During the Christmas vacation, disaster struck. My five year old immersion blender broke. Over the years, it had been a faithful companion to me in the kitchen. I lost track of how many soups, purées, smoothies we had made. So many times I turned something from ordinary to extraordinary with a quick blitz of my immersion blender. Have a regular old vegetable soup? Find my old red, add a little milk and as quick as that I have a lucious and creamy cream of vegetable soup. Have a cup of frozen fruits? Find my old red, add a little honey and yogourt and I have a yummy smoothie that reminds me of the fun we had last summer. Have company drop in unexpectedly? Some ice, a shot of a favourite drink, a bit of juice and old red... Yeah... Old red... through thick and thin has found its way as one of my favourite kitchen tools.
I never realized how much I relied on old red until that fateful day during the Christmas vacation. A quick stawberry smoothie. The berries grown locally, picked at their prime and IQF'ed that same day, and they waited their turn. They waited for that day where I would reach into the freezer, pull out their bag and make some little treat for the family. Finally it came. Before we had all of the snow blanketing the area in a massive duvet of cold, white mounds, we had warm days. The kids were playing with their Christmas gifts and we were still eating the ci-pate (a traditional French Canadian pie that deserves a blog of its own...) and enjoying a quiet afternoon after all of the fun family rush. Snack time came, and what better snack than a smoothie? So out came the strawberries, the yogourt, the honey, a splash of milk and vanilla. The all found their way into a large measuring cup and I reached for old red. I turned the nob for maximum speed and started to blitz everything together. I worked at emulsifying everything for a minute or two. Maybe three... Just to make sure that everything was well blended.
Then it was time to serve the smoothies in tall glasses with fun straws for the girls. I drink my smoothie straight. You can imagine my surprise when I find half of the blade in my cup! Luckily, I was able to quickly determine that the blade had broken clean. There was the part still in the blender and the edge matched the edge of the part in my glass. Yet here I was, smoothies all poured down the drain - just in case :( - and a blender that I couldn't trust to use anymore. I loved old red and as a mom on a budget, I was not looking forward to investing into another quality immersion blender... even if it lasted me five years. We had just spent a lot of money for Christmas. I was no longer working, so where would I find the money necessary to buy another immersion blender?
I have to say, I was lucky. Kind of. I went to the internet and searched the maker's website and found a replacement arm. For the same price as an old el'cheapo immersion blender that would last me maybe 9-12 months, I could have a replacement arm for my immersion blender. Since it was only the blade that gave out, and not the motor, I could just replace the blade. So with a quick call, I was waiting for my replacement arm. You can only imagine my deception when it arrived and it didn't fit! I had ordered the wrong part! More accurately, I had ordered the right part for the wrong model. Not only that, but after a call to the manufacturer, that model wasn't being produced anymore. D'oh! At least I was able to return the part for a full refund.
This left me still without a blender. I had all options open to me. Should I go for the large counter top version? Should I go for another immersion blender? Should I even consider those infomertial blenders? Seeing how much I used my immersion blender, a countertop version could be practical - it would always be at hand because there was no way it would have time to collect dust nor would it find its way to the back of a cupboard. Mind you, the cleaning of the cup, or working in batches, I use my immersion blender too much to be bothered with the continual rinsing or refilling. Plus it means more dishes to do... Plus it's large and combersome. I don't have the room on my counter to keep it there - it's already filled with my stand mixer, toaster, Dr. Who cookie jar, small fryer and a little work surface.
Immersion blender? Well, I've loved mine for years. It's an extension of my arm and I can use it in any pot I'm already cooking in. It's quick and easy to wash - like I said, a quick blitz in a cup of warm soapy water and it gets well rinsed. Seperate the arm from the motor and wash it quickly and easily. It doesn't need a lot of storage space. It's practical and it's what I've had for a number of years. It's certainly a favourite.
Infomertial blender? Ooooh! If only I knew anybody who used one. If only I knew that it would last. They certainly make it look good, but will it be useful in my family situation? I'm not so sure. And all those extra parts. It adds up to a lot of extra dishes and necessary storage space. Things I don't like or have. And then to spend all of that money to be frustrated with an appliance. So the decision is pretty much made - Immersion blender it is.
Then we have to look at the different brands. Many of them household names. With a variety of price points. I have to say, I'm frugal. If it's cheap and only lasts me a year, if that, I won't be impressed. If it's cheap and it lasts me a few years, I'll be happy. I expect a lot of value for my dollar. I have 6 mouths to feed. I have 6 bodies to clothe. I have to pay for a roof over our heads, gas in the car and the typical bills. So I have to get the biggest bang possible from my purchases. As a cook, I use my kitchen to its fullest extent. Appliances are put through their paces. There's at least one that'll be used daily - and I don't mean my stove, my refrigerator or my microwave.
There is also the available attachements. Do I go with a basic model or do I look at the extra attachements? They certainly would need storage which is problematic. It would mean a few more dishes which I don't like. It would make my immersion blender more utilitarian which I appreciate. It would be more expensive - ouf! Would it be worth it? Would the motor be strong enough to crush ice? Would it be delicate enough to whip cream into a lovely topping or would it blitz the cream into butter in mere moments?
I finally I decided to go with another version of immersion blender from the same company as my original. At nearly $100, my previous immersion blender had lasted me five years. That was a good investement. I was always happy with it. I've actually been at a loss without it in the kitchen.
I also decided to get one with all the bells and whistles. The whisk attatchement would certainly come in handy for whisking egg whites without having to pull out my big mixer. The chopper attatchement would mean that I wouldn't have to pull out the big machine for the little jobs like a quick bread crumb. My new immersion blender will cost me more than the $100 for the basic model. On sale, and with taxes in, my new tool will cost me just over $150. This is expensive. How can I say that this is the best purchase with the few dollars I have? Isn't it a luxury to spend $150 on a handheld blender?
My last one lasted through five years of ardious culinary fun. Not only that, but the motor is still in perfect running condition. And with it's variable speed control, it was very practical. If only I could have gotten the right attatchement arm. In accounting terms, I "spent" $20 per year of use. At $150, I'll likely see another 5 years or more of use. Considering that the average basic model is about $30, I'll pay the $150 for the peace of mind that I'll have an appliance that will work when I reach for it. The manufacturer of my handheld blender has an excellent customer service program. It has a quality product and I can order necessary parts for my appliances - usually without too much of an issue.
So to my local store I go and buy my new immersion blender with attatchements. Imagine my surprise when I reach for my old motor - a quick test - and click the blending arm into place! Yes!!! I now have 2 motors to work three attatchements. Not only that, but an even better surprise is that this new machine comes with a small bag that will hold both the blade and whisk attatchements AND both motors! Now, not only do I have essentially two machines, I also have an easy way to store them compactly and safely. With a little hook on my stand mixer attatchement pegboard, I now have my most used tool neatly stored and at hand's reach.
So I'd like to introduce you to Blackie. You'll surely see her gleaming arm in my pots as I puree vegetables and cream soups. You'll notice her handy work in meringues, herb emulsions and gratins. I'm sure we'll have a lot more fun in the years to come as smoothies, soups, meringues and nice cold drinks make their way to smiling faces and appreciative tummies.
