If you’ve ever tossed a few handfuls of ice cubes into a blender to make a refreshing smoothie or fruit cocktail, you might be wondering if it would work better to buy an immersion blender instead.
In this post, we’ll discuss the various benefits and drawbacks of both techniques, as well as find out just how strong immersion blenders are when it comes to crushing ice.
To find out if immersion blenders are right for you, read on!
Benefits of Immersion Blenders vs. Whips/High Pressure Blenders [for Ice]
The best part of using an immersion blender is that they will not only cut through ice but also quickly break it down into a fine ice slurry. This means that your smoothie will have less chunks and be overall healthier – maybe even a little thicker.
A popular benefit of an immersion blender for ice is that it’s portable; you can take them anywhere and make quick healthy drinks. If you’re out and about, this might be the best option for you.
Another benefit of immersion blenders is ease of cleaning. Virtually all blenders are dishwasher safe and are easy to clean by hand. If you’re not convinced you want to use a blender on ice, that won’t be much of a problem at all!
Can you use a hand blender to crush ice?
The main disadvantages of using an immersion blender vs. a hand-held blender or a whisk are that you lose most of the health benefits you would receive from eating smoothies with ice chunks, and that you can’t make an entire meal in your blender.
For example, you can’t use an immersion blender to cook rice; rice needs to be prepared for individual servings so that there is no cross-contamination between multiple servings.
Other Hand Blender Uses: Chopping, Mixing, and More!
Chopping: The next time your chopping vegetables, consider using your hand blenders rather than a chef’s knife. (Although the best way to chop vegetables is still by hand. See How to Chop an Onion?) Chopping thick vegetables can be a bit more difficult than using a chef’s knife, but your hand blender will make quick work of onion, carrots and even potatoes. (Thick potato slices from the center of the potato are best because they don’t get as mushy as thin slices.) Never use your immersion blender to cut through bone or tough gristle. Tip: Make sure that you actually turn off your hand blender before removing it from its food. Some blenders automatically shut off if you remove them from their attachments.
Mixing: Immersion blenders can spiral-slice vegetables and fruits, making any vegetable or fruit easily mixable with your other ingredients. Instead of using a chef’s knife to chop nuts or chop-chop ingredients for a salad, try using your hand blender – it will save you tons of time. Plus, it’s much safer than using a knife and chopping board. (See How to Make Salad Dressings Without a Chopping Board) Tip: Make sure you have the right attachment for the right food – use different attachments for different foods or save money by having several attachments on hand.
How do you blend ice with an immersion blender?
The first step to using your hand blender to crush ice is to start with a large cup of cubed ice. The larger the cup, the more ice you can fit into it.
Next, fill your hand blender’s jar or cup with cubed ice, and then add some fruit or other ingredients that you want to blend together. (See How to Make Fruit Smoothies Without an Immersion Blender.) Make sure that the ingredients are chopped up into small pieces so that they blend easily.
Close your hand blender’s lid and start blending on a low setting until the ice cubes are fine and smooth.
Use caution and your hand blender at this point. You can’t use it in the same way as you would with a regular blender, so there are some additional safety precautions that you’ll need to know.
Thoroughly wash your hand blender after using it on ice because it can retain ice debris and oils. Also, the blades are not designed to be submerged in liquids, so do not immerse your blender blade into water unless you want to help clean out the blades!
Are immersion blenders worth it?
Although you might not be able to use your hand blender for every recipe that you have, it will certainly come in handy on occasion.
If you enjoy having smoothies around the house, using an immersion blender is a good idea. But if the one time a year that you have a smoothie is at a restaurant or store, try an immersion blender for its other uses instead of to crush ice. (See How to Make a Smoothie Without an Immersion Blender.)
The bottom line is that immersion blenders are not just for ice – they’re very versatile and can save you time and money.
Can the magic bullet crush ice?
The Magic Bullet is a small, handheld appliance that can be used to crush ice. It doesn’t have as much power as a large blender (it won’t break up chunks as easily), and it also requires more water than an immersion blender uses. For example, the Bullet’s standard jar holds less than half of the water needed by an immersion blender. (Despite this, the Bullet can still make a good smoothie.)
There are also some additional safety precautions that you’ll want to know: Always use the tamper with your Magic Bullet – it makes sure everything is getting blended properly and that nothing gets stuck in the blades. The tamper also keeps your Bullet from clogging. Also, don’t put hot foods into your Bullet without letting it cool down first.
Can you make a slushie with an immersion blender?
The only way to make a slushie from an immersion blender is to pour the required amount of liquid (such as juice or coffee) into the attachment, then stick the blender blade into that liquid. Next, add the ice and turn on the blender. You could also use the immersion blender trick on How to Make an Ice Cream Sundae Without an Immersion Blender and make a thicker smoothie that way, too. The best part is that you’ll get all of your ingredients right into one cup!
Final Thoughts:
Use your immersion blender to safely chop, blend, and mix many different kinds of foods.
If you love smoothies and other blended drinks on a regular basis, the best way to get a perfect drink every time is by using an immersion blender.
The actual process of crushing ice with an immersion blender is very easy. Just follow these steps:
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