Immersion blenders are handy for fall soups

If you’re looking forward to making a lot of soup this fall, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more useful tool than the immersion blender. Sometimes called a hand blender or stick blender, these compact kitchen tools are able to puree ingredients right inside your pot or Dutch oven, saving you time and the hazard of transferring hot liquids into a blender. Immersion blenders with whisk attachments can also make homemade whipped cream in seconds and many come with food chopper cups fitted with blades to turn your immersion blender into a small food processor.

If you’re unsure of how much you’ll use this kitchen gadget, you might spring for the $60 Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender, which does a fine job for not a ton of money. But for habitual soup, sauce and dip makers, the $120 Breville Control Grip, which combines power and precision, is super simple to operate and comes with four excellent attachments. KitchenAid’s excellent model is our pick for the best cordless hand blender.

After many hours of blending, whipping and chopping (and a whole lot of leftover soup), we’ve landed on these three models as CNET’s top recommendations.

Best overall immersion blender: Breville Control Grip BSB510XL

CNET take: This was one of the pricier immersion blenders we tested, but it gives a whole lot of bang for the buck. The Breville Control Grip is incredibly easy and intuitive to use and packs plenty of power, despite lower total wattage than some others on the list. It also has one of our favorite handles, which is both sturdy and comfortable. This hand blender weighs a manageable 3.8 pounds and has good balance. We also like the rubber protectors on the bottom of the blade guard, which prevent it from scratching a pot or Dutch oven.

For $120, you’ll get the mighty Breville stick blender and four handy accessories: a wire whisk, food chopper bowl, large jug for mixing and an ice crusher attachment that you can screw into the jug for making mixed drinks and smoothies. All of the attachments are made from extremely high-grade plastic and feel particularly durable. If you’re looking for an immersion blender that can do far more than puree soups and sauces, this is the one to buy.

Best cordless immersion blender: KitchenAid Cordless Blender KHBBV53BM

CNET take: If a corded immersion blender feels restrictive, KitchenAid’s cordless hand blender is another excellent option. It has adjustable variable speeds and plenty of power to whip potatoes, blend veggies and emulsify pesto and salad dressings with ease.

The KitchenAid was one of the easiest to attach and operate with a comfortably placed safety switch on the backside of the handle. We also love the look and feel of this stick blender with its durable matte-plastic build. It has great weight distribution and is a true pleasure to use. This basic cordless immersion blender can be had for $100, but will run you closer to $160 if you choose the bundle with a whisk, food chopper attachment and blending cup.

Best value immersion blender: Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-179

CNET take: You can purchase this formidable hand blender along with a whisk, chopper and mixing cup, all for $60 to $70 depending on color. Considering its excellent performance in the tests we ran, that makes it an easy pick for the best value immersion blender of the bunch. The Cuisinart sports 300 watts of power (even more than our top pick) and an easy speed control dial on top of the handle for precision blending and whipping.

If we have one complaint about this budget-friendly model, it’s the placement of the safety button. It’s located directly above the power button and it can be a bit awkward to hold both down at once. Compare that to the KitchenAid, which has its safety button on the back so you can use your natural grip to hold it down. For what it’s worth, the Cuisinart’s safety button is probably safer, since it’s almost impossible to press it by accident.