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I logged in but I can't answer the survey (even after re-loading).

Anyway, I use a food mill.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for an immersion blender?

The Cuisinart immersion blender pictured is available for pretty cheap at Amazon and, really, it's worth it for soup alone. Not having to get burned making the before pot to blender to after pot transfer, not making a mess putting too much into the blender and having it erupt, not fouling counters, stovetops, and potholders... I gladly paid under $30 for such joys. And then I get to use for everything from gravies to hot cocoa and frosty drinks.

I don't a recommendation for a specific immersion blender, but I can recommend that buy one like the cuisinart pictured that is metal down where the blade is. Mine is plastic and it melted in the soup. I don't know what possessed them to make that part plastic.

I use a basic kitchenaid immersion blender and I wouldn't go with anything else. It's ridiculously easy to clean and since I got it, I hardly ever pull out the big blender. If I want to make one or two smoothies, I use a wide glass and I can put it right in and blend, then clean up in no time. If I want to do soup I don't have to wait for it to cool a bit, stick it in the blender, dump it back out, and then clean the jar, blade, etc. It's also great for doing cooked salsa. My cheap immersion blender gives a much better texture to the salsa than any sub-$100 blenders that my friends have.

I know I said it twice, but cleanup is so much better. Just stick it in a cup of soapy water, blend, and then rinse. Perfectly clean.

I like things chunky, but I'm also kind of terrified of using a blender to puree soup. I've used the food processor with gazpacho, but I am the world's biggest klutz and seem to injure myself cooking a couple of times a week. So the idea of pouring hot soup into something which might not hold it seems like a very very bad idea.

The discount on that immersion blender is really, really tempting, though... I am fighting off the impulse buy.

I care about my immersion blender so much, I finally registered (after reading AT for more than a year.) just so I could comment on it! I use mine all the time. I have a Kitchen Aid immersion blender and it makes soup making so much easier. No transferring of hot liquids. I use it all summer for smoothies, too. It's really easy to clean, does not take up a lot of space. . .what's not to love?

I've never made my own pureed soup before, but I don't believe the immersion blender is a one-trick pony! While I was in university it was the only blending device I owned, and I used it for everything. Smoothies, dips (especially hummus!) breadcrumbs...I prefer it to my stand blender since its easier to clean and requires no transfer of whatever I am blending from the bowl it's already in.

I thought the immersion blender was a waste of space until we had a baby. Genius. I was totally converted. It works for almost everything although for a perfectly smooth and fiber-free puree you need to go with a food mill.

Plus easy to clean.

I hope to buy an immersion blender soon, because just last week I burned myself trying to blend the tomato soup slink'd here on TheKitchn. The lid popped off spraying me and my kitchen. My "stand" blender died, but my Bullet blender did the trick, once the soup cooled.

I never used my immersion blender until this winter when I really started to make soups from scratch. Love it -- SO easy to use. I have the Cuisinart one.

It's such a hassle to pour the soup into another receptacle and then pour back -- especially if you have to do it in batches.

I have an ancient Braun immersion blender. I'm not even sure how old it is - my dad gave it to me when I first had an apartment during college (1997), but it wasn't new then. He didn't use it much, though (which is why he gave it to me).

Anyway, it came with a little "mini-processor" bowl, and between that and the blender itself, it's WAY more than a one-trick pony. Breadcrumbs, finely chopped onions/carrots/celery, chopped nuts - all are much easier in the "mini-processor". And (before I had a mixer), I even used the immersion blender for making banana bread dough.

Plus, I use it for everything that should mix, but doesn't want to (gravy, hot cocoa, puddings). It's really a lifesaver!

Another vote for the Braun immersion blender. Mine 's a >10 year old model, bought gently used for $5! Sweet.

I've tested out both the immersion blender and my stand blender for a soup exchange. I was much happier with the results of the stand blender surprisingly. I was making an asparagus leek soup and I felt that the stand blender did a better job of really liquefying the leeks. I'll be sticking with my Breville stand mixer in the future.

I have a Braun immersion blender, which I use if I'm feeling lazy, but it doesn't make the soup as silky-smooth as the stand blender. I just do my soup in small batches (blender a little under half-full) and I don't have blender-exploding-mishaps (but I had to learn the hard way :).

If you do get the immersion blender, it's useful to get the mini-food processor and whipping top attachments, so that you can use it for more things.

Thanks, everyone! I think I'll probably go with the KitchenAid. I just hope I don't end up scratching my Le Creuset. Perish the thought!

I use Magic Bullet to puree anything but NOT SOUP, I like my soups "chunky" (well, my soups are mostly chicken noodle or bortsch)

I've seen quite a few accidents with hot liquids in blenders in the restaurant kitchen where I used to work, so I'd go for an immersion blender on that alone! I have the KitchenAid immersion blender, and I love it. My favorite things about it are the variable speed control, and I can remove the blending shaft from the motor for easy cleaning (you can even toss it in the dishwasher - although a quick rinse at the sink usually does the trick).

I haven't used it for soups, but I have used it on several occasions for making fresh fruit sauces right on the stove top, drinks or smoothies, and I plan to use it to make baby food.

Immersion blender all the way.

The footprint is so small (we keep ours in a corner of a cupboard right by the door), and it's tons safer than transferring hot (chunky) liquids to a foodpro or blender.

We just replaced our plastic Krups with a nice, metal Kitchenaid and have been very pleased.

They also work well for emulsifying salad dressings and making (the obvious) smoothie.

And, as a bonus, you can make David Lebovitz's easiest chocolate ice cream (wow, amazing).

