Years of testing, studying ergonomics, and comparing speeds, and the result is the ideal immersion blender: the DeLonghi DHB723 380 Watt Tri Blade Handblender
The best design for all standard kitchen use this particular blender has earned multiple positive reviews. This blender has earned the reputation as one of the best immersion blenders on the market because it has multiple speeds and can be used for large batch processing because of the long wand. It is economically friendly, a feature that is very rare today.
Jen’s Top Pick: DeLonghi DHB723 380 Watt Tri Blade Handblender
The stainless steel triple blade design makes it very effective and reduces any splashing. All of the components that come with this device can be placed in your dishwasher and cleaned immediately. In addition to this it has accessories that make it the perfect long-term investment, particularly the blender attachment for your pans. Anyone who likes to make gravy will benefit from this attachment such that it can be placed onto the blender and simply put inside of your pan with gravy and soups can be made directly in the pots and pans themselves without making a mess.
It is the only device currently reviewed which comes with a container an attachable lead such that you can blend your food inside of the container and if you don’t use it, place the lid on top and save it for another day.
Our step-up pick is the Kitchen Resource L’Equip 306700 Stick Blender. The step-up choice is one which is a bit more expensive but brings with it many features that are ideally suited for regular kitchen use. This particular blender is great because it has the ability to crush anything you put inside of it including ice, frozen fruit, and vegetables. It offers multiple accessories for users including separate blades that can be used to mince your food or to aerate your food. It has a whisk attachment as well as a chopper attachment. You can use this option to make smoothies or soups or any other food item you prefer. The design is economically friendly which is rare among these options. There are few designs on the market today which have taken this factor into account. This means that you can use it to make whatever food item you want without having to suffer through a great deal of physical pain. The blade is a longer blade which means you can make large batches of soups or sauces. You can literally place the longer blade directly into your pots and pans. In addition to this you can mount the device to your wall and plays any of the pieces you are using in your dishwasher.
Our budget pick is the Hamilton Beach Hand Blender 59785R Immersion Blender. Of course if you are on a budget this particular design might not be the best suited for you. But that does not mean you are out of luck. You can still get an immersion blender that is inexpensive. What’s more, this particular selection is one of the only ones on the market which comes with a carrying case. The carrying case is designed to function in much the same capacity as the wall-mounted options: it allows you to safely store your device. This blender is great for blending soups but it has to be washed by hand and it will not work on frozen items.
Best Immersion Blender for Cordless Operation: Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender CSB-78 Immersion Blender
Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender
Of course the best option on the market right now for anyone who wants a cordless and rechargeable blender is this selection. Rather than having to find the nearest outlet and keep being the cord out of the way while you work, this immersion blender runs on a rechargeable battery. In addition to functioning as a cordless kitchen device it brings with it many attachments which are useful for preparing food and drink. It does have one speed and only a few components can be placed in the dishwasher but when you are done trying out the most recipes included in the manual you can mount the device on your wall.
What is an immersion blender anyway?
When you get in the habit of buying tools for your kitchen you might find that there is something for literally everything. A sales person could tell you that they have a nice specifically for cutting apples and yet another knife specifically for cutting lemons. And many people believe thanks to the rise in popularity of cooking shows that having each of these items will make them a better cook. What really happens is the novelty wears off after the initial purchase and then your kitchen is cluttered. Beyond the basics of a good kitchen including Wooden Spoons, saute pans, and chef knives, the other tools you had need to reflect the proclivities of your kitchen. If you don’t make that often there would be no need for baking tools.
But there are still some tools above and beyond the basics which can produce great results and help you to prepare many options . One of these tools is the immersion blender.
Immersion blenders were invented in the 1950s but they made their way in America in the 1960s. Sometimes they are referred to as stick blenders, hand blenders, or wand blenders.
These blenders are electrified and they have a wand roughly 10 to 12 inches long with a blade that rotates on the end. Many of these are hard-wired which means they must be connected to an outlet in order to be used. But there are some newer versions which have rechargeable batteries. Different varieties of immersion blenders come with different accessories like a witch or a chopper.
Immersion blenders do exactly what the name suggests. The long wand is immersed into the ingredients and once it is below the surface it is turned on. The blade remains in the food and mixes food into whatever consistency you prefer. If the blade is lifted above the food while it is still turning it will splatter food particles everywhere. If the blade remains inside of the food it can be moved slightly up and down. This can give a more consistent blend.
Immersion blenders are related to food processors as well as hand mixers but they are able to do certain things that these items cannot. A food processor, for example, can liquefy Foods better compared to some immersion blenders butts if you prefer something whipped, you can use the whipping blade attachment on the blender to make cream for baked goods faster than any other device can complete.
