tips & tricks: immersion blender
while i do believe that money does not buy you happiness, money DOES buy you really great kitchen tools to make your life easier. i'm actually a bit shocked it has taken me so long to talk to you about immersion blenders because it was the first cooking tool i bought, but i guess there is no better moment than now.
i can not sing the praises of immersion blenders enough. before i bought a food processor or my stand mixer, i ran out to sur la table and bought a $39 kitchenaid version that lasted me YEARS. now now, calm down. i'm going to tell you why the hell you need such a tool that you have likely never heard of. well, here is why.
at it's most basic, the immersion blender is a tool to puree things with out having to transfer your food to a blender or food processor. you literally stick the end of the immersion blender into your food and blend the hell out of it. or just blend it a little bit if that is how you roll. the first thing i used it for was for smooth soups like butternut squash and potato leek. but now, it does so much more in my kitchen.
many of the options for sale come not just with a blender attachment, but also with a whisk. in some cases (if you spend a bit more money) you can get one that has a blender cup attachment (built in food processor) and a larger cup with a lid that you can blend up drinks in and store.
i use it to puree sauces like my coffee bbq.
and i use the additional blade and cup attachment as a food processor to blend up fruit for my tasty cakes. basically, if you can dream it up, the immersion blender can handle it.