How to Choose the Best Mixers
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Whether for beating, stirring, or whisking while baking, making fresh pasta, or ice cream, mixers are becoming a useful tool for culinary activities. These handy tools can speed up meal preparation while retaining all the nutrition (including fiber) available in food.
However, the popularity of these products has given rise to a wide range of options on the market. Hence, choosing the best mixer to satisfy your needs can be complicated. To make shopping easier and to get the ideal model, we have analyzed the advantages and downsides of each type.
With the 4.7 liters or 5-quart capacity stainless steel bowl that comes with the KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, the manufacturer estimates that you can make up to a hundred cookies. It has operating power of 325 watts, which allows for quick and efficient kneading of the dough.
You will find other accessories in the box: a wire whisk, a flat beater, a dough hook, and a protective cover that will allow you to easily pour your preparations into the bowl.
There are 10-speed levels. The adjustment is made on the side of the machine. To make access to both the beater and the bowl easier, KitchenAid has equipped its robot with a tilting head.
The KitchenAid Professional 6-Quart Mixer is available in 21 color versions. Thanks to its 575 watts of power and 10-speed setting, the KitchenAid 6-Qt Mixer can be used to prepare pizza or bread dough in large quantities. It also, naturally, does very well in simpler tasks such as baking cookies. The supplied bowl has a capacity of 5.6 liters or 6 quarts. It is made of stainless steel.
Note that the included accessories, i.e. a flat beater, a kneading hook, and a wire whisk, are not made of plastic, but of metal. This gives them superior durability while also making them easier to clean.
The mixer is designed so that the beater and the bowl have 67 points of contact during kneading. This allows excellent incorporation of the ingredients and eliminates lumps.
Mixers that are powerful enough for efficient mixing are generally sold for top prices. Lucky for you, the Cusimax CMKM-150 will save you money and energy. The Cusimax CMKM-150 offers an impressive 800 watts of power, which is way above average. It can beat, mix and knead ingredients.
You can adjust the speed according to your needs, by turning the wheel positioned on the side. More than ten options are available to you. The silicone suction cups under the device keep it stable when you increase the speed.
It is composed of a robust ABS case, available in black or red. Its stainless steel bowl, meanwhile, has a good capacity of five quarts, or 4.7 liters. It comes with a splash guard equipped with an opening for adding ingredients. Please note that it is not dishwasher safe.
A stand mixer is an expensive investment compared to many small food processing appliances. You must therefore be certain that it meets your needs and that it can stand the test of time. If you want to turn to a more reliable model, choose the KitchenAid Classic.
Avid kitchen enthusiasts know that KitchenAid sits at the top of the charts when it comes to standing mixers. With its Classic model, you are sure to have a simple and reliable product.
The color options are white and black. It is compatible with about fifteen accessories allowing you to chop meat, make your sausages, or even your homemade pasta. It comes with a stainless steel bowl. This can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher. Its capacity of 4.5 Qt, or 4.3 liters, meets the needs of most households and allows you to make all types of recipes.
Do you like to bake cakes and cookies, but don’t feel like investing a lot of money in an appliance that you don’t use daily? Then you can consider getting a simple but effective entry-level stand mixer, like the Cuisinart SM-50BC.
We appreciate the manufacturing quality of this product. Cuisinart indeed offers an appliance of great solidity, and in addition, matches your purchase with a 3-year limited warranty.
The manufacturer has thought of including a rather interesting recipe book in the box. You can choose between the 12 speeds available. Just turn the side knob. It’s intuitive, but a more visible indicator of the selected gear would have been useful.
The power is 500 watts. Be careful though: if these characteristics may seem high, the Cuisinart SM-50BC is in practice slower than certain top-of-the-range models with theoretically lower power.
The Hamilton Beach 63391 is one of the best compact and inexpensive models. It was designed mainly for making simple recipes. Its use is therefore 100% hassle-free, and even beginners who have doubts about their pastry skills will manage to use it brilliantly.
With 300 watts, it can make cookies, as well as bread or pizza dough. It can be adjusted at 7 speeds by turning the knob on the side. The bowl offers a capacity of 3.7 L or 4 Qt.
