Stick blender or jug blender?

The usual blender mistake is buying a big jug "to be safe" and using it only for soup. How you cook decides the type.

Stick blender

Soup in the pot, baby food, mayonnaise. Ten seconds to wash. Cannot crush ice or make skin-on fruit smooth.

Jug blender

Smoothies, iced drinks, nut butter. Blade design matters as much as motor power; a dishwasher-safe jug decides how often it gets used.

When both?

A weekly smoothie is covered by the stick blender's chopper attachment. A daily one earns a separate jug.