Published March 1, 2006.
Hand blenders claim to be a more efficient alternative to food processors. But could any pass our pesto test?
A hand, or immersion, blender can save time and effort: no need to blend in batches, no need to wash a food processor—just rinse it off and toss it back in the drawer. But which brand is best? To find out, we gathered seven models, priced between $13 and $70, and put them to the test. All seven blenders whirred the chunks out of our marinara sauce easily, so we upped the ante. Pureeing broccoli soup was a more telling task: A few models finished the job in just 30 seconds, while the weaker blenders were still batting around small chunks after a minute. (Several manufacturers advise against continuous running for more than a minute.) What separated the movers from the shakers was pesto. Only our top blender dispatched the herbs and nuts in quick order.
