A simple matter – choosing a mixer for the kitchen

We cook with pleasure

• light weight;
• compactness;
• can be disassembled;
• low price;
• the ability to mix products in any container convenient for you. And how to choose a kitchen scale can be found in this article.

Hand mixers also have a couple of disadvantages arising from their advantages:

• the mixer should be held in hand;
• inability to mix thick dough, knead frozen butter due to the low power of the device engine.

Hand mixers are often battery powered, but electric ones are not uncommon either. They perfectly cope with simple tasks: beating eggs, batter for pancakes and pancakes, cream and sour cream.

When to whip is a profession

The professional mixer is more powerful and has more functions.

Fields of application of mixers are different. The need to whip products arises not only in the home kitchen. There are also special, professional beaters used in production (confectionery factories, bakeries, restaurants, cafes). Such devices work with significant volumes of products, perform a large number of functions, and are capable of operating at several speeds.

Subdivided into tabletop, tabletop-mounted and floor-mounted, they have high power. The planetary mixer allows you to knead the toughest dough and other products in a very short time. There are also specific milkshake whippers for bars and similar food outlets.

Solid and stationary

A stationary mixer is an expensive and solid device compared to a manual one. The set consists of the mixer itself, a bowl for mixing products, and a stand that holds the device during operation. At the mixer, not only the nozzle itself can rotate, but also the stand for more uniform and homogeneous mixing.

Some modern models can provide mixing in several planes. They have one or two attachments.

Its undoubted advantage is that while the device is working, your hands will be free to do other things.

A definite plus turns into the fact that a stationary mixer takes up space in the kitchen .

What is important to know when choosing a mixer

In order not to be mistaken when choosing a mixer, you need to decide on the tasks that the mixer will perform in your kitchen.

Material

An important circumstance is the material from which the mixer body and bowl are made: metal or plastic. The bowl can be made of glass.

Plastic. Lightweight and inexpensive material, differs in a variety of shades, while not strong enough when compared with metal.

Metal. Durable, gives solidity to the device, but the price for such a mixer is much higher. The material does not allow observing the process of the mixer operation.

Glass (bowl). Practical, proven from the very best, environmentally friendly material. In terms of cost, it occupies an intermediate position between metal and plastic.

Appliance power

The power of the mixer is the main technical characteristic that distinguishes handheld devices from stationary ones. The higher the power rating, the faster and better the products will be mixed.

The speed range also depends on the power characteristic. For example, manual low-power devices have 5-7 speeds , while the number of engine revolutions does not particularly differ, therefore, in fact, the device will operate in 2-speed modes.

Stationary and hand-held devices with high power can have 5-10 speeds, while the difference when switching speeds will be quite visible. For work, it is more convenient to use models with smooth gear shifting.

The maximum power of a hand-held device is not more than 400 W, the maximum power of a stationary device is 1000 W.

In order to whip light ingredients, a power of 150-300 W is sufficient, while at least 300 W is required to prepare a dense dough.

A set of required functions

Modern mixer models, in most cases, can work in 3 modes:

1. Normal mode. Used to operate at a given speed.
2. Pulse. Used in the processing of solid products. The speed is regulated depending on the force of pressing the button. The stronger the pressure, the higher the speed.
3. Turbo mode. It is used to work at high speed for a short period of time. Most often used when breaking up dough lumps.

The mixer can be supplied with additional attachments, from one to five pieces. The standard set for the hand model includes two whisks for whipping liquid ingredients, as well as spirals for kneading dough.

There are much more attachments for stationary models. This can be hooks, different beaters, a bowl, one or more cutting knives. In addition to a food processor, your kitchen can be as functional as possible.

Sometimes a blender knife attachment is attached to stationary appliances. In this case, the mixer can act as a stationary blender, grinding the ingredients with high quality.

As a useful add-on

Modern mixers can perform many functions.

In addition, you can also purchase pleasant and useful accessories for the mixer. This could be:

• vegetable cutter, but an electric grater for vegetables will need to be purchased separately;
• knives for cutting potatoes;
• meat grinder attachment (can be a replacement for the electric Mulinex meat grinder).

Manufacturers rating

If you analyze the requests of potential buyers in Internet search engines for the choice of a mixer, then you can make a list of the most popular manufacturers. And here you can study the rating of electric stoves.

The largest number of inquiries relates to the mixer manufacturer Bosch , which means that this manufacturer definitely deserves your attention.

The leader in the planetary (rotating bowl) mixer segment is Kitchen Aid . Also, the popularity of companies’ inquiries is high:

• « Kenwood »
• «Philips»
• «Braun»
• «Moulinex»
• «Bork»
• «Zelmer»
• «Scarlett»

We draw the appropriate conclusions

To choose a kitchen assistant, you should:

1. Decide what kind of products you need to whip.
2. Do you have a place in the kitchen to install a stationary appliance.
3. How important is the power of the mixer.
4. Do you need additional accessories when working with a mixer.
5. Does the cost of the device matter? And  what a vegetable cutter looks like with cubes can be found here.

And finally, a recipe for delicious ice cream, which is very easy to prepare using a mixer. Ice cream is loved by both children and adults, and having a mixer is easy to make.

How much easier and faster using a mixer will make a delicate, airy cream for pastries or cake, mousse, meringue or soufflé! And what about milkshakes! This delicious miracle can only be created with a mixer! And how to choose knives for the kitchen can be found in this material.