You will have understood: this is not the best model for preparing large quantities in advance. But other than that, it ticks all the boxes. Hamilton Beach is a brand renowned for the robustness of its products, and this mixer is no exception.
Some kitchen appliances may seem very practical, but the lack of space can limit the number of gadgets you buy. If a mixer is something you’re interested in, a versatile and relatively compact option like the Hamilton Beach 64651 might appeal to you.
The Hamilton Beach 64651 is a practical device with a versatile design. You can use it as a stand mixer, but also detach it from its base to make a hand model. Black and silver, it comes with a small four-quart stainless steel bowl or 3.8 L.
It is a dual attachment model, which means you can connect two flippers to it at once. It also comes with two kneading hooks. The whip is the only one that can be used without duplicates.
Would you like to equip your kitchen with small appliances without breaking your budget? Fortunately, there are good quality products that remain affordable. In the world of stand mixers, the Frigidaire ESTM020 is an interesting model.
It is mainly made of plastic. This makes it less robust than other metal models on the market, but it has the advantage of being lighter, which may appeal to some.
It comes with a stainless steel bowl of 4.75 Qt or 4.5 liters. This capacity is sufficient for the majority of consumers. It has a splash guard. Also, there’s an opening that allows the addition of ingredients without having to remove them.
If you just want to make soups and purées, without spending a lot, what you want above all is a device that is both solid and not too expensive. Despite its very reasonable average price, the Hamilton Beach 59762 has a good lifespan with a long warranty.
Although it is the least expensive product on our list, Hamilton Beach offers you a 5-year limited warranty with this mixer/blender. As for performance, you get 225 watts of power.
Just note that the Hamilton Beach 59762 is designed for slicing garlic or onions, or for preparing purees and soups. If you exclusively make milkshakes, this is not the best model for that.
These are followed by the features you should watch out for.
An electric mixer may also be called an electric whisk. It is a popular food processor that automatically beats with a pair of whisks, or a pair of hooks to mix cooking ingredients. To use it, you just need to connect the electric wire to the mains, then press the buttons.
An electric mixer can be operated with one hand. There is a mini electric mixer for people who want a compact device. It is recommended to use a bowl when using an electric mixer.
The mixer/blender is a 2-in-1 multifunctional device. It combines the functions of an electric mixer and an electric blender to make all types of preparations. In addition to two slots for integrating the whisk and hook rods, it is possible to insert a mixer tap. Depending on your model, the integration of the tips to the mixer is done with a sheet system (a flat tip) or propellers.
What sets the hand mixer apart is its elongated shape. This ergonomic device allows it to be used in any container, which makes it very practical.
In addition, it allows you to reduce the dishes that you have to do after making your recipe. The beater mixer requires a single tip that is installed at the end of the mixer stand. It is an easy-to-use mixer thanks to its compact design.
These are usually larger mixers that have an integrated bowl. These baking robots are much easier and more comfortable to use since they are used when placed flat. There are even electric beaters with a rotating bowl.
These are more efficient and allow you to benefit from a much faster preparation. Please note that this is much more than a simple pastry robot since it enables you to prepare many different dishes.
This works as a blender, chopper, and electric mixer. It is a device quite similar to an electric mixer with a bowl. However, it is generally much more versatile. It can also be used to beat eggs, but it can also be used as a chopper or blender.
This type of food processor has an integrated bowl and a movable arm, much like an electric potato masher. You should use it while it is placed on a table or work surface.
You will have the choice between a plastic or a glass bowl.
Then there are the stainless steel and anodized aluminum mixers which are the most aesthetic of all. However, it all depends on the decor you want to bring to your kitchen.
That you have invested in a luxurious Bosch mixer doesn’t mean that everything you prepare with it will come out as perfect as you want. In fact, most large bowls do not allow food to be mixed in small quantities since they can end up under the blades.
Opt for smaller bowls for mixing dry ingredients in particular, and conversely, a taller and larger bowl for liquid preparations. Thus, the capacity of the bowl is to be adapted according to your needs. It can range from 0.8 liters to 2 liters.
Certain machine models can, however, be combined with several bowls of different sizes to allow various uses. But it’s not just the capacity of the container. Not all mixers or blenders have the same bowl. The best mixers are designed in ingenious shapes that facilitate not only the mixing of food but also the transfer of the preparation obtained from them.
