Stick / Immersion Blender Newbie Needs Your Wisdom

I got the Kitchenaid immersion blender as a highly anticipated Xmas gift. It has a metal, not plastic blade guard. So far I've used it twice to blend in the pan, but I'm having trouble understanding the best way to use it without either scratching the pan or splattering hot liquid.

I saw somewhere on the internets (I know, I know) that the best way to use the stick blender is to try to move it up and down a bit. I'm questioning the wisdom of that because it's easy to splatter that way, and the KA has such suction, even on the lowest setting, that it's darn hard to do this anyway. To get enough liquid to try to move the stick up and down, I was tipping the pan to its side, which is an excellent way to scratch the pan since the metal then hits at an angle.

Experienced stick blender users...do you place the stick blender touching the bottom of the pot, pulse on as needed, and try not to let it move? Are there certain pans (enameled cast iron, for example) you just won't use a stick blender with a metal blade guard in? Any other tips (except for turning off before taking out of the pan, which I did manage to do!)

I did use the stick blender in a Le Creuset last night and noticed some very small chips. I couldn't remember if they were there before but they looked new and I was pretty upset. I use the Le Creuset all the time so if the stick blender is really too much for it, I probably should not have bought it, or should have gone with a cheaper plastic blade guard version. However, I'm hoping if I just place at the bottom of the pan the LC would work with the stick blender.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

I use my stick blender all the times these days; I've used it in a plastic glass without noticing anything amiss. I typically don't move it up and down but I sometimes tip the pan so that whatever I'm blending is deeper and the immersion blender is, well, immersed. I just kind of move it around from side to side until stuff looks blended.

I'm not really a pro, those are just my thoughts.

You have to have a reasonable amount of liquid, though. It shouldn't ever need to touch the pan.

I think the real answer is not to care if your Le Crueset, or whatever other cookware, has a couple of chips or scratches. Anyone with unblemished cookware isn't really cooking.

leek wrote:You have to have a reasonable amount of liquid, though. It shouldn't ever need to touch the pan.

It's hard when I use it to not have it touch the pan. The suction ends up bringing it down.

Kennyz wrote:I think the real answer is not to care if your Le Crueset, or whatever other cookware, has a couple of chips or scratches. Anyone with unblemished cookware isn't really cooking.

Well...I'm not really willing to accept chips each time I use an item. That's going to ruin the pan in pretty short order. This is a 15-year old pot and it's seen heavy use with no previous issues except cosmetic.

grits wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I think the real answer is not to care if your Le Crueset, or whatever other cookware, has a couple of chips or scratches. Anyone with unblemished cookware isn't really cooking.

Well...I'm not really willing to accept chips each time I use an item. That's going to ruin the pan in pretty short order. This is a 15-year old pot and it's seen heavy use with no previous issues except cosmetic.

You should not be using your stick blender to hit the bottom of a pan with enough force to chip enamel. Like Mhays and leek, I use mine immersed in liquid and move it around from side to side or in circles (not up and down hard).

It is not designed to blend like a regular blender. If you have a lot of solids that you're trying to puree, you're better off using a regular blender. If you have a good amount of liquid that you're trying to smooth the texture of, then the stick blender is the right tool. My primary uses are for soups and significant amount of sauces (like a big pot of tomato sauce).

Best,
Michael

It's sounding like I need a lot more liquid in the pan than what I had last night so that the suction does not force the blender down, and to try to keep it in a side to side/circle motion.

I did have enough liquid to cover the blender attachment with some room to spare but probably there was not enough room to play with. I'll practice on some cheaper pots for the time being.

Alton Brown had an interesting idea to cut a hole in a frisbee and put it over the pot to minimize splashing. I might try that as well.

Thanks everyone!

grits wrote:It's sounding like I need a lot more liquid in the pan than what I had last night so that the suction does not force the blender down, and to try to keep it in a side to side/circle motion.

Sounds like a pretty intense piece of equipment! My stick blender has never pulled down with any significant suction.

I have had similiar suction problems with my immersion blender. It's at home and I'm not so I can't tell you right now what brand it is. It is plastic. I just accept some splashing.

maybe you should transfer the food to a narrower vessel, so you have more depth to work with? It is difficult to blend in a shallow medium.

I use a plastic Hamilton Beach that I got at least 15 years ago for less than $10. I made the silkiest acorn squash curry soup with it last week! Also made some pretty great applesauce. I had a moment of stick blender envy when I saw that Good Eats episode, but mine has held up so admirably. I wish mine could crush ice, then it would be perfect. Anyone successfully crush ice with their stick blender?

