Immersion Blenders

[scubadoo97]

I have a bamix copy called the thunderstick

http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/thunderstick.html

it uses the same blade designs as the bamix and has worked well. I've had it a few years and I think it's nearing the end of it's life cycle. I will replace it with the real deal bamix. I like the design a lot and love the different blades. It is easier to clean than others I've had in the past. I still use my food processor for hummus since I can walk away while it blends my hummus to a very smooth consistency. I use my IB almost every week, mostly for making sauces, dressings and it's great for pureeing soups. I never really used the attachment food processor and grinder. I already have those and they work better at what they do.

[urbandiner]

I have this lovely Braun at home too.

It comes with a chopper unit -- great for chopping up garlic and onions for curry -- a large cup for smoothies, shakes and margaritas, and an attachment that's perfect for incorporating my creamy veggie soups.

Cheap, durable and easy to clean.

[Malawry]

Is there a decent cordless IB on the market?? I'm doing some demos in the next few weeks and may not have access to power supply at one of them.

[snowangel]

Rochelle, I don't have a clue about cordless IB's, but one could use a cordless drill with a drywall mixer attached. Call if you want to borrow them. I did use them once as an IB. (Then I went out and bought an IB.)

[deltadoc]

Is there a decent cordless IB on the market?? I'm doing some demos in the next few weeks and may not have access to power supply at one of them.

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Malawry, I think they're called egg-beaters. They have this little handle that you turn round and round, and the beater blades can go right into the liquid hot or cold!

Sorry, couldn't resist saying that!

I have the Bamix professional model, and I use it for smoothing out my marinara sauce.

It really works well, and has two speed buttons. I also use it for smoothing out califlower soup, although sometimes I kind of like the occasional little piece of celery or onion or cauliflower in the soup for some texture. But then other times I like the smooth creaminess of a Bamix-ed soup.

I also used it with its accompanying plastic jar for mayonnaise and it was the best and thickest I ever made. Never been able to get that kind of consistency and thickness ever before. And best of all, you can pop on the lid and keep the mayo in the fridge.

doc

[andiesenji]

Cuisinart makes this one.

I don't know how powerful it is or how long it will hold a charge. I find that manufacturers often inflate the estimates of time the charge will hold.

Cooking.com is selling it for $39.95 Cuisinart cordless.

I thought Black and Decker made one but haven't been able to find it.

There is this information.

Edited September 16, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Malawry]

Yeah, I saw the Cuiz version at Amazon.com and was considering investing. But now I'm reconsidering--if I have an IB I'd rather have the Braun professional. So maybe I'll just make something else for the demo with no power supply. (I was considering making a butternut squash soup.)

Snowangel, you just made me spit out my water.

[andiesenji]

I am bumping this topic up to report on the Wolfgang Puck Immersion Blender I mentioned back in early September.

I have used it quite a few times to prepare:

Mayonnaise

Marinades

Salsa

Puree soups: potato, carrot/sorrel, squash, bean, green pea, cucumber and beet(golden).

Milkshakes/smoothies

Puree fruits: peaches, apricots, plums, grapes(seedless), pears, applesauce/applebutter, mango and pineapple.

Except for the pineapple, it worked beautifully, the pineapple was okay but some of the fibers wound around the blade shaft and I had to remove it a couple of times.

I also used it successfully to cut butter into dry ingredients for a basic baking mix.

It has a 3 1/2 inch longer shaft (stainless steel) than the Braun. The controls are easy to use and the speed adjustment can be worked with the thumb of the hand holding the blender, instead of having to use the other hand as with the Braun.

The blender bowl has a greater capacity than the braun and it seems to blend faster.

It also has higher wattage, 550 watts, as compared to my (destroyed) Braun Turbo 400 watt.

I am very pleased with it. I can use it in my deeper stockpot without having to drag out the big one which is much heavier and requires two hands (for me) to use.

I would not hesitate to recommend it. For me it has been a very good buy.

Oh yes! I forgot to add, cleanup is extraordinarily easy, a drop of detergent in hot water in the blending tumbler, followed by hot plain water, remove the shaft from the motor and air dry.

Edited October 20, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Anna N]

I am bumping this topic up to report on the Wolfgang Puck Immersion Blender I mentioned back in early September.

