In Praise of the Hand Blender

This little hand blender is the cheapest you can get from Tesco. It doesn't do anything fancy, just blends in a pan and I've had it now for over 9 years. It cost under £10, so that makes an annual cost of just over a pound, which has been a bargain.

I use it on average twice a week as it is ideal for blending homemade soup and tomato sauce for pasta or pizza. Before I bought it I had to pour whatever I was making into the big blender and since I was rather impatient and often busy, I cracked a lot of blender goblets by pouring in liquids which were too hot !

All that changed when I bought this little gadget. All I do now is take the pan off the heat and plug in the hand blender. I make sure that it is well immersed in the mixture and then blend away to taste. If I want some chunky bits left I don't blend so long, if I want it completely smooth then I move the blender around until it is all done. Couldn't be easier and no cracked goblets to be seen.

Afterwards it is easy to unplug and rinse under the tap. Then it is dried and popped in the drawer for the next time. This is one little appliance that I wouldn't be without in a frugal kitchen and I think it is much easier and safer to use than a big blender. I only use the big one now for making hummus and felafel, both cold mixtures so the big blender seems to be lasting a bit longer these days !

Which little kitchen appliance has served you well ?