You cannot really question whether a hand mixer or a stand mixer is better. Both are necessary for your kitchens with a view to performing different kinds of household chores. Both of them has utilities that are extremely helpful from their own perspective. However, both have certain advantages and disadvantages over the other.
In this article, we are going to discuss both the hand mixer and stand mixer, their different uses and the advantages and disadvantages they come with.
Let’s dive into the discussion.
Hand Mixer
There are two kinds of hand mixers available out there in the market. Portable hand mixers and electric hand mixers. Portable hand mixers are simple and do not come with many attachments except a pair of removable metal beaters that you can use for all the purposes.
On the other hand, electric hand mixers came by replacing the manual rotary beaters that you may still discover in many vintage kitchens around you. Being one of the most basic items of the kitchen, you cannot think of setting a kitchen without a hand mixer.
However, when it comes to price, it is not that expensive except quite a few models. Most of the models of hand mixers are available within a price tag of cheap rate. If you use a hand mixer to mix cake batter instead of using bare hands, it will definitely be better and quicker.
Be it mashing potatoes, whipping cream or creaming ingredients, hand mixers are always a better alternative to anything you may think of. If you do not require baking much, you can use hand mixers.
To talk about the operation, a hand mixer usually features a variety of speed setting to choose from. You should choose the speed that is necessary for certain dishes.
Advantages of a Hand Mixer
- Very inexpensive.
- Available at the nearest shop.
- Easy to clean and maintain.
- Does not take much space in the kitchen.
- Works quicker.
- Usable in any type of bowls.
Disadvantages of a Hand Mixer
- Weak mixing capacity due to small motors.
- Unless having a steady hand and bowl, there is a chance of splashing while doing the task.
- Dealing with the thicker batter by hand mixer is tough.
Stand Mixer
If you do not have much time to spend with your mixer occupying your hands, you can move to stand mixer. Coming with advanced use of technologies, it has taken the art of mixing your favorite dishes to a brand new level.
With a stand mixer in your kitchen, you have the liberty to blend or mix anything for as much time as you can. You will not get tired because you do not need to keep it holding for hours. It is like an automatic mill where you just put something and get crushed after a certain period of time. So, there is no question of getting tired. On top of that, you can use the power of a stand mixer to blend something heavier and thicker mixtures or dough that would otherwise be impossible and time killing with a hand mixer.
Usually, a stand mixer comes with its own bowl which limits the amount of food that you can blend or mix. Stand mixers are great for better efficiency and time-saving.
You can check our selected best stand mixers.
Advantages of a Stand Mixer
- When you use the large bowl, it means you will have very less chance of splashing your batter out.
- As it comes with a stable bowl, you do not need to attend the mixing task always. You can go out of the kitchen to do other tasks and find the task done when back. Thus it saves your time and energy.
- In case of thick batter, you will experience a way quicker mixing with a stand mixer.
- Stand mixers usually come with programmable features such as timers and auto-stop.
Disadvantages of a Stand Mixer
- Cleaning the micro parts of the stand mixer is not easy.
- Way costlier than the hand mixers.
- As they are large and heavy, they occupy more space in your kitchen.
Differences Between Hand Mixer and Stand Mixer
There are certain differences that distinguish a hand mixer from a stand mixer. Let’s explore some of the differences now:
| Options | HAND MIXER | STAND MIXER |
|---|---|---|
WEIGHT | A hand mixer is very handy. It weighs from 0.5 to 2 kg. | Being large, a stand mixer generally weighs from 5 to 7 kg. |
SIZE | One of the smallest units in your kitchen. You can just put them in your cupboard and drawer without thinking much. | As stand mixers are designed for more heavy tasks, they are usually way larger. |
SPEED | You can usually avail 5 to 6 speed in your hand mixer. | A stand mixer accommodates many speed setting which may range from 5 to 12. |
ATTACHMENTS | Flat beaters are the most common property of a hand mixer. If you have got one good model, you can also be offered with dough hooks or balloon whisk. | Starting from flat and Flexi-beater, you may have meat mincing and many other accessories to process your food by blending. |
BOWL CAPACITY | You are at liberty to use bowls of any size. But the problem is that a hand mixer might fail to process heavier loads and it needs some break if you want to mix large batches of foods. | A stand mixer comes with a huge bowl. With a capacity of 4 to 5 liters, it can deal with big loaves or cake. |
PRICE | You can avail a piece of hand mixer at as low as $5 to as high as $100. | A stand mixer is costly. It can cost you $80 to $500. |
Hand mixer or Stand Mixer? Which One You Should Buy?
Well, if you are still confused about whether you should buy a hand mixer or stand mixer, follow these to make the ultimate decision:
- If your budget is low, have short space in your kitchen and do not bake very often, you can go for a hand mixer. It is great for easy baking jobs.
- If baking is your everyday task and you do it very frequently, a stand mixer will help you a lot. For thicker mixes, pastry making, dough kneading, you will not find a better alternative to a stand mixer for sure.