. . .

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Thanks for this report Andie - if I had not just acquired a Bamix wannabe at a garage sale, I would be adding the Puck one to my Christmas list. I am loving the wannabe as it does a much better job at pureeing soups than my Braun. I have not yet had the opportunity to give it a full workout but that is in the future. I LOVE new toys -- especially CHEAP new toys.

[dls]

FWIW - Quite a few of the Puck IBs are listed on ebay for a "Buy It Now" price of $26.00 + $14 shipping.

[andiesenji]

FWIW - Quite a few of the Puck IBs are listed on ebay for a "Buy It Now" price of $26.00 + $14 shipping.

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That is a different model. Shorter shaft, plastic parts.

Mine is Model WPIB0010

I will post a photo.

Edited October 20, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[dls]

FWIW - Quite a few of the Puck IBs are listed on ebay for a "Buy It Now" price of $26.00 + $14 shipping.

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That is a different model. Shorter shaft, plastic parts.

Mine is Model WPIB0010

I will post a photo.

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Yep - You're right. Didn't notice the difference in the units.

Edited October 21, 2006 by dls (log)

[bigcat39]

I have the smallest Waring Pro... http://www.selectappliance.com/exec/ce-product/wa_wsb33

Boy, does it ROCK!

I do have bamix lust, tho....

[HKDave]

10 months after starting this thread, I'm still IB-less. There are limited options here. The only stainless shaft one would be a Bamix which would be a special order from Switzerland and cost US$150+ (can't order from the US, wrong voltage). There are a few retail ones from Braun and Phillips. The Braun looks the best, it's the 600w version and about US$60, so similar to US price. But, only plastic shaft; they don't bring stainless shaft models into Hong Kong.

Has anyone ever melted the plastic shaft on these, or is this nothing to worry about?

[andiesenji]

My Braun melted, the motor housing, the shaft and the blade shield, when it was left on the tile counter about 5 inches away from the fire chamber on my barbecue/smoker.

I was roasting 8 whole chickens in the larger, indirect heat chamber. The firebox was at well over 500 degrees. I had used the blender to blend the sauce for the chickens, unplugged it and left it there because I had my hands full when I went into the kitchen.

One of the reasons I got the WP is because it is all metal except for the rubber grip part.

[HKDave]

OK, but that would have toasted just about anything!

What I mean is, has anyone melted the plastic shaft in normal use, like blending hot soups on the stove?

[Kerry Beal]

10 months after starting this thread, I'm still IB-less. There are limited options here. The only stainless shaft one would be a Bamix which would be a special order from Switzerland and cost US$150+ (can't order from the US, wrong voltage). There are a few retail ones from Braun and Phillips. The Braun looks the best, it's the 600w version and about US$60, so similar to US price. But, only plastic shaft; they don't bring stainless shaft models into Hong Kong.

Has anyone ever melted the plastic shaft on these, or is this nothing to worry about?

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Check on e-bay for the bamix at a better price and the right voltage,

[beccaboo]

OK, but that would have toasted just about anything!

What I mean is, has anyone melted the plastic shaft in normal use, like blending hot soups on the stove?

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I had a Cuisinart plastic shaft one which my daughter broke, but not by melting it. I used it all the time for hot soups and it did fine.

I've read that the Braun ones are really good for their price.

[A Patric]

10 months after starting this thread, I'm still IB-less. There are limited options here. The only stainless shaft one would be a Bamix which would be a special order from Switzerland and cost US$150+ (can't order from the US, wrong voltage). There are a few retail ones from Braun and Phillips. The Braun looks the best, it's the 600w version and about US$60, so similar to US price. But, only plastic shaft; they don't bring stainless shaft models into Hong Kong.

Has anyone ever melted the plastic shaft on these, or is this nothing to worry about?

←

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that the kitchen aid IB that I have has a stainless steel shaft, and is not $150.

It works very well.

