Best Immersion Blender
Are you looking for an immersion blender? The best blender for making homemade soap should have certain characteristics.
A blender saves you many hours of stirring or mixing. The portability of an immersion, (stick), blender is very convenient.
There are hundreds of stick blenders available on the market. What are the best blenders for you? Let's look at some characteristics.
BLADE:
Look at the blade on the blender. Is it made of stainless steel or is it plastic? From experience, the stainless steel blade holds up much better. Some have said that the hard plastic blades, crack, break, crumble or even melt while using them. Is the blade removable? Is it easy to clean? Can it be replaced easily?
BLENDING:
Does it have a smooth blend or is it hard to manage? Some say the suction power on blenders is too high, causing them to loose control and manageability.
Never submerge the motor, (hand held portion) of the immersion blender in water or any type of liquid! This part of the blender should never get wet. Only submerge it, no farther than, the length of the wand.
CLEAN-UP:
How easy is cleaning your immersion blender? Are the blade and/or shaft removable for easy access to clean? Are the blade and/or shaft dishwasher safe?
One way to clean your blender is to, first, TURN IT OFF or unplug it, then wipe off all of the excess glob of soap, submerge it into hot soapy water, turn it back on, then start mixing as usual. This helps to clean out the blade, shaft and underneath the guard. Also, you can always turn the blender off and just run warm or hot tap water over the blade and shaft, cleaning it in the sink. Keep water out of electronic controls and the motor.
Never submerge the motor, (hand held portion) of the immersion blender in water or any type of liquid! This part of the blender should never get wet. Remember, only submerge it, no farther than, the length of the wand. Never put an immersion blender into a dishwasher, but only its dishwasher safe, removable, parts!
COLORS:
Stick blenders come in lots of colors, white, red, black, blue, brushed chrome, etc… The black and brushed chrome do not show stains like the lighter colors do. It’s all your preference.
EXTRAS:
Some blenders have extra accessories: whisk, beaker, chopping blade, etc….
NOISE:
Is it quiet to operate? For some people, loud noisy blenders can be irritating, especially, if used frequently.
POWER:
Some stick blenders have an average of approximately .25 horsepower (hp) using 200 watts of power. Basic blenders have an approximate range of hp from .40 to .80 using 300 to 600 watts of power. The most powerful blenders have up to approximately 2.0 hp using 1500 watts of power.
Soap develops a thicker texture when mixing. You'll need an immersion blender with a powerful motor, but it doesn't need to be the most powerful on the market. You have to know how to operate the blender, for making homemade soap. Use it sporadically. If you leave it on continuously mixing soap, you will more than likely burn the motor out! If this happens, you could be back to stirring with a spoon, for many hours.
Battery operated blenders do not seem to stay charged for a very long time. They can be used but you’ll need to remember to keep them charged in order to have the power needed to mix your soap.
POWER CORD:
How long is the power cord? Is it retractable? Having a long power cord gives you flexibility to move around your kitchen, or wherever you are blending. Having a retractable cord makes it nice a tidy for clean up and storage. You don’t need to have a long or retractable power cord for making homemade soap. They’re just convenient.
READ REVIEWS:
Before deciding on the best blender for you, read some customer reviews. At Amazon.com you can read lots of customer reviews for stick, (immersion), blenders with high or low starred ratings.
SHAFT:
Is the shaft plastic or chrome? Some prefer the chrome shaft since clean up is much nicer than the plastic ones, due to stains.
SIZE & COMFORT:
Does the blender fit well in your hand? Is it too big or too small to wrap your hand around? Is it too slippery to hold? Is the placement of the controls easy to reach? Most stick blenders fit the hand well.
WEIGHT:
How heavy is the blender? If you’re in the soap making business, making large batches of soap, you will want a lightweight blender. Holding a heavy blender could get tiresome if used, frequently.
SPEEDS:
Some blenders have one speed and others have variable speeds. As long as you mix your soap for the right amount of time, making sure all ingredients are thoroughly blended, having the variation of speeds doesn’t really matter that much. Having faster speeds may decrease some mixing time. Having variable speeds is just convenient.
STORAGE:
Some blenders come with a wall storage bracket. You can mount the immersion blender on the wall for close, easy, access or hide it in a pantry or storage closet.
WARRANTY:
As with any product you purchase check the warranty.
RULES OF RETURN:
As with any product check the rules of return or exchange before purchasing. Save all receipts.
SAFETY:
Always keep your hands away from the blade(s) when in use. Turn off or unplug your blender when it’s not in use.
MAKING HOMEMADE SOAP:
Using an immersion blender speeds up the saponification process and saves lots of time. It cuts down trace time and can reduce separation problems within your soap.
CAUTION! When you’re making goats milk soap, you may have frozen chunks of milk to blend. Do not force your immersion blender down on any frozen chunks. You could break off the blade and damage your blender, permanently.
The best blenders are not always the most expensive ones. You don’t need lots of fancy gadgets for making homemade soap. You just need something practical, powerful, durable, easy to clean and store.
Find the one that fits your needs, comforts and desires the most. You can find the best blender for all of your soap making recipes! Using the proper soap making equipment can save you time, energy and money!
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