The immersion blender has been around for over 50 years, and was invented by Roger Perrinjaquet. After he patented the idea in March of 1950. Roger named his new invention “bamix®”, which is a melding of the French term “battre et mixer” which translates to “beat and mix”. Commercial European kitchens have been using these hand blenders since the 1960’s.
Basically, an immersion blender, or wand blender, hand blender, or stick blender is a tool to purée food in whatever pot or container that they reside in, or are being prepared in. Very convenient. Without this kitchen gadget, one has to pour out the contents into a traditional blender, or food processor, then pour it back into the original container. What a hassle…
Today there are a multitude of choices, ranging from fifteen dollars and going up to over four thousand dollars, for commercial units. We will stay in home kitchen world, and won’t be reviewing the commercial units. By the same token, we don’t believe in the super cheap models (of anything, really), as they’re usually made with substandard components or are discontinued, and therefore hard to get fixed if they break etc etc.
We’ve narrowed down our Top 3 Immersion Blenders, here. They’re all super products, but there’s always one that edges out the competition…
#3 –Waring (WSB40) 10” Medium-Duty Quik Stik Plus Immersion Blender
The Quick Stik Plus has quite a few “real fans”, and a handful of not-so-real fans. Usually, the unhappiness came because it broke prematurely. Apparently, some folks felt that some of the working internal pieces (like gears) may have not been metal…perhaps a plastic or nylon. However, the happy customers, have had amazing results with this immersion blender.
The blender is capable of a lot. From emulsifying, to pureeing & whipping, to making a light sauce, this guy can do it all. What drives this kitchen gadget is a 350-Watt, Two-Speed Motor…A heavy duty Half a horsepower, that can reach 18,000 rpm! That is pretty substantial compared to a lot of the handheld blenders in this price range.
The fixed shaft and blade are ten inches in length (better than average), and are completely sealed, for safety. It comes with a 6 Gallon capacity (it can blend 6 gallons at one time), and weighs in at a stout 4.8 lbs, but is well balanced and has a ergonomic rubber hand grip, so feels light. Another nice fact is that it’s NSF certified. Included is a One Year Limited Warranty.
#2 – Bamix Deluxe M150 – 150 Watt 2 Speed 3 Blade Immersion Hand Blender with Dry Grinder and Table Stand
This Bamix Hand Blender is hand-built in Switzerland. As we wrote in the intro, Bamix is the original pioneer of the immersion blender “space”. So, they’ve had almost 60 years to perfect the product. Most people would say, they’ve come close.
In spite of having a 150 watt motor, it keeps up, no problem. Being very efficient, and well balanced, means it can work hard, while maintaining a steady rpm, even when under load. The M150 has two speeds. Speed one revs at 9000 rpm, while speed two, revs at 12000 rpm. More than ample! Then there’s also a pulse mode. So, you can have finer control, when you don’t need a steady blend…just a burst here and there.
The submersible stick is made from chromated brass. So, completely heat-resistant, and beautifully hygienic. The blender body is safety-rated nylon (PA6), completely sealed. Basically, if you really had to go deeper into a large pot, you could safely submerge the Bamix, to just below the speed controls….and not to worry about warping or melting, everything is completely heat-rated.
The blades create a powerful vortex, which pull in all the food towards them. This is an extremely efficient design, that helps to speed up the work. This model includes a dry grinder, which makes the unit even more versatile. Grinding coffee beans, spices, cheese, seeds, nuts or whatever else you can think up, becomes a breeze. Not included are other power disk attachments…but are available to purchase.
#1 – Cuisinart HB-154PC Smart Stick Hand Blender With Whisk & Chopper Attachments – Club Model
As usual, our number 1 and number 2 picks are close. Consumer sentiment also agrees with our choice. The Cuisinart HB-154PC Smart Stick Hand Blender is a well made kitchen tool, that can zip through most pureeing, mixing, chopping, and blending jobs with ease, thanks to the well engineered 200 watt motor.
The blade has a unique design, which makes foods very smooth, very quickly, and has a protective blade guard, which doubles as a splatter-shield. Also, included is a whisk attachment, for when you need to whip foods, or make an airy egg mixture for a light omelette. The powerful chopper can do wonders, and means that your food processor can relax a little bit.
Overall this Cuisinart edged out the #2 contender, but it is very close. They’re both excellent machines, but this Cuisinart squeaked over the finish line, just a hair in front of the Bamix, thanks to a more powerful motor and more user reviews.
Conclusion
In the world of immersion blenders, there’s a ridiculous amount of choice. Ranging from $12 to thousands of dollars (for commercial units). For home usage, a machine priced from $100 – $300 should last you 5 – 10 years, minimum.
In the early days (when we first got married in the late 1980’s), we were given a Braun unit, with a chopper. We probably used it once every two weeks, for about 8 or 9 years, and it finally died. I was pretty satisfied with this result.
A friend of mine wanted a unit, after he saw me puree some soups etc., so he went and bought himself a $20 unit. I don’t remember the brand, but it was a cheapie name. It died after a year and a half. He wasn’t too happy, but I reminded him that you get what you pay for.
I would have no problem buying either the heat resistant blender, the Bamix, or the Cuisinart. The Waring, makes me a bit apprehensive. So, with so much choice out there, who needs to feel apprehensive about a purchase….