The answer is just above: "transfer the food to a narrower vessel, so you have more depth to work with", such as a bain marie. They need to be substantially submerged and they are better for soups and sauces than purees. Also, less mess if you immerse first and then turn it on.

Jazzfood wrote:The answer is just above: "transfer the food to a narrower vessel, so you have more depth to work with", such as a bain marie.

Yes, I think with the amount of liquid I had in the LC I should have transferred it to the beaker that comes with the stick blender. I don't think it was deep enough to work really well and I was being a little lazy. Lessons learned.

i don't understand the concern with nicking your pots. doesn't your immersion blender have a guard area around the blade, preventing the blade from hitting the inside of the pot?

like these: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=immersion+blender&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2???

with every immersion blender i've ever used, it's physically impossible for the blade to touch the vessel that the liquid is in, due to the guard that surrounds the blade.

elakin wrote:i don't understand the concern with nicking your pots. doesn't your immersion blender have a guard area around the blade, preventing the blade from hitting the inside of the pot?

like these: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=immersion+blender&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2???

with every immersion blender i've ever used, it's physically impossible for the blade to touch the vessel that the liquid is in, due to the guard that surrounds the blade.

I think the OP is saying that it's the blade guard (which is metal) itself that may be nicking the pot.

I have the same KA immersion blender and when I use it in my Le Creuset (the only cooking vessel I am really concerned about chipping), I start it off with the blade guard touching the bottom before turning it on. After I turn it on I pull it up and away from the bottom and move it around as necessary. Doing it this way gives you a good sense of how much force you need to apply to counteract the downward suction and makes it less likely that the blade guard will strike the surface of the pot as a result of not accounting for the force of the suction.

Like the members before me have said...it shouldnt be chipping your pan unless you're attacking it as if the blender were a pick-axe. I'd say practice with water in a medium sized metal pot so that you can see the bottom and know what you're doing...somehow you're doing it all wrong if you're chipping a pot with a small stick blender.

I actually had my immersion blender die sometime last summer and just got around to replacing it (thank you holiday sales) with the Kitchenaid one that grits is talking about with the metal blade guard (my last one was a Hamilton Beach or something with a plastic guard). I can attest that that thing makes some serious suction and will propel itself at surprising speeds to the bottom of a pot - it's extremely different than my previous immersion blenders.

I don't have any non-stick pans (and am too cheap to buy La Creuset) so it's not much of an issue to me, but I know exactly what grits is talking about.

-Dan

Jayz wrote:Like the members before me have said...it shouldnt be chipping your pan unless you're attacking it as if the blender were a pick-axe. I'd say practice with water in a medium sized metal pot so that you can see the bottom and know what you're doing...somehow you're doing it all wrong if you're chipping a pot with a small stick blender.

The Kitchenaid users have noted that it's actually pretty large, and the blade guard is metal so it won't take wielding it like a pickaxe to chip or scratch when it starts getting sucked into the vortex. Also, I'm using it at the lowest speed. If I took it up to 9 I'd probably be in the basement looking up at a hole in the ceiling. Luckily it doesn't go up to 11.

I guess you best bet then would be:

a. Get a plastic hand blender
b. Dont use the metal blender in your fancy pots (anything other than stainless steel).
c. Pour the liquid you're intending to blend into something that can't be damaged

Wait a minute: which KA hand blender do you have? Mine only has two speeds: the blade is well inside the guard, so it never touches the bottom of my pan (though there is some suction that pulls the metal guard down, just not with force) I wonder if it's the model...

Mhays wrote:Wait a minute: which KA hand blender do you have? Mine only has two speeds: the blade is well inside the guard, so it never touches the bottom of my pan (though there is some suction that pulls the metal guard down, just not with force) I wonder if it's the model...

I got this guy. Just to be clear, the blade is not touching anything. The blade is guarded and completely safe, and there's nothing wrong with the blender. I just need to practice a bit more and get the hang of it. Thanks for everyone's help.

http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KHB300 ... 984&sr=8-2

grits wrote:

Mhays wrote:Wait a minute: which KA hand blender do you have? Mine only has two speeds: the blade is well inside the guard, so it never touches the bottom of my pan (though there is some suction that pulls the metal guard down, just not with force) I wonder if it's the model...

