If you haven't heard of Bamix's immersion blenders and food processors, you're in for a treat. The Swiss brand is an expert at making timeless, durable appliances that are investments worth making.
As a committed foodie, I've tested the best immersion blenders on the market. I have a relatively compact kitchen too, so I like using these appliances that don't demand much room and that can do a lot.
To check whether this is as good as it looks, I put the Bamix through its paces on soups, nut butter, sauces, and more. It's impressively powerful, sleek, and durable, which is perfect if you like old-school appliances.
Specifications
Unboxing
The Bamix comes with a neat, sturdy box. It's perfectly proportioned for the size of the hand food processor, meaning that you don't have too much cardboard to pack into your recycling.
You'll get some useful accessories alongside the main stick blender. There's a small grinding pot for spices and nuts; a stand for putting your stand mixer in when not in use; and three different blades for blending, grinding, and chopping.
I tested mine in black, but these are available in a range of colors, meaning you can tailor yours to your interior style. It's sleek and not too heavy either. In other words, it's perfect.
Who would it suit?
Bamix call this a hand food processor, because it's more versatile than a hand food processor. It's durable and well-built, so even though it's more expensive than a Nutribullet option, for example, it's a good investment if you want yours to last for a lifetime.
The versatility of the Bamix also makes it a good choice for adventurous chefs. Even though the different attachments are versatile, they're better suited to single-person homes or for couples. Whilst you could use yours in a pan to make soups and sauces in bigger batches.
What is it like to use?
You can't really go wrong with the Bamix. You plug it in and then can choose between two speeds and three different blades, depending on what you want to do with your immersion blender.
I had the stand set-up whilst I whizzed through our tests on soup, smoothies, hummus, and nut butter. It was really useful to have a secure spot to put the Bamix between tasks. My only reservation was fitting the different blades into place. I could imagine those who are a little long-sighted needing to be careful not to clip theirs in a little loosely.
Test 1: soup
A classic task for any immersion blender is how well they handle soup. You can buy blenders that can heat and blend at the same time (such as the Braun TriForce), but this is great if you boil vegetables in a saucepan and want to blend in there.
I chopped up some carrots and sauteed onion and garlic, mixing it all into one pan. Then, I used the Bamix to turn all of it into a smooth soup. Even throwing in the leafy cilantro didn't slow the Bamix. In under a minute I had made a smooth soup. The Bamix wasn't very noisy at all. However, there are just two buttons, so you don't get much control over the speed. Another nice feature is the pan guards which stop the blades from scratching the bottom of the pan.
Test 2: smoothies
Another great test for immersion blenders is the making smoothies. Bamix don't send a blending cup, so I placed some frozen blueberries, banana, oat milk, spinach, and protein powder into a pitcher. Then, I used the Bamix to whizz it into a smooth drink.
Immersion blenders aren't always the best for making smoothies (I prefer to use Nutribullets). However, the Bamix was excellent. The smoothie was fiber-free and easy to drink. There were no powder lumps, grains, or seeds left behind.
Test 3: hummus
Another key test we put all of our blenders through is making dips. Hummus is a great test of this, since you don't get a high water content to work with. I poured a can of chickpeas, a spoon of tahini, a squeeze of lemon juice, and some cumin into a bowl and used the Bamix to crush it. There was still a little texture left in the dip and I had to keep moving and stirring the chickpeas to make sure that the Bamix could whizz up everything in the dip. However, the end result was perfect. It took just a couple of minutes to make a delicious dip of hummus.
Test 4: tomato sauce
I was testing a pizza oven at the same time as this, so I thought I'd throw in another test for the Bamix. I made tomato sauce for the base using canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, and oregano.
The soup had proven that this can make a super smooth sauce, so I wanted to test how well this could make a sauce with a little bit of texture. I did my own pulsing using the controls and made a good, textured sauce. The oil was well integrated into the tomatoes and there were some small, but deliberate chunks integrated throughout.
Test 5: nut butter
I'd read that the grinder and pot was really useful for spices, but I wanted to give this a run on peanut butter. I put some roasted peanuts into the bowl and set them running. Normally you have to do thirty seconds on and thirty seconds off so that the motor doesn't overheat, but I thought that the Bamix was powerful enough for me to run. Within two and a half minutes I'd made a smooth peanut butter. I was seriously impressed here. It's a test that is easy to perform, but hard to perfect and the Bamix has done it.
Cleaning, storage, and maintenance
Whilst I was hesitant over detaching and reattaching blades when I started using the Bamix, it makes life a lot easier when it comes to cleaning. You can't put the parts in the dishwasher, but that isn't a problem, because all the parts are easy to clean. Of course, you'll want to be careful around the blades though.
The Bamix stand makes it easy to keep it stored neatly. You can keep it out on the countertop without it demanding too much room, but the slim design makes it easy to slot into drawers lying down. In summary, you'll have space for the Bamix and all of its attachments.
How does it rate online?
There's not a huge amount on the Bamix online, but all the reviews give it high praise. People who love the Bamix tended to be those who wanted a no-frills, top-grade, timeless blender. Most people praised the classic design and effortless performance although some reviewers called for a pulse function on the main body.
As I suspected, the thing that most people struggled with was the blades. People found changing and cleaning them to be a bit too fiddly and ended up getting a bit frustrated with the instructions. In reality, it's pretty straightforward. However, comparing this to other immersion blenders it's more involved.
How does it compare?
The performance of the Bamix secured itself a spot in our buying guide for the best immersion blenders on the market, even though they consider themselves to be hand food processors.
In the buying guide, our best option is the Braun MultiQuick 9 (available at QVC). This comes with a greater range of attachments, including a food processor bowl, masher, and whisk. This makes the Braun more versatile, but it also comes with more clutter. If you won't make use of all of them, you're wasting your money.
If you're looking for a cordless option, the Cuisinart EvolutionX (available at QVC) is a great alternative. It's powerful, easy to use, and also comes with a useful stand. It's a similar price to the Bamix and the downside is that you'll have to remember to keep yours on charge. With the Bamix, you'll have to manage the cord, but at least you won't have to remember to charge it.
Should you buy it?
The Bamix is a beautiful, well-built, premium option for small homes. It's perfect for small tasks and packs a really powerful motor into a slim body and design. The only reason I wouldn't recommend this is if you're set on having a cordless model.
