Stephanie's Kitchen Drawer: Immersion Blender

Three small kitchen appliances were part of the few items I brought with me when we moved to Queens.  One of those was my red KitchenAid immersion blender, as pictured above.  Why do I have an immersion blender when I can use a blender?  It saves valuable kitchen storage real estate.  My immersion blender can be used to mix and chop food while it is in the bowl, pot, or pan I was preparing it in.  When I make refried beans in my pressure cooker, or when I made them in the slow cooker I once had, I was able to remove liquid and blend the beans without moving them.  I have made broccoli soup and potato soup and used the immersion blender to blend the ingredients in the stock pot instead of pouring them into a blender and back into the pan.  I even used Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" mayonnaise recipe to make homemade mayonnaise with my immersion blender.  I like that my immersion blender has a blade shaft that comes off and offers a small piece to clean instead of a blender pitcher and blade when I used a blender.  This morning I used my immersion blender for making the popover batter because it was an early morning and the immersion blender is a lot quieter than my full size blender.  Whether you would like one or not, consider buying one with multiple speed settings, and a blade shaft that is removable and easily cleaned.  Many immersion blenders now have various attachments, whether you pick one of those is up to you.