If you are short on space but want to make creamy purees or lip-smacking pancakes or whip cream to make delicious cakes, then a hand blender or a hand mixer is all you need. However, a hand mixer and a hand blender are both different appliances with different functions and capabilities.
So what should you choose? A handheld blender or a hand mixer. Hand mixers are more suitable for mixing dough and batter, but hand blenders are suitable for blending purees and making smoothies.
Hand Blender Vs Hand Mixer
The motor and rotating blades of hand blenders and immersion blenders can blend, puree, and chop all kinds of ingredients into small pieces at high speeds. Their long bodies enable them to smooth out chunky soup right in their bowl or saucepan.
They are most suitable for making soups, mocktails, sauces, and salsas, or any recipe that calls for cooked peas and beans. Hand mixers are modern gadgets geared towards whisking, mixing, and kneading. Handheld mixers consist of numerous attachments like beaters, dough hooks, and a whisker, which cut down the preparation time considerably by getting the work done in a few seconds.
And with the help of these attachments, you can expand the capabilities of your mixer to make it more versatile than a blender.
Hand Blender
Preparing for a meal can be messy if you don’t have the right appliance. And with the help of a hand blender, making your favorite dishes is easy as well as time-saving.
Hand blenders, also known as immersion blenders or stick blenders, are portable and versatile kitchen appliances that cut down the preparation time and work efficiently to create smooth and creamy purees, sauce, juice, and quality smoothies of all sorts of ingredients.
These hand blenders are the best kitchen appliance, as it hardly occupies any space and can be kept just anywhere. Sometimes, it also comes with additional accessories like – a chopper and a whisker to ease your meal preparation needs.
Top 5 Best Hand Blenders
Purchasing the right kitchen appliance can save you a lot of money in the long run. You will find many hand blenders with different functions and types, but a quality blender allows you to experiment with ingredients to make delicious foods. Following is the 10bestdigs team’s roundup of the best immersion blenders and hand blenders for ease of meal preparation:
1.) Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick 500 Hand Blender: $39.97
A reliable budget-friendly immersion blender that matches many high-priced blenders is the Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick 500 Hand Blender. On Amazon, it has over 18,000 5-star reviews, making it the most popular hand blender.
It features a powerful 500W motor, stainless-steel S-shaped blades, and two fixed speeds with nine variable speeds for smooth mixing and blending of purees, sauces, and soups.
The hand blender also includes a whisk and milk frother attachment for more flexibility in creating several dishes. And the best part is that it is lightweight and dishwasher safe.
2.) Elite Gourmet Multi-Purpose Electric Hand Blender: $19.89
The Elite Gourmet Multi-Purpose Electric Hand Blender comes with an elegant and ergonomic plastic design that makes it comfortable and easy to clean.
It is powered by a 150-watt motor and comes with a one-touch button that allows you to chop, mix and blend healthy drinks, shakes, sauces, soups, and much more.
It is a perfect choice for those who want a multi-purpose hand blender with a simple design.
3.) Nxone 4-in-1 Multi-function Hand Blender: $29.99
Sleek and stylish, the Nxone 4-in-1 Multi-function Hand Blender provides powerful performance with its 500W motor that handles the toughest ingredients with ease.
The Nxone Hand Blender consists of a blender shaft, a blender motor, an egg whisker, an 800ml mixing beaker, and a milk frother. It also comes with detachable parts that are dishwasher safe for quick and easy cleaning.
And the small sharp cross blade and the variable speed settings enable faster mixing and blending of milkshakes, purees, vegetable soups, salsas, and much more.
4.) Chefman Immersion Stick Hand Blender: $27.95
The Chefman Immersion Stick Hand Blender is a high-speed, lightweight, inexpensive blender with a 300W motor. The sleek, ergonomic handle offers a comfortable grip.
The stainless steel cross blades enable quick pureeing and mixing smoothies, shakes, and savory foods like sauce, soup, and gravy.
It offers two speed settings: high and low that can crush ice and blend, puree, and mix your favorite ingredients. The hand blender comes with a detachable part for quick and easy cleaning.
5.) Cuisinart CSB-179 Smart Stick Hand Blender: $59.99
The Cuisinart CSB-179 Hand Blender is a top-notch hand blender with numerous features at a reasonable price. It has a 300W powerful motor housed in a stainless-steel unit.
It features a variable speed control that switches from low to high speed at the turn of a dial.
This hand blender comes with a jar for perfectly pureeing soups or blending smoothies, a chopper attachment to chop and mix onions and veggies, and a whisk attachment to whip cream and egg whites.
Pros And Cons Of Hand Blenders
PROS :
- Easy to clean.
- Easy to store.
- Silent Operation.
- Small and portable.
- Inexpensive compared to larger blenders.
- Can easily puree or blend food.
- Less risk of spilling boiling liquids by blending directly in the bowl.
- Cordless models are easily portable anywhere.
CONS :
- Not appropriate for mixing or blending tough foods.
- Suitable for grinding, crushing, or chopping little amounts at a time.
- Care should be taken to avoid splashing hot foods like purees or soup.
- Not good for children to use.
Final Thoughts
Hand blenders are the most efficient and versatile appliance for food preparation. The hand blenders are very easy to use, economical, and suitable for food preparation in small kitchens. They are equipped with a strong and powerful motor to whip, blend, and churn food items to perfection. And with the best hand blenders, you won’t need to think twice to make creamy butter paneer or chutneys to complement your dosas.
