Verdict

Pros

• Great accessory range
• Affordable price
• Adjustable speeds

Cons

• Food processor blades could be longer
• Chrome finish easily marked

Dualit DHB2 Hand Blender: At a Glance

The Dualit DHB2 Hand Blender shows a marked upgrade from the original model. It comes with a selection of accessories offered on a modest budget, but with increased power and usability.

Dualit enlisted the expert advice of Monica Galetti (of Master Chef and La Gavroche fame) for its latest hand blender. Her input is evident in the results.

Although the DHB2 isn’t perfect, it more than justifies its £80 price tag with its array of attachments.

Dualit DHB2 Hand Blender: Design & Features

One of the great things about the Dualit DHB2 is its ergonomic design. The top of the blender curves around your hand, letting you keep a good grip while you blend. You still have access to the power buttons though, which you’ll need to hold down in order for the DHB2 to function.

This design makes it comfortable to hold whether you’re a lefty or a righty, so you don’t need to worry about swapping hands either.

Straight out of the box, the Dualit DHB2 looks great — all shiny chrome finishes and black plastic detailing. After a few uses we found it was getting covered in fingerprints and watermarks. These are tricky to scrub off and it was looking pretty well-used even at this stage.

It’s a little sad Dualit isn’t offering the DHB2 in different finishes to make it a little easier to maintain. But it’s not like you’re going to have it out on show all the time anyway. For the majority of its lifetime, it will sit in a cupboard. You’ll have to decide whether its quickly tarnished body bothers you that much.

Like most other hand blenders, the DHB2 comes with a few accessories that make it one of those all-rounder kitchen gadgets. For your £80 you get the stem blender, a whisk, mini food processor pot and a tall measuring jug, in which you can make smoothies and other recipes.

The DHB2 unit locks straight into the stem blender, but you’ll need to use the adaptor section for the whisk and food processor. For ease of use there’s a line and lock symbols on the unit to shoe where things match up.

SEE ALSO: Best Hand Blenders Round-up

Dualit Hand Blender: What’s it like to use?

Dualit’s previous hand blender, the DHB1, only had a 500W motor and couldn’t keep pace with other hand blenders at its level or above. The latest DHB2 model has an upgraded 700W motor, which makes a great difference when tackling your recipes.

Between the turbo and power buttons you’ll find a wheel for adjusting the speed of the DHB2. The highest speed is extremely capable, cutting through large chunks of food with ease.

But what’s great is there are lower speeds available too. These are just fast enough to whisk the more fluid substances, like pancake batter for example, in a large bowl without covering you and your kitchen.

The DHB2 is also fitted with a turbo function, letting you give the blades an extra burst of speed when required.

One of our favourite new features of the DHB2 hand blender is the revamped food processor pot. Its new addition is a handy spout where you can feed in ingredients while you’re blending. Thus meaning you don’t have to keep taking the whole top off.



It’s fitted with a handy silicon bung to keep it closed if you don’t need it. But, regardless of what you are pulsing and at what speed, food rarely makes it back up the spout to escape.

The actual food processing pot itself isn’t large, so you may want to opt for a different tool if you’ve got a large amount to put in. We found it was adequate for creating most sauces, dips and other concoctions.

But there are a couple of issues with the new model processor and one of those is lid security. Although the unit and adaptor lock together securely, there’s no way to lock the adaptor into the pot.

The unit can slip out of the base pot and you can twist the lid off the processor pot if held incorrectly or if you’re not paying full attention.

The actual blades of the food processor are clever though, as they are dual layered to gather up ingredients that get stuck up the sides.

They’re sharp enough to cut through anything we presented them. That includes whole cherry tomatoes for salsa, digestive biscuits for a cheesecake base and chickpeas for hummus.

They could do with being a little longer though, as you can get a bit food building up at the sides where the blades can’t quite reach it. This is more of a problem for thicker foodstuffs than smooth sauces, but it is something to watch out for.

There’s also the more traditional stem blender attachment for the DHB2. Dualit has revamped this too with a new plastic blade protector. This lets you use it in saucepans and other containers without scratching the base.

This is useful especially when blending hot foods, as you can blend them straight in the pan without having to dirty another pot.

This plastic base has also has select gaps around the edge, allowing for suction-free blending. We’ve never noticed this was a problem with other stem blenders, but it’s certainly not an issue with the DHB2.

What was slightly irritating with the stem blender on the latest Dualit model is the fact the top is too flat. Your mixture will get stuck on top of the blade housing, meaning you occasionally need to scrape off the top to keep you mixture smooth.

It’s only a small issue but it can become quite annoying when you’re mixing for long periods of time. The stem blender is a fantastic bit of kit though, with the variable speeds allowing you to choose how chunky you want your sauces.

It’s also the most versatile of the attachments. We liked using with the included measuring jug for making morning smoothies.

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Finally you’ve got the whisk, which is great for the budding bakers and more professional alike. Like the stem blender, you can use it with pretty much any container. Plus, thanks to the variable speeds, the experience is practically splash free.

The whisk slots into the adaptor and feels secure, to the point that it can be quite tricky to get back out again.

Should I buy the Dualit Hand Blender?

If you’re looking for a great all round hand blending experience on a respectable budget, then the Dualit DHB2 hand blender is a fantastic option.

It isn’t flawless by any means, but the accessories, speed control and turbo boost offer a solution for all your culinary blending needs. We achieved great results with the multiple recipes we tried out and haven’t reverted back to our previous model since.

Next read our pick of the best tablets of 2014, for reading your recipes in the kitchen

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