If you normally have trouble putting together most other household items, you should have no trouble with this one, as the locking and unlocking icons on the blender show how the two parts fit together. There’s no guesswork as to how they’re supposed to fit together. The shaft of the mixer is one piece, but the whisk has a holder that fits onto the motor, and the whisk fits into the holder. If whisking doesn’t turn into a big mess and the attachment doesn’t need to be thoroughly cleaned, the easiest way to do this is to keep the parts of the whisk together. Once the blender or whisk is in place, all you have to do is select the desired speed and press the button. The best hand blenders are great for blending, but also for making emulsions from things that don’t like to combine, like oil and vinegar. Next on the agenda was an aioli, a garlicky mayonnaise that works well as a dip, sauce, or even salad dressing. A smoothie was just as simple, this time using a mostly frozen banana, milk and flavorings. At first the blender bumped against the banana, but then the banana disappeared and the cocktail became thick and frothy. Stick blenders look pretty similar based on their function, and this one wasn’t particularly remarkable, but it gets the job done. On the front of the blender, right where your fingers land, there are two buttons for minimum and maximum speed. At the top of the blender is a dial for fine-tuning the speed. The dial only works in conjunction with the low speed button. The easiest way to clean the hand blender is to submerge it in a glass or other container of soapy water and run it to clean the blades. After that, all you have to do is rinse it off and check it briefly to make sure there is no food residue left. This quick cleaning is ideal if you have a lot to do when preparing meals. Washing by hand is also easy, you just need a brush sometimes to clean under the blades.
