What Is The Best Mixing Method To Use

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It can be difficult to decide whether it’s better to have a hand mixer or a stand mixer in your kitchen. Whether you’re making a cake or working on a batch of cookies, both types of mixers have their own advantages and disadvantages. 

If you take a closer look at both stand mixers and hand mixers, you’ll have a clearer picture of what you should be using. You’ll also be able to see when hand mixing is your best choice. 

HAND MIXERS 

A hand mixer is a mixing device that’s designed to be held in the hand. Hand mixers generally fall into one of two categories. 

A rotary hand beater, or an egg beater, is a type of mixer that’s connected to two egg beaters. It has a crank on its side and is designed to be operated using both of your hands. With one hand, you’ll be able to keep your beater in place, and with the other hand, you’ll be able to rotate the crank so that the egg beaters will move. 

An electric hand mixer is similar to an eggbeater, but it’s motorized. The motor is found in the top section of the beater. The beater has a handle that makes it easier to control. You won’t have to do any cranking yourself; you can rely on the motor to move the egg beaters. 

The benefits of hand mixers: 

They’re more affordable than stand mixers. 

Clean-up is a breeze. 

They don’t take up lots of space. 

They’re ideal for fast tasks, like beating egg whites. 

You can use your hand mixer with any mixing bowl. 

The downsides to hand mixers: 

Because the motor is smaller, it isn’t as powerful as a stand mixer. 

Your bowl won’t be secured in place. If you’re not careful, the ingredients you’re mixing could wind up splashing out of your bowl. 

If you’re working with a thicker batter, you might struggle to use a small mixer. 

STAND MIXERS  

Stand mixers are premium-quality mixers. They have a frame that’s able to house a more powerful motor than you’ll find in a hand mixer. They also have a base that can be mounted to a bowl. The bowl perfectly fits the mixer and can be secured in place while you’re mixing. On stand mixers designed for home use, you’ll find that the bowls hold about 4 quarts of liquid. A commercial stand mixer, however, can hold as much as 100 quarts. In most cases, home mixers can be stored on your counter. A commercial mixer is typically mounted to the floor of the kitchen. 

Most stand mixers can be used with a range of mixing attachments. For example, you can use a flat beater when creaming, a whisk when you’re whipping cream, or a dough hook when you’re working with thick and heavy dough – get the lowdown on Foodal.com so you can make an informed decision  

The benefits of stand mixers: 

Because the mixing bowl is secured in place, you won’t have to worry about batter spilling out of the bowl. 

You’ll also be able to leave the mixer running on its own if something needs to be mixed for a while. 

The powerful motor makes mixing faster, even when you’re working with a thicker batter. 

You’ll also find a lot of impressive features on stand mixers, like programmable settings, timers, and other attractive features. 

The downsides of using stand mixers: 

They can be difficult to clean. 

They’re much more expensive than hand mixers are. 

They’re on the larger side and can take up a lot of space in your kitchen. 

Do You Always Need A Mixer? 

Mixers haven’t always been around. You can prepare recipes even if you don’t have any mixers at all. In some cases, you may find that mixing by hand is actually your best option. 

With that said, mixing by hand can be a hassle. It takes much longer to mix things when you don’t have a mixer to help you. Even if you’re just beating egg whites, mixing things yourself can take a lot out of you. This is especially true if you need to mix something for several minutes.

When to mix things by hand: 

So when should you avoid using a mixer? These are a few reasons to work without a mixer: 

If your eggs are supposed to be lightly beaten, you’ll get better results if you mix by hand with a wire whisk or a fork. 

If you’re supposed to fold an ingredient into your batter, you’ll find that it’s easier to mix by hand. As an example, it’s much easier to fold egg whites into a batter this way. 

It’s also better to mix by hand if you’re mixing something over heat. If you’re melting on the stovetop, you won’t be able to use a stand mixer, and you won’t want to use a hand mixer either. You’ll want to stir the mix with your own hands.