I first used a hand blender in the kitchen at work to make the soups and desserts for the residents of the care home I work at and I had thought about buying one for my own kitchen for a while before I actually got around to it, as I had looked at them previously in the shops, but had not used one until I got a job as cook and saw how useful these gadgets really are.

I then bought mine from Asda and it cost me £19.99 which isn't a bad price to pay for a hand blender. It is a 300w hand blender and plugs into the mains, the plug comes with it and is already attached which is good as I hate fitting them on to electrical gadgets.
There is a simple instruction booklet that comes with it, for how to use and clean it and it has a beaker for you to store your soups or shakes in.

The handle is slightly bent at the top for easy grip and the on / off button is on the side of the handle and the bottom half twist off so that you can clean the double bladed bottom of the bender, these bottom parts can be put in the dishwasher.
I think these are great in the kitchen and I use mine for lots of different things.
I make soup and blend the cooked vegetables to make it smooth, as well as using it for packet desserts like angel delight or whipping cream.
I even use it for mashing potoatoes if I am going to pipe them into swirls to brown off in the oven.

It has so many uses and even if I am dieting it whisks the shake drinks like slimfast up in no time to a frothy drink and it makes the best milk shakes especially if you use a little ice cream or cream in the mix.
It is easy to store away and clean as it comes apart and can be put in the drawer for when you next need it.
It is however something you have to keep out of reach of small children as the blades are sharp.

I use this almost everyday in my kitchen and wouldn't be without it.