Hand Mixer Buying Guide

A hand mixer is a small electric gadget used to beat, mix or whip foods for which a stand mixer or blender is not required. Any hand mixer will work for your common everyday mixing tasks, such as whipping cream, beating eggs, and mashing potatoes. However, some mixers have features such a slow start, which allows mixing to begin without splattering the contents of the bowl, or a bowl rest, which provides an easy way to rest the hand mixer on the side of the bowl. They’re all handy.

Basic hand mixers

Basic mixers are a good choice for light mixing needs such as mashing potatoes, mixing a cake batter, or beating eggs. You can expect to pay less than $20 for a basic hand mixer. A good example of a basic hand mixer  is the Toastmaster 6-speed portable mixer, which has several good features, including a durable plastic housing, a 125-watt electric motor and chrome plated beaters. Additional features of this mixer include cord storage, finger tip speed control, beater ejection button and comfort grip handle.

Proctor-Silex hand Mixers

Proctor-Silex makes a basic hand mixer with five speeds but boasts a more powerful motor at 250 watts, includes a whisk attachment, snap-on storage case and a bowl rest. Hamilton Beach makes a very similar mixer with a 275 watt motor, six speeds, wire beater and a wire whisk as well as traditional chrome plated beaters, a plastic snap or storage case and a bowl rest . Black and Decker’s basic mixer features a 350 watt motor, five speeds, and wire beaters (only), with a spatula attachment to scrape the bowl while mixing. It also has a power boost feature to provide a burst of power for heavy mixing and a comfort grip handle. KitchenAid Classic Hand Mixer is their base model. While it does retail for more than $20.00 it is still a basic mixer. It features three speeds, heavy duty motor, oversized beater ejection button, electronic mixing sensor, heel rest and stainless steel beater accessories.

Mid-range hand mixers

This group of mixers is extremely varied. Many of these models have heavy duty motors or additional attachments. These hand mixers will usually range in price from $20.00 to $50.00. The Cuisinart Power Advantage 5-Speed Hand Mixer features a 220-watt electric motor with automatic feedback , easy to use slide speed control, swivel cord for right or left hand use, extra long self-cleaning beaters, spatula, instruction and recipe booklet, and a 3-year limited warranty. The KitchenAid Ultra Power five-speed hand mixer is a step up from the classic. This mixer had a heavy duty motor able to mix double batches of cookie dough, rounded power cord for easy cleaning, comfort handle with non-tip heel rest and stainless steel beaters. This mixer also includes a liquid blender rod (for cocktails, smoothies or shakes) and stainless steel dough hooks. A stainless steel whisk attachment can be purchased separately.

Cuisinart Hand Mixers

The Hamilton Beach Hand/Stand mixer is a unique mixer in that it is a hand mixer that also has a stand to allow it to be used as a stand mixer. The model features a 290-watt electric motor, six speeds, stainless steel construction and a 4-quart mixing bowl. This is still a hand mixer, it does not have all the power and capabilities of a stand mixer, but the stand is a nice feature. The Oster hand mixer is a six speed, 250 watt hand held mixer. It features a heel rest, power burst function, ergonomic design and retractable cord. This mixer includes chrome beaters, a dough hook, stainless steel whisk and drink blender rod.

Top-of-the-line hand mixers

They have heavy-duty motors, generally will have a metal housing, and often include numerous accessories. These mixers usually run between $50 and $100 in price. The 10-Speed Hand Mixer by Dr. Andrew Weil from Spring Switzerland features a powerful 240-watt motor and power burst button  for tough mixing tasks. This mixer includes beaters and dough hooks that are dishwasher safe. The Dualit Chrome 5-speed Hand Mixer was designed for both commercial and home use. It features five speed settings and a professionally rated heavy-duty 240 watt motor. It comes with over-sized beaters, a balloon whisk and dough hooks, all dishwasher safe.

Kitchen Aid Ultra Power Plus hand mixers

The KitchenAid Ultra Power Plus 7-speed hand mixer features seven speeds, digital control with two slow-stir speeds and a mixing load sensor. It has a “soft start” feature to prevent splatters. The heavy duty motor is powerful enough to mix bread dough or double batches of cookie dough. It also has a rounded power cord for easy cleaning, heel rest, stainless steel beaters, liquid blender rod , stainless steel whisk and stainless steel dough hooks. All accessories are dishwasher safe. The KitchenAid Ultra Power Plus 9-speed hand mixer is available in a special edition Pink “Cook for the cure” Susan G. Komen edition. It is a professional hand mixer featuring seven digitally-controlled speeds, with a slow start feature that eliminates splatters. The Pro Whisk attachment is for delicate egg whites and creams, and the professional stainless steel TurboBeaters are for extra mixing power. Covered control panel and rounded cord makes clean up simple. This mixer is lightweight and can handle all mixing needs.