KitchenAid KHB300 Handheld Blender

Has the romance gone out of the relationship when I was just as happy receiving my KitchenAid KHB300 Immersion Blender for Christmas last year as I was when I received more sentimental gifts in years gone by? I like to think that's not the case. I'm just a practical person who loves to cook, and loves cooking gadgets!

An Immersion Blender? Why do I need one of those?

When Immersion Blenders first started getting their moment in the sun, they were almost strictly used for soups and smoothies. The original Immersion Blenders were not multi-taskers. They looked like a wand, with a cord coming out of one end and a mostly-covered rotating blade at the other end and an on/off switch somewhere in the middle. I actually had one of those first IBs, and I used it once or twice. As most of us know, even those of us with gargantuan kitchens, we just don't have that much room for one task wonders.

The real questions is: How can I live without one?

Today's Immersion Blenders, and more importantly, my Immersion Blenders do so much more than soups and smoothies. My KitchenAid KHB300 Immersion Blender has taken over all the responsibilities of my very old beater/mixer and has even taken over some of the duties of my industrial KitchenAid stand mixer.

I can chop, fluff, blend or whip with this Immersion Blender, I don't usually need to do too much more. It comes with the motor base, and three attachments: a whisk, chopper and the actual blender attachment. Changing the attachments is as easy as pushing in two buttons at the bottom of the motor base and pulling the current attachment off, and then snapping on the new one. On the motor base, there is a toggle-like button that allows you to turn the unit on, and change the speeds.

The chopper and blender have stainless steel blades and all three attachments can go in your dishwasher. Very important to know before purchasing any Immersion Blender is the immersion depth. The KitchenAid KHB300 has an 8-inch immersion depth, allowing me the luxury of blending my creamy soups right in the pot, rather than transferring the soup to my blender or food processor.

The whisk works just as well as my old two beater mixer, if not better since my old mixer was originally my grandmother's. I've used the chopper attachment a few times, but I find it to be less time consuming to simply use a knife and a cutting board. Besides, I need the danger and excitement that comes with practicing my vegetable cutting skills.

Also included with the kit is a 3-cup blending cup, which I never use since I always blend directly in the pot or cup I'm using. Finally, my favorite accessory is the heavy duty cotton-twill storage bag that holds the motor base and all the attachments. Instead of having a bunch of attachments floating around the oblivion that is my kitchen cupboards, it all stays together and hangs on a hook inside my pantry.

Final Thoughts: For roughly $80, I found a kitchen gadget that pretty much replaces a $35 mixer, a $200 stand mixer and a $150 food processor. Not only that, but everything excepting the motor base is dishwasher safe, it comes with its own storage bag and takes up very little room. Do I recommend it? What do you think?



My favorite Immersion Blender Soup:

1 big package frozen corn
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
A bunch of tomatoes
1 red pepper
butter
1/2 diced onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups corn tortilla chips
Cumin and Chili powder

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F., spread corn on baking sheet, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Do the same on a different baking sheet with the tomatoes. Roast vegetables for 10 minutes or so. Roast the red pepper in a skillet until it's blackened. Peel the pepper and the tomatoes after they have cooled.

In a soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of butter, saute the onion and garlic. Add the flour, cook for a few minutes until blended. Add the chicken broth, corn, tomatoes, cream, and most of the crumbled tortilla chips. Blend. Season. Serve with remaining chips and red pepper. Enjoy!