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Who Is the Salter EK5118 For?
The Salter EK5118 is the budget-tier entry in this salter soup maker category — a 1.6-litre, 900W machine with five programs that punches slightly above its price point thanks to one genuinely useful design feature: an auto-memory function that lets you add ingredients mid-cycle without stopping or restarting. If you are cooking for a family on a tighter budget and want a machine with a little more flexibility than the two-setting Morphy Richards 48822, the EK5118 is the closest alternative at a lower price.
The honest caveat: with just 44 Amazon reviews at the time of writing and a 3.8-star average, the EK5118 lacks the track record of the bestselling models in this category. The feature set is credible, but this is a machine you are buying on specification rather than proven community consensus.
Design and Build Quality
The EK5118 is finished in gunmetal grey with a stainless steel jug — a practical, understated look that holds up better to kitchen splashes than a plain white finish. The 1.6-litre capacity matches the Morphy Richards 48822, making four generous portions per batch. At 900W it draws slightly less power than the 1000W machines in this lineup, which is consistent with Salter’s 65% energy saving claim versus cooking on an electric hob — though real-world savings depend heavily on usage patterns.
The digital control panel is clear and easy to navigate. The overspill prevention sensor is a practical safety feature that monitors liquid level and halts the cycle if the jug approaches its maximum fill — useful for recipes with high liquid volumes that newer users might overfill. The lid locks securely for blending cycles.
Performance
Five programs cover the main use cases: smooth soup, chunky soup, blend and clean, drinks, and keep warm. The smooth and chunky settings function as expected — the 900W element brings the 1.6-litre jug to temperature and the blending blade handles cooked vegetables without difficulty. The drinks program operates at lower temperature for smoothies and cold blends. The auto-clean cycle runs water and detergent through a short cycle to simplify post-use cleanup.
The standout feature is the auto-memory function. On most salter soup maker machines — and on the majority of competitors — adding an ingredient after the cycle has started requires stopping and restarting from the beginning. The EK5118 allows you to add ingredients mid-cycle and the machine resumes without resetting. In practice this means you can add fresh herbs, cream, or late-stage ingredients at the right moment rather than having to plan everything before the cycle begins.
The keep warm program maintains serving temperature after cooking completes, which is useful for households where dinner timing is unpredictable.
The 44-Review Caveat
This needs to be stated plainly. The Morphy Richards 48822 has over 12,000 verified reviews. The Ninja HB150UK has over 4,000. The Salter EK5118 has 44 at a 3.8-star average. That sample size is too small to draw reliable conclusions about long-term durability, reliability across different ingredient types, or edge-case failure modes. The feature specification is competitive. The real-world track record is unproven at scale.
For buyers who are comfortable with that trade-off — typically those prioritising price and the auto-memory feature specifically — the EK5118 is a reasonable choice. For buyers who want the lowest-risk option at a similar price point, the Morphy Richards 48822 remains the better-evidenced recommendation.
Verdict
The Salter EK5118 offers a competitive feature set for a budget salter soup maker: 1.6L, five programs, an auto-memory mid-cycle function, and an overspill prevention sensor. At its price point, it undercuts the mainstream mid-range without sacrificing the core soup-making capability. The limited review base is the main reason to pause — the machine is a reasonable value proposition on paper, but it has not yet earned the verified track record of the category leaders. Buy it for the price and the mid-cycle flexibility; buy the 48822 if you want the proven option.