How We Picked
Above and beyond finding an immersion blender that will crush up veggies and ice, we looked into a few additional features including multiple speed controls so that you can avoid sending your foods flying. We looked for detachable parts so that cleanup is a breeze. We also looked for items which included additional attachments and recipes so that you could do more with a single device. Beyond that, we looked for user-friendliness which included the weight of the object and how well it worked for long periods of time.
The best immersion blender: DeLonghi Hand Blender DHB723 Immersion Blender
Jen’s Top Pick: DeLonghi DHB723 380 Watt Tri Blade Handblender
Best for all kitchen uses, this blender conformed to all of our standards.
This particular tool functions as the ideal multi tool for any kitchen. With the multiple speeds and the high-end power, this particular device was useful not just for blending but for those who have arthritis and struggle to use any form of large kitchen appliance for a significant period of time.
This efficient and comfortable to have a tri-blade design. It is unique and unlike many other designs available on the market. It comes with multiple accessories including blending cups which other immersion blenders fail to provide. It offers Splash free blending thanks to the triple blade function. There are multiple speeds available so that you can most efficiently chop or blend any of your ingredients.
All of the parts are dishwasher-safe which means that you can easily throw them in the dishwasher once you are done no matter how messy they might be. This product comes with an extra long shaft which makes it easy to puree a large batch of soup or any other product.
It is a bit on the expensive side but it comes with excellent performance and accessories which allow for a better long-term investment. There is an oversized blender attachment for pans which can help you with gravy right in your roasting pan without making a mess. This feature is unique among the immersion blenders currently on the market. In addition to this you can puree a large batch of soup in under 90 seconds, a record speed compared to even the most highly performing blenders on the market. With five blending speeds you can also chop up frozen fruit into a smoothie in no time at all. There is an oversized pan attachment as we mentioned but there is also a copper attachment, a whisk attachment, and a beaker with a lid so that you can cover and save your foods for another day.
This design is economically friendly which means that anyone with any variety of arm pain, arthritis, muscle weakness, or anyone who has simply been working in the kitchen all day long can use this design and not face any negative physical ramifications.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Of course there are some options out there which we found to have a few flaws, but were certainly not deal breakers. The Hamilton Beach 59785R 2-Speed Hand Blender fits the bill.
The Hamilton Beach 59785R 2-Speed Hand Blender which comes to your kitchen with a case is one of the top picks and while it has a flaw or too, it is not a deal breaker.
This blender is highly rated. This immersion blender is relatively inexpensive but it comes with a carrying case which makes it easy to store in your kitchen or to bring to a family member’s house during the holidays. It is available in black only but in spite of the single color option it is very useful in a puree situation.
It is a great choice for anyone who wants to use their blender to make a soup and it doesn’t require many accessories to do this successfully. The device itself can puree vegetable soup in 90 seconds.
It has a low speed and a high speed. The device itself is relatively light weight and it is comfortable to hold. The cost is reasonable and the device comes with the Whisk attachment. Both the shaft and the Whisk can be detached and cleaned by hand. This is one of the main downsides though, that you cannot put the items in the dishwasher. Additionally, this device cannot be used to chop up frozen ingredients but if you simply defrost your fruits and vegetables you can use it to make whatever soup or sauce you prefer.
Step Up Pick: Kitchen Resource L’Equip 306700 Stick Blender
Kitchen Resource L’Equip 306700 Stick Blender
Our step up pick is a bit more expensive but of course brings with it many more features. This product is not the first choice only because it goes a bit out of any reasonable price range.
This immersion blender is significantly more expensive than other options on the market but absolutely worth the money if you have it to spend. It can crush ice, vegetables, and frozen fruit to make whatever you want. It also comes with multiple accessories including a whisk, separate blades for mincing or aerating, and a chopper. This is perhaps the best option for anyone who loves smoothies and soups. It comes with a plastic Beaker inside of which your food contents can be processed. It makes exceptionally thick Beverages and soups. This design is perhaps the best of all the other designs given that it is ergonomically friendly.
Few other designs have been created in an effort to provide better user friendliness. In spite of the fact that it is a bit heavy, the same as many immersion blenders, this particular device can be held for minutes at a time without your hands and arms cramping up. It will create purees of whatever soup variety you prefer with 95% smoothness in roughly two minutes.
The blade is slightly longer than the average blade which allows you to process larger batches of foods or drinks. Other blenders might not afford you the opportunity to reach into a large vat of soup for example. In cases like these it can cause a great deal of strain on the arm and the risk to have to constantly hold the immersion blender wand and reach every area of the pot. But with this design you not only get an easier handle, one which does not hurt your arm after a long period of time, but you also have the longer one which allows you to access more area of the food at once, thus reducing the amount of time it takes in total.
