While the finished meal might not only taste sumptuous but look very appealing to the naked eye, there is no doubt a lot of work that goes into the process of getting it just right.
Back in the day, when things were as manual as they could get, everything had to be done with delicate hands – a bit too much, if you ask anyone who grew up before the age of technology made things so much easier for moms all over the world.
Yes, we’re talking about beaters, blenders, and the proverbial mixers that lend a hand to every cook around the world. With efficiency, if you will.
But for those who would like to take the easy way out, a lot of the “labor” can be reduced to a large extent by opting for a mixer.
But, what is a mixer?
The quintessential hand-cranked ‘egg beater’ probably tells the story of what a mixer does, rather simplistically. Yet in this day and age, with the help of a motor, the function of this kitchen implement is to mix, whip, beat, and fold food ingredients before the actual cooking process begins.
Thanks to its overwhelming popularity, numerous types of mixers have evolved over the years, notably the hand mixer and, now, the stand mixer.
But which one is better, you might ask?
Right off the bat, both hand and stand mixers are pretty useful to have in the kitchen, yet here are some basic differences:
1. Hand mixers are portable while stand mixers are not, but this seems to be the only advantage so far. A hand mixer is a great option for people who are looking for a portable mixer. Hand mixers are small and easy to carry around, which makes them perfect for people who need to move their mixer frequently. Stand mixers, on the other hand, are not as portable as hand mixers. They are large and bulky, which can make them difficult to move around.
2. Hand mixers are convenient little tools to have in the kitchen, but they pale in comparison to stand mixers when it comes to power and performance. Stand mixers (especially the heavy-duty industrial versions) have far more powerful motors to handle heavier amounts of ingredients without bogging down, which is why they’re a favorite among chefs and bakers who need to make large batches of dough or batter. Hand mixers simply can’t match that level of performance.
3. When you use a stand mixer, you are left free to carry on working on other parts of the recipe while the ingredients are being mixed.
4. There is always a chance of spills with a hand mixer, and this is something that is minimized to a large extent using a stand mixer. With a hand mixer, the bowl needs to be held steady while the mixture is being mixed. This can be difficult because it’s hard to hold the bowl still and use the mixer at the same time. With a stand mixer, the bowl is attached to the mixer so it doesn’t move around. This makes it much easier to mix the ingredients without worrying about spills.
5. Finally, manufacturers of newer models ensure that you can use different speeds for different mixtures and, better still, use certain attachments that will ensure that you can use this device for more than beating eggs and mixing dough and batter.
Stand mixers also have special features like multiple attachments for different tasks and large bowls that make them much more versatile than hand mixers. Many stand mixers include a dough hook for making bread dough, as well as a whisk for whipping cream or eggs. Hand mixers are great for small jobs, but for anything bigger, you’ll need a stand mixer.