Today I’d like to tell you about another kitchen product that I like, the Cuisinart SmartStick Immersion Hand Blender. I can guess what you are thinking, “A blender? I already have a blender. What do I need this thing for.” I have a blender as well. Perhaps it’s my Lazy nature, but I don’t like to use it.
Traditional blenders are relatively big (at least compared to this immersion blender) and take up precious counter space. Because of this, I try to tuck it out of the way. That, of course, makes getting it out to be a be a slight annoyance (I’m nitpicking here, you may need to imagine you are really lazy). After using it the clean-up process can be a bit of work. My traditional blender has nooks and crannies and getting down by the blade is difficult. (Side tip: blending dish soap and hot water often does most of the cleaning.) You may suggest putting the blender jar in the dishwasher, but I’ve had them break in there. I admit it’s odd since the glass is quite thick and it should be dishwasher safe. I don’t chance it anymore.
Let’s compare that to the Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender. The hand blender is small. If you look at the picture below the cord and the top half fit nicely inside it’s accompanying cup. I can hide it away in a cabinet and it is “an easy grab” (for lack of a better way of explaining it). In addition, it is easier to clean up. With a push of a button the bottom half of the blender (the stick and the blades) comes off and can be easily rinsed in the sink.
How does it work? It works as good as my regular blender. The 200-watt motor really has some power to it and it can crush ice easily for smoothies. Personally, I’ve only made a few smoothies (frozen berries from the grocery aisle are great for them), but I use them for whey protein shakes. Particularly, I use it for my substitute of ViSalus shakes and can make a nearly equivalent product for 1/3rd the price. The best part is the price of the hand blender. At under $30, it is well within my budget, especially since it motivates me to eat healthier. Like the lettuce keeper, I find that a great value in that.
Like everything in this series, I want to prove that I’ve actually purchased the item. It’s my way of saying, “I’ve put my money where my mouth typing hands are.
I freaking love this thing, it’s perfect for soups and quite possibly the most useful kitchen appliance there is. O was just gifted one (ok, my fiancee was), and there’s wonderful soup waiting for me for dinner tonight because of it.
One thing to watch out for… If the connector on the wand – the “star” shaped bit that slides into the motor driver.. if that connector is plastic… it WILL strip out within 2 years and render the whole unit worthless.
I’ve gone through 4 different hand blenders in the past decade – and all have failed because the connection is between the metal motor shaft and the plastic wand bit.
And there’s no way to tell ahead of time whether/if the connector is metal-on-metal (which it NEEDS to be, dammit)
Planned obsolescence at its finest.
Is this unit metal-on-metal? I can’t tell from the picture you posted.
Xing, I never thought to look. I’ve only had this one for 5-6 months, so I never thought about them dying quickly.
I’m taking a short trip. I’ll reply back to this thread when I have an answer – unless Daniel beats me to it.
Xing, looks like this unit is plastic on plastic.
i love the gizmo can opener by black and decker but i think its been discontinued. the Hamilton Beach 76500 Walk ‘N Cut Cordless Can Opener is similar. both about $20 and perect for people with carpal tunnel or other hand/wrist problems and for mixed households [left and right handed housemates] btw an immersion blender won’t do all the things a regular blender does but there are so many things it does BETTER, like pureeing soups
Hmm, good point robyn. My electronic can opener died about a year ago. I started using a hand-held can open that is probably from the 70s. It actually works well enough for me because I don’t have any hand/wrist problems. I save counter space and I’m a little more environmentally friendly — as long as I can keep the hand/wrist problems at bay.
I agree with Xing. Ours just died. We’ve had it about 18 months,and we don’t use it that often. Awesome tool, right up until the weak point (which is OBVIOUSLY a weak point…who made that design decision?) strips out.