Drilling holes in stick blender?

[Stacy]

I ran across this idea in a couple of places and wanted to see if any of you wise and experienced people had input. If it's a bad idea for a reason I haven't considered, I'd rather not ruin a good sick blender.

The idea is drilling a couple of tiny holes in the top of the bell to allow air to escape and reduce the air in your batter.

The only down side to this that I can see is that if you're working with a very small batch that doesn't cover the bell, you'll actually get more air, but that's hard to control with a batch the small to start with.

Example: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkqzjnivFFI[/ame]

Has anyone here tried this?

 

[MorpheusPA]

You're going to disturb the turbulent flow around the blades, which is very specifically designed to optimize mixing.

However, for soap, I doubt that's going to matter much--you might need a few extra seconds of blending to account for the chaotic stream you just introduced. With food you might get a slightly inconsistent mix, but here that matters a lot less.

Let's just say that the engineer in me is aware that these things are designed by sober individuals who rarely smile and know what they're doing. It rankles a bit to modify that, but I don't foresee any critical problems.

 

[commoncenz]

Ok, maybe it's just the "nerd" in me, but that batter was at trace. So, one would assume that if the air bubbles were actually bursting, you'd see some small splatter marks after all the times she put the blender in the batter. All I saw was bubbles come to the top with no evidence that they actually burst ... i.e. no evidence that the bubbles released the air out of the batter. So, there's no evidence that you've accomplished anything that couldn't be accomplished by just releasing the air by tapping the stick blender at the bottom of your pot.

Heck, maybe I'm over thinking it. (I tend to do that).

 

[Seawolfe]

I don't see a problem with doing this IF you are sure its the bell that's the problem, aren't they usually designed to flow up and then out of the bell when the blades spin? I have a SB that leaves bubbles was actually sucking air down the shaft - so this wouldn't be a solution for that problem.

 

[IrishLass]

I love my cheapie Hamilton Beach stick-blender. I've actually been using the same one going on 10 years now (still going strong)- I've never had to burp it and it doesn't leave air bubbles in my soap. The bell is shaped much differently than the one shown in the video. For what it's worth, you can still buy them new on Amazon - this is the same model that I have been using forever: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008IH9S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 As stick-blenders go, it's a great design in my opinion. It works so much better than my more expensive Kitchenaid.


IrishLass

 

[Stacy]

All very good points, something in me was shaking it's head at the idea of altering it in such a permanent way...I think I'll leave it alone after all.

IrishLass believe it or not, it's twice as much on Amazon.ca but I will definitely keep my eye on the local flyers to try that out. I'll also add it to my list of reasons to go visit my friend in Virginia ;-)

Thanks everyone!

 

[DeeAnna]

What Irish Lass said -- I never burp my Hamilton Beach or Cuisinart stick blenders and I don't ever see air bubbles in my soap due to the air trapped in the bell when you put it down into the liquid. It's just so not a problem. The normal action of the SB blade will cause any air trapped in the bell to be removed almost instantly without adding holes to the bell. I'd think Seawolfe's SB that pulls air down the shaft is more likely to cause trouble.

 

[jiroband]

Hummmmm? I've never had an issue with air bubbles with my $32 KitchenAid SB.

Hey DeeAnna -- I see you're from Iowa -- where? I was born and raised in Decorah, and graduated from Iowa State University in 1987.

Jim

 

[Obsidian]

My SB makes quite a lot of bubbles, burping helps just a little. I think its because the blades spin so fast and create one heck of a whirlpool in the batter. My second hand SB doesn't do that but its slower and takes longer to reach trace.

 

[DeeAnna]

Hey, Jim -- Nice to meet a fellow Iowayan! I live in the country between Postville and Waukon and my hubby works in Decorah. Neither of us is native to this corner of the state -- I was born and raised in a tiny town in western Iowa. Spent a lot of time in Ames earning three degrees from ISU -- '79, '92, '95.

 

[galaxyMLP]

3 degrees?! Wow Dee, that's fantastic!

Since we are on the subject of places we live (not to derail further or anything...) But I noticed it says you live in Ft Lauderdale, Jim. That's where I'm from (not there now) where in Ft Lauderdale if you don't mind me asking??

 

[DeeAnna]

Some people are "FoHo's". I'm a Degree Ho, I guess.

Back to the OPs thread -- I use the same Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart stick blenders to make lotion. If my lotion had air bubbles in it from just plain stick blending, I'd sure know it. Lotion with bubbles has a puffy texture that I don't like. I know it's possible to whip air into a lotion when emulsifying the lotion, but I have to work at it. Just putting the air-filled bell down into the lotion ingredients and letting it do its thing is not enough.

 

[Stacy]

Yes I have to admit it's more an issue with emulsions than with Soap so far. Even with letting the air out it still seems to get a lot of air in the mix. Might be an issue with the shaft though which means this solution will do nothing. I'm going to look at other brands and see what kind of difference it makes. I use a Kitchenaid for soap and I so far it's fine. I'm a big believer in 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' and I might just fix one problem nad create another if I start changing things around like that ;-)

Thanks again all!

 

[jiroband]

Hey, Jim -- Nice to meet a fellow Iowayan! I live in the country between Postville and Waukon and my hubby works in Decorah. Neither of us is native to this corner of the state -- I was born and raised in a tiny town in western Iowa. Spent a lot of time in Ames earning three degrees from ISU -- '79, '92, '95.

Awesome -- you're a Cyclone, too!

Jim

 

[jiroband]

3 degrees?! Wow Dee, that's fantastic!

Since we are on the subject of places we live (not to derail further or anything...) But I noticed it says you live in Ft Lauderdale, Jim. That's where I'm from (not there now) where in Ft Lauderdale if you don't mind me asking??

DeeAnna -- Yes, three degrees is quite impressive indeed!

galaxyMLP -- I live in South Middle River, just SW of Wilton Manors. Where did you live?

By the way, I apologize for taking this thread off on a tangent.

Jim

 

[galaxyMLP]

Ah, ok, I lived in Davie (Ft. Lauderdale area). Close!


As far as for drilling the SB, as others have mentioned I probably wouldnt do it for fear of disrupting the flow of it. I also don't hate the air bubbles.