Basics of Kitchen Mixers

Mixers are definite must-haves in any household particularly if you tinker around in the kitchen a lot. They help in all sorts of food preparations – from making dough and ice cream to sauces and vegetable purees.

Portable vs. stationary

A kitchen mixer can come in two general types: the hand mixer and the stand mixer. The former is a portable mixer which comes with two traditional beaters. The latter is stationary and is quite bulkier.

Your choice of mixer depends on the type and frequency of food preparations that you have to do. For instance, if you don’t cook a lot or you don’t have a need for a kitchen mixer everyday, you can always opt for the portable models. The good thing with a portable mixer is that you can easily fold it up and store it in your cabinet for later use. A stationary mixer will take up more space. Portable ones are also more affordable. You can get a model that comes with a number of attachments so you can do more things with it.

Stationary mixers are great for heavy-duty food preparations typical of restaurants and households that have to feed a lot of people. For instance, if you have to mix a lot of dough, you can’t possibly rely on a hand mixer as this will not only strain your hands and arms but also push the appliance to the limit.

Choosing a mixer

Frequency of use will determine which type is best for your requirements. It’s great to have a stationary mixer if you use it a lot. But if it will only spend most of the time sitting on your kitchen counter gathering dust, you better go with something that you can easily store.

For stationary mixers, power is another consideration. You want something that can mix dough and mixtures with heavier consistencies. A tilt-head model is a good option because it allows you access to the bowl and the beaters. It is also easier to clean. On the other hand, a bowl-lift model for stationary varieties is better for mixing thick batters. If you’re running a bakeshop or a restaurant that does heavy-duty food preparations, this type of mixer will be more useful to you.

Finally, another thing that you need to consider when shopping for mixers is the capacity. Some models have eight to nine cup capacities while the bowl-lift varieties have as much as 14-cup capacities.