Hand Blenders

Hand blenders vs. full-size blenders

The main advantage of immersion blenders is convenience. Instead of taking up space on the countertop, a hand blender can be stowed away in a drawer or mounted on the wall. Stick blenders allow you to cook and purée food in the same pot, so you avoid the hassle of blending hot liquids in batches. Cleaning a handheld blender is a snap: A quick dunk in hot, soapy water followed by a rinse is all it takes. Most hand blenders are so quiet that you can prepare a smoothie using frozen fruit while family members sleep. Parents can use handheld blenders to prepare healthy baby food, even while traveling. Coffee drinkers can froth milk, and arthritis sufferers can grip a handheld blender more easily than a whisk. Many stick blenders come with attachments that include whisks, choppers, food processors, spice grinders and even bottle washers.

Hand blenders do, however, have some downsides. Experts say that they shouldn’t be used for crushing ice or mashing potatoes. Operating many stick blenders, including the top-rated KitchenAid KHB100, requires you to maintain pressure on the "on" button, which can be tiring. The shaft on some hand blenders can be too thick to grasp easily, and some are heavy. Models with plastic shafts shouldn’t be used over heat.

Best hand blenders

The KitchenAid KHB100 Immersion Blender (*est. $50) works just as well as some traditional blenders, say editors at Cook’s Illustrated. The 4-pound KitchenAid hand blender has a stainless steel blade and splashguard, nine speeds and a five-foot cord. It comes in a range of colors, including cobalt, red and black. Real Simple magazine gave the 17-inch-long KitchenAid KHB100 hand blender its top performance rating. Editors particularly liked its sturdy motor and pulse button, which is comfortable enough for sustained use. Owners posting to Amazon.com agree that the KitchenAid immersion blender is an excellent performer, and they praise KitchenAid’s no-hassle replacement policy, which is good for one year.

Owners say that the KitchenAid hand blender works better when you use the three-cup beaker that comes with it -- used in a soup pot, the blender may leave chunks of food behind. A few owners complain about the KHB100’s power switch, which requires continual pressure to operate (this is a common complaint, because most hand blenders work this way). Owners say that this blender’s only downside is its inability to crush ice.

KitchenAid sells the KHB100 alone, but also bundles this model as part of a kit, the KitchenAid KHB300 (*est. $90) . While the hand blenders themselves are identical, the KHB300 includes a wire whisk and a nut-chopper attachment, and its blending beaker holds four cups of liquid instead of three. All the accessories are dishwasher-safe.

The Cuisinart CSB-76 SmartStick ( (*est. $30) in red or white , *est. $35 in silver) has a single speed, a stainless steel shaft and a two-cup blending beaker. Cook’s Illustrated gives the SmartStick a middling rating because it failed the magazine's toughest test: preparing pesto. However, the SmartStick earns high marks from editors at Food & Wine, who say its extra-deep hood funnels food toward the blade. They also say it purées like a champ. Most of the 140 owners who've reviewed this budget hand blender at Amazon.com are happy with it, although some express disappointment that the SmartStick’s housing is silver-toned plastic instead of actual metal. Some also say that the whisk attachment seems weak, and others wish that it had variable speeds. But for the price, most owners say the SmartStick CSB-76 is a good value.

The more expensive Cuisinart SmartStick CSB-77 (*est. $50) has a few features that the CSB-76 lacks: a stainless steel housing (in additional to the steel blade), a chopper attachment and a mixing container. Some owners posting to Amazon.com say that the CSB-77 is powerful, but they wish it had variable speeds, and it earns a lower average rating than the CSB-76, which looks like a better value.

With its thick shaft and small, round power button, the Proctor-Silex 59735 Hand Blender (*est. $15) looks less like a hand blender and more like an electric toothbrush. Cook’s Illustrated cautiously recommends this blender, but says that its cramped blade cage can lead to clogging. The Proctor-Silex receives four stars (out of five) in two dozen owner reviews at Amazon.com. Some owners complain about this blender's shaft, which is not detachable for cleaning, and several others find it painful to press the power button down for long periods (a common complaint for most hand blenders). In general, however, most are satisfied with this inexpensive immersion blender’s performance.

