Whether it’s knocking up the perfect souffle or going on a baking mission for great granny’s 90th birthday, a hand mixer is one of those essential items for making your life that just bit easier. While some of the more erratic among us may have a knack for spraying the kitchen every time we go near a cake batter, others should be able to use a hand mixer to create the ideal consistency when it comes to perfectly risen Yorkshire puddings, Victoria Sponges and even seeded malt loaves. So what should you be looking for when shopping for your next mixer and what makes the best hand mixer?
Firstly, the power outage. A light and fluffy dessert such as a souffle or a meringue is gonna need some turbo power to beat in that air, while a heavy bread dough is gonna need a fair amount of power to pummel it into the right consistency. You’ll also need to consider the attachments they come with too. For example, you wouldn’t want to whip up some egg whites with a dough hook or use a balloon whisk to knead up a batch of rolls.
There’s the matter of cost to think about too. Cheaper whisks are going to do what it says on the in, but they may be a little flimsy or lack that turbo boost button that your meringue nests are begging for. If you want your whisk to become a kitchen feature, more expensive hand whisks are going to offer more when it comes to style. Take a look at our list of the best hand mixers to discover the right one for you.
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Design is probably the keyword here; Kenwood have thought about everything but that does come at a price. Firstly, it’s got 350W of power which gives it 5 speed settings plus a pulse setting for extra bursts of speed. Secondly, it comes with its very own stand, which allows you to give it pride of place in your kitchen. The stand also comes with 2 holders for the kneaders and beaters, so they don’t get lost in your kitchen drawer. Available in 4 different colours, there’s one for every kitchen but something to note is the 1.62kg weight, which makes it the heaviest in our list.
If you’re looking for a decent hand mixer that does it all, this one is probably your best bet. Offering up 300W of power and 5 speed settings, making the perfect pudding, or savoury, shouldn’t be too much trouble. With beaters, dough hooks and balloon whisks also included, you should have every tool you need for baking up your favourite recipes. VonShef also say that the attachments are dishwasher proof, which is one less element to the clean up operation. The only common negative among reviewers is that the slow speed isn’t quite slow enough.
There aren’t any particular airs and graces to this powerful hand mixer. The design is fairly simple, although the flush buttons make the motor easy to clean. With 500W of power, this hand mixer is a great one for doughs and with a turbo boost button maxing out its capabilities, producing a batch of perfectly risen ciabattas shouldn’t be an issue. The attachments to this Russell Hobbs hand mixer are dishwasher safe, and they handily store away in the purpose-made grooves in the handle. A downside it that it’s only available in white.
Sometimes kitchens can become overrun with gadgets, but you shouldn’t feel too bad about squeezing in one more when it stores its cable for you. In addition to its nifty storage solution, Bodum claim that it’s highly durable and with stainless steel, plastic and rubber among its makeup, it’s easy to see why. Because the power is lower than others on the list (200W), reviewers say its slow speed is pretty good, although it does lack a turbo button if that’s something you’re looking for. Available in red, cream and black, find the perfect colour for your kitchen.
Whether you’re off to university or simply can’t justify spending an arm and a leg, this budget hand mixer offers up the perfect solution. Delivering 300W of power, there’s enough oomph for 5 speed settings, plus a turbo setting for extra aeration. The design of the hand mixer is fairly compact, so it should be able to fit easily into a cupboard. Coming with 3 attachments, you should have everything you need to mix up cakes and knock up loaves of bread. The only negative seems to be the attachments aren’t dishwasher safe, and you know what students are like with washing up.
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