5 simple ways to use hand blender

Some call it immersion blender, wand blender, stick blender but I call it hand blender. A hand blender is a kitchen gadget that has so many names with one function- it is a kitchen blade grinder used to smooth sauces, puree foods in a pot and even whisk eggs.

Hand blender as the name implies is a gadget that is held in the hand and inserted into the food you want to blend. This blender has an electric motor, driving the rotating cutting blade at the end of the shaft. The blades at the end of the shaft are very sharp and can be used to cut through fruits, vegetables, and some hard food.

There are quite a lot of recipes that require the use of a hand blender and this includes; soups, cooked beans or peas. As well as, vegetables, salad dressings, salsas and homemade smoothies. 

They can also be used to smooth out a lumped soup on the stove. Isn’t that lovely! This gadget usually comes in handy while preparing meals in the kitchen.

Additionally, the hand blender fits just anywhere because they are quite small. No matter how tiny your kitchen is, space is not an excuse. One of the other reason I like this gadget is the speed at which it blends. Some of the recipes take less than one minute to blend. So fast!

This post will enlighten you more on how to use this awesome kitchen gadget and 5 simple food you can use it for.

How to use a hand blender

Firstly, if you just got your hand blender, you should assemble it using the manufacturer’s guide. It’s quite easy, most hand blenders come in two part- the upper part and the lower part. All you have to do is just screw them together or snap it together.

ALSO CHECK: hand mixer and hand blender which one is the best for your kitchen

Secondly, you should charge the battery before use. That’s obviously for the hand blenders that are battery operated.

The next step is immersing the head of the blender into the container or pot you are blending in. Hold on to the blender by the grip, at a slight angle and not too close the bottom of the container. You don’t want it to touch the container.

Lastly, switch the blender on and blend to your taste. If you are blending with a large container, for smooth blending, you can move the hand blender to every part of the container.

After blending, detach the hand blender shaft from the handle and wash.

5 simple uses of a hand blender

Puree tomato sauce

One of the things I do in the first quarter of the year is stocking my kitchen. When it comes to tomato sauce I prefer homemade ones to canned tomato sauce. All I have to do is get fresh tomatoes from the store, cut into a smaller bit and use my hand blender to give me that smooth sauce.

Smoothie and milkshake

One of the gadgets that save me time when preparing my breakfast is the hand blender. I use this blender for my smoothies and milkshake in the morning. The interesting part is the ability of the blender to break ice cubes. There is nothing like taking a chilled smoothie without stress.

Whipped cream

This is a very simple use of the hand blender because it prepares your whipped cream in just 30 seconds. Yipeee! I don’t break a sweat when it comes to this recipe, after adding the sugar and cream, I just leave the rest to my blender.

Beating eggs

Yes! You can beat your eggs with a hand blender and save the stress from whisking and beating with a fork. All you have to do is break your scrambled egg, omelet or frittatas in a container. Then insert your hand blender and the result will be a fluffy egg.

Blending pancake batter

The fifth on my list is the best reason why I use the hand blender.

I like pancakes so much and I try as much as possible to avoid lumps in the batter. But with my hand blender am so sure there can never be lumps. After using the hand blender, I just transfer my batter from the blender to the hot griddle. Stress-free and fast

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Hand blender maintenance

Always wash the blade of the blender immediately after use. You can scrub with a sponge and wash with hot water.

When blending soups or hot dishes, let the soup cool before blending. You don’t want a hot soup to spatter on your skin while blending.

Always blend your food or sauce in a larger container. While blending, air enters what you are blending and it tends to rise, therefore, give room for the rise by blending in bigger containers.

Lastly, when blending smoothies with ice, crush the ice into smaller pieces before adding them into the smoothie. The hand blender will not crush large size of ice.

Your turn! Tell us what you use your hand blender for.

Source: ejitex