Immersion Blender Kitchen Appliances | KitchenAid (2024)

FAQs

Can you use an immersion blender for everything? ›

An immersion blender is a versatile, compact tool that enables a whole range of kitchen techniques, from pureeing and chopping to emulsifying dressings and so much more. Whether you're a first time user or a seasoned pro, there are endless ways to expand your mastery of immersion blender uses.

Also called hand blenders or stick blenders, a handheld immersion blender can perform many of the same tasks as a standard blender.

If you don't own a countertop blender and want a tool that can accomplish 90% of the same functions with less muss and fuss and space-eating-up-ness, an immersion blender is exactly what you need.

I do not recommend the sort of thing you'd use to whip up whipping cream or cream together butter and sugar for making cookies instead of an immersion blender. Mixers like that are designed to incorporate lots of air into a mixture, and that's not the aim if a formulation calls for an immersion blender.

Can you replace (or skip altogether) an upright blender with an immersion blender? For most households, the answer is yes. Not only is an immersion blender easier to store than a bulky standing blender, but it can also accomplish nearly all of the same tasks.

Like a blender, an immersion, or hand blender, can be a solid food processor alternative for a handful of prep tasks, in particular the ones that liquefy ingredients like pureeing, emulsifying and blending.

Smooth, creamy soups are likely the first thing you associate with an immersion blender, and, while it's certainly an important function, it's capable of so much more. You can also use the appliance to emulsify sauces like mayo, whip up fluffy cream, or crush ice for frozen co*cktails.

Hand mixers are well-suited for incorporating air into batter or dough to create fluffy, voluminous baked goods. However, hand mixer beaters are not sharp and won't cut, chop, puree or blend ingredients. Use an immersion blender instead of a hand mixer for these kinds of tasks.

Conclusion: While an immersion blender is a convenient kitchen gadget, there are plenty of alternatives available to achieve similar results. Depending on the task at hand, a standard blender, food processor, hand mixer, mortar and pestle, whisk, or potato masher can be valuable additions to your culinary arsenal.

Cons: Knowing the Limits

Their smaller size means they can't handle large batches as effectively as a countertop blender. While some models with chopper attachments can tackle light chopping tasks, they're not designed to pulverize tough, fibrous ingredients or frozen foods.

Will an immersion blender scratch my pan? ›

A: YES this can scratch non-stick pots. I ruined a good circulon sauce pot by holding the blender in one spot for too long. It wore away the coating. Since then I always hold the blender at an angle and do my best not to press it against the bottom of the pots.

Immersion blenders come in both corded and cordless versions. Cordless models tend to be less powerful and work best on easily blendable substances like homemade mayonnaise or frosting.

Beating Eggs

Reach for the immersion blender when it's time to beat the eggs. Yes, it's fast and easy, but blending — as opposed to whisking or beating with a fork — ensures the yolks and whites are uniformly combined. You'll be rewarded with fluffy eggs, every time.

If you don't have a food processor at home, an immersion blender with a chopper attachment can help you easily grind a small amount of nuts. Alternatively, you can also chop or grind nuts by hand using tools like a large kitchen knife to chop and mortar and pestle to grind.

Although you can use an immersion blender with a whisk attachment instead of a hand mixer to make cake batter or whipped cream, the double whisks of a hand mixer allow you to whip up a fluffy cloudy batter much faster.

This small appliance is used for emulsifying hard-to-blend liquids (think oil and water), whipping concoctions in a bowl, or mixing soups, stews, or sauces in a stovetop stock pot. They're also ideal for whipping eggs, blending pancake batter, and puréeing thick soups like lobster bisque, clam chowder, and lentils.

A handheld immersion blender is the easiest (and often safest) way to purée hot soups on the stove, and is often a low-cost investment for any kitchen. Just be sure to keep the head of the blender immersed in the hot liquid when blending.

A few key tips for using an immersion blender include making sure you choose a shatter-proof vessel. Some glass mixing vessels may not be ideal for mixing in. Also, be sure to steadily hold the bowl or cup you're mixing in while you use the immersion blender.

Depending on what you're trying to puree, a blender could be used in place of a food mill. Blenders are, by nature, meant for mixtures that are more liquid than solid.