When you are done with the device you can mount it to your wall. You can detach the blending shaft and any of the attachments you use and simply place them in the dishwasher.
There is perhaps no more comprehensive options on the market.
Budget Pick: Hamilton Beach Hand Blender 59785R Immersion Blender
Hamilton Beach Hand Blender 59785R Immersion Blender
It is inexpensive and when you purchase this immersion blender you get a carrying case which makes it easy to transport and to store. It is a great choice for people who don’t need a great deal of accessories as it is one of the most effective blenders for those who want to puree their veggies. It is also quite reasonably priced, as mentioned. For this particular device it is hand wash only which of the downside and it cannot be used to chop up Frozen items at all. However if you like to puree vegetable soup it will reduce your vegetables into a thick and creamy sauce in 90 seconds on both low and high speeds.
Best Immersion Blender for Cordless Operation: Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender CSB-78 Immersion Blender
Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender
The Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender CSB-78 Immersion Blender is ideal for kitchens which lack many outlets and is one of a kind with regard to its battery.
This particular immersion blender comes with a rechargeable battery which means you can use it to puree anything you want even if you don’t have an outlet. Of course one of the downsides is that in exchange for battery power the device is quite heavy. None the less it is convenient if you work in a kitchen or a culinary work place where there are very few Outlets available.
This cordless immersion blender has a plastic Beaker, a large whisk attachment, a chopper attachment, and a blending shaft which detaches for easy cleaning. You can use it to make smoothies and when you are done you can mount it on your wall. What’s more, the manual comes equipped with multiple recipes that you can try. On the downside there is only one speed available, it is quite heavy because of the aforementioned battery, it is a bit expensive compared to other immersion blenders and some of the components can only be washed by hand.
The Competition
Dualit Hand Blender 88860 Immersion Blender
The Dualit Hand Blender 88860 Immersion blender can crush frozen fruits, can pureed vegetables, and has a variety of speed including the turbo button not found on any other device. It has a chrome plastic body and all of the shaft functions can detach after use. There are no accessories to be found with this particular option though which is a downside.
Oster Hand Blender with Blending Cup and Chopper 2605 Immersion Blender
The Oster Hand Blender with Blending Cup and Chopper 2605 Immersion Blender is a cheaper option which offers decent performance but it cannot be used for more than one minute at a time. This makes it a less than ideal option for anyone who wants to puree a large batch of soup. It is slightly difficult to hold for a long period of time anyway.
KitchenAid Immersion Blender KHB100ER
The KitchenAid Immersion Blender KHB100ER can be found in a variety of bright and solid colors. It is strong enough to crush ice and make yourself a delicious smoothie . If you are trying to puree vegetables into a delicious soup this might not be the best option as it will struggle a bit to make everything creamy. If you love bright colors and you want something specifically to crush ice for delicious drinks this might be the exact option for you. There are nine different speeds available and the blending shaft detaches from the base so that you can clean up after with ease. The attachment and the blender shaft can all be put in the dishwasher. There is a thorough manual inside which you will find delicious recipes for which this device can be used. On the downside it is a bit uncomfortable to hold for a long. Of time and the price is a bit high. The device itself is rather heavy and again, it will not fully puree vegetables into soup.
Sharper Image 8021SI Stainless Steel Immersion Blender
The Sharper Image 8021SI Stainless Steel Immersion Blender looks like it is well-made with it stainless steel. It will crush frozen fruit adequately enough to be placed in a smoothie or delicious beverage. Unfortunately it will not crush ice and it will start to overheat in a sense after one minute of use which means you cannot use it to puree vegetables into a soup. This particular device has a high-speed and low-speed. There is a chopper attachment, whisk attachment, and mixing Beaker included in the purchase. In addition to this it can be mounted on your wall which makes it easy to store when not in use. The blending shaft comes apart so you can clean it up easily. But again there are no recipes or speed recommendations found anywhere in the manual, it can be a bit heavy to hold after a long. Of time and it can only be used for up to one minute at a time which put a slight time delay in any food or drink preparation you might be doing.
