Cuisinart Quick Prep Hand Blender: Gosh it actually works!

Author's Rating:

Pros: easy, cleanup is simple, stores well

Cons: uses are limited

Author's Review
I am a fan of cooking shows, and I'd begun to notice more and more TV chefs pulling out something they called an "immersion blender." It looked as if you could blend foods right in the pan with it, rather than having to dirty the several parts of a food processor or traditional upright blender. When I discovered that we mere mortals could buy the same thing from Cuisinart, I was delighted. And it works just as well as it looks like it does on TV -- that is, if you use it right.

The "quick prep" model has two speeds, comes with a solid plastic cup and a booklet including recipes, is lightweight, and cleans up fairly fast. It does not take up much storage room in your cabinet and seems pretty indestructible. It works well at pureeing, blending, and emulsifying. I use it whenever I can.

However, there are a few things you need to be aware of.

1) You cannot use this for all your blending needs. You couldn't chop ice with it, or puree very large and firm vegetables - the blade and chopping area are just too small.

2) This appliance only works if it can really be immersed in whatever you want it to blend or puree. It does not do a good job unless you can get the whole blade assembly underwater (or under-soup, or under-guacamole, or whatever).

3) It also only works if there is a fair amount of liquid in the mix. Don't ask it to puree, say, apples and nothing else. The blades will jam.

4) It is not as subtle as a real food processor. Basically it mixes stuff up either a lot or a little. Period.

I'm glad I have it in my kitchen. But I still need my food processor too.