Supercharged hand blenders

Since the 1950s, Swiss manufacturer Bamix has been making the most powerful hand blenders on the market. The difference between most hand blenders and Bamix models lies in RPM. Bamix's most powerful model, the Gastro, can run at speeds of up to 17,000 RPM on high, while the least powerful, the Mono, has a top speed of 10,000 RPM. Bamix hand blenders come with a one-year warranty on parts and service as well as a ten-year parts-available guarantee. Chef Gordon Ramsay is a Bamix fan who says that the blenders can turn "thick, weighty soups into something light, exciting, and sexy by aerating the liquid into a fluffy sensation." Bamix says that its blenders can be used in boiling water and in hot syrup up to a depth of five inches. Bamix sells attachments for slicing and grating, grinding spices, and chopping meat and fish.

We found only one professional review of the Bamix Basic (*est. $100), known in the U.S. as the Mono. The Mono hand blender comes with three blades (mincer, beater and whisk), a 500-ml beaker and a wall mount, but it does not include other attachments. Editors at Choice magazine gave the Bamix very good performance scores, but they note that the Bamix struggled to grind hard ingredients to a paste. Editors like its simple instructions and self-winding cord, as well as its removable blade and guard. However, the Bamix was not only the heaviest hand blender they tested, but also the most expensive.

The Bamix de Luxe (*est. $120) , which clocks in at 15,000 RPMs on high, earns perfect ratings in two owner reviews at Epinions. Owners say that they use the mincer blade for soups and smoothies, turn to the beater blade for whipped cream and use the whisk blade for cake batter. In addition to these attachments, the Bamix de Luxe includes the grinder attachment and a rack for storing attachments, plus a cookbook and an instructional video.

Bamix Gastro (*est. $200) is two inches longer and four ounces heavier than the de Luxe, and it comes with mincer, beater and whisk attachments. Its high speed is 17,000 RPMs. We found no professional reviews of the Bamix Gastro immersion blender. One owner posting to eGullet.com says that the Gastro has a large head that prevents it from fully emulsifying small quantities of ingredients. Another owner posting to Amazon.com is very happy with this model, which is said to make quick work of frozen fruit and ice.

Important Features: Hand blenders

Here’s what reviews say about choosing a stick blender:

• The container you use is nearly as important as the blender. Some blenders come with jars that taper toward the bottom, which makes it easier to submerge the blender. Choose a container that’s deep enough to allow you to move the blender up and down while blending.

• Look for an easy-to-press button. Test the blender's "on" button before buying if possible.

• Use caution. If the blender’s blade breaks the surface, you’ll find yourself covered in liquid.

• Move the pot off the burner before blending.

• Stainless steel shafts don’t perform better, but they do resist staining and can be used over heat.

• Look for a removable blade or shaft, which makes clean-up easier.

• Look for a plastic blade guard. Metal guards may scratch saucepans, especially those with non-stick finishes.

• Don’t worry about wattage. Professional testers found that higher wattage doesn’t guarantee better results. RPM matters more than wattage.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Hand Blender (With Retailer Links)	Details from Amazon.com
4	Braun Multiquick (Discontinued)	details
2	KitchenAid KBH100 (*est. $50)	details
2	Braun Multiquick Professional (Discontinued)	details
1	Cuisinart SmartStick (*est. $30)	details

Braun and KitchenAid dominate reviews of hand blenders, but Braun has discontinued both the basic and professional Multiquick models, and has so far not replaced them with other models (except in Canada). Therefore, the KitchenAid KBH100 gets the strongest overall reviews. The Cuisinart SmartStick is a good basic immersion blender.

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