Useful in the Kitchen: Stick Blender

After my beloved slow cooker, my next favourite cooking gadget has to be the stick blender. I think it’s one of those tools that everyone must have in their kitchen if they are remotely interested in food preparation.

There are of course many brands, some cheaper than others, and my advice is to choose according to the use it is going to have. If you will be using it a lot and for tough jobs like chopping and whipping cream for hours on end, you should invest in something with a sturdier motor. I had mine for 6 whole years before one day it just couldn’t take the abuse any longer and smoke started coming out of it! Literally. (Ok, that was a bit scary.)

Anyway I immediately replaced it, and since I got the same brand I was able to use all the accessories of the old one. That’s another issue you should look into when buying. How you can mix and match accessories. I find all mine are really useful, especially the whisk (I think it’s the most frequently used) and the small chopping container. The large container is also great for tomatoes when making sauce. The stick blender part is fantastic for making soups creamy and smooth right in the pan, and for blending up veggies in the slow cooker sauce that I want to hide from certain picky eaters. Ahem. Oh, and if you ever end up with a lumpy béchamel, this little device will save the day!