One of the most versatile kitchen gadgets that I own is a heavy duty hand blender. I enjoy blending up drinks, shakes, salad dressings, and salsas, but sometimes it can be a real hassle getting bulky equipment out, or manually mixing and stirring by hand.
I just recently volunteered to throw a party at my house with some good friends, and as the host, I thought I would make some homemade salsa and guacamole dip from scratch. Since I wasn’t expecting a large crowd show up, I planned on making small batches.
In order to get the salsa and guacamole whipped up to a smooth consistency, I decided to get my bulky food processor out at the time, and threw all my ingredients in for blending.
Unfortunately, I waited until the last minute to get everything prepared, while guests started showing up. Although the dips came out great, I didn’t have time to clean up, and ended up with a sink full of the food processor bowls, and dirty silverware. I was so embarrassed!
Learning from my mistake, I ended up ordering a hand blender, as I was getting tired of using a food processor or a regular blender to purée sauces and mixes, not to mention all of the additional cleaning up that had to be done afterwards. It definitely blends up the salsa and guacamole with ease. It has been great for small jobs where you want to blend and prepare your ingredients all within the same container, and with as little clean up as possible.
Stainless Steel Hand Blender
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Hand blenders can perform a wide variety of culinary tasks such as pureeing, blending, whipping, mixing, grinding, and even chopping, saving you from having to pull out that bulky stand mixer or stationary blender.
These types of blenders make it quick and easy to blend and prepare your favorite ingredients, with minimal clean up. Their speed controls make them powerful enough to perform the jobs of multiple food preparation appliances, while the ease of a one touch operation give them the ability to blend your ingredients directly in the cup or bowl you plan on serving your food in, eliminating the chore of cleaning those extra dirty dishes. This is definitely a favorite tool among home cooks.
This Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender has great reviews on Amazon, a very commercial/stylish look with its brushed stainless steel, and includes chopper and whisk attachments to expand this blender’s versatility and performance. The included grinder/chopper attachment also allows the processing of tougher ingredients such as nuts, meats, and cheeses. There is also a whisk attachment for whipping up meringues and creams.
Hand Blender With Whisk
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A whisk is the perfect attachment for making meringue, beating eggs, or whipping up your very own mayonnaise. It’s safe to use in any bowl, while also strong enough to handle all your recipes.
Personally, the best hand blender with a whisk is this BELLA Hand Immersion Blender with Whisk Attachment.
The included whisk attachment is ideal for whipping eggs whites, heavy cream, batter for crepes, and eggs for omelets. Normally you would whisk these ingredients by hand, but using a hand blender definitely cuts down on prep time.
This hand immersion blender is a true all-in-one preparation tool for your kitchen. This sleek little powerhouse will replace those massive blenders and mixers, saving you time and energy.
When space is an issue, it is also small enough to store in one of your kitchen drawers, while packing enough punch to handle any job you send its way. The culinary possibilities are endless.
Hand Blender With Chopper
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The right hand blender appliance can quickly and conveniently handle many jobs such whisking, chopping, crushing, blending, and pureeing soups, sauces, smoothies, even baby food.
Additionally, if you have a recipe that requires you to process ingredients like nuts, cheeses, or even creating a graham cracker crust, having a chopper attachment is crucial.
I found this KitchenAid Hand Blender to be very stylish, and has many great reviews on Amazon. A 2 ½ cup, BPA-free chopper attachment is included, ideal for chopping various items such as meats, cheeses, nuts, and herbs all conveniently inside the chopper cup.
It also includes a 3 cup, BPA-free blender jar, convenient for single blending jobs for serving or later storage.
Lastly, if you are looking to whip up creams and egg whites to achieve those fluffy peaks, a whisk attachment is also included.
When it comes to volunteering to make appetizers again, this tool will definitely make things more efficient and less messy going forward. No more sinks full of dirty dishes!