Mine stopped working almost immediately. Why?
Durability is the weak spot, and some units fail after one use, so contact Mueller under the 1 year limited warranty; its customer service has been known to send replacement parts. Two habits also account for many sudden immersion blender failures. The first is running it too long: a hand blender's motor is small, tightly enclosed in a handle and has little cooling airflow, so it is designed for short bursts rather than continuous running. Blending a large pot of soup in one unbroken run is exactly the use that overheats it. The second is water getting into the motor body, covered in the next question.
Can I wash the whole thing?
No, and this is the second common way these are killed. The blending shaft, whisk and frother are dishwasher safe; the motor body containing the electronics must never be immersed or rinsed under a tap. Wipe it with a damp cloth, and that is all. The design encourages the mistake because the shaft detaches and looks like the whole thing should go in the sink.
How long can I run it continuously?
Check the instructions in the box for guidance specific to this model, but work in short bursts with pauses between them regardless, and stop immediately if you smell hot electrics. Leaving the shaft standing in hot liquid while you do something else is also worth avoiding, since prolonged heat is hard on the seal where the shaft meets the motor.
Will it crush ice?
Not well. It copes with frozen fruit for smoothies, but no hand blender crushes solid ice the way a powerful countertop machine does, and a stick blender attacking an ice tray is the fastest route to the overheating problem above. Add liquid and use fruit rather than ice cubes.
Why does it splash so much?
Usually because the blade housing is not fully submerged, or the speed is too high to start. The guard around the blade holds a pocket of liquid so the blade always has something to cut, and Mueller designs it to reduce splashes. Keep it under the surface, start on the lowest speed, which owners find powerful enough on its own, and blend in a tall narrow vessel such as the supplied beaker rather than a wide bowl.
Can the frother replace an espresso machine's steam wand?
No. It incorporates air into milk rather than steaming it, so it produces foam for a latte-style drink rather than the dense microfoam a steam wand makes. Mueller says it works with all milk types, and it is useful and genuinely pleasant for coffee at home; it is not the same thing.
