When I used this ridiculous monstrosity to purée soup on Monday night, then again to blend garlic and olive oil on Tuesday night, I realized I have to share. I just have to let readers know how much time and aggravation this intimidating-looking combo saves me. It seems I've fallen in love with my immersion blender.
Don't flip out by this picture. I did, and I almost didn't buy the thing. Let me persuade you.
Really. Give me two minutes.
I bought an immersion blender about 1,000 years ago because I heard the gadgets save time on some recipes. I cheaped out and got a basic one. Mistake. It had so little power that I rarely used it. I was encouraged by its potential, though, so after a few years of resenting it I forced that one on a friend and upgraded to a KitchenAid version. That worked better.
KitchenAid KHB100WH immersion blender
When I'd used it to death nine years later, I committed to buying a top-quality immersion blender. The thing is, the versions with the best reviews weren't just immersion blenders -- which are basically motorized sticks. You dip one into, say, a pot of soup, squeeze a powerful button, and purée. That's a ridiculously less labor-intensive way to liquefy food. Otherwise, you have to hoist up a pot of hot liquid, pour the steaming stuff into a blender or food processor -- spilling and splattering and scalding, and then clean up glop. It's a mess.
But those high-powered magical immersion blenders? They're packaged now with extra gadgets. "Ugh. Where am I supposed to store all these attachments I'll never use?" I thought. Still, I bought the Breville BSB510XL Control Grip Immersion Blender because the fellow amazon.com shoppers gave it stellar reviews. That was in 2013.
Little by little, I started using those attachments that I'd thought were tossaways. When I make the granola recipe the founder of Orlando Date Night Guide shared with me, I whip the egg whites, then the honey and olive oil, with the whisk attachment. When I made Monday's cannellini soup with Parmesan, I puréed the vegetables, sage, prosciutto and beans with the traditional immersion piece. And when I followed that up with Tuesday's roasted sweet-potato rounds with garlic oil and fried sage, I blended garlic cloves and olive oil in maybe 30 seconds -- maybe that long -- using this bulky bit, which I'd seriously contemplated throwing away. I believe it's meant for small smoothies that don't have much ice.
blender
When I used to make that granola with just a traditional wire whisk, I got all cranky because my arm wore out yet I never had enough liquid because I didn't beat enough air into the egg whites. You know what that meant, right? I rarely made the granola I love so well. The soup? Oh please. I would have had to hassle, so I mightn't have broken out those beans at all. And the sweet potatoes? What would I have done? Smashed and mashed with a fork? Deal with a large blender? For a simple weeknight dinner? Unlikely.
So, this multi-part monstrosity it is. I use it frequently. Try it.
For the record: I'm writing this because I love this immersion blender. No one is paying me to promote it and nobody gave me anything for free. If you link to this exact immersion blender from this page, I'll get a few cents from amazon.com. Buy a different one if you want. Get it at Target for all I care. I'm not writing this to send my kid to college. But, if you cook a lot, do treat yourself to some immersion blender. Don't cheap out, even if a bunch of attachments freak you out. Go for an immersion blender with a strong motor.
Cook enthusiastically,
Rona