Hand Blender

cmred

Hi
bought a v cheap hand blender in currys. Is it normal that the blade is shorter than the rim? cant get near a small amount of food in a pot
thankyou

Dizzyblonde

I've had a look at my Kenwood one and yes, the blade is a bit shorter than the rim.

cmred

thanks a mill. doesnt seem to make any sense but ill try it with humous tomorrow and see if it works

mick087

My hand blender is the same its a kenwood one, i have had it a few years.

Alun

On any hand blender I've ever seen this is the case. The blades are usually angled a little so that they act a bit like a propeller, sucking the food up towards the blades, so that's not a problem at all.

cmred

thanks all. should be able to get through some chickpeas! shall update if theres any probs as v good value at €12

rubadub

cmred wrote: »

thanks a mill. doesnt seem to make any sense

It allows you go right up to the side of a plastic container or metal saucepan without worrying about damaging the container or the blades.

If stuff is stuck on the sides I would scrape it off with a spoon and put it in the middle of your pot/container.

cmred

hi, well it blended into a humus eventually. daft question - all handblenders - you have hold the on switch down yourself? not allergic to a bit of effort - but 10mins holding a switch takes the goodness out of it!

Dizzyblonde

Yes, you do. I've never had one with an on/off switch

Outkast_IRE

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Yes, you do. I've never had one with an on/off switch

Yeah too dangerous , they are always designed these days with the button needing to be held down.

On another note, nothing should take 10 mins to blend , you either dont have enough liquid in the mix or you would be far better off with a mini food processor type attachement available for alot of brands which are better for making certain foods.

The blade is inset from the bottom because otherwise you would be eating chips of plastic, glass and metal from the blade hitting the bottom of the container being used.

cmred

thanks a mill, great advise. yes, thought 10mins to mix up a few chick peas was slightly excessive! shall get looking

the beer revolu

cmred wrote: »

thanks a mill, great advise. yes, thought 10mins to mix up a few chick peas was slightly excessive! shall get looking

I know our hand blender wouldn't make hummus. It works with more liquid things. I'd say I only use it for soup.
Food processor for hummus.

phormium

I only use hand blender for soup too, it's not the most efficient way to make something like hummous, a small processor would do it better, I got a great processor years ago in HS&M, it had one motor top but two containers one big and one small. Both have a double set of blades, great yoke altogether but haven't seen one since, I use it regularly for things like pate of various types which would be firm enough consistency too.

topdecko

need a food processor for hummus. Best piece of kitchen equipment i have ever bought was a 25e philips food processor. Still going strong a decade later. Essential piece of kit - hand blender has limited use IMHO - blending soups , whipping cream - but not as good as whisk in that regard.

make hummus weekly probably - much better than store bought.

harr

I got a cheap hand blender in Aldi a few years back and it works perfectly it came with a mini chopper attachment and whisk.
Clip off hand blender head and stick on the mini food processor. It was about 20 quid. The mini food processor
Attachment is so handy for Hummus

Alun

the beer revolu wrote: »

I know our hand blender wouldn't make hummus. It works with more liquid things. I'd say I only use it for soup.
Food processor for hummus.

Yes, I'd also use the hand blender almost exclusively for soups. If I make hummus, I use a mini blender/food processor.

Having said that, I can't really see the difference, so maybe it's just down to using too little oil/lemon juice/tahini? I usually pay little heed to the amounts in recipes, so just add the liquids until I get the consistency I like. If you don't add enough, it stays very grainy and rough.

Tree

Food processor for pastes, stick blender for soups and sauces here too. I traded up from a mini chopper to a heavy duty magimix recently, it does make smoother hummus but the mini chopper was decent for it too.

Mr.Crinklewood

Apologies for bumping old thread, just looking for recommendations on a hand blender.

Primary use will be home made soup

Thanks

Tree

They're mostly much of a muchness. I got a fancy Braun one a few years back and it's smashing, varialble spin rate and comes with a whisk attachment, and the stick goes in the dishwasher (I don't use any other attachments). Had a Kenwood for 15 years before that that probably cost me £25 in Roches Stores and it was great, all in one yoke, good long wire on it.

Mr.Crinklewood

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119029435#Comment_119029435

Thank you

Alun

One thing I'd suggest is to get one with a stainless steel "stick" rather than a plastic one, much sturdier. I have a Bosch CleverMixx 600 which is great, a good bit more powerful than some of the cheaper plastic footed ones which are usually 300-350W. Power City have it now for €34.95.

https://powercity.ie/product/MSM26

Tree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119031433#Comment_119031433

The high wattage is definitely a good move. Make absolute mincemeat of what you're blending, makes for even smoother soups (blend all soups for thirty seconds longer than you think, it ends up really creamy)