We love ours.  We have a Braun turbo.  I use it to puree split pea soup that I make in the crock pot once a week all through fall and winter.  It is my husband’s favorite meal.

I got one as a wedding shower gift, gave it away, then reconsidered and picked one up at a thrift shop a few years later.  I don’t use it a ton, but it is handy when I do use it, and it doesn’t take up much space.  I just tuck it behind my regular blender in the cabinet.  This is actually my second thrifted one, the first had a piece broken off the bottom, so I replaced it for asthetics only when I found another one.  Then I sold the first one on ebay and made a few bucks!  (Of course I noted the broken bottom in the description…)

Absolutely!!  I have a Cuisenart and love it! I use it constantly for making my own baby food, soups, salsa, pasta sauce, etc.  It’s great and so, so, so, so much easier to clean up than if you had a whole blender to deal with!  Our also has several attachments that are great for other tasks too.  Go for it, Arwen, I think you’ll love it!

I use a hand-me-down Black and Decker (probably from the 90s?) to make baby food and it works great. It only has two speeds. I guess I got lucky.

get it! we use ours all the time. i love pureed soups and i never bothered with them until i got my immersion blender. i’d give up my regular blender before my immersion blender.

LOVE MINE! We have a Cuisinart hand blender, the $50ish one, It has three attachments, one is like a mini food processor, one is the immersion blender, and one is a whisk.

I use it to make whip cream, soup, baby food, mashed potatoes, etc. It takes very little space, and it really does a lot of different things.

I found a cheap immersion blender at Wally-Mart for ONE recipe.  I kept burning myself transferring my delicious soup into the food processor.  The blender saved so much time and hassle.  Worth it!!

I have had one from Williams Sonoma for 15 or so years. I love it. Actually, when it was about two years old, it stopped working and they replaced it, no questions asked. I use it for soups, salad dressing, frothing milk, whipping cream (when I only want a little). You name it. It has been a reliable work horse. And quite frankly, has seen better days. But it was worth every penny. And pureeing soup in the blender is a pain in the neck. You have to wait for a cool down to avoid explosions, etc. This thing plop—right in the pot—and it’s done. A great tool. I use it 50 x more than my blender (which barely sees the light of day except when the kids want to make their own smoothie). You have to get a good one though. It’s got to be tough. Another bonus. Doesn’t take up much space at all and doesn’t need a spot on your counter.

I have a Braun and I have never owned an actual blender since my immersion stick works so well.  Hardly a week goes by and I don’t use it.  But you have to make sure when you buy one that it has a powerful engine. I burned out a couple of cheaper ones before I got the Braun.

I have a cuisinart immersion blender & it is the most utilized item in my kitchen. In the morning I make oatmeal for my 9 month old, 2 & 3 yr old- I add milk & cinnamon & use the immersion blender to make it smooth & the boys drink it in a cup with a straw. At lunch I make baby food and smoothies with my i.b. At dinner I use it for mashed potatoes, soups, to make salad dressings. The list goes on & on. LOVE it!! I won mine in a raffle & I am soo happy I did because I probably would never buy one for myself…

Pumpkin black bean soup is good too

I LOVE my immersion blender. I have a Braun too—it was a set we picked up at BJ’s club several years ago—so the motor attaches to a couple tools—by far, the basic blender stick one is the version I use most. But it does have a whisk and a mini-chopper bowl (that works like a tiny food processor).

I can’t find the same exact set for sale now, but I’ve never had a problem with it. The attachments easily twist off the motor/handle and go right in the dishwasher (I love this feature). I use it for soups (even if you don’t puree it completely, sometimes I do a quick “zip” in a soup to blend some veggies or beans to add a little body and thickening). But I also use it for mixing up a big batch of eggs (like for French toast). I don’t see why you couldn’t zip up milkshakes, smoothies, or protein drinks with it either.

This just has 2 speeds, but I’ve never had a problem with it not being powerful enough for blending.

Arwen, I have 2 butternut squash ready for soup this weekend, it’s our favorite too. Butternut squash with sage and parmesan—we like it much better than sweet squash soups.

I definitely use the immersion blender much more than I do the regular blender.

I love mine! I got it at a garage sale for $3 and it works fabulous.  It’s a Black&Decker; brand.  I use mine for soups, mixing smoothies, or puddings.  There are only two speeds but it’s more than powerful enough to blend up frozen fruit into a creamie smooth, smoothy. 

I once had an immersion blender and loved it until I finally, after about ten years, killed the motor trying to mash potatoes… I haven’t gotten another even though it has been almost five years. But I do love squash soup and just made it for dinner tonight! I baked an acorn and a butternut squash yesterday while I was baking bread (I sound sooooo domestic I know) and then scooped out the skins tonight directly into my cuisinart. I sauteed onions in canola oil, added salt, pepper, and curry (yum!!!), then added that to my cuisinart squash puree. Then I put it all in the pot, added chicken broth from a can and used my old hand egg beater to mix it all together. Took about 30 minutes from walking in the door to finished product because I’d already baked the squash, which can take a good hour or two.

Thanks for all the input, everyone! Based on the rave reviews, I think I’m going to take the plunge and buy an immersion blender as soon as I can fit it into the budget. I’m sure I won’t regret it!