As an avid cook and cookbook author, I've used a lot of blenders and food choppers over the years.
When it comes to portable, immersion types of blenders/choppers there are several features that I look for and expect:
-Easy to use, with attachments that connect quickly and stay in place while in use.
-Easy to clean.
- Powerful.
Reasonably priced. ($30- 40 range)
-Not too heavy of a power base to use for extended periods of time.
-Added attachments that I will actually use.
-Quiet operation.
I recently tried the Hamilton Beach 2 Speed Hand Blender (model 59765) and it stacked up very favorably, on all counts!
I decided to give the chopper attachment a try first and I was happy with the results, chopping two veggies that I use in so many recipes: onions (and who likes chopping onions!) and carrots:
Two onions before.
And after a quick buzz with the chopper!
Four carrots before.
And after.
What I really appreciated was that it wasn't necessary to pre-chop the carrots or onions into small pieces, as was the case with some chopper/blenders I've previously used.
I broke the carrots in half, added them to the blender bowl and voila, a medium dice, after less than a minute of using the chopper. And if it works this well on hard, fibrous carrots, that's a very good indication how it will perform with other types of foods!
The blender bowl comes with a separate rubber base/lid which helps to keep the bowl in place on the counter, when chopping. What a great idea!
And relatively quiet too, Mr. Cheddar didn't even wake up from his nap when I was using it. :<) He is NOT a fan of the larger food processor I have which makes a lot more noise than the Hamilton Beach 2 Speed Hand Blender.
Another plus, the blender bowl is a 3 C. capacity, not too small to allow for chopping a good amount of food at one time. I've used other mini-choppers that had bowls that were so small they were basically useless. If I'm going to forgo chopping with a knife for smaller amounts of food prep, I need an appliance that makes the clean-up worthwhile afterwards.
The Hamilton Beach 2 Speed Hand Blender definitely does!
Blender base with attachments.
A couple of other pluses:
A 5 year limited warranty on this product. Don't see that very often with small appliances!
Also, a big, bulky English/French user guide was NOT included with this product, just a one page, safety/general use guide. I appreciate this as well. How many times does anyone every really read through the humongous user guides that still come with so many products? Not me!
And in Canada, that includes a French version, across Canada. So much wasted paper. More information about this product and recipes etc...are all available at the Hamilton Beach site. If I want it, I'll find it there. So far, what was included on the one-page user guide was more than adequate to answer my questions about using this product.
Only one thing that I thought was lacking: a beaker for blending smoothies and other drinks. I intend to use this blender for that purpose a lot, but need a container that's right for that type of blending. The beaker is sold separately but it would have been nice to have it included with the set.
If you are looking for a small kitchen appliance for blending, chopping, whisking...that you will actually use and not just have stashed in the back of the cupboard, collecting dust ;<) the Hamilton Beach 2 Speed Hand Blender is definitely one to consider.
Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5.
