Favorite portable hand mixer????

10 years ago

Need to replace a 6 month old Hamilton Beach mixer that I hate! Slow speed is really turbo and guarantees me AND the kitchen are both covered in flour. Beaters (chrome plated) started being chipped & rusted immed. and now the plating is flaking off - yuk. Soooo, what hand-held mixer do you have that has both a good slow-speed and the higher speeds (don't need a lot of them: true low, med. & high would be fine) + only uses stainless wire beaters (no plating)? I see mixed reviews on Amazon for both Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart & I don't really want a $90 hand mixer. Thanks so much. Maybe specific model # might be best.

Comments (14)

andee_gw
10 years ago
I received a Kitchen Aid for Christmas and I love it! It comes with both a pair of traditional beaters, and a "balloon" 1-beater that whipped egg whites in a jiffy. My only complaint is that the speed settings are digital, so if you stop it, you have to start at low, and then incrementally increase the speed to where you were. (But that's seemingly true of all digital life.)
annie1971
10 years ago
I've had Kitchen Aid hand mixers and like them very much. Back when things were expected to last forever, I had a very inexpensive hand mixer for years and it was a work horse. When it finally went, I bought a cheap GE; it went right away. I bought a Kitchen Aid and it lasted a good few years and would still be running if the connection for the attachments hadn't broken. Bought another Kitchen Aid; I don't see anything else on the market for the quality and money. Nothing's made to last these days. I didn't see the digital feature a problem (it's not a Ferrari, how fast do you need to go in a few seconds); but my new one is not digital; just push it to your desired speed and it's off). I don't know about the plating on the beaters; I put them in the DW with no problem. Get a Kitchen Aid; I think you'll be happy.
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Wow, super-mom. I was wondering if your heavy use is due to a large family or small home business ... Impressive to do so much from scratch and so much healthier. I have no appliances on the counters. My kitchen often looks like it does not involve cooking at all. Especially in the mornings. Starting any cooking project or experiment i need it empty and clean, dishwasher empty and sink clear. I'm constantly tweaking how it might work better. Our kitchen does have 4 seasons. Evolves throughout the year....baking more in the colder months, marble slab is out now replaced by a second cutting board in the spring. Sometimes all 4 seasons in one weekend. Like the recent 3 day holiday weekend during a snow storm. The mixer was out all weekend, and the juicer, and all three blender containers and a full counter of spices and seeds and flours. Just took a zippy 20 minutes to put it all away and douche the place. By monday afternoon it became a pasta making factory for dinner later, then a meat market, grinding for sausage. Even if i baked everyday, i would have to move it from the main baking area to give it a cleaning and start fresh as ingredients change with each project. Husband is a slob, but does agree about the kitchen. He makes coffee in the mornings and tends the dogs. Uses that time to meditate and 'zen' the kitchen. But that is our solution for peace and harmony. : ) His stuff and tools are everywhere all the time. Rarely puts anything away. Our solution? I have a half dozen heavy llbean canvas bags. One is by his office door, door shut, lol. I just put his 'stuff' in it. If he can't find anything, that is a good place to check first. It is always full. He empties it occasionally. Another bag by the stairs to downstairs where all the stuff and my stuff goes. I always thought the lift was a good idea but i could never actually use it on the platform. I need my mixer with ingredients right next to it, not behind it. Even in the photo flour is on the platform, so it is also all over the floor. Much easier to wipe the counter than the floor. I don't read panic or insanity in your written voice. Just looking for a way to make it work. I would leave it out for a few weeks on the island. You might just find it is a bugger-bear. Gotta move it to clean. Might as well move to the backsplash home. Think of it as a 'cleansing' for organizing thoughts and the next project. Make and bake three days worth of meals in a day and freeze. (i'm sure you do that)...but give the kitchen a break for a day or two a week, and keeping the island clear will keep the family in check. One rule, island clear. One thing i did was take a couple heirloom trays from my Grandmother and put hardware store lazy susans on the bottom. They are in my pantry but are easy to haul out to the work counter. One has smalls like vanilla, nutmeg nuts, etc. The other has my most used seeds and nuts and some baking supplies. I can leave those trays out all weekend but easy to carry and put away. I have one rule. Breakfast table clear always. Here it is after the weekend... : )
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Another stand mixer owner here. Like meskauskas, I have a Viking stand mixer. Santa (er, Mr. Marv) bought it for me for Christmas. It was a replacement for an old KA that went to mixer heaven. I researched many brands and models and decided that the Viking would fit my needs. I have the 5 qt/800 watt model, which is perfect for me. I decided that the 7qt. model would be overkill, since I usually bake quite frequently as opposed to large quantities (I find it very therapeutic) and there are only two of us at home. I bake alot of bread and do desserts at least twice a week, as well. It can handle a double batch of bread dough with ease, and makes quick work of cake batter, cookie dough, etc. King Arthur Flour/Baker's Catalogue is a good place to start if you have questions. They are very knowledgeable and use many products in their test kitchens. They will give you alot of feedback, answer questions and ask you questions (like how many times a week do you bake, what do you bake, how many people are in your household). I would suggest calling their toll-free number and ask to speak to one of their bakers. It might be a good place to start. One of the criteria for a replacement mixer was how much room it would take up, and how easy it would be to move. The Viking has wheels on the back, so it's very easy to maneuver around the countertop. I'm extremely happy with my choice. I also have a food processor, which I use for shredding veggies, pureeing soups, etc. I very rarely use it for baking ingredients, except for the occasional pie crust, where you need speed and little kneading. Here is a link that might be useful: Viking mixer
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I grew up with only a hand mixer (the iron type). I had a FP for years when I was first married and since I found I was only using it to grate cheese, and was moving frequently, I finally gave it away. I accumulated a KA stand mixer and FP over the years since I've had a more stationary existence. When the KA is out, I use it. When it's away in the cupboard, I don't. I reach for the hand mixer. It's what I grew up with so it's STILL my first thought unless my KA is staring me in the face. My poor FP. I still don't do anything with it, even though it too is now out on my counter. Though, I don't think I've ever made a pie. I have LOTS of counter space after my kitchen reno and was sure I'd be using it a lot. I got one that has a special dough setting and of course I could do bread dough in the KA as well. Wouldn't you know I got turned on to a bread making process that is all by hand? So I have my 12qt container that I had to find storage space for. My advise is that if you're just starting out, get the iron type hand mixer, but get a good one (even though I'm not sure what that means). And if you must do pie crust electronically, try your FP, but give manual a go. Try them both and decide. If you're excited about baking, the trying different methods part is part of the fun!
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Cloud Swift
10 years ago
We got the 9 speed KitchenAid digital model with the regular beaters and ballon wisk. The 5 speed manual model would probably have been just as good - I don't need that fine grained a speed control, but the 9 speed was on sale for less than the other when we got it some years ago.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
10 years ago
Nuts how bad new appliances are made. I was given one as a gift so now use my ol' faithful in my studio to mix small batches of paint. New one died and ol' faithful is covered in paint...
I have been buying the old ones at yard sales for a buck here and there for work related needs. My husband loves this thing i put in his x-mas stocking a few years ago as he in the home baker...he just ordered another he loves it so....

