Kitchen Mixer Buying Guide

Most people who spend any time cooking will be tempted to purchase a kitchen mixer. Bakers, especially, find that a kitchen mixer is essential to their enjoyment of the task. No one wants to make an angel food cake and spend upwards of twenty minutes beating egg whites by hand! There are several options to consider when purchasing a mixer, and two major categories, as well: the hand mixer and the stand mixer. Both types of mixers typically have multiple speed settings. Motors come in a range of powers or strengths, as well. Both types of mixers feature removable paddles for ease in cleanup.

Stand Mixers

Hand mixers

Hand mixers have several advantages over their larger counterparts. Hand mixers are relatively inexpensive. A simple hand mixer can be purchased for as little as fifteen dollars, while more expensive models can cost closer to one hundred dollars. Hand mixers are easy to find, as well. If you have a well stocked grocery store in your area, you may be able to find them in the baking aisle, as well as department stores and discount retailers. Hand mixers have removable beaters that add to their ease of cleaning. The beaters easily eject from the device, and can then be washed in the dishwasher. Most hand mixers come with only one type of attachment, though. Hand mixers are also small, and store easily. Hand mixers do have some limitations, however. A user cannot simply walk away from the hand mixer – you are required to hold it while you use it. Also, one cannot knead bread or mix other thick batters and dough with a hand mixer. Some models, especially the more inexpensive ones, may overheat if used for a prolonged period of time, or to mix something that is too thick for their motor. Your “designer’ options, such as color and design, may be more limited when picking a hand mixer. The hand mixer is best suited to the cook who uses a mixer infrequently, or for small tasks. Most cooks start out with a hand mixer until they decide they need something more powerful, or that they would like to do more serious baking/mixing. Hand mixers are fantastic for every day tasks, and are a useful piece of equipment in even a modestly stocked kitchen. Popular brands are Black & Decker, Sunbeam and Braun.

Hand Mixers

Stand mixers

The stand mixer is the “more serious” of the two kinds of mixers. A simple stand mixer is considerably more expensive than even a mid-range hand mixer. The standard Kitchen Aid mixer (the most popular brand for stand mixers) costs around two hundred dollars. This buys the mixing bowl, which attaches to the mixer, the stand mixer itself, and typically three attachments: the standard paddle, the whisk, and the dough hook. Even without additional accessories, these three attachments will be sufficient for someone doing standard baking. Other popular brands include Sunbeam and Hamilton Beach. More upscale models – those with larger capacity bowls or more powerful motors – as well as mixers kitted with additional accessories, can cost up to seven hundred dollars. A stand mixer requires considerably more space than a hand mixer to store. One should take into account where the mixer will be stored before purchasing a such a machine.

Professional Mixers

Advantages of a stand mixer

With a stand mixer, you do not have to stay with the machine while it does all of the work. Cooks can simply put their ingredients in the bowl, turn it on, and walk away to complete other tasks while the machine mixes. This is especially nice when a task requires several minutes of beating. The stand mixer can also be used to knead dough, which can be a very time consuming and laborious task. A stand mixer is, simply stated, more powerful and so better suited to heavy-duty mixing than its hand-held counterpart. Bread dough, thick cookie dough, and mashed potatoes are made with ease using a stand mixer. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s guidelines when using the machine for these thick substances – many include directions on how to not burn out your motor while making bread dough, especially. Many offer special dough hooks for the task.

Dough hooks

Mixer accessories

There are many popular accessories that can be purchased to increase the flexibility and usability of your stand mixer. One interesting new accessory is the ice cream bowl, made by Kitchen Aid. Other useful accessories include food grinders for meats and purees, pasta making attachments, and vegetable slicers and shredders. By purchasing these accessories for your mixer, you can eliminate the need for several other kitchen gadgets in your home. The stand mixer is openvaried than the hand mixer in appearance as well as functionality. They come in a wide variety of colors, and a company now is making decals to further customize their appearance, as well. (You can get metallic flames, or even cow print decals.) The stand mixer also has a greater range of capacity and motor power than the hand mixer. Most cooks find that the four-quart bowl will suit their needs just fine, even allowing them to easily double recipes for cookies and other baking recipes. If you find that the four quart bowl may be too small for your needs, professional quality stand mixers can have much larger bowls, up to seven quarts for non-restaurant model mixers.