I, too, have a Braun that I love. Sadly, Braun no longer markets their kitchen products in the U.S.

Oops, sorry. Here is the link from Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/september/appliances/immersion-blenders/overview/index.htm

I have the Cuisinart Immersion stick blender. It is a total workhorse. I use it everyday for hot (soupy stuff) and cold (smoothies, juices). It is a great investment!

Maedl, that link is to a Microsoft login

ChefOno makes a good point. See https://bay171.mail.live.com/m/messages.m/?mid=me1749882-06a1-11e3-b062-00215ad6e23e&mts=2013-08-16T18:30:12.743Z&fid=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&iru=%2fm%2ffolders.m%2f&nmid=m1007e06c-06a1-11e3-be4d-00237de416aa&nmts=2013-08-16T18:24:23.857Z

Chris: Models change so be sure to check for features that are important to you. For me, a detachable shaft is a must-have as well as proper shaft seals to keep food particles from entering the mechanism and becoming trapped. Those two features alone steered me to my current KitchenAid.

Bamix- will go for years & years

I have a Braun--it is quite elderly, but still works perfectly. I don’t know if they are still as well made.

Timely answers for me, as I am in the market for a new immersion blender. Any one have an outstanding favorite?

Another vote for an immersion blender. You are working against scientific principle when you use a traditional blender to puree anything hot--the pressure from the steam makes it far too easy to pop the lid and replicate Old Faithful. A good immersion blender purees beautifully and keeps clean up to a minimum, as long as you remember not to bring the immersion blender above the surface of the food while running. Then you run into another scientific principle--centrifugal force.

I'm in the immersion blender camp for many reasons -- they're quick, handle any amount in whatever pot you're cooking in, and cleanup is a snap (easiest for models with dishwasher-safe, detachable shafts like the models from KitchenAid).

VitaMix is the gold standard, of course, but if you want to do this in a blender and not pay quite so much, I'd recommend the Breville Hemisphere.

Yes, only fill your blender half way with hot liquid or you will end up Jackson Pollacking your audience like Emeril once did.
The VitaMix is expensive but worth it. The wattage is high enough that you can actually "cook" soup in it.

We have a Oster® In2itive...it's claim to fame is that it has a slow start motor; so on certain program functions it starts rather slow then it ramps up to full speed occasionally reversing and stopping as the program dictates. It works fine for soups even filled...as it starts slow and then gets serious.

It was met with mixed reviews for quality; however ours has lasted years but it's very low use. I use a stick blender for soups.

In my experience, doing what Monita describes above works like a charm, and for any brand of blender I've used, by the way. While blending, I've found it also helps to hold the blender cover on with a dishtowel.

I think I would prefer an immersion blender for this purpose.

I really like my Kitchen Aid blender. The way I avoid the "spray" of soup is 2-fold. 1) only fill it up 1/2 halfway. Then start the blending on "stir," and the gradually move up to puree