A hand blender is a very useful thing to have in the kitchen. They can be used for quick jobs, such as blending (obviously), chopping, making soups or purees. Most hand blenders also have whipping and potato mashing capabilities. The best hand blender, is one that is easy to store, easy to use and to clean.
In this guide we give you all the information for you to buy the best hand blender for you.
Are You Sure You Want A Hand Blender?
If you do lots of cooking and baking you might want to consider a food processor or stand mixer instead. They are bulkier and take up more space but, they are better for larger-scale kitchen jobs than even the best hand blender.
If you want somthing to make smoothies in, you may want to look in to the Vitamix A3500.
How Much Should You Spend On A Hand Blender?
You can pick up a basic blender for around £10. However, premium hand blenders can cost well over £100.
The cheaper hand blenders will be very basic and have a simple press-and-hold control button. They usually just come with the main chopping blade. More expensive hand blenders will have more speed settings and features. You can expect features such as a soft start, this stops your ingredients spraying all over your kitchen. Also, they will usually be made of higher quality materials and come with extra blades and accessories. These accessories may include a blending beaker, mini chopper, whisk or potato masher.
You don’t need to spend silly money on a good hand blender though – we’ve found a brilliant one from LINKChef for under £30.
The Best Hand Blender Considerations
To make sure you get the best hand blender for you, there are a few things to consider to help you with your decision.
Controls
You need an easy to press button. The size and weight of a hand blender can make them tiring to control for some people. Especially if it is difficult to get a good grip and reach the controls. Some hand blenders are easier to hold, as they have ergonomic handles. Some hand blenders are also made more comfortable with soft-touch controls.
Hand blenders at the lower end of the price range usually have only one speed. More expensive hand blenders have more speeds and modes.
What do you get?
You will be able to buy hand blenders with bowls and beakers that fit on to them. These will allow you to chop and blend with less mess and more convenience. You need to decide what you want to do with your hand blender. This is because you can buy ones with specific accessories to allow you to whisk, blend, chop, whip etc.
Power
You will often find the power of the hand blender mentioned in the product details, measured in Watts. However, a higher power doesn’t mean that it is a better hand blender, with regard to how well it works or how durable it is.
Run Time
The maximum run time of a hand blender can vary from as little as 10 seconds. The reason for this is that the motor can only run for so long until it over heats. A short run time will be fine if you just want to quickly blitz small amounts. But, you will need to know the maximum run time before you buy, to make sure it is sufficient for what you want to do with it.
Materials
Hand blenders with shafts made from white plastic can stain after a while. However, mots stains can be cleaned off with some vegetable oil. Therefore, you may want a hand blender with a metal shaft, these are less likely to stain. But, they are a bit heavier which may become tiresome for some people when blending big batches of soup for example
The Cord
The cheaper hand blenders may have short and inflexible cords. So you need to think where you will be using it and make sure it will reach your work area. You can buy cordless hand blenders. These are very useful, but they are more expensive, heavier and the battery will only power it for so long between charges.
The Best Hand Blender For You
Below, we have put together a list of the best hand blender in different price ranges. The best hand blender should be within your budget, but it should also tick as many boxes as possible, to allow you to create the food you want to with ease.
Sage By Heston Blumenthal Control Grip
Verdict
The Heston Blumenthal Sage blender, is also a food processor. Therefore, you get one machine that can perform a whole host of tasks. This compact design will let you blend, chop, whisk, mash and slice. Its parts are dishwasher-safe to make life even easier. It is quite heavy to hold for long periods of time and vibates and splashes a little when at full speed.
Pros
- Compact design for ease of storing
- Great instructions
- Dishwasher-safe
- Versatile
Cons
- Some may find it heavy to hold for a long period of time
- It makes quite harsh vibrations
- It splashes a bit at high speed
Kenwood Triblade HDP406WH Hand Blender
Verdict
The Kenwood HDP406WH is a hand blender with five attachments. It will allow you to blend, whisk, chop, mash and make soup. It is a very versatile hand blender, due to its attachments. However, you may find that you don’t need them all.
This hand blender has an easy-grip rubber at the top and your fingers naturally fall on the control buttons, so it is fairly easy to use. The attachments all work very well too. For example the chopping attachment can chop two onions at once with ease. The design of this hand blender makes it relatively easy to clean too.
If you have the cupboard space, this is a very product. However if not, this may not be the best hand blender for you.
Pros
- Powerful
- Versatile
Cons
- Lots of things to store
Dualit 700W hand blender
Verdict
If you’re looking for a great all round hand blender that is reasonably priced, then the Dualit DHB2 hand blender is a fantastic option.
Its accessories, speed control and turbo boost will do everything you need a hand blender to do. To make this even better, the necessary parts are all dishwasher safe. For the money this is could be the best hand blender available.
Pros
- Great accessory range
- Affordable price
- Adjustable speeds
- Value for money
Cons
- Food processor blades could be longer
- Chrome finish easily marked
Which one are you going to buy? Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.
