Updated: 14 May 2011

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Introduction

Hand-held stick blenders are just the thing for puréeing a soup or knocking up a smoothie. We put 6 to the test.

Hand-held blenders have advantages over traditional bench-top food processors and blenders. They're convenient, cleaning is easier and they take up less room in your cupboard. They're much cheaper, too.

Some of our tested models do more than just blend or purée – 4 also had attachments for chopping nuts, herbs and raw vegetables.

Models we tested

Checklist

If you're thinking about buying a hand-held blender, here's what to consider.

Features

All stick blenders can blend or puree soft foods. Pricier models have extra features:

• Whisk – for whipping cream and beating eggs.
• Chopper – good for chopping raw vegetables or grinding nuts (but only small amounts at a time). It's a separate unit similar to a small food processor. A rubber base on the chopper attachment will provide stability while you're using it.
• Pulse – useful for small quantities of dry food. Activating the pulse button gives you short bursts of power that help to distribute the load and ensure the food is uniformly chopped.
• Wall mount – for easy and accessible storage.

What to look for

Comfort
The blender should be easy to hold – so try out the grip to make sure it fits your hand. A non-slip grip makes it less likely the blender will slip from your grasp.

Ease of use
Controls should be large, easy to operate and clearly labelled. The on/off button should be within easy reach. The blender shouldn't be too heavy.

Ease of cleaning
The motor unit mustn't be placed in water – so look for a blender with a detachable blade or shaft. Dishwasher-safe attachments make cleaning even easier.

Safety
The blender should have a stop-release mechanism so that it will stop whenever you take your finger off the control button. All the models we tested had this.

Blade guard
There should also be a guard around the blade to prevent accidental contact. All the blenders in our test had one.