Kitchen Essentials: Immersion Blenders
Iāve come to learn cooking isnāt only about flavor.
Itās about transformation. You prepare, change, and combine ingredients in a way that makes them tastier than they would be in their original state.
So itās also about what impacts the experience of eatingāof which texture plays a big role.
Iāve noticed this about chefs. They use their blender a lot more than we do at home. My guess is thatās because texture is so important to them. And because theyāre willing to take that extra step to transform ingredients.
A spoonful of an ultra-smooth mash is luxurious. A velvety purĆ©ed soup is decadent. And an emulsified sauce is fancy. š©š
But using a blender is a pain. Itās not the most convenient thing to break out when youāre cooking.
You bring out this hunky base from the cabinet. You attach the plastic container. You transfer hot food from the pan to the blender. You try not to make a mess in the process. But you do. You blend away praying hot food particles donāt erupt all over you. Then you transfer the liquid back to a pot and go about your business...And donāt get me started on cleaning the darn thing. š£
Thatās where an immersion blender comes ināaka a stick, wand, or hand blender.
Flat out, it makes it more convenient to blend hot food. And we are more likely to do something when itās easy to do. Thatās why itās on my Kitchen Essentials list.
Why Does an Immersion Blender Make It Easier?
It comes down to portability and control.
When you need to blend hot food, you donāt take the food to the blender but the blender to the food. You can blend butternut squash directly in the pot you steamed them in. You can blitz cooked onions, carrots, and celery in the same pan youāre sauteeing them.
And then thereās control. When you use an immersion blender, itās easier to not blend everything. Sometimes you donāt want ultra-smooth.
Take a Tuscan white bean soup. Itās normally on the ābrothyā side. But you can actually turn it creamy. And not by using cream. But by using your immersion blender. Itās a trick I learned from a long-time newsletter subscriber.
Stick your immersion blender into the pot of soup towards the end of it cooking. Then blend for a few seconds, moving it around here and there. And then stop. Youāre not blending the whole soup. You still want some chunks of veggies and beans. Instead, youāre only pulverizing some of the beans in order to give the soup body. Cool, right?
More Than Soups and Mashes
Immersion blenders are also pretty nifty for sauces.
Silky smooth tomato sauce? Pulverize your aromatics and tomatoes directly in your pot.
Hummus? (Okay, maybe not considered a sauce, but I treat it like one in my kitchen!) Boil pre-soaked chickpeas with a bit of baking soda, salt, garlic, and herbs (learn why you add baking soda). Drain out most of the water. Then stick that immersion blender right into the pot and go to townāafter adding some olive oil and tahini of course!
But donāt stop there. Hereās one of my favorite uses for an immersion blender: mayo. Making mayo by hand takes an absurd amount of whisking. So unless youāre as strong as a French grandmother, I say skip it. šµšŖ
That is unless you have an immersion blender.
Unlike using a normal blender which requires large quantities in order to blender properly, an immersion blender lets you create a reasonable amount of mayo. How? Well, you have to blitz it in a tall, skinny container that is barely wide enough to fit your immersion blender head. Why does that matter? It creates an optimal vortex that slowly incorporates the oil even when you dump all the oil in at once. This allows for proper emulsification without having to worry about gradually adding oil little by little. Itās a game-changer. Trust me. š
Going into more depth would be a newsletter all its own. So check out this video from Americaās Test Kitchen on making mayo with an immersion blender.
Getting An Immersion Blender
Immersion blenders are convenient, they take up minimal space, theyāre affordable, and they can still make your favorite breakfast smoothie!
So did I convince you?
If I did, I have a feeling youāre going to ask me what kind of immersion blender I recommend. Iām no product review expert myself. So Iād have to point you towards the professionals. See what Wirecutter, Serious Eats, and Americaās Test Kitchen all recommend.
While a good cook is more than their equipment, having the right equipment does make cooking more enjoyable. And if you ask me, a cook who enjoys cooking is a better cook.
Until next week,
Luciano šØāš³
P.S. Do you like equipment spotlights like this one?