Blend right into the pot, the bowl or glass - handheld blenders offer a cooking convenience like no other. You can break foods down into puree consistency on the spot, without reassembling your food processor from the storage and transferring items gingerly. From creamy soups to nutritious baby food, immersion blenders whip up meals instantly and are a staple appliance in many a chef's home.
If you're like Chef Yara Sivak, a Dubai-based professional cook who hosts cooking classes and social clubs to promote mindful eating, then you'd rather spend more time with family than in the kitchen. Immersion blenders go where your full-sized blenders cannot, and quickly.
"Multi-use kitchen appliances are far better than single-use machines that take up space and time. Immersion blenders can be used to puree soups, nuts and seeds over the stove, prepare baby food at home using root vegetables and lean meat or fresh fruit and yoghurt, and refresh sauces by evening out the consistency to make them fluffy and fresh again," explained Chef Sivak.
"With sauces, oftentimes when the temperature is wrong, they split. In this case, stick blenders can fix the blunder and restore the thickness," added Chef Sivak. For a velvet-like texture, our expert adds that you can take it a step further by running soups through a sieve.
You can put your immersion blender to many uses in the kitchen - think homemade hummus, mayonnaise, curries and pesto. Before you head off to shop for your own versatile tool, Chef Sivak strongly recommends going with a metal shaft over a plastic body. "A metal wand is much stronger and easily withstands high temperatures, such as in a pot of boiling soup over the fire," she said.
Find her preferred pick below along with other options from Amazon, where you can get your immersion blender as soon as today or tomorrow with Prime.
1. Best Overall and Budget: Braun Multi Quick 5 Vario Hand Blender MQ 5200, 1000W
Pros
- Powerful 1000W motor blends in seconds
- Compatible with other Braun attachments
- 21 speeds that can be controlled quickly with thumb
- Comes with a 600ml beaker
Cons
- Only includes one accessory
Chef Sivak owns a couple of hand blenders by Braun, which is why this MultiQuick 5 Vario immersion blender is our best overall. It has a soft grip handle for more control and a one-hand speed wheel at the top that can be easily adjusted using your thumb. Move through 21 speeds for pureeing a variety of foods, depending on the consistency you want. The powerful 1000-watt motor does it all in seconds. If you own other Braun attachments with a wave cut design, this motor unit is compatible with them. Your blender comes with a 600ml plastic beaker, complete with measurement markings, for quick blending on the side. For more accessories, check out this set by Braun, which includes a food processor, chopper, whisk and a masher.
Warranty: Amazon offers a one-year warranty for Dh12 and two years for Dh17.
2. Best for Desserts: Bamix Swiss Made M180 Blender Deluxe
Pros
- Durable and heavy-duty
- Three different blades for various uses
- Comes with a grinder
- Has its own storage stand
Cons
- Expensive
For Dubai-based pastry chef Andrea Melendez, Bamix has been a trusty blender for baking. The Swiss brand boasts a vast portfolio of hand blenders, and this variant from the DeLuxe line comes with its own stand. Chef Melendez previously told us how easy it is to whip up chocolate ganache with this tool. Though it has a 180-watt motor, it's quite heavy duty and durable, guaranteed to see you for years to come. You can crush ice, combine sauces, mash potatoes and more, using two speeds and the three different blades it comes with. Grind hard spices in the included grinder, too.
Bonus: Buy with zero per cent instalments and pay Dh54.08 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: The manufacturer offers a 10-year warranty for the motor and a one-year warranty for parts. Amazon offers a one-year extended warranty for Dh40 and two years for Dh57.
3. Best Kit: Kenwood Hand Blender, 800W
Pros
- Includes five accessories for mashing, whisking, chopping and more
- Soft grip for easy handling
- Tri-blades blend consistently
- Turbo speed
Cons
- Only one speed
Replace your bulky full-sized blender with this inclusive kit by Kenwood. It consists of an 800W immersion blender with a stainless steel wand, a soup attachment, a puree/masher attachment, a whisk, a 500ml chopper and a 750ml beaker. Like our best overall, the blender has a soft grip that offers your hand support when mixing stubborn ingredients. Do note that it only blends at a single speed, but there's a turbo option to speed things up when needed. Reviews call the set good value for money and say it helps them reduce the number of appliances in the kitchen. They report having made cooking sauces, mashed potatoes, smoothies and a lot more.
Warranty: Amazon offers a one-year warranty for Dh23 and two years for Dh33.
4. Best for Easy Clean-Up: Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender, 2018, White
Pros
- Quiet operation
- Easy to clean
- Comes with a Cuisinart beaker
- Slide control for two speeds
Cons
- Reviews say unlock button is cumbersome
With an eight-inch stainless steel wand, the Cuisinart Smart Stick carries a powerful and quiet 300-watt motor. Switch between two speeds by sliding the control at the top, and watch the heavy-duty blender puree soups in seconds. According to reviews, the blender produces creamy soups, fluffy omelettes and milkshakes. It does feature a two-button system that requires two fingers to start and stop the blender; buyers say the controls can take a few tries to get used to. Many also point out how easy the blending shaft is to clean, since it detaches from the motor. Your order comes with a 24-ounce (709ml) Cuisinart cup.
5. Best Design: Inkbird Hand Blender, 4-in-1
Pros
- Six speeds with turbo function
- Includes whisker, beaker and grinder
- Saves storage space
- Prepares juices, smoothies, minced meat, soups and more
Cons
- Cannot be used continuously for more than one minute
Another blender with added accessories, the Inkbird 500-watt hand blender comes with an egg whisk, a 500ml grinder and a 600ml beaker. Besides a turbo function, you can pick from six speeds via the twist dial. Chop nuts, emulsify sauces, whisk cream and puree soups instantly using this four-in-one kit. Reviewers attest to the sharp blending blades and comment on how sturdy the appliance feels in the hand. Thanks to its minimal design, buyers also like how space-saving the blender is.
Warranty: The manufacturer offers a one-year warranty.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
