Best Hand Blenders

Basic hand blenders are durable and easy to use

Editors at Food & Wine magazine like the Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-76 (*Est. $30) for its one-speed simplicity, saying the "sharp blade purées beautifully." The vast majority of owner reviews on Amazon.com rave about the CSB-76, praising its ability to handle chunks of tough food like broccoli and cauliflower. Editors of the Only Cookware Blog praise the Smart Stick CSB-76's mixing power and ability to blend thick substances to an even consistency, but they have a few complaints: It has only one speed, and had trouble "blending really hard items, like ice in frozen drinks." (In a discussion of immersion blenders on Cooking.com, most users say an immersion blender shouldn't be used for crushing ice anyway.) The Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-76 can be used as a regular immersion blender, but also comes with a 2-cup plastic beaker that makes it easy to whip up a small beverage or single serving of baby food. Cuisinart backs this stick blender with a limited three-year warranty, which is far superior to the standard one-year limited warranty on most other immersion blenders. It's available in seven colors.

For those who want even more functionality, many stick blenders come with a variety of attachments. The KitchenAid KHB300 (Discontinued) tops reviews in this category but has recently been discontinued, though it may still be available at retailers (while supplies last). We found promising reviews for the new-to-market DeLonghi DHB723 Hand Blender (*Est. $100) , which comes with several attachments. A chopper attachment makes quick work of chopping small amounts of herbs, vegetables, fruits, cooked meats, nuts and cheese; a whisk whips cream and fluffs egg whites; and a plastic pan blender attachment is safe for use in pans with nonstick coatings. A 25-ounce plastic beaker with lid comes in handy for whipping up small batches of salad dressing, tomato sauce or hummus.

The Good Housekeeping Research Institute gives the DeLonghi hand blender a high rating and reports that it performs all its tasks with ease -- including puréeing large batches of soup and chopping frozen fruit for smoothies. Editors also like the long shaft, which works well in large pots and detaches for easy cleaning. They point out that the unit is a bit heavy, however, and only some of the parts are dishwasher safe. While DeLonghi boasts of the DHB723's unique tri-blade system -- the blender has three blades instead of two like most competing brands -- results from one professional test show that the extra blade doesn't make much practical difference.

The DeLonghi hand blender has five variable speeds and a turbo-boost button, plus a push-button control for pulsing or continuous blending. Because the DHB723 is so new, we didn't find many user reviews for it. The few we did see at Amazon.com and Cooking.com say the tool is easy to use and effective. It has a one-year warranty.

Reviewers also like the budget-priced Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-77 (*Est. $50) , which has the same base as the CSB-76 but includes whisk and chopper attachments. We ultimately chose the DeLonghi for our Best Reviewed hand blender with attachments, however, because it performs well in tests by the most reliable sources.

An even more inexpensive option, the two-speed Kalorik MS-18676 Sunny Morning (*Est. $30) is a big winner in one comparison test, where it's praised for effortlessly creating velvety-smooth soups and smoothies, thick mayonnaise and fluffy whipped cream. Reviewers say it's comfortable to use and easy to clean. The only test the blender failed was making pesto -- it couldn't handle the pine nuts. Owners at Amazon.com are split down the middle: Some say the Kalorik has a powerful motor; others say it's weak and can handle only very light jobs. One user says the motor needs to cool down after about two minutes of use, and several owners say the blender lasts for only a few uses before breaking down. The Kalorik hand blender comes in two colors, lime and tangerine. For a basic blender, the Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-76 may be a better option.