Have you ever been unsuccessful in creating a thick foam over your coffee? Ever failed to give your puree the creamy and smooth texture that you want? If yes, then what you need is an immersion blender.
If you are wondering what is an immersion blender and what wonders it can do for you, then this article is perfect for you. Read on to find out how this handy, little tool can make your food prep experience even more enjoyable!
What Is an Immersion Blender?
An immersion blender, also sometimes called stick blender, is a compact version of your countertop blender. Yet, in terms of its functionalities and ease of use, it goes above and beyond that of your regular blender.
Immersion blenders are designed to blend, whip, beat, and smoothen any mixture directly within the container of your choice. For this purpose, it has been designed with a sleek, stick-like structure, which does not take up much space and makes it easy to carry around and use.
What these updated features offer is save us from the unnecessary labor of pulling out and installing huge blending appliances out of shady cupboards when we are feeling lazy or running out of time.
They also prevent the hassle of pouring things around and ending up with a big pile of dirty kitchen utensils and equipment. To go beyond these, this tiny kitchen appliance also emits less hullaballoo of noise compared to regular blenders.
Why Use an Immersion Blender
Here are some good reasons why an immersion blender can be an apt choice as a kitchen appliance. Although, this does not mean to cancel out or challenge the functionality of other blending machinery in your kitchen.
- Fewer Dishes to Wash
An immersion blender helps blend or beat the ingredients in place without having to move them from one container to the other. In other words, this saves a lot of inconvenience during times when the food is bulk in quantity and cannot fit a countertop blender at one time.
In such a situation, it is easier to do a quick blend within the cooking pot instead of having to dirty multiple dishes just to get the blending done.
- No Splurting of Food on Your Face and Clothes
Have you ever been flushed with cake batter while mixing it with a hand blender? If yes, then you should definitely get yourself an immersion blender.
Again, an immersion blender is a long spoon-like structure with blending blades at the extreme top. When it is submerged into a soup, curry, or any other mixture for blending purposes, it takes little sections of the mixture one at a time and holds it back from flying outside of the container.
- Does Not Occupy Much Space
Unlike the countertop blender, an immersion blender can easily fit in any sleek drawer. It does not take up much space for storage and certainly not much on the counter when things have been laid out at the time of cooking.
- Easy to Clean
Unlike other commonly used blending devices, immersion blenders are easy to clean. They do not eat up too much soap and water, and the only part that needs actual cleaning are the blades on one of its ends. That’s simple!
- Can Beat Almost Everything
Immersion blenders are extremely versatile. They can blend almost everything with the exception of a few. From whipped cream to hummus, salsa, soup, or fruit juices, they can handle it all.
- Light on Your Wallet
More or less the same functionality for a far lesser price? What could be more rewarding? An immersion blender comes far cheaper than other forms of blending machines, such as countertop blenders and hand blenders, being a claimant to almost the same blending operations.
- Foamy Coffee
Want foamy, cafe-like coffee at home? An immersion blender can give your coffee mixture the right amount of blending to produce just the right amount of foam.
- Less Labour
One of the very common appliances that have a relevant operation is the hand whisker. Unlike the whisker, the blender uses electricity to generate automatic functionality. This quickens the task and does not exhaust the operator.
How to Use an Immersion Blender?
Immersion blenders are to be operated and used in a certain way, like other appliances. The following are the steps to operate this device:
1. Put it Together!
Immersion blenders have two major components that need to be put together for first-time use:
- The blending attachment (this comprises of the blending blades)
- The metal holder/body
You can fix these components either by a spring-loaded catch that clicks when you bring them together or by means of screwing them together.
2. Give It Some Juice
Once the machine has been made operational, find a power outlet/socket that is the closest to your cooking counter. Make sure that the wire is long enough and has the capacity to extend so that you can easily manage to move the blender within your cooking pot.
3. Blend!
Hold the blender by one of your hands and gently submerge it into the cooking pot. There is a chance of food flying all over the place once the blender is turned on if the end of blender facing down does not touch the bottom of the pot, so make sure that does not happen.
Additionally, make sure that you aren’t running the blender for long periods without having to stop in the middle. This can potentially cause damage to the machine. Deactivate in between to let it grasp some leaps of breath, preferably after every 30 to 50 seconds.
What Can You Blend with an Immersion Blender?
An immersion blender can be used to prepare a wide variety of food items—for instance, the tomato puree, which is a vital component of pizza and lasagna.
In case a guest comes over, whipped cream would do well with baked goodies, like a cookie or a slice of cake. You can also make hummus by squashing beans with this tool, or you can prepare fresh juice by blending fruits with a dash of sugar and water.
Not just these, but this blender can also be a great asset in preparing other dishes, most of which require churning of soft food into semi-liquid or liquids. Although, it may take more time with ingredients that are hard or crunchy, like ice and similar ingredients.
Conclusion
We are sure you now know what is an immersion blender. Even though very handy, an immersion blender is not the ultimate replacement to previously existing blending machines. Nevertheless, it can surely create a more convenient experience for people through its ease of use. When traveling or tired, it is the right appliance to approach.
