Years in the past, when I discovered of the existence of home-kitchen immersion blenders, I obtained so excited that I purchased three of them: one for myself and one every for my mother and my sister. How might you not go wild for a handheld device that might virtually immediately flip a can of Campbell’s Chunky into one thing clean and silky? 

Immersion blenders have change into reasonably priced and fairly indispensable instruments within the years since then. They all work roughly the identical means. The enterprise finish is a spinning blade on a shaft that clips into the highest half, a mix of motor and controls, all concerning the measurement of an extra-tall can of White Claw. The wire normally emerges above your hand, which appears odd, however you barely discover it. One of the primary glories of  immersion blenders is that you do not have to switch boiling soup from its pot to a full-size jar blender to probably one other pot to mix it. Just plunge the blade into the pot you cooked it in and begin mixing. It’s nice for soups of many stripes and is especially sturdy for selfmade mayo, hollandaise, and dressings. I like utilizing mine to whip up quick-and-dirty batches of herb sauces like salsa verde.

When you are performed, tuck the blade shaft within the dishwasher, wrap the ability wire across the high and slide it right into a utensil drawer, then go about your day.

Some immersion blenders—also called “hand” or “stick” blenders—work higher than others, however I’ve at all times admired their usefulness and worth. I married right into a fundamental Braun that was sufficiently old to wish duct tape to carry the whisk attachment collectively and difficult sufficient to maintain chugging for years afterward. Testing Braun’s MultiQuick 7 in 2020 demonstrated refinements in energy, management, and consistency of the completed product. For instance, the bell-shaped dome over the blade, together with your personal good sense, retains splatter to a minimal.

This was the completely happy historical past I stored in thoughts when testing the brand new cordless immersion blender from All-Clad. The firm is finest recognized for its pots and pans, nevertheless it seems it’s additionally been making different kitchen gear, together with immersion blenders. Between that and the cordlessness, a brand new function in some kitchen home equipment, I used to be intrigued.

The All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Stainless Steel Hand Blender is available in silver or black and works similar to its corded brethren. The high half, which you maintain, has controls to show it on and off and to regulate velocity. For charging, you set it into its matching dome-shaped countertop charging station. It would not take a lot of a artistic thoughts to assume that it seems like a big, shiny dildo nestled in between the KitchenAid and the microwave, one thing that is exhausting to unsee.

Nevertheless, I buzzed via testing rapidly and simply. On a go to to Vancouver to see my mother-in-law, I made vichyssoise—potato-leek soup—deliberately leaving the leek chunks bigger than I ought to must see if that would go away stringy bits far and wide, however the All-Clad powered via, leaving liquid velvet in its wake. Ditto for utilizing it as a completion for Thanksgiving gravy. No lumps right here! Among reviewer colleagues at different publications, I’ve seen All-Clad’s immersion blenders, each corded and cordless, get some slack for being a bit unwieldily, and whereas it is definitely not as intuitive or snug because the ski-grip deal with and variable-speed set off of the MultiQuick 7, this one felt OK contemplating that it is cordless. One peculiar factor that can sound a bit contradictory following that was that I could not resolve find out how to grip it. “Away” from me, clamping it between my thumb and forefingers and utilizing the thumb to show it on and off, or curled into my hand with the ability button beneath my fingers. Neither was notably snug. Oddly, once I requested a rep about this their response was basically, “Whichever!” which made me want it had been designed someway.

Over the winter, I leaned into the cooler climate and made butternut squash soup with ginger. Like leeks, that ginger might have posed an issue, however the completed product was a pleasing, warming soup, a hearty blast when the daylight was minimal.