Just about every recipe that you look at will call for mixing of some kind. To make your life in the kitchen much easier, you need a good mixer. There are different mixers for different types of mixing and it can get confusing, and costly, to figure out which mixer is best for you. Any experienced baker will tell you that you need the right tools in your kitchen to bake properly, and a mixer is one of they key tools you will need.
There Are 3 Basic Types Of Mixers
As you look around to find the best kitchen tools, you will realize soon that there are basically three different kinds of mixers. Each does certain things very well and fails to do other tasks quite as well. Ideally, you would be able to afford one of each style and have them on hand for your next baking adventure. However, it’s not always realistic to think that you can afford all three, or that you have room in your kitchen for all three. Here is some information about the three types of mixers and what you can expect each to do well.
Egg Beater Hand Mixer
The good old fashioned egg beater hand mixer. Our grandmothers used this hand cranked beater for just about everything that needed to be done when it came to mixing. Many of us have fond memories of using one of these in the kitchen when we were kids to beat eggs or whip cream.
This is a very basic kitchen tool and it serves the purpose of beating and whipping foods, to a point. It’s great for sauces and light batters and, of course beating eggs. It works for whipping cream, although you may find that you work hard to get that cream to come to peaks. Because of its limitations, this beater isn’t any good for heavier batters and lumpy mixes. On the plus side, these are very inexpensive and don’t have many moving parts to break.
Electric Hand Mixers
90% of American kitchens have some sort of electric hand mixer. They are inexpensive, they are small and lightweight and they don’t take up a lot of space in the kitchen. What’s not to like?
Well, they don’t really work well with stiff batters and lumpy or chunky mixes. You will find as you do more baking that some recipes end up with chunks in them. The heat from the motor will sometimes be warm enough to heat up the heavy cream that you are trying to whip, making it go flat. It takes some time to learn how to hold and use this type of mixer properly.
That said, this is a very handy and useful kitchen appliance. It can handle almost all of your routine mixing needs and it does an excellent job of blending liquids and light batters.
Stand Mixers
Nothing says serious baking like a stand mixer. These heavy duty kitchen appliances have been around for almost 75 years and they continue to improve with new attachments for more uses. At its core, this is a mixer, meant to mix, blend and knead just about any recipe that you may attempt. Newer, more elaborate mixers have attachments that can make pasta, grind meat and handle other kitchen chores.
The downsides to this type of mixer is space and cost. Stand mixers are bulky, heavy and take up counter space. You can keep it in a cupboard, but it can be awkward to move. They can also be expensive. A good stand mixer will cost anywhere from $70 to $350. Your budget may take a hit when you buy a stand mixer.
Which one is best for you? Most bakers won’t use a hand crank egg beater mixer very often. However, they are inexpensive and you can store them in a drawer. Electric hand mixers are great kitchen tools. They can do just about anything need to mix and blend, are inexpensive and can be easily stored. Stand mixers are the class acts of mixers. They can mix things that the smaller mixers can’t touch, they can knead bread dough and do countless other kitchen tasks. However, they take up more space and are more expensive. You need to decide what you can afford and what you expect out of a mixer before buying one.
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