Why immersion blenders are a must-have

In a time when there’s a gadget for everything, it can be easy to amass clutter. Enter the immersion blender (also known as a hand blender or wand blender), an all-around great kitchen tool that is most commonly associated with whipping up smooth soups and salad dressings but can actually do just about anything. And with forecasting firm Zion Market Research predicting that the immersion-blender market will be worth US$611.5 million by 2030 (up from $318.4 million in 2022), the appliance has become a go-to for home chefs and professionals because of its mega-functionality.

Eva Chin, the Toronto-based chef behind the neo-Chinese supper club The Soy Luck Club, says that her immersion blender is among her most-used kitchen tools because of how much it can do, especially relative to how much counter real estate it takes up. (Spoiler alert: They’re often small enough to tuck into a drawer.) She uses it to blend up gravies, blitz together speedy yogurt dips with herbs and create sauces. But her favourite use is for mixing batter. “I can make pancakes with my immersion blender in five minutes,” she says.

But what makes a high-quality, utilitarian immersion blender? While some immersion blenders come with a number of attachments (blenders, choppers and the like), the most important thing to look into is how powerful a particular model is. “A weak immersion blender is literally useless – you might as well mix by hand,” says Chin, who suggests looking at how many watts a blender uses to determine how powerful it is. (She recommends at least 500 watts, but the higher the wattage, the stronger the immersion blender.) A weak one will struggle to move the blade fast enough to be effective, and corded blenders tend to be more powerful than cordless ones.

A golden immersion blender with attachments next to it on a countertop — Some immersion blenders come with a number of attachments (blenders, choppers and the like).

Chin says that being able to control a wide range of speeds on the immersion blender is also important. “I don’t want a blender that goes from 0 to 100,” she says. Some basic models have one “on” button and one speed, which will make it harder to control and potentially dangerous if you’re blending hot food. (Beware of splash-back!) Look for a blender with multiple speeds and easy-to-use controls, like push buttons or a touchpad. Chin recommends the Vitamix Immersion Blender, which has five speeds and a strong motor.

Another key factor to look out for is big intake vents – those slits right by the blade. Food writer and recipe developer Tara O’Brady says that the stems of greens and herbs can easily get caught if the intake vents are too small, leading to a frustrating blending experience and time wasted digging those fibrous bits out from around the blade. Plus, blenders of all kinds work best when what they’re blending is able to flow easily, and bigger intake vents mean better flow. “You need to think about the ability to create that whirlpool effect, which draws in food and moves it through,” O’Brady says. She likes the Breville Control Grip, which has large vents and comes with a number of attachments.

At the end of the day, immersion blenders can chop, blend and mix, making them one of the most versatile kitchen tools on the market. Finding a great one will mean reaching for it over and over again while your heftier and hard-to-clean appliances (hello, food processors) collect dust.