Note that the models with blades screwed to the bowl are the most practical for recovering the remains around the blades. You will also choose serrated or bifunctional blades, depending on whether you only want them to chop, cut, and mix, or whether they can pound, grind, chop and emulsify.
Buying a good mixer starts with defining the use you plan to make of the appliance before choosing a given model. Both of these machines can be used to beat eggs and cream, mix your bread dough, cake batter, frosting or cookie dough.
Choose a commercial countertop mixer in case you plan to use this device in a restaurant or for your large family.
Also, if you plan to use this device to mix only a limited amount of food, then it would be a good idea to opt for a hand or stand mixer that is smaller, compact, and less expensive. This model works with a moderate level of power.
The hand mixer is also easier to handle, compact, and less expensive while remaining powerful enough to mix smaller quantities of food or for occasional use. However, the hand mixer doesn’t come with a mixing or rotating bowl. But it is well inexpensive than the latter.
The power of a home-use mixer should normally vary between 100 watts to 750 watts for a standard model. By choosing a model with power within this range, you can have a satisfactory quality of mixture depending on the type of food to be mixed.
However, you can also go beyond 750 watts. This is if you plan to use this device for professional use, for which the saving of time is important. For this purpose, a mixer with power within the range of 600 watts and 1000 watts will be much more recommended.
Some mixer models allow you to prepare your food with only one speed while others come with variable speeds. However, it’s ideal to choose a model capable of operating at least two different speed levels if you plan to use the device for different types of preparation.
But if you only plan to use it for one type of preparation, one-speed levels may be enough to get the desired result. On the operating speed, anything between 1,100 to 2,000 revolutions per minute (RPM) will be sufficient.
This criterion refers to the general ease of use. You have to give special importance to certain elements such as the weight of the base of your device. A mixer must indeed be perfectly stable when mixing food, hence the need for a fairly heavy base.
It would also be great if it has an easy-to-remove cover to avoid splashing when opened. You should also choose models with the presence of a measuring cap. Hence, you won’t have to open the lid completely to add liquid or ingredients to your preparation when the appliance is on.
Finally, assess the mixer’s performance based on the noise it makes. The noise level of this device can determine the users’ comfort and health during use. In any case, the noise level should not exceed 70dB.
Manufacturers offer endless options and accessories on each model of the mixers. It is, therefore, essential to determine which ones you will need the most to facilitate the daily use of the device. You can, for example, choose a model equipped with a pusher, a tap, non-slip feet, an ergonomic handle, different types of bowls, or even a filter.
On the other hand, many people prefer a silent mixer. They prefer a model with the pulse function, equipped with several adjustable speeds, a timer, and different integrated programs. And if the removable accessories can be washed in the dishwasher, that’s a plus!
So many options can make the difference between one mixer model and another. It’s up to you to select the ones that are most useful to you
Do your friends and family rave about your baking skills, and do you want to go even further? To push your limits and be able to beat eggs very quickly, or to make cookies in large quantities, stand mixers such as the KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan is the ideal purchase. This tool offers you superior accuracy and execution speed. In addition, thanks to numerous accessories that come with them, some devices can be transformed into a real all-purpose station for chopping, cutting, grating, peeling, grinding, etc.
Meanwhile, for those looking for even more budget-friendly mixers for making purees and smoothies, the hand mixer such as the Hamilton Beach 59762 would be the most suitable.
To choose your mixer model, you must take into account the use you intend to make of it. Going forward, we saw some factors you will need to consider when purchasing a reliable and high-performance mixing machine. These include the power and operating speed, the integration of a bowl, the construction material, and other in-built and on-body functionalities. There are powerful models that have sophisticated settings.
For kitchen uses, opt for a simple-to-use mixer instead. Choose a device that is simple to adjust with buttons that are easy to handle. Aside from the settings, also take into account its ease of cleaning and maintenance as this prolongs its durability.
By ensuring your choice of mixers is integrated with these features and criteria, you have an increased chance of getting the best mixer for the kitchen.
This post was last modified on April 27, 2023 4:27 pm