Ovente HS583B Robust Stainless Steel
The Ovente HS583B Robust Stainless Steel is lightweight which makes it easy to use. The color options are vastly different compared to the majority of blenders on the market and can only be found in lime green, orange, or white. While this particular blender is relatively inexpensive for the quality it can only be used for up to one minute at a time which means you have to rest in between larger batches. This is significantly more of a downside for those who want to use the blender to make soups because it will not last long enough to puree an entire batch of soup at once. Unfortunately this particular option does not come with attachments which means that you cannot make all manner of foods with it but you can use it to make a small batch of soup or a small batch of smoothies. The shaft itself is short which means you cannot place it inside of a deep pot. The manual provided does not include a great deal of information nor does it have any recipes. Those who are considering this option will benefit from its light weight as well as the plastic Beaker which comes with all orders . This design has a low speed and a high speed only but the blending shaft can be taken off and placed in your dishwasher once you are done.
Other FAQs
What do immersion blenders do that other kitchen tools do not?
Immersion blenders do not necessarily do things that other appliances cannot but they are able to do the work of multiple Tools in one tool. In addition to this they are smaller which means they take up Less storage space in your kitchen and they are acutely useful making it easier for you to try out the latest recipes. Perhaps another great benefit to the immersion blender itself is that you bring the blender to your food and not the other way around. With a traditional lender you have to pour the contents into the blender before you can blend them. After this you have to transfer them back into a container. The immersion blender simply allows you to mix you are content right there in the container. In addition to this many immersion blenders can puree soup , crush ice, and prepare heavy creams with ease.
Why should I invest in an immersion blender?
Most immersion blenders are very easy to clean which is an important factor for most kitchens. All of the top immersion blenders have parts that simply detached and can be placed into hot, soapy water for easy cleaning.
What can I use my immersion blender for?
The answer is: a lot of things. Many people by immersion blenders primarily to make soup. Vegetables can be combined and broth until they are creamy . the immersion blenders with multiple speeds can be used to puree vegetables to whatever degree of creaminess is preferred. You can mix butternut squash, celery, potatoes, carrots, onions, and more and with just a slight bit of seasoning produce a creamy texture.
But immersion blenders can also be used to make organic baby food. Buy cooking organic vegetables and fruits and blending them with the immersion blender you can have delicious meals for babies which are less expensive and much more nutritious than store-bought varieties.
You can take whole tomatoes and add a little bit of garlic and olive oil and within minutes you will have a freshly made tomato sauce. Your immersion blender can be used to make a sauce as smooth or as chunky as you prefer. You can use the emerging blender to puree all of the ingredients or you can set aside a few of the chunks of vegetables and puree only half. Once this is done you can mix them together for a Chunky Tomato Sauce.
Gravies can be made from scratch. You can mix together garlic, shallots, celery, carrots, onions, and more to create a delicious gravy that captures all the flavors you want for your next holiday or Sunday dinner.
You can also make mashed potatoes much more easily with an immersion blender. You can cook the peeled chunks of whatever potato you prefer in salted water. Once they are tender you can drain them and add a little bit of butter and garlic . the blender can be placed directly into the pan and used to match up all of your ingredients to whatever texture you prefer. Again, if you want it a bit chunkier and not as smooth you can utilize the same method as mentioned in the tomato sauce by setting aside half of the chunks and only blending the other half.
This method is useful for other vegetables including squash, peas, or cauliflower. You can puree any of these items into a vegetable puree for whatever culinary purpose you prefer.
Applesauce can be made with the immersion blender. This is perhaps one of the most delicious options available to you but it does take a bit of time. In order to make the applesauce you have to core the Apple , peel the apple, and some of the Apple until it is soft. But once this is done you add a little bit of sugar and cinnamon and blend it all together. And of course anything else that you want to be smooth can be created using the immersion blender. You can use it to make salsa, hummus, sauce, salad dressing, pudding, and even peanut butter.
Wrapping it up
Overall, there are many options on the market today. The DeLonghi DHB723 380 Watt Tri Blade Handblender is our top pick. The Hamilton Beach 59785R 2-Speed Hand Blender is an ideal fit for those who are looking for something good but are willing to accept a flaw or two. The step up pick is the Kitchen Resource L’Equip 306700 Stick Blender. The Hamilton Beach Hand Blender 59785R Immersion Blender is an inexpensive yet popular option for those on a budget. The Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender CSB-78 Immersion Blender is the best option for those with limited outlets in their kitchen.
Jen Miller is a former electrical engineer and product specialist with more than 20 years of product design and testing experience. She has designed more than 200 products for Fortune 500 companies, in fields ranging from home appliances to sports gear and outdoor equipment. She founded Jen Reviews to share her knowledge and critical eye for what makes consumers tick, and adopts a strict no-BS approach to help the reader filter through the maze of products and marketing hype out there. She writes regularly and has been featured on Forbes, Fast Company, The Muse, The Huffington Post, Tiny Buddha and MindBodyGreen.