Your Guide to Buying a Kitchen Mixer

Mixers are one of the most important kitchen appliances as it saves you time and effort. Previously, making dough, or mixing, took a lot of effort just like other chores!

Mixers are widely used whether by professional chefs in big restaurants or by normal people using them at home. They have many purposes like making bread dough, cookie and cake dough, mashing potatoes, and many other tasks.

We must point that there are mixers more efficient than others for people who bake or use dough on daily basis making it a necessity in the kitchen.

Generally, there are two  type of people who buy mixers: the first kind are buying a mixer for the first time in their life and are more nervous, while the second type are buying a new mixer because the one they owned previously can longer work efficiently.

Whichever type you belong to, this article will help you make a smart decision when buying a mixer for the first time! We will first introduce you to the different types of mixers.

Types and Models of Mixers

To make a smart and wise decision, you need to determine the type or model of the mixer you want to buy. There are not many types and therefore this will not be a hard decision to make!

Below we will list the different types of mixers in the market, as well as their pros and cons:

Hand Mixers

If you want to own a mixer for simple mixing, the hand mixer is what you need. What is special about this type is that it is small in size and can be placed in a kitchen cupboard and it consumes less electric power.

This type is considered one of the affordable kitchen appliances and you can find models cheaper than 270 SARs in the market. Hand mixers can be available in two models: a manual hand mixer and an electric hand mixer.

Normal hand mixers are the ones you use both of your hands to spin the wheel to mix the dough. While in electric hand mixers, it begins mixing once the on button is pressed. You then begin moving it around the content in the mixing bowl to create dough.

Hand mixers are cheaper than upright mixers, takes less place (and you can put it anywhere in a cupboard or a drawer), it is easy to clean, and you can use any bowl for mixing.

However, it takes physical effort to mix even if it is small, it is not fast, and it may stain the area you are working in especially if you are mixing in a small bowl.

Upright Mixers

Upright mixers are the type of mixers that makes the task an easier one. You do not need to put any effort in the process as you just put the contents you want to mix into the bowl and simply start the mixer.

It is perfect for creating dough and thick mixtures like pizza and cookie dough.

As mentioned above, it has a big bowl where you put the ingredients you want to mix in and once you switch it on, it begins mixing.

It also has more than one part that you can mix with, and you can change between whips, hooks, and beaters upon your need.

Many people think that this type of mixers is large and heavy, requiring a large space on your kitchen counter to be placed in.

The advantages of upright mixers is that they are more powerful than hand mixers, faster in mixing, and is placed in a certain area in the kitchen. It is very simple to operate as you only need to add the content in the existing mixing bowl and switch the mixer on.

They also have more than one adjustable mixing head – you can also purchase more if you want – that you can easily change from a whip, to a hook, and many more.

As for the disadvantages, it is more expensive than hand mixers, requires more space on the kitchen counter, and not as easy to clean.

After choosing a type, we advise you to check other features to ensure making a smart and wise decision.

Other Mixer Specifications

The extra specifications and features of mixing depend solely on the usage type. We will list you the different features now and you can decide what you need:

Speeds:

Some models of mixers have more than one speed depending on the type of dough you want to make. Some types of dough needs low mixing speed, while other require fast speeds.

Most mixers whether hand or upright, have at least three speeds: slow, medium, and fast. More advanced mixers can have up to twelve different speeds!

Size or Capacity:

Here you need to ask yourself the following questions to be able to make a decision: “What is the available space for the mixer?” and “How much will you use the mixer?”

Once you answer those questions, it will be easier for you to determine the size of the mixer you want to buy. Note that there are many different sizes in the market, especially for upright mixers.

Extra Mixing Parts (heads):

As we mentioned previously, you can use the mixer for more than one purpose! Each mixing head has a specific purpose. Upright mixers usually have more adjustable heads than hand mixers.

If you need to mixer to mix, whip, and mash different types of food, you need to make sure you have the suitable heads. You can also purchase the heads separately depending on your need (once you make sure the heads you are purchasing are compatible with the mixer you own).

There are special heads to make different types of dough; some are suitable for making pizza dough, some for cookie dough, some for whipping cream, and much more!

Summary, to make a smart decision!

To finalize, choosing a mixer for your kitchen is not a complicated task if you think thoroughly and have all the required information. You first need to choose the type you want between hand mixers and upright mixers. Then you need to check other features like speeds, size, and types of adjustable heads.

The price of mixers ranges between 110 and 3700 SARs depending on the type and features you are choosing. Certainly, the old manual hand mixers are much cheaper than the electric ones.

Make sure you pick a mixer with a good design especially if you want to place it on the counter. Also make sure it has a low volume and not very noisy. And remember to get an easy to clean mixer.

Remember that you can always find any electric device or product on our websites, whether you want smartphones, tablets, computers, and any electric device and kitchen appliance. You can also visit our guides section to help you make a decision.

Be smart before making a purchase!