I love my immersion blender. Especially if you are short on space, it's handy because it saves you a lot of bulky dish-washing. I use it and then run it in a big plastic cup of soapy water to clean it. The only downside is that it can't handle certain jobs like crushing ice or large chunks of frozen fruit. BUT if you let the fruit sit for a little while in the milk or whatever you are using for your smoothie, it may get mushy/slushy enough to let the immersion blender handle it. I would definitely go with the immersion, then maybe a bullet later!

Should you buy a food processor or an immersion blender? Yes.

i agree, for smoothies and soups, immersion blender is best of the two. though, i would almost recommend getting a regular blender. that's the BEST for making smoothies. an immersion blender takes a lot of muscles to break down the frozen fruit (if you use frozen). we also used to use the food processor for smoothies because the immersion blender was too difficult, and liquid would seep out of the bottom of the bowl, because the inner "hole" where the blade goes is not the full depth of the bowl (kitchenaid).

so, BLENDER is my recommendation, not immersion blender OR food processor. there are few things that you can't do with a blender that a food processor and immersion blender will do....

I would recommend an immersion blender. I am fortunate to have both, but really anything you want to make with a food processor you can make with an immersion blender (but it might take a little more work). From working in restaurants, I can tell you both are great, but with an immersion blender you can make everything from smoothies to soups. I found one at a thrift store for I think $3.

I have an immersion blender that came with a mini food processor attachment -- that might be a good compromise for you? Cuisinart Smart Stick

While I love the immersion blender for certain tasks (pureed soup, ginger salad dressing), I've found it pretty impossible to use it on ice cubes or frozen fruit. It just doesn't make a dent if there's not enough liquid, and "enough" liquid is usually more than I had planned to add.

The mini food processor just doesn't measure up to a full one -- I'd love to have a full-size one to grate zucchini or cheese -- but it is useful for making breadcrumbs, salsa, etc.

I have the immersion blender in the first link above, and it's great. It comes with a whisk and a mini food processor attachment, both of which have been very useful.

I have a few recipes for pie dough that work best in a food processor, though, and I'm not sure how you'd do that with an immersion blender.

For what you mentioned, though, I'd go with the immersion blender (or both, in the case of the Cuisinart). Plus, it's so much easier to clean.

@KASCHWA, ah, I forgot about the whisk! I love it for making whipped cream and beating eggs.

In my transition from college to adulthood to family life, I had a blender, then a mini prep food processor (gift), then an immersion blender (hand me down), then a food processor (wedding gift). That progression worked for me and I recommend it, though a multitasker like the immersion blender that also has a blender jar or processor attachment could be a great way to go. I still use my blender more than any of the other items.

I too would vote for a straight up, full size (not single-serving) blender for frosty drinks, soups and purees. That seems the most practical for a college student. The food processor really depends on what you're trying to make. Its big advantage is dicing/shredding lots of food at once, saving a lot of hand/knife time. But if it's tiny, you're either making small batches anyway that you could replicate by hand or with a blender (e.g. pesto) or you're making tons of batches (I once made pumpkin risotto with my mini prep and it took forever). I never really needed or used my big food processor till I was making family sized portions of things. And the immersion blender, while taking up zero real estate and really handy for hot soup, doesn't do much else for me. In fact, when we moved two years ago, I mislaid it and haven't really missed it. A couple times I've made soup and halfheartedly looked for it, then just pulled out the blender.

I heartily second the immersion blender with tiny processor attachment idea. I love mine, and I think it cost $35 or so. It will enable you to do most of the things it's nearly impossible to do without a machine of some sort (like make smoothies or very smooth dips) and the things it can't do (shred cheese, thin slice veggies, knead bread etc.) are very manageable to do by hand.

I have a terrific full size food processor, and I love it, but if I was someone starting from scratch on a budget I'd no question go the stick blender route first, especially because it's about a 1/3rd of the price.

I don't make smoothies, so I won't pretend to be qualified to answer this, but I'd like to point out that Cuisinart makes a 4-cup food processor that I would (highly) recommend over the more common 3-cup models. It's not a lot of extra space (the footprint is about the same, at least), not too much more expensive, but quite a bit more versitile. I think you'd be surprised what a difference the extra cup makes.

i own a food processor, regular blender, and immersion blender.

maybe i'm doing it wrong, but my basic cuisinart immersion blender does a fine job with smoothies. mine are probably less frozen fruit and more liquid/fresh stuff, but i've had no problems. the stick blender is small and relatively cheap, which sounds perfect.

i do love my food processor, and there are definitely things for which that is a better tool. for example- this salad dressing recipe (http://preview.tinyurl.com/c82vae9) calls for a food processor, and that would have been far superior to the stick blender, IMHO.

i almost NEVER use my regular blender. i'm probably going to sell it at a yard sale this summer because i just don't see the point given how great the stick blender/food processor are.

Get a blender. I had been using a blender for everything for the longest time - soup, sauces, smoothies... and it works decently for all of these. I have a food processor now, but I still use my blender for making smoothies, which I do every morning in the summer.

Immersion blenders and food processors are specialty appliances. You can get them when you've moved on after college :)

And may I recommend hunting down a vintage Osterizer? They cost the same as newer blenders, but work much better, and look great.

Full sized blender = pitchers of frozen margaritas. And kahlua milkshakes. And fruity rum drinks. All staples of my college student diet from long, long ago.

