Why Every Southern Cook Needs This Amazon Immersion Blender

More often than not, the simplest thing always ends up being the best answer. My father first learned that truth in the kitchen when his fancy frittata bake was never as popular as his classic sausage balls at the family Christmas breakfast each year. When in doubt, go simple. Now, he's leaned even more into the laissez-faire lifestyle when making his signature autumn specialty: his "famous" tomato soup. Each year when the temperature finally dips into chilly territory, he likes to whip up a massive batch of the comforting soup to pair with bacon grilled cheeses that soak up every last cozy drop. And each year, he dreads and puts off the process until we've begged enough times for the flavorful basil-infused elixir. Why? Because he was doing it the hard way.

After cooking down all the delicious herbs and vegetables, he would typically use our old food processor to purée small batches of his extra-large batch of tomato soup until it was all smooth. Altogether, the process was long and messy. It's important to note that he's old-school, which explained why he had never contemplated the obvious-to-me shortcut. "Why haven't you tried an immersion blender?" I asked. He cooks from his head, not a cookbook, therefore he had not been yet faced any instruction guiding him to use an immersion blender for soup.

A quick Amazon order later of the top-selling Mueller immersion blender, and he was off to the stovetop. The soup was puréed and silky-smooth in less than two minutes, and he was smiling from ear to ear. Needless to say, his once-a-year tomato soup has become much more accessible for all of us, especially when we're in need of a comforting childhood meal and a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it. Plus, he now excitedly pulls out the immersion blender for countless recipes.

For Southern cooks, an immersion blender makes quick work of classic dishes such as mashed potatoes, pancakes, and many soups. It also cuts down time and mess spent doing manual work in the kitchen when a handheld tool can easily do the task. It might seem commonplace to some, but check on those old-fashioned folks. They might not have been introduced yet.

Why You Should Buy an Immersion Blender

An immersion blender can be used in many different ways. Of course, puréeing soup is one of the top reasons to buy an immersion blender and comes in handy with recipes such as our popular Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese and Coconut-Curry Butternut Squash Soup. It also reduces time and effort when mashing potatoes (we swear by this this simple mashed potato recipe with cream cheese). Some people like to use an immersion blender when whisking eggs to make breakfast for a big group or when whipping cream for a dessert without having to use a stand mixer. It's also great for pulsing homemade sauces or condiments until they are the perfect consistency, and you can even create your own Dairy Queen-style blizzard with an immersion blender, ice cream, and toppings.

Basically, it can help cut down stress whenever you're hosting or are too busy to waste any minutes. Spend more time with your loved ones and less over the kitchen counter.