I love-love my new Vitamix immersion mixer!  I use it to make thicker smoothies in the container I will be drinking from.  This saves me the time of scooping out thicker mixtures at the bottom of my big Vitamix blender.  I also routinely use it in soups that I make in pans on the stove.  The mixer breaks down the soup to make it semi-creamy but still with some small chunks for texture.