Anyone use DYNAMIC immersion blenders? What do you think?

[amargulies]

Hi everyone,

Have you used DYNAMIC immersion blenders? I'm thinking of getting one for a woman who's an avid home cook. Good present, as a luxury item for a really passionate home cook?

They're REALLY powerful - used in most high-end commercial kitchens. Much more powerful and durable than the ones at Williams Sonoma (and much more expensive, although I don't mind price if the quality is worth it). They have detachable, all stainless shafts. They can pureé and blend soups in the pot MUCH faster than typical immersion blenders because they have a tremendous amount of torque. They can also whip cream and egg whites, etc.

This model is called their Junior Combi - shaft is 9", and the total unit w/shaft is 21" long. I think it weighs about 4.5pounds. Is it too large/heavy for home use, for a woman who's 5'5" & 115 pounds? I like it because it has both whisk and mixer attachments.

They also make a smaller, lighter model, but it's not quite as powerful and has only one permanent attachment - either a mixer blade or whisk. Not as versatile... Thanks very much for your opinions.

Adam

 

[CeliacFamilyCook]

It almost seems a bit excessive IMO. I have a KA Immersion blender and it weighs 2.9lbs (I looked it up, lol), which is not heavy, but I wouldn't want to hold it for a long time. Then again, if it works fast you're really not holding it for long anyway. I find that with my KA I can puree a pot of soup (6 quarts-ish) in less than a minute.

 

[amargulies]

Thanks Celiac. I've never actually used an immersion blender, but I see them used all the time on Food Network, and they seem like great tools. DO YOU MAINLY JUST USE THE MIXER ATTACHMENT, or do you also use the whisk often?

This woman's a very passionate home cook who's taken a bunch of cooking classes. Basically, I want to give her some really high-end, luxury and beautiful kitchen items. I'm going to give her a few Japanese damascus knives with custom handles, an Ozarkwest.com walnut cutting board, etc. I'm finding that with many kitchen items, if I look at really high-end products I'm getting into commercial-type items. Sometimes they might be wonderful for a home cook (like copper cookware or these knives), but there's a thin line between that and items which might just be too heavy or large. I don't care about the price, I just want to get the best items I can find. My problem is determining what's truly best - balancing beauty and practicality (like the chrome immersion blenders at W.Sonoma) with professional-quality performance and durability (like the Dynamic). Often W.Sonoma has just what I need, but for certain things - like the knives and cutting boards, they just don't have the really high-end, luxury items I want.

 

[CeliacFamilyCook]

I actually don't have a whisk attachment for my blender. IMO holding a blender in the position you would need to whisk seems a little awkward so I skipped it. Plus, I have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer that I LOVE and the whisk attachment works wonderfully on that. Plus, less work for me.

 

[amargulies]

Celiac - I'm definitely planning on getting her a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I was going to get the special copper professional 620 model they have at Williams Sonoma. I've been a little hesitant because I honestly don't know whether she bakes much, but it seems like a wonderful kitchen appliance for anyone. What do you think - is it a good choice, even if I'm not sure whether she's a baker? I am familiar with all their attachments, but I don't know whether they're good or useful. I've considered the citrus juicer, because she's in S. Florida, has two young children, and I thought it would be nice for fresh OJ.

P.S. - I made 4 soups recently for a party, and realized an immersion blender would've been great to have. Thats one reason I thought it might be a good present for her. Seems like something which people use a lot if they own one, but most people wouldn't think to buy it for themselves.