Here is a link that might be useful: manual dough mixer
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
10 years ago
My experience with a Kitchen Aid hand mixer has been great.
Lars
10 years ago
I have a Kitchenaid hand mixer, seven speed (I think) that I've had for many years, and it has served me well. I've probably had it 20 years, and so I cannot say whether the news ones are made as well, but I do have a KA stick blender that is fairly new, and I like it very much as well. It has a whisk attachment (the hand mixer did not) as well as a chopper attachment that I like using for mincing small amounts of something.

Check the wattage before you buy and get the one that has better wattage. Higher wattage will make it heavier, however.

Lars
User
10 years ago
I have the KitchenAid Professional 9 and I really like it. It has good speed control, sturdy, comfortable to hold.

For little jobs I use the Black and Decker Gizmo. I had a Handi-Mixer for many years, the battery finally died, this one is almost as good.

This post was edited by momj47 on Wed, May 29, 13 at 19:29
TobyT
10 years ago
Love my Cuisinart hand mixer. It is almost as powerful as my stand mixer. For me, that's a good thing. It's 220 watts.
Jane
ann_t
10 years ago
I must have the same mixer as Lars. Kitchenaid seven speed. I've had mine since 1999. Still going strong.

~Ann
stir_fryi SE Mich
10 years ago
I have a 10 year old KA hand mixer. It has a very low (stir) setting that is wonderful.

I just wish the beaters were a little bigger...
cynic
10 years ago
When I moved out I bought a cheapie somewhere and it lasted about 25 years. Debated about buying a KitchenAid stand mixer and couldn't rationalize it and I'm glad I passed on that. Thought about a KitchenAid handheld but looked at them and could buy a bunch of the cheapies and couldn't see much difference. So I broke down and spent about $15 on one, came with the traditional beaters, the wire beaters like KA used and also a set of dough hooks that I thought I'd never use, but I use them a lot. I like them for meatloaf. Mixes nicely without packing it too much. 5 speed as I recall and going strong after 12 or 15 years. When you look at the complaints on the KA stand mixers I question if the handhelds are any better. It's a mixer. Certainly not a precision tool. Find something that'll do the job and I'm happy. I don't look for status symbols.
annie1992
10 years ago
I have an older Cuisinart which works just fine, I bought it used at a yard sale although it looked relatively new and was still in the box.

sleevendog, I have one of those, mine was a gift and was called a "Danish Dough Whisk". I'm glad you posted that link, it's far more expensive at King Arthur Flour's website!

Annie
arlinek
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you all for your generous responses; I now have a good idea as to what to look for!
compumom
10 years ago
One vote for the Cuisinart. I rarely use my KA mixer, but then again, I don't do much baking.

Favorite portable hand mixer????

Comments (14)

andee_gw

annie1971

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Favorite portable hand mixer????

Comments (14)

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