Hand Mixers
Whether you are mixing dough or whipping cream for making delicious cakes, a hand mixer is capable of doing all these tasks with perfection.
Hand mixers are a versatile kitchen appliance as they are capable of handling a wide range of quick and light kitchen tasks, such as mixing dough and thick batters, beating eggs, whipping cream, and much more, which makes cooking simple and full of pleasure.
Hand mixers also come with several advantages: they are pocket-friendly and occupy less room on the counter. They also come with several attachments like – dough hooks, whisks, milkshake attachments, and storage compartments.
Top 5 Best Hand Mixers
Hand mixers are modern kitchen gadgets that make mixing, whipping, and whisking tasks convenient and easier. Here is the list of the best hand mixers to ease your meal preparation needs :
1.) Hamilton Beach 6 Electric Hand Mixer: $24.99
Hamilton Beach Hand Mixer is a versatile device that is perfect for a wide range of mixing needs, from mixing cookie dough to producing perfectly smooth creams and much more.
It features powerful 6-speed settings, including a slower first speed and quick burst button for perfect whipping, mixing, and whisking to our requirement.
The mixer includes easy to clean beaters, whisks, and dough hooks. It also comes with a Snap-On case for quick and convenient storage.
2.) BLACK+DECKER MX600B 5 Speed Hand Mixer: $29.92
The BLACK+DECKER Helix Mixer is one of the most affordable mixers. It includes two helix beaters for fast and efficient mixing, two dough hooks for thick mixtures and dough, a wire whisk for whipping cream or egg whites, and a Snap-On storage case for easy storage.
The 5-speed setting along with the turbo boost enables you to mix the toughest ingredients flawlessly. It is also lightweight and dishwasher safe for fast and easy cleaning.
3.) Lord Eagle 400W Electric Hand Mixer: $37.99
Lord Eagle CX-6661 is one of the most popular and inexpensive hand mixers with a peak power output of 400W. The 5-variable speeds with turbo boost and the 400W powerful copper motor can mix the dough, eggs, cream, or even butter quickly, efficiently, and easily, making it smooth and creamy.
The hand blender comes with five stainless-steel accessories: one balloon for cream and eggs, two beaters, and two dough hooks for whipping dough. The accessories are dishwasher safe and also easy to attach and detach with the one-button eject function.
4.) SHARDOR 350W Hand Mixer: $31.99
The SHARDOR 350W Hand Mixer features a 5-speed setting with a turbo function that enables you to mix a variety of ingredients from heavy cream or egg whites to chunky ingredients like chocolate chips or nuts.
It comes with five stainless steel attachments – two beaters, two dough hooks, a whisk, and a compact storage case to store the attachments with ease.
It also features a heavy-duty motor, heat dissipation system, and a one-button eject function to remove the attachments for faster cleaning.
5.) Cuisinart HM-90BCS Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Hand Mixer: $79.95
The Cuisinart HM-90BCS 9-speed Hand Mixer features a powerful 220W motor, a simple on/off button, one-touch speed control, and nine variable speed settings.
It also comes with a SmoothStart feature with three low speeds to eliminate splattering while mixing. This hand mixer includes six large accessories; two beaters, two dough hooks, a whisk, and a spatula.
And the best part is, all the attachments are dishwasher safe and BPA free and it also comes with a whopping 3-year limited warranty.
Pros and Cons Of Hand Mixers
PROS :
- Inexpensive.
- Easy to clean.
- Easy to store.
- Requires less maintenance.
- Easier and less complex to operate.
- Small and portable.
- Energy and time-efficient.
- Preferred for whisking cream and eggs.
- Powerful electric motor to blend and mix tough ingredients.
CONS :
- Not preferred for mixing thick batters.
- Offers only 3-5 speed settings.
- It does not include a mixing dish.
- Suitable only for grinding, crushing, or chopping small amounts at a time.
- It doesn’t include a safety splash add-on, so you need to be aware of spilling the combination in your cooking area.
Final Thoughts
Hand mixers are the quick solution for instant food whisking, whipping, and much more. They are pocket-friendly, occupy less room on the counter, and also comes with numerous attachments to ease your meal preparation needs. They make your life easy and convenient by making rapid work of otherwise tedious tasks like whipping egg whites or making mayonnaise.
Hand Blender Vs Hand Mixer – Frequently Asked Questions
Q.) Can I use my hand blender accessories for all types of foods?
A.) It is always advisable to use the hand blender accessories for their designated purposes, which will prevent damage or further wear and tear of your blender. Hand Blenders often include numerous accessories like – a whisk head to whip cream or mix cake batter, a star blade heads for shredding and mincing, frothing blade heads to mix pancake batters or froth milk, a masher to mash boiled potatoes, and a mini chopper to chop onions and veggies.
Q.) What are the key features to look for in a hand mixer?
A.) Whether you are a professional or a rookie in the kitchen, a reliable hand mixer with all the key features is essential for tackling a host of food preparation tasks. A handheld mixer should have the salient features – variable speed setting for fast and efficient mixing, a powerful motor to blend and mix hard ingredients, and a comfortable grip for holding the mixer for a longer time. It should also consist of numerous attachments to make a variety of dishes.
Q.) How long does a typical hand mixer last?
A.) Most of the hand mixers come with a 1-2 year warranty. However, a hand mixer can last for 10 to 15+ years with proper care and maintenance.
One should take care of the following features to make their hand mixers last for a lifetime – cleaning up after every use, using attachments for their designated purposes, increase the speed at a gradual pace to prevent motor and gear damages, and preventing the hand mixer from overheating.