Immersion Blender. Photo courtesy of Hamilton Beach.

For blending soups, sauces, smoothies, whipped cream, salad dressings…the list of uses for an immersion blender is practically endless! So what is an immersion blender, then, and why is it such a great tool for back-of-the-house food prep?

An immersion blender is a kitchen appliance that allows the user to blend or puree food in the container in which it is being prepared. Wand-shaped with a blade at the bottom, simply place the end of the contraption into the liquid and hold the switch on the handle to blend. Easy! Immersion blenders are especially helpful when blending large amounts of pureed soup or other product—any time you have more than a blender jar full—which would require blending in batches and pouring back and forth between containers (unblended mixture container to the blender to the blended mixture container). No waiting for your soups to cool down before transferring, no sloppy mess when pouring between containers. This one-step method saves on time, effort, and cleanup. The blender itself is easy to clean, too. While there are models which allow you to dismantle and put the parts into the dishwasher, you can also simply rinse and put away—into a drawer to save counter space!

If you are hesitant about an immersion blender being able to get the job done, try it out. Make the recipe below—twice! And see how they compare. I’m betting the immersion blender method will win you over…

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 whole medium onion, diced
• 3 whole carrots, scrubbed clean and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 6 whole small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 cup grated cheese of your choice (for garnish-optional)
• Green onion, chopped (for garnish-optional)
• Sour cream (for garnish-optional

Instructions:

1. In a stock pot, cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes then add the diced potatoes. Add the seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. **Or, alternately, use your immersion blender to blend the soup—immerse the blade into the ingredients and, while the blender is on, swirl it around the pot to blend to your desired consistency.** Adjust seasonings and stir in cream and parsley.
5. Serve in bowls garnished with bacon and optional green onion, grated cheese, and sour cream.

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