Hand blender vs normal blender?

Kilty_2

I want a blender for making soup - carrot and coriander is a favourite.

A hand blender is only about £4 in Tesco and was what I was going to buy, but I'm also considering an actual blender which has it's own jug and stuff, at £17.99 from Aldi.

Big difference in price - but is it worth the extra since it's less likely to make a mess and I'd also be able to make smoothies with it and stuff?

wannabehermit

I have both. My jug blender (Breville) has been sat in the cupboard for a few years apart from the odd outing for breadcrumbs. My hand blender (Tesco value, £2.99 5 and a half years ago) is used weekly. Hand blender is easier to use, easier to wash and blends a lot better than the jug one.

Kilty_2

That's the kind of response I was looking for

Unless you want to sell that jug blender for a pittance

Flibsey

I miss y hand blender. I bought a food processor with a jug blender attatchment and don't use it as often as my hand blender was used... and in fact I have been borrowing my friend and neighbour's hand blender lol... she borrows my slow cooker hahahaha.

Gingerbiscuit_2

You can make smoothes with both, but the stick is better for soup etc without having to wash the jug and pan out. Where if you want a smoothy can throw in jug and do that way, also stick takes up much less room in the cupboard and you only wash the end bit. If you can cope with having to lift it up and down its much better and more versatile.

outofmoney

I'd agree with above. I have both. Made soup yesterday and was about to get my processor and jug out then re thought it. I would have to lift a heavy pan and pour the contents into the jug. I'd need to do this several times with the amount I had. Then find something to put it in whilst I blended the rest. Before eventually returning to the pan to heat back up later.

I picked up the hand blended, stuck it in the pan and 5 minutes later all was done. Sooooo much easier!

louise3965

I have both but use the hand blender most as its soo easy to clean - just a rinse under the tap usually. I blemded my carrot and corriander soup today and it was lovely!

Kilty_2

Hand blender is winning big time then.

Anywhere cheaper than £4.13 at Tesco?

CH27

A hand blender is best for soup IMO.

Mrs_Chip

Another thumbs up for the hand blender - far easier to deal with a pan of soup than a jug blender. And if you can find a tall container to use it with it will blend smoothies, breadcrumbs, batter etc whithout them going everywhere.

sinister_nutmeg

Yes, definitely, hand blenders are very versatile and you don't resist getting them out to use as they're small and easily cleaned.

In my experience, though, the extremely cheap ones are made of a plastic that is more prone to warping in heat. I had a value range one that ended up shredding itself :eek: because we used it in hot soup and the end part sort of squished out of shape into the path of the blades. Obviously if you're more sensible than us and use it on things only when they're cooled that's not an issue. And of course they may have changed the type of plastic these things are made of since I had that problem several years ago. But it might be worth looking for a good deal on a metal hand blender if you are impatient like me!