Soup Equipment Essentials

A good pot is the absolute number one key essential most important piece of equipment you need when making soup. While heavy pots are a drag to move around the kitchen, they are great when making soups. They hold heat, allow you to maintain steady simmers and gentle boils, and will keep soup warm for a nice long time.

Any large, wide-mouth, heavy pot works. My favorite is an enameled cast iron pot from Le Creuset. The iron holds heat remarkably well while the enameled surface is non-reactive, smooth, and (bonus prize) comes is lovely colors.

You need a good blender to make creamy or puréed soups. When you blend soups, do so in batches, let the blender run for 2 or 3 minutes for each batch (this will seem like a long time), and keep a kitchen towel over the lid to protect yourself from any heat-pressured created splatters.

This blender has a wide base, which helps soups purée evenly quickly, and a good motor. Some blenders have many more speeds, but I've never found that more than a decent "on" and "off" were necessary.

Immersion blenders (a.k.a. hand blenders) are a quick and easy way to blend soups right in the pot.

Note: Cordless immersion blenders may sound like a good idea, but they tend to lack power.

Sure, a teacup would work for serving soup, but a large soup ladle makes the job easier. Look for a ladle with a large scoop and a long handle.