Paying more for a hand blender will usually get you more attachments, which slot into the main blender handle to get different food processing jobs done.

You can put all of the parts, bar the base, into the dishwasher, so there’s very little mess to deal with, either. Performance Excellent power, dishwasher-safe parts and a redefined base that offers more Auto-iQ programmes makes this one of the best all-round blenders I’ve tested. Design and features Splash guard Usually sold separately, these fit over a bowl, with a hole for the hand blender to pass through. It helps prevent splashes from going on to your work surface.

We assumed that all these extra attachments would give similar results, but we found big differences in quality. Members can see what these differences were. Log in or join Which? now for instant access.

The worst hand blenders left us with chopped nuts and herbs of a variety of sizes, lumpy mash and us wondering if the egg whites would ever reach stiff peaks. Ease of useEach attachment can be used with the automatic programme, but you can override this with manual settings, using pulse or running the blender entirely manually. While the cup and bowl run at maximum speed only, there’s a choice of 10 speeds with the jug, giving much finer control. The CB350UK comes with a redesigned base. Rather than dedicated buttons for Auto-iQ, there’s now a selector dial, which gives the front of the blender a more attractive look. Options available include Powermix, Blend, Crush, Mix, Puree and Chop – although the options available will be determined by the type of jug attached. Not everyone is on the hunt for a hand blender with lots of bells and whistles, but we still tested every attachment they came with, so we can tell you which ones are the best. Whisk An attachment to incorporate air into a mixture. Good for whipping up egg whites, cream cake mixes and batters. Our testers assessed each hand blender's build quality. The best had casing that didn't flex when pressed, premium materials such as rubberised grips and attachments that felt secure and solid when attached to the main handle.

Higher power (wattage) means the blender should spin faster. There is some advice that talks about the different amount of power you need for different foods, but our thorough testing has found no real correlation between the power of a hand blender and the results you get. The five programs include blend, max blend, chop, puree, and mix. The base instantly recognizes each attachment using the Auto-IQ technology and only the relevant programs are made available for the specific attachment that’s in place. Each program is timed and combines the optimum blending and pausing patterns for the task, whilst counting down on the timer. Alternatively, you can select one of the manual speeds, choose between low, medium, and high, or pulse, and the timer will count up. Depending on your point of view, the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ is either a space-saving appliance or quite bulky to store. If you want to combine two appliances in one, then it can be regarded as a space-saving option. However, if you’re just looking for a blender or a food processor, the additional accessories in the box will take up more storage space than if you bought the one appliance, making it a bulkier choice. It measures 48 x 25.5 x 19 cm / 17.64 x 9.96 x 7.52 inches (h x w d) when the tallest accessory is attached. The base alone is quite lightweight, coming in at 2.8kg / 6.2lb but has suction cups on the feet to keep it stable.

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The best are comfortable to hold, even with reduced hand strength, the worst vibrated a lot and were uncomfortable to keep hold of after a minute or so. Washability Mini chopper A small food processor that's well suited to chopping up nuts and herbs, and softer vegetables such as onions and carrots. We selected the best-selling hand blenders from the most popular brands available at key retailers. Previous Ninja blenders have been good, with the main difference between models being the accessories that ship alongside and the Auto-iQ programmes available. For those not in the know, Auto-iQ is Ninja’s system of running the blender automatically for different jobs. We blitzed nuts and herbs in mini choppers, whisked eggs with a whisk attachment and mashed up potatoes if it came with a mashing attachment.

We made soup, houmous and smoothies with each hand blender, running each ran for the same length of time, on the highest setting. While it may be noisy, when it comes to performance, the CB350UK is exceptionally good. I first tried to crush ice, in both the jug and travel cup. With the Crush programme, I soon had a lot of powdered ice with the texture of snow, and no large lumps of ice.

A space-saving blender and food processor in one

In the box, Ninja provides a 2.1-litre jug for larger mixes, a 700ml travel cup with lid, and the 400ml Power Nutri Bowl. The jug has both a large blade assembly and a dough hook; the latter two attachments use the same blade assembly. We blended mayonnaise for three minutes, noted how easy to was to keep holding the blender and how much the handle warmed up. We also tried each hand blender with Cambridge simulation gloves , which simulates reduced hand mobility, to see which ones are more comfortable to use for people with limited dexterity or strength. The Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ is such a versatile appliance, we tried out several of the functions and attachments to give it a thorough test, yet there’s still much more that it can do. To chop hazelnuts, we opted for the food processor bowl. After five short pulses with very little change, we switched it on to low speed for 30 seconds. The result was quite coarsely chopped nuts with just a small amount of powder. Measuring 86db on our sound meter, this was the loudest noise level we experienced from the appliance. While it’s the equivalent sound level to a vacuum cleaner, it’s only for a short period of time.