Hand blenders are the perfect choice for whisking, chopping and blending ingredients if you’re short of bench space or don’t want all the washing up that comes with a freestanding blender. Before you make the choice however, it’s best to consider what you’re going to be blending and how much of it, as a freestanding blender may be a better option if you are going to be mixing larger quantities of ingredients.

There are a wide variety of models available, from the plain and basic to colourful and with multiple attachments. The following buying tips should help you make a choice with which you’re comfortable:

Attachments and function

The basic hand blender has a graspable top and a ‘foot’ which does the blending. The foot’s blades will usually be covered and made of stainless steel (to prevent rusting). This will allow the hand blender to do exactly what its title indicates – blend! Other hand blenders come with additional attachments, the two main categories being:

Whisks – these are usually balloon whisks which will attach to allow beating of eggs or whipping of cream

Choppers – these allow you to chop up harder materials, which you can then blend, or to chop very fine ingredients such as herbs

Many hand blenders also come with a ‘beaker’ or mini-chopper – this may be advantageous because the size of this will be suitable for the hand blender and may be useful when blending ingredients which could be messy, for example chopping herbs.

Power and speeds

The higher the power in Watts of the hand blender, the more easily and quickly it will be able to mix harder ingredients. Hand blender have power of 150-300W generally – the higher powered ones tend to have additional functions such as chopping.

Hand blender speeds can be single, double or variable (where you can use intermediate speeds). To get a proper idea of how fast the blender can actually go, look at the ‘rpm’ or revolutions per minute. You might want to go for double speed if you are going to be blending a variety of ingredients which vary in texture. Also look out for a ‘pulse function’ which will allow you to use a boost of power to break chunks down or fold air into ingredients.

Additional features to consider

Safety : look for cord storage and (where a chopper is provided) models which have safety interlocking lids

Cleaning : dishwasher safe attachments will aid cleaning

Storage : some models come with a wall bracket, which allows you to keep the worktop tidy if you want the hand blender in one place. Hanging loops are also an option on some.