[andiesenji]

The KA does have a stainless shaft and blade guard but the shaft is much shorter than the one I got and the upper end of the shaft is in a plastic housing with a latch button that can't be immersed. If you look at the photo I posted above, you can see that the upper shaft housing is also stainless and is unbroken - the shaft twists off the motor housing - and the immersible portion is 10 1/2 inches. That is much more than on the KA. The KA 3HB300 is a 200-watt machine. I found it with the same package, bowl, whisk, etc. for $89.00 on Amazon, however the motor is not strong enough for my purposes. I had a KA and returned it to the local store (Target) because it stalled while I was pureeing pumpkin soup.

The Bamix Gastro, that has the longest shaft of that line which is 7 1/2 inches, is only 200 watts. I think it is overpriced.

My big blender is the Waring 55 commercial that has a 14 inch shaft but is much more expensive and it is heavy. I don't use it as much as I did in the past because I no longer do catering.

You can compare several blenders and read customer comments about them here.

I don't know about HongKong but there is a dealer in Taiwan who carries just about every brand found here and ships all over the world.

I can't find the site at the moment and don't recall the name but I will look for it.

Edited October 21, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Peter Green]

I just can't get comfortable with this term "IB".

It'll always be "Mr. Buzzy" to me and mine.....and they're great. It's seems like the second tool (after the knife) that I see the chefs going for in the demo classes.

[vilasman]

Another happy braun user here. I have the MCA 550 which i guess is 550 watts. It does have a lot of attachments. the little chopp jar, the big mixer smoothie jar, the ice crusher attachment, the whisk and the stick blender part. The motor housing part has a little wall holder that i will find a couple of inches of wall space to mount, maybe today.

This is my second Braun , my first is stlill working... i gave it to my mom.

I have seen people complain about the attachments.

I am a big milkshake drinker and it is more convient to pull the smoothie jar out dump ince cream in it, whiz it up and, when I am trying to impress/scare people i will put a draw in the smoothie jar, take out the blade and drink straight from the smoothie jar. When I am not trying to aggravate my wife in front of her friends I have several huge glasses that I dump it into. Whiz some soapy water in it, rinse and done. Not take it apart, the glass and the base go in the dish washer, the rubber parts get washed by hand and then you re-assemble and put away.

I make home made whipped cream, salad dressing and whip egg whites for various things. Grab the stick blender, I have a tall metal round bottomed mixie cup, drop the ingredients in it, whiz rinse and done.

I have the mini cusinart FP processor, (now regulated to grinding spices/mixing spice blends and chewing up brown sugar (the second coffee grinder locked up)) and I have a K/A FP with the 3 bowls. If I just need a little bit of onion,pepper... chopped it's a lot easier to pop that little chopper bowl together and chop chop, rinse and be done. Instead of the process of dealing with the processor.

Also , if you do it like we do it, there are times when you cook something to eat, while you are cooking a larger meal for guest or whatever or you cook something to eat while you are cleaning up a "tornado" ravaged kitchen like I am doing now, and I am getting hungery. The braun lets me prep some food for a side meal while my wife is cooking the main meal.

Oddly enough, i rarely use the main blender stalk attachment.

[Fat Guy]

My old Braun immersion blender passed away in December, after many years of valiant service. I recently grabbed a Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender (Brushed Chrome) for $29.95 but haven't yet opened the box and can still return it. Did I buy the right thing, or is there a superior product in that price range? Or, is it worth my while to go up in price to a different level of product?

[Old Timer]

My old Braun immersion blender passed away in December, after many years of valiant service. I recently grabbed a Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender (Brushed Chrome) for $29.95 but haven't yet opened the box and can still return it. Did I buy the right thing, or is there a superior product in that price range? Or, is it worth my while to go up in price to a different level of product?

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If I recall, the Cuisinart is a two speed model, which limits its usability.

How is the warranty?

Personally, I prefer the KitchenAid KHB300WH Immersion Blender.

It has full range variable speed and is quite powerful. 300 Watts, I think.

It comes with several attachments

Sugg. retail is $129.00 but if you check out price comparison sites like shopping dot com or shopzilla you can buy it for a lot less.

There are a few sellers on eBay who offer new units for $50-$60 as well.

In addition, the KitchenAid comes with a 1 year, no questions asked, free replacement warranty.

Edited February 3, 2007 by Old Timer (log)

[Fat Guy]

Here's the product page for the one I got: http://www.cuisinart.com/catalog/product.p...id=568&cat_id=8