I find food prep monotonous at the best of times, and it only gets worse when I am preparing food for a crowd. With hosting season fast approaching, I’m on the lookout for hardworking tools that can take some of the effort out of preparing a feast.
Enter the Braun MultiQuick 9, available at Amazon. Rated among our best blender-food processors after hours of testing, this versatile hand blender comes with eight attachments to make light work of chopping, blitzing, and mixing, all without another bulky countertop appliance taking over my tiny kitchen.
With $40 off ahead of the peak hosting season, it is at its lowest price in over 10 months, making now the perfect time for me to invest and practice before my annual Friendsgiving meal. And honestly? If you’re preparing to cook for a crowd, it might be worth doing the same.
I have not seen this hand blender on sale since last year, with the current $40 discount one of the best I have seen in over 10 months. With eight attachments, it can handle any prep work task you throw at it; simply switch out the head and press the button.
My kitchen is unbelievably small, which only adds to the stress of hosting. Everywhere I look, there are usually piles of ingredients, appliances, and dishes to wash, making keeping counters clear and easy to use a constant uphill battle. Finding enough space to prepare food comfortably is a challenge, and I cannot afford to add yet another appliance to my counter or cabinets.
Picking the best blender in particular is a struggle. I need one for sauces and soups, but as a single-task appliance, it takes up too much real estate, not to mention that they add to the pile to wash up in the sink.
The Braun Multiquick 9 is, first and foremost, an immersion hand blender, solving the sauce problem without adding to the dishes, allowing me to blitz meals in situ. The best part, however, is the seven other attachments that can tackle any prep step you throw at it. The set includes: A beaker and food processor pot, a coarse shredding disc, a coarse slicing disc, a French fry disc, a fine shredding disc, a fine slicing disc, a chopper, an ice knife, a julienne disc, a kneading hook, a whisk, and a puree accessory. It's a mouthful, but it goes to show just how much the one-handed accessory can do.
Don't get me wrong, with that many add-ons, you will still need to carefully consider your kitchen storage and cabinet organization to find homes for everything. However, I think this is a far more valuable use of space than several separate appliances that only perform one job each.
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Giving it five stars in her Braun Multiquick review, our expert appliance tester, Millie Fender, wrote, 'If you love a smooth soup and a finely-chopped sauce, look no further. This immersion blender has everything you could possibly hope for.'
It is seriously good value for money, she adds, making the investment even more worth it in the sale. 'It's guaranteed to get a lot of use and save you some serious time in the kitchen,' Millie concludes. 'Just be prepared to start on low power once you realize how much power this immersion blender really has.'
From larger-batch alternatives to clever manual choppers, I’ve selected some of the best and newest food-prep tools to simplify your cooking, whether you’re preparing a midweek dinner or getting ready to feed a crowd.
All prices are correct at the time of publication.
Need a more traditional setup? This full-size blender boasts some serious power and capacity. It was faultless across all our tests. If you want a straightforward appliance that can do it all and not cost the earth, look no further. Just note, however, that this is huge.
KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender With Accessories
This cordless hand blender also comes with a whisk and chopper attachment, as well as a deep pitcher, to help speed up prep work. The rechargeable, cordless design also makes it simpler to use when your counters are full.
SMEG Retro Hand Blender with Accessories
If aesthetics are important to you, this SMEG hand blender comes in a range of neutral and bright colors, with a similar retro aesthetic to the rest of their appliance line. It also features a chopper and whisk attachment for practicality.
Fullstar Pro Core Vegetable Chopper & Mandoline Slicer
If you only want to speed up chopping, a manual mandoline will more than suffice. This affordable hand-press quickly slices and dices while protecting fingers, making it ideal for older children to get involved with food prep, too.
The PREPi is designed with convenience in mind. Prep directly in the bowl, snap on the included lid, and head straight to the fridge for quick, streamlined storage.
Bentgo Signature 18-Piece Glass Food Storage Set
The 18-piece set comprises round, square, and rectangular airtight containers perfect for keeping pre-prepared ingredients and leftovers fresh.
We spoke to chefs to learn a whole host of tricks for making meal prep quicker and easier, too.
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