I use a food mill. It's a bit fussy, but certainly much safer and easier than a blender or food processor. That said, the comments make a persuasive case for an immersion blender.

Glad you came out of the shadows, albgal! Welcome :)

I also highly recommend the immersion blender; that thing purees soup in a snap! Didn't think to use it for hot cocoa; will have to try it!

I use a Bamix hand blender and it's one of the best kitchen investments I've made. It's commercial-quality (I think) - seems more so than the Cuisinart. The thing does a LOT. Crushes ice for drinks and smoothies, whips cream - everything the blender did and then some. The only thing I'd need a blender for is large batches of crushed ice. Oh, and the immersion blender is MUCH easier to clean - just "blend" a cup of hot soapy water and you're done.

I'm in the market for a new stick blender - I haven't had one in a while and have been putting hot soup in the blender regularly lately. Kitchenaid people, which of these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_0_25?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=immersion blender kitchenaid&x=0&y=0&sprefix=immersion blender kitchen

Whoops, use this link instead:
http://tinyurl.com/adzzmr

Love my immersion blender, a plugin Kitchen Aid that has been wonderful. I can justify it because I puree soup at least once a week, but as many others have said, it is also perfect for smoothies, gravy, and cleanup couldn't be faster. I've saved myself so many burns and so many kitchen splatters.....

as of now, I use my knife skills to finely chop everything and a spoon/spatula to mash it once it's cooked... but I've been lusting after a good food mill. no electricity needed!

I have one of those ancient Brauns, and like any ancient appliance it takes 20-30 seconds to "rev-up" as the bearings re-lube.

I am lusting after the kitchen aid KHB300 with attachments. As for electricity vs. sweat, I will take electricity. Yes, I am not pure, but compared to all the other appliances, this will be used less than a blow dryer, and hopefully save on 2nd degree burns. 65% of my electrons come from lower-guilt hydropower in my city.

And yet another for the Braun immersion blender, especially if you don't need to make a lot of food at once. It has a small bowl food processor included which allows you to do double-duty with it. You can also get a blender and ice crusher attachment. It takes the place of a lot of infrequently used appliances.

I've had my trusty Braun for 13 years now but have been checking out the Bamix as a future purchase if the Braun ever dies on me.

BTW, my food processor (Kitchen Aid) has a low freeboard on the main bowl (under the blade, like about a 1.25-inch of submersion.) Sure, it will work, but a blender or immersion blender will do better, unless you like cleaning the top, cup insert, blade, the bottom, and maybe the motor unit if you over-fill it.

Another two cents.

Funny this post came up today. Just last night I was making potato leek soup, and thought hey, lets puree it in batches in the magic bullet (I'm cooking for one). Intelligently, I forgot that steam expands, and proceeded to ladle hot soup into said bullet. KABOOM! Scalded forearms and potatoey walls ensued. Not smart.
I reckon its time for an immersion blender...

Between making soups and smoothies, I use my cheap little Braun immersion blender almost every day. After the stove and espresso maker, it's probably my most-used appliance. I can't even fathom how I'd go about pureeing a huge pot of soup in a blender. If I owned a blender, that is.

I have a braun immersion blender, with the whip attachment and the mini chopper - I got it for $25 but now the only way to get one with the attachments is to buy the $100 one. It's the only gadget I use consistently.

I had an immersion blender but it broke, and it just didn't do as good of a job as the stand one. I open the pour lid every few seconds to let out steam so I don't have to worry about exploding soup.

I actually have two immersion blenders. One is a cheapy toastmaster one that has been going strong for 5 years (don't think I spent more than 10 bucks on it). I recently got a cuisinart one with the whisk and chopper attachments. I love them both and they get a lot of use.

Get a good stainless steel immersion blender that comes apart so you can clean it. I use mine constantly. No need to haul out the big heavy food processor or the blender that can't usually hold all the soup--just more things to wash. Plus, the soup stays hot in its own pot so you don't have to warm it back up.

If you use a food processor it will all leak out when you try and take it off the stand. ick! I like my trusty little hand blender.

I have a braun immersion blender that I think my parents got so I could make smoothies for myself after school in junior high-- I'm in college now and I still use it at least once a week. If I had the counter space I might consider a regular blender, but my stick blender is just so easy to clean and store. I remember it came with a special wide cup to blend in, but that's been missing for a long time and I just use my five cup french press beaker instead for smoothies and blended drinks. Otherwise the blender goes straight into hot soup pots, skillets of tomato sauce, and mixing bowls. My favorite thing- crumble some feta cheese into a bowl, add a jar of roasted red peppers and some oregano and go at it with the stick blender. It's good as a dip, on sandwiches or even tossed with hot pasta.

Another vote for an immersion blender (mine is also a Braun with the nifty attachments).

I borrowed an immersion blender once when I was doing a soup swap and had a large quantity to blend. I was pretty unhappy with the job it did and ended up doing batches in my stand blender anyway. It just didn't incorporate everything into a nice smooth, thick soup the way I wanted. Maybe it was the quantity? Although it's a hassle, I begrudgingly vote for the stand mixer.

One episode of cream of asparagus soup all over my kitchen walls led me to our immersion blender - it's an old tan Braun with no attachments (except a bowl which I don't use) and a wall holder (storage problem solved) which I've now had for 25 years - same as my marriage! I have talked strangers into buying them at garage sales, I think they're so great. I use mine for soup, primarily, but also for refried beans - it makes a great consistency. I never thought about some of these other uses - great ideas. Ice, really?