I got this guy. Just to be clear, the blade is not touching anything. The blade is guarded and completely safe, and there's nothing wrong with the blender. I just need to practice a bit more and get the hang of it. Thanks for everyone's help.

http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KHB300 ... 984&sr=8-2

I have the same one; mine has 9 speeds and can create quite the vortex. Once you get the hang of the suction force, you should be good. As noted above, I would recommend starting it with the guard touch the bottom and then pulling up to assess how much resistance you need to give the suction.

Not strictly on-topic but the mention of the power some of these immersion blender has makes me want to remind people to watch their fingers.

I love my immersion blender and use it frequently for soups and sauces but also for pureeing/mincing food (for example, I make fish "burgers" for the kids by mixing pollack fillets with egg, boiled potato and seasonings with my immersion blender). In fact, it's so easy, quick and painless that I find myself forgetting that it's, well, a blender.

My manager at work was making/mixing a batch of holiday meatballs with his and found that some meat had wrapped itself around the blade. Working with greasy hands, he laid his blender on its side, tried to steady it with one arm and proceeded to pick at the entangled blade. He end up chopping off the tip of his finger (right behind his fingernail) when he accidentally pushed hard enough to turn the thing on.

It's common sense but always remember to either unplug your blender or disengage the blade if you ever find yourself needing to examine the blade!

We use our immersion blenders for smoothies and such but haven't used it in pans. That said, I unfortunately can't comment on how to avoid the nicks and spattering. But, I know that with my immersion blender, I can't imagine any nicks unless I'm down at the edge of the pan. The blades are pretty well protected on the sides. Can you use a deeper pan?I believe ours is Braun but I'll have to check when I get home.

Bridgestone wrote:Not strictly on-topic but the mention of the power some of these immersion blender has makes me want to remind people to watch their fingers.

I love my immersion blender and use it frequently for soups and sauces but also for pureeing/mincing food (for example, I make fish "burgers" for the kids by mixing pollack fillets with egg, boiled potato and seasonings with my immersion blender). In fact, it's so easy, quick and painless that I find myself forgetting that it's, well, a blender.

My manager at work was making/mixing a batch of holiday meatballs with his and found that some meat had wrapped itself around the blade. Working with greasy hands, he laid his blender on its side, tried to steady it with one arm and proceeded to pick at the entangled blade. He end up chopping off the tip of his finger (right behind his fingernail) when he accidentally pushed hard enough to turn the thing on.

It's common sense but always remember to either unplug your blender or disengage the blade if you ever find yourself needing to examine the blade!

There is some "How To Use an Immersion Blender" on the internet and the woman constantly touches the bottom of the stick when presenting and going over the features. Obviously the blender was off but even this presentation made me cringe since it was such an unsafe way of showing off the tool.

I sure would be careful around kids that are prone to picking up kitchen tools or aren't used to this one as well.

The Kitchenaid actually comes apart for storage so it would be difficult for a child to find this, plug it in, and get hurt. I love the storage bag on this model, BTW. I have it sort of crammed in behind my plates and some dog bowls and the storage bag keeps it upright and "grabbable." You store the top of the blender, the immersion stick, and the whisk in it. I'm going to give the whisk a try soon.

Thanks again, everyone.

Matt wrote:

elakin wrote:i don't understand the concern with nicking your pots. doesn't your immersion blender have a guard area around the blade, preventing the blade from hitting the inside of the pot?

like these: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=immersion+blender&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2???

with every immersion blender i've ever used, it's physically impossible for the blade to touch the vessel that the liquid is in, due to the guard that surrounds the blade.

I think the OP is saying that it's the blade guard (which is metal) itself that may be nicking the pot.

I have the same KA immersion blender and when I use it in my Le Creuset (the only cooking vessel I am really concerned about chipping), I start it off with the blade guard touching the bottom before turning it on. After I turn it on I pull it up and away from the bottom and move it around as necessary. Doing it this way gives you a good sense of how much force you need to apply to counteract the downward suction and makes it less likely that the blade guard will strike the surface of the pot as a result of not accounting for the force of the suction.

Thank you Matt, I tried the KA immersion blender again last night and just started out on the bottom of the pan. This worked much better. I also did not do what I was doing before, which was tip the pot so that I had deeper liquid along the side--it's not really necessary if you are sitting at the bottom of the pot already and it's too hard to control the blender with one hand. Being less nervous after getting some advice helped as well.

I used the attachment to chop a cup of nuts for pumpkin bread. It's nice to have something small to pull out for jobs like that.

I have some cream in the fridge...maybe I will try the whisk attachment and see how it does on whipped cream for the pumpkin bread.