Stylish Bowls for Soup

It really doesn't matter how you 'ladle up' your bowl of soup. You can eat it out of an old coffee mug or even a paper cup and your soup will still taste delicious - but sometimes it's nice to have a versatile and cool-looking bowl that is a great for entertaining or to step up the decor in your kitchen. From kid-friendly bowls to those suited for more elegant affairs, I've found five interesting soup bowls to mix up your collection.

The Toddler-Friendly Boon Catch Bowl

1. Boon Catch Bowl - Featuring a built-in spill catcher and suction cup, the Boon Catch Bowl is designed for messy Toddler-eating that works by keeping the bowl firmly planted in one place. I love that it is free of BPA, PVC and Phthalates and soft so you don't have to worry if it (or your toddler's soup) ends up on the floor.

Soup Bowls by Ayda Anlagan

2. Pretty Soup Bowls - Created by Ayda Anlagan, a London-based industrial designer, these unique artistic bowls were created to illustrate the issue of food wastage in the domestic environment that includes a fishing scene, a child playing, and various quotes. I love their chic and modern appeal that would be great for a fun dinner party.

Kai Serving Bowls from Crate & Barrel

3. White Kai Noodle/Soup Bowl- As part of the Kai Serving Bowl Series, this modern Asian soup bowl includes two cutout handles for a bamboo chopstick. These porcelain white bowls are also  dishwasher-, microwave- and oven-safe.

The Husque Bowl

4. Husque Bowl - Designed by Marc Harrison, the Husque Bowl is made in Australia from macadamia nuts shells whose shape is also inspired by the same nut. The bowl also has a clean finish that is stained with a yellow, white, or black resin.

Farmhouse Double-Handled Bowls by Williams-Sonoma

 5. Farmhouse Double-Handled Bowls - Created by Williams-Sonoma, these double-handled rustic bowls are sized to serve hearty portions of soups, chowders and chili. Since they are made out heat-resistant stoneware, the bowls can also be used for baking casseroles, pot pies and individual portions of macaroni and cheese. The set of four is also microwavable and dishwasher safe.

Soup 101: Essential Tools for Soup Making

The Ultimate Soup Pot - Le Creuset

By Joan Gioe, Contributing Writer to Seriously Soupy 

Soup is essentially liquid in a pot. In order to make it something special, the right equipment can do just that. 

The tools of the trade listed below will help transform your soup in to liquid gold.

1. A large heavy pot.
This is the most important and should not be skimped on. My personal favorite (in my opinion the Holy Grail of all things soupy) is from Le Creuset. It is the quintessential soup pot due to it's remarkably even iron heat conduction and silky smooth, completely non-reactive enamel. It comes in about a million hues and while you'll pay a pretty penny for it, you will not be sorry. It's soup's "little black dress." Also on my soup pot wish list: Calphalon's Unison Nonstick 4-Quart Pot and the Cuisinart Green Gourmet Hard Anodized Eco-Friendly Nonstick 8-Quart Pot.

2. A blender.
The necessity for your creamy soups or purées. Be it a stand alone or immersion/stick variety, without this gadget your Potato and Leek soup is nothing more than runny mashed potatoes.

Immersions are key to quick in-pot blends although cordless models tend to lack the oomph of the plug ins. Stand blenders are always a fail safe way to go. I recommend blending in two to three batches with a dish towel over the lid to avoid turning your kitchen into a Jackson Pollak.

3. A ladle.
How can you serve soup without a soup ladle?! Of course it's possible but it's just not right (and probably way too messy!).

Collection of soup bowls from Williams-Sonoma (Photo Credit: Trendir.com)

 4. The perfect soup bowl.
Tureen? Ceramic crock? Broth bowl? So many choices! So many soups!

In order to accentuate your soup's potential, the perfect bowl is a must. The style and design have as much to do with your soup as the taste itself. Like the saying goes, "We eat with our eyes first." The two most important thing to consider when scouring the aisles for the perfect presentation are as follows:

a. What kind of soup am I serving?
You don't want to serve lobster bisque in your collection of over-sized coffee mugs. Just like you wouldn't serve French onion in your Great Grandmother's fine china. Be creative, but also be realistic.

b. Decor.
Your soup bowls are an extension of your soup which is an extension of YOU. Keep with your dining room or kitchen theme. Your decor speaks volumes of who you are and can really be a window into what kind of soups you will feel most comfortable experimenting with.

A good spoon to is essential to enjoy soup

5. Spoons.
Perhaps this one is a little obvious, but no bowl of soup would be complete without a soup spoon. We love these RSVP Endurance Monty's Soup Spoons (Set of Six), the Steel Alpha Round Soup Spoons (Set of 12), and these Chinese Soup Spoons (box of 24). 

Joan Gioe is the mother of one amazing toddler and wife of one amazing husband. She credits him for getting her back on the writing horse. You can read her tribute to another time and place on her blog, Dear, Daughter in which she chronicles life events in the style of old fashion love letters to her 22 month old daughter. Joan's favorite soup is a good-old fashioned chicken.