Iâve come to learn cooking isnât only about flavor.
Itâs about transformation. You prepare, change, and combine ingredients in a way that makes them tastier than they would be in their original state.
So itâs also about what impacts the experience of eatingâof which texture plays a big role.
Iâve noticed this about chefs. They use their blender a lot more than we do at home. My guess is thatâs because texture is so important to them. And because theyâre willing to take that extra step to transform ingredients.
A spoonful of an ultra-smooth mash is luxurious. A velvety purĂ©ed soup is decadent. And an emulsified sauce is fancy. đ©đ
But using a blender is a pain. Itâs not the most convenient thing to break out when youâre cooking.
You bring out this hunky base from the cabinet. You attach the plastic container. You transfer hot food from the pan to the blender. You try not to make a mess in the process. But you do. You blend away praying hot food particles donât erupt all over you. Then you transfer the liquid back to a pot and go about your business...And donât get me started on cleaning the darn thing. đŁ
Thatâs where an immersion blender comes inâaka a stick, wand, or hand blender.
Flat out, it makes it more convenient to blend hot food. And we are more likely to do something when itâs easy to do. Thatâs why itâs on my Kitchen Essentials list.
It comes down to portability and control.
When you need to blend hot food, you donât take the food to the blender but the blender to the food. You can blend butternut squash directly in the pot you steamed them in. You can blitz cooked onions, carrots, and celery in the same pan youâre sauteeing them.
And then thereâs control. When you use an immersion blender, itâs easier to not blend everything. Sometimes you donât want ultra-smooth.
Take a Tuscan white bean soup. Itâs normally on the âbrothyâ side. But you can actually turn it creamy. And not by using cream. But by using your immersion blender. Itâs a trick I learned from a long-time newsletter subscriber.
Stick your immersion blender into the pot of soup towards the end of it cooking. Then blend for a few seconds, moving it around here and there. And then stop. Youâre not blending the whole soup. You still want some chunks of veggies and beans. Instead, youâre only pulverizing some of the beans in order to give the soup body. Cool, right?
Immersion blenders are also pretty nifty for sauces.
Silky smooth tomato sauce? Pulverize your aromatics and tomatoes directly in your pot.
Hummus? (Okay, maybe not considered a sauce, but I treat it like one in my kitchen!) Boil pre-soaked chickpeas with a bit of baking soda, salt, garlic, and herbs (learn why you add baking soda). Drain out most of the water. Then stick that immersion blender right into the pot and go to townâafter adding some olive oil and tahini of course!
But donât stop there. Hereâs one of my favorite uses for an immersion blender: mayo. Making mayo by hand takes an absurd amount of whisking. So unless youâre as strong as a French grandmother, I say skip it. đ”đȘ
That is unless you have an immersion blender.
Unlike using a normal blender which requires large quantities in order to blender properly, an immersion blender lets you create a reasonable amount of mayo. How? Well, you have to blitz it in a tall, skinny container that is barely wide enough to fit your immersion blender head. Why does that matter? It creates an optimal vortex that slowly incorporates the oil even when you dump all the oil in at once. This allows for proper emulsification without having to worry about gradually adding oil little by little. Itâs a game-changer. Trust me. đ
Going into more depth would be a newsletter all its own. So check out this video from Americaâs Test Kitchen on making mayo with an immersion blender.
Immersion blenders are convenient, they take up minimal space, theyâre affordable, and they can still make your favorite breakfast smoothie!
So did I convince you?
If I did, I have a feeling youâre going to ask me what kind of immersion blender I recommend. Iâm no product review expert myself. So Iâd have to point you towards the professionals. See what Wirecutter, Serious Eats, and Americaâs Test Kitchen all recommend.
While a good cook is more than their equipment, having the right equipment does make cooking more enjoyable. And if you ask me, a cook who enjoys cooking is a better cook.
Until next week,
Luciano đšâđł
P.S. Do you like equipment spotlights like this one?
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