Facts On Hand Held Blender

The hand held blender is a very versatile and easy to use kitchen appliance which you cannot afford to make do without. If you have work in the kitchen long enough, you will understand the importance of having a blender. As my chef friend puts it “No kitchen is ever complete without a blender.” and this is so as it is commonly used to emulsify mixtures, mix and crush ice and mix ingredients or puree food  together. In recent years, the hand held blender is getting more popular in the home than conventional blenders.

The hand held blender was first invented in the 50’s in the Switzerland. In the beginning, they are commonly used in restaurant kitchens although only the larger versions are in use. However, in the last twenty years, its uses has spread to home kitchens. This has lead to an increase in a wide variety of hand held blenders by different manufacturers.  Some of the more popular brands are Bamix, Braun, Cuisinart and Kitchenaid.

The hand held blender is also widely known as the “stick” blender , “wand” blender or “hand mixer” as it some sort of resembles a thick stick for some of the models. It is also known as the hand held “immersion” blender due to the design and look of this kitchen appliance. While a typical blender normally consist of a housing, motor, blades and food container for mixing purposes, the hand held blender has a mixing head with rotating blades that can be use to immerse in a bowl or container instead. Nowadays, many hand held blenders models come with food processor attachments in addition to the immersion blades. You can now use it to chop, cut or slice small amounts of dry food such as herbs and nuts.

The idea behind the design of the this blender is to bring the blender to the food instead of the food to the blender. The benefits are very simple. Have you ever tried cleaning up a conventional blender after using it? If you have and find it a hassle to do so, the hand held blender will save you much time and hassle in cleaning up. Simply clean the stick after use and you are done with all the cleaning. Isn’t it wonderful? To put it simply, the hand held blender is simple to use and easy to clean up after use. Nowadays, most models come with detachable blade attachment which can be remove for cleaning and are dishwasher safe.

The hand held blender is also a better option for those of you who occasionally need to mix volumes that are simply too large to mix into the bowl or container of a stationary blender or hot stuff that are simply too hot to put into the food container of a typical stationary blender. There are models that come in single or multiple speeds. Single speed models are those who prefer to keep things simple while the multiple speed models are for those who want more and better control of the mixing process.

Also some hand held blenders are fully cordless and you can pretty much use them without getting yourself entangle with wires. The trade off is that these battery operated hand blenders tend to be higher priced in the first place. These cordless hand blenders are run on batteries and they are also known as “portable hand blender”, “battery operated hand mixers” or “battery operated hand held blenders”. The batteries are normally rechargeable and this can helps to cost down the cost in running them over time. However, given the convenience of using one, the higher price tag is well worth it.

There are certain things that you need to take note of when buying a hand held blender. Firstly, look for one that can runs quietly and sound easier on your eyes. You will appreciate what a quiet model can do your sanity. Secondly, the model should feel solid and comfortable to hold on too. One good way is to test drive the particular model that you are interested in at the store first. Also, get a model with a stainless steel shaft and blade. Last but not least , remember to scout around for the best prices first. It pays to do a bit of research before investing you money on one.