Kids Kitchen Tools: Todd English Immersion Blender

Kids who really enjoy cooking want to work with real tools. The Todd English MIXXO immersion blender can give them everything they need to be efficient in the kitchen, safely and easily.

The best part about the Todd English MIXXO immersion blender by Bosch is that it can replace an electric mixer, wire whisk, food processor and blender for many typical kitchen tasks. These include everything from beating eggs for omelets to mixing milkshakes and batters for brownies or cakes.

Why replace an electric mixer or wire whisk? Because they're messy. When kids use these tools, food ends up splattered all over the kitchen. As for replacing the food processor, any time you can offer kids an alternative that doesn't have sharp blades, it's worth it. And blenders require the user to have enough height and manual dexterity to get food into them without spilling and to keep a hand on the lid while the blender is working.

What's more, the Todd English immersion blender is great for adults who regularly cook for kids, because it makes it easy to prepare everything from pureed soups to frothy milk steamers without having to haul out larger appliances that require more clean-up. With the Todd English immersion blender, you just twist off the blender foot and drop it in the dishwasher.

I like the fact that it is safer for kids to work with, too. The blade is housed under a metal dome. That's why food doesn't splatter. It also keeps kids from needing to touch the blade.

And this blender is cordless, so kids don't have to be tethered to an electric outlet to beat their cake batters.

This isn't the most powerful or versatile immersion blender on the market. KitchenAid makes a nice immersion blender with multiple speeds and attachments, including a whisk and a food chopper. But it isn't cordless, which is a key feature for kids.

The second drawback of the Todd English blender is the price. It retails for $117 from HSN, but you can easily find it much cheaper on eBay (yes, brand new).

If you have kids who are serious about cooking, or you like to make a lot of sauces, soups and frothy drinks, this blender will work well for you, especially if you can get it for $30 to $40 on eBay.