I use it for all sorts of things....making gravy smooth when I have been hasty adding the liquid to the roux....rough chopping tomatoes when making sauce of fresh tomatoes, making a puree of potato soup for someone with recent jaw surgery.\
The thing to remember.....SHUT IT OFF BEFORE REMOVING FROM THE LIQUID....it's amazing how far that machine can fling tomatoes if you don't observe the rules!!

I have a Kitchenaid immersion blender, and I use it all the time - much more than I use a food processor or blender - it is so much easier to use and clean.

My advice on use would be to use it with a narrow deep bowl made especially for these blenders, or use a very large tumbler, when possible. I also use it in sauce pans, but I often tilt the pan to make sure that the liquid is deep enough, and I always start at the lowest speed. I have several bowls/containers that came with previous stick blenders, and that is what I use when making a marinade, salad dressing, mayonnaise, etc. I also use the stick blender directly in a can of tomatoes after draining off the liquid in the can. I do not turn the blender on until the stick is at the bottom of the can, and then I do not raise the stick more than an inch or two within the can. Make sure your containers, pans, or whatever have high sides, and this will help prevent liquid from going everywhere. Also, make sure that you fully submerge the stick before turning it on, and turn it off before raising it, as Linda said.

Lars

Thank you, figured it was a user error... I'll try your tips and see if I can find the love -

An immersion blender and a food processor
Are the two things I thought
I just HAD to have!
And was so excited to get them!

However, they are also the two things
That get the least use in my kitchen.
I may get the immersion blender out
once or twice a year.
The full sized food processor
hasn't been used in several years.
I can do everything they do as well
By hand,
with a whisk,
With a knife (and my knife skills are sadly lacking)
or with my hand held mixer.

Good luck on learning to love it! ! :>)

But if one of my kids asked for one,
I would gladly get it for them,
And let them make their own decision
About its usefulness.

Rusty

I use mine for two things. Daily for mixing my protein shakes and then whenever there's gravy to be made. It's a lot easier to clean than a blender jar. I've tried it on other things like you sometimes see in the ads etc but never found it to work all that well. Say for breadcrumbs etc.
And no you're not the only one who gets splashed or makes a mess using one. It's hard not to when you're doing the gravy in a big roasting pan but sometimes you have to suffer the pains to get rid of any lumps if they happen. Nobody wants to be known for their lumpy gravy LOL

I don't use my immersion blender daily, or even weekly, but I would not want to be without my boat motor.

After braising, I use the immersion blender to make a gravy from the de-fatted dripping & the veggies used for aromatics. The veggies (onion, carrot, & celery) blend beautifully & thicken the sauce to gravy consistency without the need for a roux).

Watching DD&D I can't help but notice those humongous commercial immersion blenders. No wonder they are called "boat motors". They're the size of the kicker on the back of our first fishing boat!

/tricia