Are you wondering how to use a hand mixer? In today’s article, we’re here to help you use a hand mixer correctly, and we’ll even provide some tips on buying the best one for you.
The best hand mixers help make things easy. So whether you want to whisk eggs, butter, batter, cream, or other ingredients, quality hand mixers will let you play around with various recipes.
Tips on How to Use a Hand Mixer
Stay Away From Cold and Hot Water
You must keep your hand mixer away from water, the typical protocol for all kitchen appliances anyway. Your safety is paramount in the kitchen, and a hand mixer and water are a disaster waiting to happen.
Storing Your Hand Mixer
Once you’ve finished cooking or baking, don’t just forget about your hand mixer; think about putting it away in a safe place. The main precaution is ensuring that your flat beaters and other components are clean. Also, remove the whisk attachment after use and keep them separate from the main body.
We recommend keeping your hand mixer and whisk attachments in a box for the safest storage solution. You should also wait several minutes before placing your hand mixer into storage since it shouldn’t have an electrical charge.
Using Speed Correctly
Like stand mixers, hand mixers come with various speeds, and you must know this because you must know how to use your appliance for the best, safest result.
Surprisingly, hand mixers can be powerful kitchen gadgets, so ensure to use them at the right speed to maximize their use.
Build up the Speed
Switching on a high speed (or the highest) from the beginning is a bad idea. You should also take into consideration the recipe that you’re following.
For example, you’ll need to mix wire beaters slowly when working with a heavy dough to prevent breaking the attachments or burning out the machine. Once you begin blending the ingredients, that’s the only time you can then increase the speed. Too much all at once isn’t a good idea.
Don’t Use a Super-Fast Speed
It’s not always a great idea to use the fastest speed on a hand mixer since you can lose control of the device. It isn’t easy to hold onto a hand mixer moving rapidly. Starting slow allows you to get used to the speed and gradually increase the speed.
Don’t Use Hot Ingredients
More importantly, never use your hand mixer for hot ingredients. Hot liquids can cause burns and your device to overheat. Ensure that all liquids cool down before using your mixer.
Adding Ingredients
Often, we’re in a rush when preparing dinner or snacks in the kitchen. This can lead to adding all wet and hard ingredients into the bowl at one time. However, a hand mixer relies on hand strength, unlike a stand mixer. So the more ingredients you add at once, the more pressure you’re putting on yourself to hold the appliance in place.
This is why it’s best to add your recipe’s ingredients slowly and start mixing wet ingredients first, then dry ones next. You can’t expect your hand blender to respond well to mixing a large batch of dry and wet ingredients simultaneously. So instead, begin by adding wet elements and then mixing in dry ingredients. This order will help everything blend.
Operating Your Hand Mixer
Below are some step-by-step instructions on operating your hand mixer safely and to the best of its abilities.
Step 1: Choose Your Accessories
Once you’ve removed the hand mixer from the cupboard, you can add your chosen accessories/attachments to the appliance. Ensure that it’s unplugged at this point. If it’s been in an electrical socket, allow a couple of minutes before you add the accessories to ensure that there’s no live electrical circuit running through it to prevent any accidents.
Step 2: Add the Beater
Next, place the beater into the bowl and slightly submerge the ingredients into the bowl. Press the whisks against the side of the bowl if you want it to move more aggressively. Once your mixers are in the bowl, you can switch on the mixer.
Step 3: Increase the Speed
As mentioned previously, gradually increase the appliance’s speed, never rushing. Switching it up a little bit at a time allows you to feel comfortable and safe before you push the speed too high.
Step 4: Slowly Reduce the Speed
When you’re towards the end of mixing your ingredients, the same thing applies as when you started: slowly decrease the speed. Doing so prevents ingredients from flying out and splattering all over your kitchen surfaces.
Step 5: Unplug the Device and Clean It
Finally, it’s time to unplug the hand mixer from the electrical socket. Allow everything to cool for a couple of minutes. Then, detach the attachments and rinse them under clean water to remove any build-up of ingredients.
Using a Hand Mixer Without Creating a Mess
You can use hand mixers without egg whites or dry and wet ingredients going everywhere in your kitchen.
Step 1: Choose a Bowl That’s Deep Enough
The first thing to do is choose a deep bowl that accommodates any dry ingredients without being too full to the top. A large bowl to comfortably fit all of your ingredients inside will prevent splatters over the kitchen surface when using your hand mixer.