You want a full sized blender.

I agree with most people: Cuisinart Immersion Blender. My gf makes smoothies with it all the time. Best part is that it comes with a plastic "cup" that you can dump the fruit in, blend, and drink.

(It also makes making mayo, salad dressing, and whipped cream dead simple.)

I echo the sentiment on going for a full sized blender. They are easy to clean, and you can do a lot more with it than you can the immersion blender. (i.e. slushy drinks to serve a crowd).

Our blender broke a couple years ago and we needed something in a pinch. We are also short on storage and counter space so we picked up a Cuisinart Immersion Blender the next day and we decided we never needed a blender again. I don't even miss it and it is so easy to clean. We use it almost every day to make smoothies, baby food, soups, coffee drinks etc. for a family of 5. We got a mini food processor for our wedding 8 years ago and I could probably count on one hand the amount of times we have used it and we cook from scratch A LOT. The immersion blender can do pretty much everything adequately enough and takes up less space.

I only have an immersion blender and I LOVE IT - but it does really different things than a food processor and I want one of those too. I've messed up quite a few reciepes by trying to use my immersion blender in the place of a processor.

If you have to pick between them I'd say get a full size blender. That can make everything from breadcrumbs to smoothies to soups (and margaritas!). BUT I just love my immersion blender for making soup, it makes it SO much quicker than transferring everything to a blender. And they're only like $20. Like @akay, I have one that has a mini food processor attachment (awesome for herbs, breadcrumbs, etc) and a whisk attachment (awesome for whipped cream, egg whites, etc) as well, so I use it all the time

Why can't we have both?" Seriously though, I have both, and would be hard pressed to choose between them. I love my immersion blender for soups, and other things I wouldn't want to ladle into the food processor/blender. I justified buying the food processor with two words - peanut butter. I would never want to handle that with an immersion blender, but it's too easy with a food processor.

Immersion blender. I have a blender, immersion blender, and food processor, and the immersion blender by far gets the most use. It takes a little more effort to use, yes, but it's so much easier to clean and store. Plus, if part of the smoothie isn't fully blended, you just aim for that part, instead of removing the lid, stirring, digging under the blades, and restarting like you would have to with a blender or food processor.

I have an immersion blender and a food processor and if I had to pick just one it would be the immersion blender. I use the processor for big jobs - chopping a lot of onions, pureeing chick peas for hummus and making pie crust. While I like having one it's the blender I use at least 3 times a week - for dressings, smoothing soups and sauces, making smoothies. My blender came with a whisk attachment and a mini chopper and they both get used pretty regularly.

the magic bullet! with attachments, can do anything! an don the cheap

i say both. the immersion blender is a very effective tool for the things it does, but you can't beat a food processor for the amount of work it does in my kitchen. namely, chopping stuff super fast! invaluable time saver. an immersion blender takes up very little storage space and you can try finding used ones (craigslist, Amazon, thrift stores, etc.).

Blender. Full-sized!

I love mine, and use it 10x more than I use either my immersion blender (messy, not powerful enough, doesn't achieve the same texture) or my food processor (which I only use for very specific tasks, like making dough or pesto).

Get a strong one with a metal base and a nice thick glass jug, and you'll have it forever.

Actually, I would by a nice blender - making sure that it is able to crush ice.

The small food processors have to be used in batches and I'm not sure if it would make a smoothie. An immersion blender is nice but as others have mentioned it is very messy. I almost never use my immersion blender and just use my blender. I second Charlie26 and suggest a glass container so you can put soup and/or freeze extra smoothies.

Immersion blender! Hands down. Especially if you are short on space and using primarily for smoothies, etc.

Some (like the Ninja model I have) even have an attachment for a food processor.

Morphy Richards makes a set that has a food processing container, a whisk attachment, and an immersion blender. It's called a "blend set" and is my go to appliance for things requiring blending or mixing.

for smoothies, nothing beats a normal blender!

also, mini-choppers are a waste of space. I have room for both the mini and regular food processors, but the mini is SO weak compared to the big daddy that I never use it.

Stick Blender is pretty much the only motorized gadget I use. Made gazpacho the other day using the blender and the cup it came with and it completely annihilated the ingredients in seconds. Blending a green soup does take a bit longer because it's in a saucepan, but it's still pretty quick. I would make sure to get the kind where there is a lower chassis that snaps onto the motor unit for easy cleanup. I've found the one piece stick blenders unreliable and fragile, but the two piece I have now has been running like a champ for a couple years now.

I've had an immersion blender for about 10 years and can count on one hand the times I've used it. A good blender will last ages and I think would be better for smoothies. My immersion blender makes a mess when I use it unless I have a very tall pot.

I had a regular blender, but ditched it in favor of an immersion blender when I moved. I use my immersion blender for soups, dips (hummus, baba ganoush), and pots de creme. I have used it a few times for smoothies, and as others have said, it works alright as long as the fruit is in small pieces and/or not completely frozen. I think the immersion blender actually works better than the regular blender for thicker things like dips, and it's way easier to clean. The immersion blender fits easily in one of my kitchen drawers, I don't have the space for a regular one in my NYC kitchen. I've considered adding a food processor for making crumbly things like dough for pie crusts and crackers, but I just do those by hand with a pastry cutter.