This stick blender is perfect for daily use - and it's only £30

I'm always on the hunt for hard-working kitchen appliances, so when I spotted the Salter Aspen 3-in-1 Blender, it was inevitability (with a good dose of intrigue) that meant it ended up on my kitchen counter a few days later. 

Most of the best food processors, electric whisks, and stick blenders come with lots of packaging and big space demands. However, the neat, sleek design of the Salter keeps it firmly in the 'chic and convenient' bracket.

I've used this for chopping onions, making dips, my morning smoothie, and for whipping cream. It would seem that the functions are almost endless with the Salter. I'm smitten.

Specifications

Who would it suit?

I have to start with the price of the Aspen because it's just so cheap. At £30 it's one of the most affordable stick blenders that you can buy, which makes it perfect for people who are shopping on a budget, especially those who like to get great value for money.

Salter has put some serious thought into the Aspen's design because it comes with a neat stand (making storage extremely easy) as well as some nifty attachments, and two different speed settings. Even though it seems pretty basic overall, it does a great, thorough job of what it promises: whipping, chopping, and blending.

The stainless steel style might not appeal to all kitchens, but it looks smart and sleek. It even wipes clean easily, making it the perfect low-maintenance choice. The only drawback is that this is corded, which means that you're tied to being near plug sockets.

Unboxing

No other brand does packaging as well as Salter. Given the affordable price tag, I expected a lot of plastic or polystyrene, but there wasn't a peeling of plastic in sight. The cardboard box was packed with thick paper, so everything could go straight into the recycling. 

All the different components were tessellated just so, meaning that the box was compact and lightweight. It was actually pretty hard to believe that the box contained all the parts that Salter promised comes with the Aspen: a whisk, blending stick , mini food processor, blending cup (with a lid), and a stand. However, surely enough, each part came out in its smart, stainless steel finish. It's a brilliant start.

What is it like to use?

The stand comes with the potential to be a bit of a gimmick or space-consumer rather than a space-saver, but I actually really liked it. The stainless steel grey looks cheffy without being too functional. 

On the main body of the Salter Aspen 3-in-1 Blender, you've got two buttons. One works at a normal speed and the other is a turbo speed. They're easy to hold down and set running, but you'll need to have one of the attachments clicked into place first. Fitting these is simple, with two buttons on either side that 'unlock' the stick and then 'lock' the part into place. All in all, it's a simple set of controls.

Test 1: Food processor

I love it when stick blenders come with a food processor attachment. These mini bowls are often overlooked, but they're a compact and very easy way to chop onion, whizz up dips, and work on small dressings. Once you start using it, you'll wonder what you ever did without it.

I tested this like I would test any of the bigger food processors that go in our buying guide, which meant chopping an onion and then making hummus (separately). 

Chopping the onion was very easy and done without any tears (a rarity for me, unless I have my onion-chopping goggles on). I placed four-quarters of my peeled onion into the work bowl and pulsed the button on the Salter Aspen. I could see my onion was in relatively large, but consistent pieces after just five pulses. I kept going until I had achieved some really nice, fine pieces of onion in the bowl. There was the odd piece that had rocketed up to the top, but giving this a nudge would easily plop it back down for chopping.

Even though the work bowl is small (I wouldn't have wanted to chop more than one onion in it), I could fit a whole can of chickpeas into it for my hummus. This makes a bowl big enough for a family, which is great if you want a quick extra for dinner or lunch. It didn't take long for me to whizz the chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin, and olive oil into a relatively smooth hummus. There were some chunky bits towards the bottom and under the blade, but that was nothing a spatula scoop and re-run wouldn't fix. You can see that after a little bit of work, I got a hummus that looked silky smooth. It was.

Test 2: whisk

Electric whisks are a kitchen essential, so I was really looking forward to taking this for a spin (or should I say whip?). I used both vegan and dairy cream (not at the same time) in the blending cup, fully submerging the whisk and running it on turbo. Even though you have to keep the button pushed down to keep the motor running, this was comfortable to hold and my hand didn't ache. The main body did a wonderful job of absorbing a lot of the motor's vibrations and I was pleasantly surprised when the cream looked light and fluffy after just a couple of minutes. The vegan cream took just under a minute longer to form stiff peaks, but I'd expect this. Alternatives are often harder work.

Test 3: blending

Stick blenders are synonymous with soups and smoothies, so I had to give the blades a run too. I roasted a tray of root vegetables and then, with some vegetable stock, blended them up in my stainless steel saucepan. I'd go for the lower setting here because turbo can be a bit too much to keep things inside the sides of the saucepan, but if you're in a hurry, you can use turbo and get good results too.

I was keen to see whether this could handle making a smoothie too. It's a little unconventional and most people would opt for a single-serve blender for this task, but if you've got it, you should try it anyway. I put some frozen fruit, banana, oats, spinach, and almond milk into the blending cup and pushed down to get things started. The Salter Aspen did a wonderful job of everything except for the frozen fruit. It really struggled to get through my blueberries and I felt that I was just compacting ice rather than making a smoothie. I would still use this for smoothies, especially because the silicone lid makes for great storage. Just remember to use soft fruits, rather than frozen ones.

Cleaning

All of the parts are dishwasher-safe, so the cleanup is really easy. I was surprised to see that even the mini food processor lid can go in the washing machines, because lots of appliances like this ask you to wipe the lid clean, rather than submerging it. As far as cleanups go, this is one of the most convenient ones you'll have.

If you do choose to wash the parts up by hand, make sure that you have a small brush to hand. There are lots of little places, especially on the blending stick, where bits and pieces could get stuck. I blended rhubarb and had to spend quite some time removing the fibres from being wrapped around the neck of the blade base.

How does it compare?

For a 3-in-1 appliance, the Salter Aspen is one of the most versatile, convenient, and cheapest models that I've tested. It's low maintenance and you'll be hard-pressed to find one with a storage option comparable to the stand that's on offer from Salter.

The one thing that this lacks, or rather has a notable presence of, is the cord. I have one very specific example in mind and it's come from KitchenAid. Their stick blender from the Cordless GO range comes with a stand and almost identical attachments, except that you're not restricted to being within 30cm of a plug socket. You could use this outside by the barbecue or on a kitchen island. It's very handy. 

There are other cordless stick blenders that I could throw into the mix, but they're not quite as powerful as the KitchenAid and Salter options. The Salter is powerful for a corded model and the KitchenAid is extra-powerful for a cordless model, so you really win with both of them. The only downside is that the convenience of KitchenAid's cordlessness comes at a hefty price tag. It retails around £150 in comparison to Salter's which is just above £30 at most retailers. Is convenience really worth 5 times the price? I'm not so sure.

Should you buy it?

If you're space-saving and you're on a budget, this nifty kitchen assistant will serve you well. I particularly liked the mini food processor attachment, which boasts an impressive amount of power, but the whisk and blender are up to scratch too. Unless you're ready to quintuple your budget, the Salter Aspen 3-in-1 Blender is the one for you. 

How we test

At woman&home, how we test food processors is very serious business. I try to be consistent and thorough across each model, running them through the same tasks: chopping onions, making hummus, grating carrots and cheese; and slicing cucumber and sweet potato. If it comes with extra functions, such as dough blades, I make sure to test those too so that you know exactly what you're investing in.

After that, I'll let you know whether the food processor is good value for money by comparing it to different models. I'll also talk about the clean-up and storage, so that no stones are left unturned. If you still have some burning questions, my emails are always open. 

To learn more about our process, check out our page on how we test food processors.