Our guide to buying the best hand mixer or stand mixer

Hand mixer or stand mixer buyers guide

Not so long ago, when choosing the best food mixer for your home, the hardest choice you had to make was between Kitchen Aid and Kenwood. Both brands are still strong contenders, but there is now able competition from others including Smeg, Russell Hobbs and Breville. With so much choice and functionality, it can be hard to know where to start.

A food mixer (also called a stand mixer or hand mixer, depending on the style) makes baking and mixing for meals a breeze. Kneading dough, for example can be hard work, but a good stand mixer can do all of that for you and free you up to get on with something else. With prices varying greatly – anywhere from £25 to £450 – knowing what you need from your mixer will help to narrow down your choice. Whether you want to bake bread or cakes, pastry or other desserts, there will be specific features to look out for. Our guide will help you understand what you need from your mixer.

Things to consider when buying a food mixer

Food mixers are available in both hand and stand models, although both will do a similar job. As the name suggests, a hand mixer is a handheld appliance and a stand mixer is supported by an integral stand over the bowl. There are also kitchen mixers available which will tend to have a fixed stand. There is some crossover in capability so it is worth looking into the different options to find the best food mixer for you.

You should expect your hand or stand mixer to have basic accessories such as interchangeable heads. The exact tools you need will depend on the sort of thing you intend to use your mixer for but will include attachments such as a balloon whisk for whipping, a dough hook for kneading dough, or a beater attachment for general combining of ingredients.

Hand mixer

A good food mixer is ideal for those who love to bake bread, cakes, puddings, and other treats. They can tackle many of the key jobs including combining ingredients, whisking, or kneading dough, and they will have different attachments to do each job. If baking is your main focus, a hand food mixer might be adequate. However, it is worth considering the functionality of a stand mixer in case the options it offers are of interest. Consider too some more specialist attachments like a folding tool; gentler than a whisk to mix cake ingredients without beating out all the air, giving you light and fluffy results.

A hand mixer is generally at the lower end of the budget scale and because it is smaller than a stand mixer, it is easy to store. It takes up no counter space, and you can use it with any bowl or jug. You should be prepared to put in more effort yourself with a hand mixer as they tend not to be as fast or powerful as a stand mixer. Unlike a hand mixer, you can leave a stand mixer to run by itself because it is fully supported and remains stationary, so you can continue with another task while it mixes.

Stand mixer

Some of the best stand mixer models are essentially universal food mixers that can take on a wider range of tasks. The attachments will allow you to chop and slice meat and vegetables, blend various ingredients and even mince meat, in addition to the mixing and kneading possible with a food mixer. Some models will have specialist attachments for making ice-cream, sausages, pasta, even cookie cutters. The choices are seemingly endless!.

On the downside, they will take up much more space than a hand mixer, although you might see that as a positive. There are so many different styles and colours to choose from, from retro style to ultra-modern, and all the colours of the rainbow, you might decide to make a feature of it on your worktop.

They are a highly versatile appliance and are often found on wedding lists or given as gifts for those moving in to their own home for the first time. Many assume a stand mixer will be more expensive than a hand mixer though that is not necessarily the case and there are models at both ends of the scale. Some of the more complicated models can be difficult to clean.

Key features

Whether you opt for a hand mixer or a stand mixer to make your load lighter in the kitchen, be sure to check some key features so you do not end up making more work for yourself.

If you have a dishwasher at home, you will want to confirm that all the accessories are dishwasher safe so that cleaning them after use is easy and thorough. Be sure to read instructions because even parts that are labelled dishwasher safe might only be so under certain temperatures, or only on the top shelf.

Speed settings

This is a feature where more does not necessarily mean better. Most appliances will offer at least two different speeds and other features might be more useful than endless speed variation.

Soft Start

This is a speed setting that allows you to start slowly before building speed gradually. This is ideal when flour might be whisked all over your kitchen!

Pause

A pause feature can be useful to allow you to add extra ingredients into the bowl and then continue at the same speed.

Timer

Some recipes require the ingredients to be mixed for a specified time and over mixing can have a detrimental effect on the end dish. A timer function will ensure you don’t over mix.

Jug blender

Soups and smoothies are enduringly popular and a food mixer means they are easy to make. A jug blender, as well as a bowl, makes it simple to pour your drink or soup when it’s ready.

Spares and replacements

The bigger brands will often include extra bowls or whisks and if they don’t, they are easy to buy. An extra bowl is especially useful if you are cooking two things at the same time.

Shop for the best hand mixer or best stand mixer at Knees Home & Electrical

We stock a wide variety of mixers from all the top brands. So whether you’re looking for a basic hand mixer or a top of the range stand mixer, our collection will have something to suit your requirements.

Our store in Trowbridge are ready to welcome you in person. If you live further afield or prefer to shop online, our website is always open. We work with a delivery partner to deliver all across the mainland UK. Why not browse our range today and if you need any help, our customer service team will be very happy to assist.