The hand held blender, also referred to as a stick or immersion blender is well liked for its versatility and easy clean up. These tools perform much of the work of three kitchen appliances: a regular counter-top blender, a food processor, and a hand mixer. Compact and easy to use, they will puree, mix, emulsify, liquidate, aerate, mince, whip, chop and grind.
If you are searching the web and have come to this site, you probably already have a good idea of your purpose for purchasing a hand held blender. Most people use them to puree soups because of the mess and trouble involved in ladling or pouring the hot soup from the pot into the blender. Another popular use is blending protein shakes or smoothies. There are so many other great uses for this handy kitchen tool, such as:
- Puree your own baby food
- Blend salsa, gravy, puddings, and salad dressings
- Make mayonnaise, hummus, or even peanut butter
- Make applesauce
- Puree cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes
- Milk frothing
- Make your own tomato sauce
- And many more!
The most common accolade of the hand held blender is that they are quick and easy to use and clean-up is a snap. Many hand held blender owners feel that they now cook recipes that they didn’t in the past for two reasons:
- Before, they didn’t have all of the needed tools and the hand held blender now provides them with sort of a three-in-one
Or
- Because the hand held blender is so much easier to use and clean, if they had to use a regular blender, food processor or hand mixer they would have chosen to cook something else that would not require making such a mess.
The hand held blender comes in a variety of colors, with the brushed chrome or stainless steel look being the most popular. Some are cordless, but most have to be plugged in, both of which have their pros and cons. Some come with measuring/mixing beakers and attachments such as whisks and choppers. Some are variable speed and others are one speed only.
This site is intended to provide information on the most popular brands, such as Cuisinart and KitchenAid. You will get an in depth look at each appliance, any attachments it may come with, as well as, customer feedback on the pros and cons of each. The products featured on this site are focused on the needs of the home cook, and range in price from around $30 to $100 depending on the brand, features, and attachments.
Feel free to leave a comment if our site was helpful in your search, or if you have any recipes or product info that you would like to share.
Hand held blenders used by well known chefs
Product reviews by actual customers who have purchased a hand held blender and have no monetary gain from describing their experiences with the product are going to be your best resource, and they are provided on our product pages. These reviews give you firsthand knowledge of how each immersion blender should perform, and areas that it may be lacking.
Some people even share pleasant surprises, such as succeeding at recipes they had never been able to try, or finding new uses they hadn’t even thought of when ordering. For instance, someone who purchased an immersion blender to make smoothies may have received the blender and by experimenting learned that you can actually make peanut butter! All of this customer feedback goes toward educating you on the potential uses and drawbacks for each product.
Another resource that will be useful is to take a look at celebrity or well know chef recommendations on immersion blenders and see if specific brands are endorsed. These folks have put their name and reputation on specific products, and it is interesting to see who recommends what.
Well known TV chefs Emeril Lagasse and Alton Brown are both known to use immersion blenders and have referred to them as “boat motors”, though neither endorse a specific brand. Food network star Guy Fieri refers to the immersion blender as his favorite kitchen gadget, though no specific endorsement.
- Pastry Chef Jacques Torres, also known as Mr. Chocolate, of Jacques Torres Chocolate in New York, NY uses Waring immersion blenders, specifically the Quik Stik Xpress cordless version.
- Chef Gordon Ramsay , from the popular television shows Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares endorses the Bamix brand and his signature edition product is featured in their line.
- Wolfgang Puck, known from numerous food network shows and owner of the famous Spago restaurant has his own line of immersion blenders.
- Celebrity chef Todd English, of the PBS show Food Trip with Todd English, endorses the Bosch Mixxo Immersion Blender and sells his signature edition through the Home Shopping Network.
Now that you know what the pros use, click through the products featured on the site and see what your fellow home cooks have to say about each product. You should have plenty of information and resources to make an informed decision and be happy with your purchase of a hand held blender.