29 Recipes That Prove THIS Is The Best Affordable Kitchen Tool

Many of us have heard of the prized immersion blender, but few (a.k.a. not me, until recently) have come to know its 360 culinary prowess in person. This kitchen tool is quite seriously all that and a bag of chips, a Jack of all food trades, a multi-edged sword for meal prep...you get the idea. If you don't get the idea, here it is: An immersion blender is a handheld blender. That's it.

Not only does the small, portable, and storable size of the IB beat out regular blenders and standing mixers, but the price tag is overwhelmingly accessible, too (grab one on Amazon.com starting at $20 a pop). Immersion blenders are so versatile in their mixing abilities, that we've rounded up 29 kick-ass recipes stretching way past things you'd expect to mix up, like your split-pea soup and classic tomato sauce (although, it's great for those, too). Click on for some major immersion blending inspiration — get ready to open up counter space and cut back on kitchen time while you're at it.