It’s soup season, and the time to bring out the immersion blender, the trusted kitchen tool.
We really like the convenience of using our immersion blenders. We pull it out when we’re making this favorite Cream of Chicken Soup, this Cauliflower Soup, this Butternut and Lentil Soup, blending this pareve Alfredo sauce, making homemade mayonnaise, and so many more.
We also like the convenience of the mini chopper attachment when we don’t want to take out a whole food processor. Blenders and food processors work very differently in the way they blend and chop, so we like having both options.
We find that in kosher kitchens, an immersion blender tends to get used on the fleishig side of the kitchen. For most of us, our high quality traditional blenders, like the Vitamix and Ninjas, are used for dairy (i.e. smoothies and such), and immersion blenders tend to be more practical when used for meat/pareve dishes, like soups and dips. If you don’t want to have two of everything, we find that works.
But which immersion blender is *the one*?
Best for Life: Basic Immersion Blender
Braun MQ5 Hand Blender
Why We Like It: It’s simple enough. The Braun has stood the test of time. While you might think of an immersion blender as a less costly kitchen appliance, why not invest in one that’s simply going to last and last? One of us has been using the same Braun for 20 years already! It does a perfect job every time. We’ve found that cheaper brands that we’ve tried (for pareve, for Pesach, etc.) have broken or simply didn’t blend as smoothly.
Best Blender + Mini Chopper Combo
Braun 500 Watt Immersion Blender with Mini Chopper
Why We Like It: If you really want the best of both worlds, we recommend going with the 500 Watt Blender and getting the mini chopper too.
Best Overall Value
Amazon Basics 500 Watt Immersion Blender
(Available With or Without Attachments)
Why We Like It: “Surprisingly good!” Honestly, the Amazon Basics blender blew us away! We didn’t expect it to work as powerfully and swiftly as it did! We were very pleasantly surprised when its blending power exceeded our expectations. Unlike the Braun, though, we can’t yet vouch for longevity because we haven’t owned it for quite as long.
Best Budget Pick
The KOIOS Immersion Blender with Attachments
Why We Like It: Do you only pull out your immersion blender once a month, or more often? If you don’t use an immersion blender that often, and want to be able to get both the blender plus the mini chopper function for under $30, the KOIOS has been reliable for us. Some of us have owned this for a number of years already, and while the Braun/Amazon machines are more powerful, this does the job. It will last a number of years (although not forever), depending on how often you use it.
Best If You Need Two Blenders
Peach Street 800W Immersion Blender
Why We Like It: The Peach Street Blender is not expensive and works well! We like it because it comes in multiple color options, so if you need two immersion blenders, for either meat/milk/pareve, it’ll be easy to tell which is which, especially if you have kids helping out in the kitchen.
The mini chopper is also surprisingly super efficient.
We tested out the Cuisinart as well because it’s a reputable brand and has a mid-price point, and we expected good performance, but are not recommending it at this time as we were underwhelmed with its quality and longevity.
I recently replaced my cusinart hand blender with the newer model from Costco and am extremely unhappy with it. I agree, I would not recommend it at this time.
Chaya, what did you find different about the Cuisinart model from Costco / how did it differ from the standard Cuisinart? (I just purchased, but did not open yet – wondering if I should return.)
Do immersion blenders ruin the finish of non stick pots? Anyone have experience?
I have ruined the bottom of more than one pot using more than one brand…not sure what I did wrong!!
Yup, I also just bought a new Cusinart blender and it scratched up the bottom of my pot. The one I had until now I took up to my summer home and bought a new one for all year. I didn’t think about the metal bottom until I saw the empty pot of soup and a ruined pot!!!
If you ever see it at Aldi, it’s a great one!
Agreed! And it was only $15
Did you test Kitchen Aid?
I like the ones that are plastic at the bottom so they don’t scratch my pots
I have a 17 yr old plastic Braun that is amazing. I made it fleishig and can’t find a comparable one for parve.
same here, plastic Braun since I’m married and going strong.
The metal ones scratch the bottom if it touches the bottom of pot. try keeping it off the bottom surface
i like the cordless kitchen aid hand blender
i got the kitchen aid on amazon one year for pesach and it is great! When my milchig one broke I was excited to order another kitchen aid.
I recently replaced my cousinart hand blender with an All Clad one, and the difference is remarkable. My all clad works so much better than any of my cuisanart or kitchen aid ones that I have had.
The Kitchen Aid is same price as Braun, but on sale now on Amazon. Does anyone know how they compare?
I absolutely love the cuisinart smart stick from Costco. When making mayo with a hand blender, which I always do( it takes about a minute, maybe less ) I find that some hand blenders work better than others due to the placement of the blade on the shaft. The cuisinart is perfect. I also love the mini chopper that comes along with it which is quite powerful and comes with slicer and shredder attachments. It is sometimes much easier to take out than my Braun..
I love my kitchen aid. Also comes with a plastic piece you can click on to protect your pots.
I’ve had my Braun blender for 18 years and it’s still going strong! When I got married, I bought two extra attachments from Braun, making it easy to separate milchigs, fleishigs, and pareve. This saves me from needing three separate blenders! Plus, they’ve washed well in the dishwasher.
Love my Kitchen Aid, I have a dairy one for years and when my cheaper Fleishig one broke I got another Kitchen aid. I also love how the lock mechanism is in a comfortable easy to use spot (my previous one was very annoying to use)