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"   The coldest days of the year are upon us and that means it&amp;#039;s soup weather. And while your local deli or Chinese takeout or even a container of ramen noodles may do the trick when you&amp;#039;re super pressed for time, there&amp;#039;s nothing like homemade! Whip up a double batch on the weekend, then refrigerate or freeze in individual portions for after-work suppers that can be zapped in the microwave more quickly than the delivery person can get to your doorbell.  Here&amp;#039;s the equipment you need for the job.   1. Stockpot Choose an 8-quart pot with a heavy bottom, to prevent ingredients at the bottom from scorching during long cooking, and two short handles that afford a good grip. A pot that&amp;#039;s higher than it&amp;#039;s wide prevents too much liquid from evaporating. The one pictured is from Anolon and has a nonstick finish for easy cleanup.  2. Long-handled Wooden Spoon Is it just my imagination or does soup taste better when it&amp;#039;s been mixed with a battered wooden stirrer? Wooden spoons are so reasonably priced, just treat yourself to one. (But don&amp;#039;t stress if you don&amp;#039;t have one...it&amp;#039;s no reason not to make soup.)  3. Blender After reading our report, you might have bought one last summer to whip up smoothies or margaritas but press it into action for really smooth velvety-textured vegetable soups.  4. Hand Blender With one of these whiz kids you can puree butternut squash to a sinfully silky consistency right in the cooking pot. See our review to choose the best one for you. 5. Food Processor Like your potato and leek soup with a little body? Use a &amp;quot;Cuisinart&amp;quot;. It gets rid of the chunks but doesn&amp;#039;t leave your soup with the mouth feel of baby food. 6. A Food Mill is another good tool for pureeing soups so that they&amp;#039;re neither lumpy nor totally smooth. The Rosle shown here is the Cadillac of food mills.  7. Soup Ladle Look for one that&amp;#039;s generously sized to minimize the amount of scooping before you&amp;#039;ve filled the bowls. One with a hook on the end of the handle can rest on the side of the pot between servings, rather than sink into the soup.   8.  Bowls In your house does everyone get served before anyone starts eating? Opt for deep bowls that will keep the first portions hot while the rest are being ladled out. Feeding just one or two very hungry, impatient eaters? Try wider ones that will help the chowder cool off quickly. I&amp;#039;m partial to bowls from Emile Henry.  9. Cheese Grater There&amp;#039;s nothing like a blizzard of Parmesan on top of a bowl of steaming Minestrone. For almost instant grating, choose a Microplane.  10. Storage Containers Glass ones with a tight seal like Anchor Hocking TrueSeal are your best bet for preserving freshness and microwave reheating. A word of advice: Starting with homemade chicken broth will vastly improve the taste of your soup. Here&amp;#039;s an easy version. Now do you need soup recipes? We have lots, all triple tested by our test kitchen! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a23516/tools-for-soup-makers/>