Which hand blenders do chefs use ?

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Admit it… we all love to know what equipment the celebrities and the top chefs are using. We have scoured the internet, & the press to give you the low-down on who uses what. We’ve split them into the celebs and the chefs. If you see or hear of any other celebs or chefs using an immersion blender, do become a friend of fromCooktoChef and let us know !  If you need more information on hand blenders, head over to our complete summary here.

1. Which hand blender does Jamie Oliver use now ?

Like some other chefs, Jamie likes to have his name on the equipment he endorses. He has had several in the past but finally,  he is supporting one of our favourites, the Bamix!  ( As a big Bamix fan, we were excited to discover him endorsing a new model in the summer of 2018 – it was made public by October 2018 ). 

There was some controversy initially where some reported his model ( in the lovely grey Anthracite colour that we also chose) to be more of an entry level Bamix 120watts, yet others said 200W.  So if you want his name on your blender and like that colour then go for his but check the wattage advertised first incase there is still some incorrect information online – it should be 200Watts.  For us, we bought the colour in the wattage we wanted under the Swissline /Colorline brand and that just comes as we like it, in 200Watts.

Now in 2021 there are two Jamie models.

Jamie I 

which is 200W and is pretty much the deluxe model with the 3 blades and deluxe stand.  

Jamie II

which is essentially an upgraded deluxe model – pretty similar to the Swissline / Colorline 200W model (with the 3 blades and processor)  but instead of the 1 Litre jug , you get the powder disk, and the stand is the blender stand is the deluxe model.

We’ll leave a bit of history from this blog in here – in the past he has endorsed the Philipps 650watt HR1680, and the 700Watt hand blender in the Jamie Oliver Electrics range by Tefal.  It feels a long time since we hosted Jamie on our maison mk rooftop to make his programme ‘Jamie does Marrakech’  (you can find it on Sky). He made his own kitchen on our very top roof terrace, and used our big old Moroccan pans. Nice to re-connect again after all this time, we’ll have to watch the programme again to see if he used a hand blender!

 2. which stick blender can Nigella Lawson not live without ?

Well, Nigella professes “ I can’t live without my stick blender” … but which one?

Way back in October 2012 it was revealed that the black stick or hand blender used by Nigella on her TV shows was the Cusinart CSB77. Nigella had owned this for some time and unfortunately it is now no longer made. This is an upgrade of the popular 76 model ( the hand blender that came in soooo many colours ( and whose predecessor incidentally was the 75).

The 77 is now replaced by the popular CSB-79, which is only available in brushed stainless steel housing, so you don’t have any colours to choose from. But it always comes with a 16-ounce beaker (that’s about 0.5 Litres), and has three attachments for blending, whisking, and chopping or grinding.  So many model numbers I know, there’s more information on that in our blog post on the top 10 hand blenders, and also in a little blog about cuisinart vs kitchenaid. 

Dimensions:  8.46 x 5.51 x 12.99 inches |  Weight: 3.5 pounds  |   Power 200W

Since then…

I have to say though that nowadays, cordless is the new way to go with the Cuisinart SmartStick. They are the only company producing a successful range of cordless hand blenders, the only other really successful cordless hand blender is the one shown above that KitchenAid produce. Click on the picture below to see the most popular Cuisinart model in your region.

US, CA, AU cordless model

3. Heston Blumenthal has is own sage brand but does he use it ?

For Heston, he endorses his own branded range of kitchen gadgets made by the company SAGE, but apart from un the advertising we haven´t seen him using it in public. Of course he must, it is pretty brilliant and does everything a real foodie would want – to make restaurant level food. His company is actually the UK and European branch of Breville, so you will find the very same hand blender he created, branded as Breville in the rest of the world.

The Control grip all-in-one hand blender won the best multipurpose hand blender award on BBC Good Food. They were judging mainly on weight, ease of control, and cleaning. What got the winning vote was that it works as a comprehensive food processor as well as a blender, so for those starting out it looks like an all inclusive winner!  The do it all set allows you to grate, chop, whisk and mash using the attachments and most of them fit neatly on a stand. We’ve seen it in a friend’s kitchen and its quite a stack of goodies. Have a look at it on Amazon where there’s a lot more product detail and tips from Heston.

The hand blender itself boasts a revolutionary bell-shaped blending base reduces suction for greater control and more efficient blending. All in one anti-suction blending allows you to keep control of the mix with up to 80% less suction than other stick mixers. If you don’t have a slicer processor, the adjustable slicing disc has 18 thickness settings so you can customise the thickness of your slices from 0.5mm thin up to 6.0mm thick. Additional features of the Control Grip All in One Food Mixer include an extra long power cord for increased portability and an extra long blending leg for blending large quantities in tall pots. A non-scratch blade guard prevents pots and pans from scratching for added flexibility.

The BBC Good Food award reported the sheer number of pieces to be a little overwhelming at first but they proved very straightforward to attach and use, and everything had a practical use. They said the food processor was ‘surprisingly effective’.  On the downside,  we think the rather large food processor part kind of defeats the object tho’ of a hand blender not taking up counter space! Also, the hand blender with basic blade attached is heavier than many, so worth noting if you’re not able to work with heavier appliances.

