It’s not difficult to learn how to use an immersion blender. But like much in life, it’s not as obvious as you might think.
I love my immersion blender. For those looking for a kitchen-oriented holiday or birthday gift, an immersion blender is a great choice. It’s practical, inexpensive, and easy-to-store. The immersion blender has lots of uses. I find more uses almost every week, especially when I’m feeling lazy.
Whether it’s beating a bunch of eggs or turning cooked pinto beans into refried, the immersion blender is a great help.
Of course, it’s no substitute for a stand mixer. You can’t mix dough in an immersion blender, and you can’t use it to cream large quantities of butter and sugar.
However, if you don’t have a lot of space, an immersion blender can be a perfectly acceptable substitute for a “regular” blender.
You can use the immersion blender stick without the tall cup that comes with the stick. But the cup is quite useful because it helps contain whatever you’re trying to blend. My immersion blender came with a plastic cup that I washed one too many times in the dishwasher and it cracked. Looking for a replacement, I stumbled on a much better alternative. Instead of a plastic cup, I bought one that is stainless steel. It’s indestructible, dishwasher-friendly and altogether better than the plastic one it replaced.
My friend Shay just used her immersion blender to make soup. When she got done, Shay realized that the directions that came with the blender hadn’t been of much help to her. The soup she made was too chunky.
For Shay and all the others who find (as I do) that manufacturers’ manuals and instructions sometimes don’t provide useful help, here is my take on what you need to know before using an immersion blender.
Hope it helps.
Eric Fish says
I wanted to use an immersion blender to individually blend fruits into 8 oz Mason jars of homemade yogurt. The small ones seem to only be for coffee cream. Is there something small that can blend foods?
Laura says
Eric, Have you thought about blending the yogurt and fruit in a bowl, using the immersion blender and then spooning the fruity yogurt into the mason jars? I’m not sure I understand your question, but that should work well.
Eric says
Thanks for your comment. My idea is to fill the mason jars immediately with the yogurt. Maybe some would remain unsweetened. Some would have different types of fruits. Not making all one combination for the whole batch of yogurt and hopefully not leaving any on an a bowl or in the mason jar I fermented the yogurt in. Wondering, basically if there are small but powerful immersion blenders that are not advertised.
Laura says
Eric, I have the immersion blender that’s pictured and don’t know of others that are quite a bit smaller. Maybe if you do some online shopping, you’ll find one. Hope you have luck in your search.
marlyn bradley says
You have described exactly how to use Immersion Blender. Thank you very much
marlyn bradley says
You have described exactly how to use Immersion Blender.Thank you very much.
Rodney Hanes says
Could I use an immersion blender to cream a small amount of softened butter & brown sugar? My banana bread recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter & 1/4 cup brown sugar t9 be creamed & my cheap hand mixer really only goes at high speed which makes creaming butter & sugar a mess. My immersion blender ir much higher quality so I can control the speed& I THOUGHT using it with the deep cup the blender came with would be much less messy & likely faster.
Laura says
Rodney, It’s certainly worth a try. I would use the tall narrow cup that typically comes with the immersion blender so you don’t make a mess. Hope you’ll report back:)