.

That is really the point of a soup maker.

It isn’t magic teleportation for vegetables. The attraction is being able to put everything in, choose the programme and get on with something else.

Is the Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker easy to use?

I found it straightforward, even though I’d never owned a soup maker before.

The instructions that came with mine were clear and included recipes, which gave me something to start with before experimenting with other soups.

Once you understand the programmes and fill levels, there isn’t much faffing involved.

That was important to me because if a kitchen gadget requires me to reread a manual every time I use it, I’m considerably less likely to bother getting it out!

Is it noisy?

It can be noisy when it’s blending.

I wouldn’t describe that as a major problem because it’s doing essentially the same job as a blender, and blenders aren’t exactly known for quietly whispering to vegetables.

You also don’t need to stand next to it while it’s making the soup.

If you have someone sleeping in the next room or you’re hoping for a completely silent kitchen appliance, though, it’s worth knowing that the blending stages are noticeable.

Does the Morphy Richards soup maker clean itself?

It has a cleaning programme, although I’d be wary of interpreting “self-cleaning” as meaning you’ll never have to clean anything yourself.

The cleaning function helps clean the inside of the vessel, but you still need to look after the machine properly and follow the cleaning instructions supplied with it.

I certainly wouldn’t buy any soup maker on the assumption that it will wash itself, dry itself and wander back into the cupboard afterwards. Sadly, kitchen technology hasn’t quite reached that point.

Can you reheat soup in it?

Yes. The Total Control model has a reheat function as well as a keep-warm function.

That’s handy if you’ve made the soup slightly earlier than you need it or want to warm soup again without transferring it into a saucepan.

Again, I’d follow the instructions for the machine rather than treating the jug like an ordinary saucepan.

Can you make smoothies in the Morphy Richards soup maker?

There is a drinks/smoothie setting, so soup isn’t the only thing the machine can make.

For me, though, soup is still the main reason to own one.

If you’re primarily looking for something to make smoothies every morning, I’d compare it with a dedicated blender before buying a soup maker purely for that function.

What do I like about it?

The biggest thing for me is convenience.

I like being able to put the ingredients in and leave the machine to deal with the cooking and blending. Being able to choose the consistency is useful, as is making different quantities rather than automatically ending up with four portions every time.

The sauté function is another useful addition because it can cut down on using another pan.

And despite being sceptical about whether I’d use a soup maker when making soup on the hob is already pretty simple, I found myself using it much more than I expected.

Is there anything I don’t like?

The blending can be noisy, although I don’t think that’s particularly surprising.

It’s also another appliance that needs somewhere to live in your kitchen.

That’s something I’d genuinely think about before buying one. If you only make soup twice a year and you’re perfectly happy with a saucepan and stick blender, I’m not convinced you need a separate machine just because soup makers exist.

I think they’re much easier to justify if you make soup regularly and value being able to put everything in one machine and leave it cooking.

I had a problem with my first machine

It’s worth mentioning that I did have an issue with the first machine AO sent me.

AO arranged a replacement and swapped it on the doorstep within a few days, and I was impressed with how they dealt with it.

I wouldn’t hide that part of my experience because it happened, but equally I don’t think one faulty appliance tells you that every example of a product is unreliable.

The replacement meant I could continue using and reviewing the soup maker properly.

Is the Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker worth buying?

This depends much more on how you cook than on whether soup makers are universally “worth it”.

If you regularly make homemade soup, like choosing different textures and want something that cooks and blends without needing a saucepan and separate blender, I can see a lot of value in it.

If you hardly ever make soup, already have a good blender and don’t mind using the hob, you may decide another appliance isn’t worth the money or cupboard space.

For me, the surprise was how much I used it after initially wondering what the point was.

If you’re still deciding whether you need one at all, I’ve gone into the pros and cons in much more detail in my guide to the benefits of a soup maker.

What can I make in my Morphy Richards soup maker?

Once you’ve got the machine, you definitely don’t have to stick to the handful of recipes you tried first.

Have a look through my soup maker recipes for more ideas.

Some recipes will need adapting to the capacity of your machine, so always pay attention to the minimum and maximum fill levels rather than simply scaling a big saucepan recipe and hoping for the best.

I’ve also got loads more healthy soup recipes if you want inspiration, including plenty that can be adapted for a soup maker.

Would I recommend the Morphy Richards Total Control Soup Maker?

I’ve enjoyed using mine and I like the flexibility it gives me.

The choice of smooth, medium and chunky soup, portion control, sauté function and ability to reheat are all genuinely useful rather than features I’ve never touched.

I wouldn’t tell everyone that they need a soup maker. If you’re happy making soup on the hob and only do it occasionally, you probably don’t.

But if soup is something you make regularly and you like the idea of putting the ingredients in and letting one appliance handle the cooking and blending, this is a machine I’d be happy to use again.

If you found this helpful please share!