Sage Control grip all in one hand blender

4. A hand blender Gordon Ramsay uses both at home and at work !

 Gordon Ramsay loves his BAMIX, and professes to use it constantly at home. He also says he has one at every station in his restaurants.  

He started endorsing Bamix way back in the early 1990s and says he wouldn’t endorse anything he doesn’t use. So this a real integrity endorsement. In a nutshell, “Its me” he says. “It speaks for itself…..and has a lovely vortex action.” 

Gordon loves having the advantages a long, sealed, extended stem brings, along with the aerator attachment for easy action milkshakes and emulsifying sauces. In the video below, he demonstrates how to make mayonnaise with the aerator blade, in just a few minutes!. Worth a watch for this, and the quick and easy fish dish from spice chopping action to pan-frying and plating up.

Made entirely in Switzerland, Bamix is all about quality, and not just the power watts! This motor claims to deliver high performance & versatility for the home cook. It has two amazing speeds 12,000 & 18,000 rpm. Speed 1 is for light airy dishes and small amounts, speed 2 is for firm ingredients and large amounts.

Bamix says its lightweight and whisper quiet, and whatever the task may be, pureeing to make soups, aerating, beating egg whites, whipping cream or chopping fruits & vegetables you will be amazed how fast and easy it is. For easy cleaning, just rinse the blending shaft attachments under warm running water. Use to liquidise, chop, blend, whisk, grind, puree and crush using the 4 attachments included.

The one seen here in the video has a standard length and he´s using the older dry mill  – so that set would be the Bamix deluxe model nowadays.  But we believe it´s the longer legged gastro models he uses in the restaurant – makes sense as you need the extra length for really big pots.  It really is for semi-professionals, ultra keen cooks. We loved it so much we did an in-depth review of it ! . 

We´ll show you Comes with a 10 year guarantee,  a wall mountable or free standing stand, 3 stainless steel blade attachments: aerator, beater & chopping blade,  grinding processor, table/wall stand,  & if you get a Gordon Ramsey stamped model, you also get his DVD and cookbook.

Dimensions: 36.8 x 23.4 x 11.9 cm  |  Weight: 2.06 Kg  |  Power 200watts

A final Bamix endorsement comes from U.S. chef

…Ashley Hicks

2.  it´s the celebrity A listers… The Kardashians

It seems that some, (like the Kardashians) obsess over the stylish retro appliances from SMEG. So, they will be happy to know that SMEG added the versatile HBF02 hand blender to the range of kitchen gadgets in Autumn 2017… in the signature 1950s retro style and colours of course. It’s called the essential HBF02, and is a stainless steel hand blender. Smeg like to market it to serious home chefs for soups, smoothies, dips, purees or desserts !
It has an anti-slip handle, a variable 5-speed knob, and a turbo function for that extra burst of power. Talking of power, it has a 700Watt motor. The blade is stainless steel blade and uses the FlowBlend system in order to deliver perfect blending of a wide range of soft and hard foods. Plus, a plastic anti-scratch rim is included to help protect the pan as you blend. 

SMEG have chosen to call the wand,  stick thing an ‘arm’ !  So just detach the arm to attach an array of accessories including a potato masher, whisk and chopper. Some attachments are also dishwasher safe, for an easy clean-up.
A 1.4 litre Tritan jug is also included, which is impact resistant and without BPA ( BPA is explained here), and features an ergonomic handle and detachable lid.  Bursting with SMEG personality, this new multi-tasker is available in black, red, cream & pastel blue colour-ways. We think its not a bad price for the design elements and brand name you get here. Check it out !

Dimensions :  H41.4cm x W6.5cm x D6.5cm  |  Weight :  2kg

No. 6  John Whaite

Closer to home….the all round talented John Whaite, Telegraph food writer and former Great British Bake Off champion…not to mention television presenter, author and judge! He loves the kitchenaid artisan cordless hand blender with all its accessories. We looked at this  blender stick set in our blog post on the top 15 hand blenders to buy today. We´re also always comparing KitchenAid with it´s main USA competitor Cuisinart for cordless hand blenders, and regularly check out the latest best deal between them.  You can read all about their hand blender war here. 

Dimensions: H36 x W18.2 x D14.2cm  |  Power 180W  |  Weight  1.3kg

The strikingly designed cordless feature alone makes the cost well worth it but it comes with an amazing array of accessories (Battery charger, Battery , s-blade, star blade, frothing blade, 1 removable pan guard, 3 bell guard, 2 stainless steel blending arms (20cm and 33cm), graduated 1L pitcher, chopper, whisk, and storage case). It also has a handy rear hook to provide you with a unique hanging storage feature.  The five speed settings have a visible LED display to keep you in control at all times… nice! The BBC Good Food trial also voted this best cordless model for being a great multi-tasker, allowing you freedom to move around the kitchen when using it. They said it happily tackled all tasks thrown at it, from from thick curry pastes to iced smoothies.

The design is unique and the weight of the handle is well balanced. It’s also easy to clean with a number of dishwasher safe parts.