Best blender for student halls

[northender]

So DD is off to uni & staying in a shared flat. She's a good cook & is all kitted out quite simply except that she wants a blender. We have said we'll buy her a decent one as I know she'll get so much use from it & isn't taking any other gadgets.
But I've ended up down a bit of a rabbit hole looking for the best one for her. She will use it mainly for soups & smoothies
I love the Braun Multiquick but they're not easy to store all the bits. The nutri ninja type blender are not suitable for hot things eg soup. the big countertop blenders are probably too big for her space. Or maybe a stick blender, no attachments for soup & a nutri ninja type for smoothies??

Any advice appreciated!

Sort of depends what she wants it for.

I like a mini chopper, which are super compact and can make quick work of dicing onions, making pestos, even making hummus. But you won't get something entirely smooth and pureed. For example if I put chunks of onion in a mini chopper it will be very finely cut, if I put it in a nutribullet it will be entirely pureed. And you are restricted to fairly low quantity.

I also like an immersion stick blender, I had one at uni and it used it alot for soups or if I wanted a smooth curry base. However, as with mini chopper it's almost impossible to get something completely smooth, though for me it was good enough. It is really handy ton use it with hot liquids, and it's small to store and easy to wash up.

Nutribullets (or similar) are amazing for creating a completely smooth liquid, and I find mine handy for much more than just smoothies. But the big downside is having to wait for things to cool before blending. The capacity is fairly decent, but not that big. I wouldn't be without mine, but I also find it the least flexible.

I've never had a 'proper' blender so can't really comment, but blending very smooth even while hot is a major bonus above the others above (all of which I currently own) but I think you can struggle with small quantities, so things like pesto wont work.

In student halls it will be difficult for everything to stay together in one place and things can get easily
broken or “borrowed”. I don’t think this is the time for investment kitchen equipment.

@Upanddownthemerrygoround - totally agree. Most of it is likely to disappear so don’t buy anything expensive.

Moved DD in yesterday, she had one bottom cupboard, one top cupboard, a drawer and a shelf in the fridge for everything. She would not have had room for a stand blender.
Get her a stick wand, our Tefal one is good.

I bought something like this about 15yrs ago. Either this exact brand or the braun one. The chopper eventually blunted, but the stick part is still used all the time.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8376334?clickPR=plp:6:24

I would just echo that if halls is anything like it was when I was at uni, if any piece of kitchen equipment makes it through the year unscathed your DD will have done pretty well. Unless she’s going to keep it in her room all the time, I wouldn’t invest much money at all into something. I remember one of my flat mates had a habit of accidentally dropping electrical items into sinks of washing up soup. I lost a sandwich toaster and a stick wand that way.

A cheapish stick blender. Anything flash will be borrowed or broken.

I had a stick blender at uni that I used for everything- as PP says, it’s not perfect but it is flexible.

Also totally agree with PPs who say go for something basic. It will almost certainly be borrowed by drunk people who want to have a go at 3am cocktail making.

You can buy mini smoothie blenders that are usb charged. Probably perfect for her. I’d think a better investment would be a small instant pot and matching accessories (Temu and Ali express for those!) Otherwise, I have bought my DD a Shibuki pot that can be used to heat things up, stir fry or steam food and even doubles as a kettle. I have also bought her an Itaki Chefbox Pro Bento lunchbox. This is something I already own myself as I work bonkers shifts. It is a lunchbox that comes with two long bento boxes and a divider. It heats water underneath the bento boxes and steams food. You can make soups, noodles, perfect rice and heat up food and keep it warm. They’re both small enough and safe to be used in a dorm room. (I wash mine in a bathroom sink at work.) They’re always having sales and they’re very good quality.

@NeunundneunzigHorseBallonz I'm surprised those are allowed in a student room. Most won't even allow kettles outside of the kitchen.

I've seen those mini smoothie blenders, they are about the size of a water bottle and look quite fun. Chargeable by USB so the cable won't get lost/destroyed, and small enough to take with her so won't mysteriously disappear like all my wine glasses did when I shared a student flat.

@Seeline I live in Aus. Maybe rules are different.

Ah - yes probably different rules in Aus! Halls in England are very restrictive.

Would a vizzer not do for now as it is much more compact?

Thanks for all your responses. The cookworks stick blender looks a great buy, going to get one of those & then see how the land lies when she's there

@northender get the Braun Multiquick - its only £20 for the basic one (she wont need the extra bits the more expensive models have). Its the one recommended by Which.