The Essential Dollar Tree Find That's Perfect For Soup On A Cold Day

There's nothing more warming and cozily satisfying to have on a cold day than hot soup. Whether you choose from comforting recipes to make yourself or upgrade canned varieties so they taste homemade, eating delicious spoonfuls or slurping it down is hard to beat to keep the chill away. An essential find from Dollar Tree, its Royal Norfolk ceramic soup mug, is the perfect vessel to hold your favorite types.

The mug has a substantial 22-ounce capacity, and as is typical of those meant for soup, it's wider than a standard coffee mug, at nearly six inches. It has a handle on the side to hold on to, but the vessel's wide design also provides enough space to let you curl your hands around to warm them. It comes in glossy white, grey, or blue, and sells for $1.50, with shipping available beginning at a minimum of 24 for $36. The Royal Norfolk private brand is from Greenbrier International, which is part of the Dollar Tree corporation.

Commenters who praised the stackable mug on the chain's website said it was good for other foods as well, including chili, oatmeal, and ice cream. You could use it for cereal too, which some argue is technically a soup. A couple of people even noted that they used them for gifts, with one person saying they were their wedding favors, and another saying they filled them with other small Dollar Tree items and gave them to co-workers as presents.

The difference between soup and coffee mugs that may be the most obvious is how much they hold. A standard U.S. coffee cup is eight ounces, although coffee mugs are often larger, typically 10 to 15 ounces, or even more. Ones for soup come in the lower to middle teens range too, but are commonly bigger. When choosing one, if it's too small, less than around 12 ounces, it won't hold much soup, while one that's too big, more than 24 ounces, can make it cool too fast.

The wider mugs allow more room to use a spoon, add crackers, or dip in bread or a classic grilled cheese sandwich. The extra space at the top also helps reduce spills. They often have thicker walls to hold the heat better, and are made with ceramic, which also does a good job of retaining heat. You can additionally help keep the soup steamy by warming the vessel with hot water before filling it. They generally have sturdier handles as well to hold the heavier contents.

Soup mugs have some advantages over bowls, too. Because the mugs are deeper and not as wide, the soup stays hotter longer, and it concentrates the aroma as you eat. Their handles also make them portable, so you can have your soup in a Royal Norfolk mug snuggled on the couch or somewhere else without having to sit down at the dining table.