10 Fabulous Ways to Use An Immersion Blender

If you’re thinking that an immersion blender is used primarily to puree soups, get ready to be amazed.  Not only is an immersion blender (also known as a stick blender or a hand blender) space saving when it comes to storage, it’s got tons of uses that you may not realize.

10 Fabulous Ways To Use An Immersion Blender

Baby Food

If you prefer to know exactly what’s going into your little one’s baby food, you’ll appreciate being able to make your own in a flash.  Simply puree cooked fruits and vegetables then portion them into servings and freeze until needed.  And, you’ll save tons of money!

Beating Eggs

When it’s time to make an omelet or scrambled egg sandwiches, using an immersion blender to whisk the eggs is especially smart for two reasons:  the whites and yolks of the eggs are guaranteed to be uniformly combined, and your scrambled eggs will have the fluffiest texture you’ve ever experienced.

Pesto and Chimichurri Sauces

Do you enjoy making summer pestos and chimichurri sauces when your herbs are in full swing? If so, an immersion blender might just be your new BFF.  A quick whirl transforms fresh herbs and olive oil into a nice sauce for your pasta or a topping for grilled meats.

Pureeing Soups

I’ve heard it said that this is an immersion blender’s true calling, and I believe it. Transferring hot soup to a food processor bowl isn’t exactly easy and doing so runs the risk of a kitchen disaster. Stay safe and use an immersion blender instead.

Apple Sauce and Apple Butter

I love to make applesauce and apple butter the super fast way:  in my electric pressure cooker (aka The Instant Pot).  After cooking the fruit for just a few minutes under pressure, I can puree it to an ultra-smooth consistency with my immersion blender…..NO apple peeling required, either. J

Sauces and Dressings

Whether it’s gravy or cheese sauce, the bottom line is NO LUMPS.  And for emulsifying vinaigrette dressings, the immersion blender makes it a snap.  Homemade mayonnaise is even within range – just 3 ingredients needed.  When my sons were little, they didn’t like chunky tomatoes; instead of battling over it, I’d use my immersion blender to transform the chunks into a smooth tomato sauce.

Fruit Smoothies and Milk Shakes

These are uber-easy, fast, and frothy when made with an immersion blender. And don’t be afraid to tackle frozen fruit or ice cubes, either – they are no problem.  I find that cleaning up my immersion blender is much easier than cleaning up the blender, too.

Better Batters

If you’re a fan of big, fluffy flapjacks, ditch your whisk for an immersion blender, pronto!  Emulsified, frothy batter equals fluffy pancakes for Saturday morning breakfasts, and in short order.

Jams and Coulis

Did you know you can crush berries using an immersion blender? My family is a huge fan of strawberry freezer jam so instead of using a potato masher to crush my strawberries,  I now whip out my stick blender.  Sometimes I even make a quick raspberry coulis by crushing the raspberries with a bit of lemon juice, lemon zest and some sugar, then strain out the seeds.  Delicious over waffles in the summer!

Savvy Salsa

My family adores salsa, but again, they just aren’t fans of big chunky tomatoes.  I’ve discovered that if I toss in onions, garlic, jalapenos, chipotle sauce, cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice first, THEN add the tomatoes on top, I can puree the salsa quicker due to the liquid from the tomatoes. Just use a narrow, tall dish and move the immersion blender up and down as you puree.

************

To test out your immersion blender skills, I highly recommend this Flat Iron Steak with Fresh Chimichurri Sauce recipe! The sauce makes ALL the difference!

Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli

**This post contains affiliate links, but I only recommend products and tools that I know you’ll love!**