The blender is decently well-built and quiet but makes more noise when running than the KitchenAid, so you'll find the noise more irritating, especially when blending for several minutes. Since it doesn't come with a beaker, you need to use your own container for blending when you're not processing ingredients directly in a pot or pan. It's better than the KitchenAid for thicker recipes like nut butter and comes with a whisk for making whipped cream or hollandaise sauce. It's not as well-suited for processing smaller batches of ingredients for something like a single-serve smoothie but produces a fairly smooth blend with fibrous vegetables, like kale and broccoli, so it produces well-blended soups and sauces. Still, its blending performance is comparable to pricier blenders' like the KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender. This simple immersion blender doesn't come with accessories like a beaker or a pan guard. The best hand blender in the budget range we've tested is the NutriBullet Immersion Blender. Unfortunately, some parts of the blender feel cheap or plasticky, and the blending arm isn't dishwasher-safe. It takes longer to process ingredients than the Ninja, but it's a little lighter, which is nice if you need to blend for several minutes. It does a better job of processing smaller batches, so it's well-suited for something like a cup of soup or a single-serve smoothie. However, it doesn't blend fibrous ingredients as well as the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System, so if you use it to blend a big pot of broccoli soup, there will be some unprocessed bits left over. There's a pressure-sensitive button on the motor body to adjust the blending speed, and it's very quiet for a blender. It comes with a beaker for blending, a matching storage lid, and a plastic pan guard to protect non-stick pans from getting scratched by the blade bell. This blender isn't as well-built as the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System, and it doesn't come with as many extra attachments, but it's a good choice if you're looking for a more basic blender. The KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender is a cheaper, more straightforward option. There are downsides: it's loud for an immersion blender, and the motor body is heavy, so it's more tiring to hold onto than lighter models. The blending arm and all the accessories are dishwasher-safe.

While it's a long process, it can produce smooth, spreadable dips and spreads like nut butter if you work in small batches.

Immersion blenders aren't ideal for crushing hard ingredients like ice cubes or processing mixes like nut butter, partly because the design means you hold the blender for the whole process. There's a beaker included for blending, as well as a whisk attachment for whipping cream or stirring salad dressing. With the beater attachments, you can use it to mix cookie dough or cake batter. It also stands out from other hand mixers because it converts into a hand mixer.

The arm is detachable for easier cleaning and storage. The blending arm is meant for processing hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan, and it can make a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, which is important for smooth soups with vegetables like broccoli and kale. This hand blender is a great option if you're looking for one that can help with pureed soups and sauces. The best immersion blender we've tested is the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System. You can check out our picks for the best blenders, the best blenders for crushing ice, the best personal blenders, and the best blenders under $100. We've tested 20 immersion blenders, and below are our recommendations. Also, most aren't as well-suited as a full-size or personal blender if you want to make smoothies for the whole family or process tougher ingredients like nuts and ice cubes. However, some immersion blenders come with a warning not to run the blender continuously for more than a few minutes. Cordless immersion blenders can offer a comparable performance to conventional plug-in models and give you the freedom to move around the kitchen. Many immersion blenders come with jars that you can use for blending, and some include attachments like whisks or extra blades, so they can help with a wide variety of cooking tasks, like making smoothies, frozen drinks, batters, and dips. They can also work as multi-purpose blenders, especially if you want to save space with something that can fit in a kitchen drawer. You can stick their blending arms directly into a pot or pan, making them helpful for turning hot ingredients into soups and sauces.

Immersion blenders, also known as hand blenders, are handy kitchen tools that can save you the trouble of transferring your recipe into a blender jar.

Immersion blender hollandaise