Step 2: Place the Bowl on a Surface
Next, ensure that your mixing bowl is on a solid surface before switching on the hand mixer body button and placing it inside. For the best results, add another layer, such as a thick kitchen towel, for a softer surface underneath the mixing bowl to prevent any clattering. This trick will also provide ample stability and a rigid surface for using the hand mixer—especially at its highest speed.
Step 3: Start Slow
Slow and steady wins the race. To begin, mix your ingredients at the lowest speed. Starting too fast at once will guarantee messy countertops. You can also gradually increase the speed of your appliance.
Step 4: Move the Hand Mixer Around
Furthermore, move your hand mixer inconsistent, circular motions through the centre to bring all the ingredients together. For any leftover liquid ingredients along the side that your dough hooks can’t quite reach, use a spatula to scrape up any unmixed parts.
Step 5: Remove Batter From the Hand Mixer
Now it’s time to remove any leftover cake batter from your hand mixer. To do so, ensure that you unplug your blender from the electrical socket. Wait for seconds before you touch the appliance to ensure no live electrical current is still flowing through.
Check your manufacturer’s instructions for safety advice on removing the electric mixer, then wash away any leftover batter.
Buying a Hand Mixer: Things to Consider
Now that you know how to use a hand mixer, here are some important considerations to consider when purchasing one.
Base
Firstly, take a look at the base of your considered handheld mixer. Your handheld mixer will continually topple over if it’s too small, which can quickly frustrate you while preparing ingredients. So consider getting a mixer with a solid, flat base. Avoid rounded edges because a flat edge helps it stand up firmly on a flat surface.
It would help if you also looked at where the machine cord is positioned, as some companies tend to angle the power cord at the base of the hand mixer, which can affect stability.
Type of Beaters
Look for wire beaters without the thick centre post because they’re easier to clean and use than straight wire beaters.
Speed
Opt for one with a huge speed range for the most versatile handheld mixer. Most hand mixers come with around nine speeds, but some can offer as many as 16 speeds. However, consider mixers with three speeds: slow, medium, and fast if you’ll only use your hand mixer for basic cooking—such as making cookie dough, whipped cream, or mashed potatoes.
Accessories
Your hand mixer should come with all the accessories you need for convenience in the kitchen. These accessories include wired and curved beaters, whisks, dough hooks, etc.
Keep in mind that more isn’t necessarily better, as you should research the overall quality and materials of each attachment your mixer comes with. For example, stainless steel beaters make an excellent option for versatility. Furthermore, you might also want a snap-on case to store all of your attachments in one convenient place.
Ease of Use
Hand mixers are designed to make preparing ingredients easier and improve the overall results. Hence, buying a complex hand mixer defies the object.
It would help if you also considered how tech-savvy you are. For instance, would you like an LCD screen highlighting the speed you’re currently using and the duration? Or do you prefer basic features like a single separate button to power the machine on and off?
Weight
The overall weight of your hand mixer makes a big difference to the overall ergonomics and comfort. Getting one that’s too heavy will be uncomfortable to use and require a lot of control. However, a hand mixer with a too light body can result in ingredients flying around the kitchen, giving you less precision.
Benefits of Hand Mixers
Once you’ve used a hand mixer, you’ll wonder how you ever survived kitchen duties before having one in your life.
Hand mixers are small, cheap, and easy to manage and store. It is perfect for small kitchens and can be easily stored in kitchen cupboards. These appliances are also great for making many recipes for baking, such as mixing butter, whipping cream, mixing flour, and whisking egg whites.
Moreover, since hand mixers are smaller than stand mixers, they’re easier to clean. A wet cloth should work just fine — which is an advantage for those living a busy life.
It’s Time to Explore Your New Kitchen Appliance!
When using a hand mixer, ensure that you have a deep bowl to prevent ingredients from splattering onto your kitchen walls. You should also start slow and increase the speed as you mix to keep things in control. Lastly, be sure to clean and store it properly after use.
Do you have any other tips on using hand mixers? Let us know in the comments.
Additional Resources
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Tom is a former chef turned full-time food blogger. He has always been passionate about food, and loves nothing more than experimenting in the kitchen and sharing his recipes with others. Tom’s blog is one of the most popular food blogs on the internet, and he has won numerous awards for his cooking. When he’s not blogging or cooking, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children.