Tips for choosing mixers for home and kitchen, which is the best to choose and how to use

Modern technologies have made life easier for people, now there is no need to stand for hours in the kitchen holding a bowl and beat the dough. With the help of a mixer, most cooking processes are simplified, in a matter of minutes you can easily beat eggs, dough and various food liquid mixtures.

The mixer has become an indispensable device in the kitchen of every housewife who loves simplicity, speed and convenience. Many people think that a mixer can be replaced with a blender, but this is not the case. Stationary mixers are much more convenient and practical than a conventional hand blender with removable attachments.

The main thing is to understand what kind of device you need - stationary or manual, the availability of the features you are interested in, and, ultimately, the name of the manufacturer to choose from in this huge range.

What is a mixer and why is it needed

A mixer is a device that serves to whisk or stir products until smooth. Used for making creams, doughs, etc.

Many may ask: what is a mixer for? After all, and so you can whip certain products by hand. The answer lies on the surface, it is needed for housewives who like to save time on cooking and devote free time to their beloved. Simplicity and convenience - these two qualities can describe this device. Even bachelors love him for them.

How to choose a mixer for the kitchen - obsessive sellers of household appliances stores can tell you. But the best option would be to figure out the main advantages and disadvantages of this or that type of mixer yourself and choose the appropriate power of the device. And then you do not have to go on about sales consultants who have one goal - to sell you a product without caring aboutwhat difficulties you will experience with him.

Most people confuse a mixer with a blender. Although these two devices are similar to each other, they differ completely in their characteristics and range of applications. A blender, in comparison with a mixer, has knives-blades in its design, which, when chopping food (even meat), kill everything in almost mashed potatoes. The blender most often has a much higher power, as it is used to grind a large mass of food.

A good mixer differs from a blender in a high degree of pasting of dough or other food products. In its design, in comparison with a blender, instead of sharp knives, it has spiral or oval metal rims welded together.

The most popular types of this device are stationary and manual. Which mixer to choose for your home depends only on you, your tastes and preferences.

Mixer power

Power is the main characteristic that you should pay attention to when choosing a mixer. For it to be of high quality and for a long time served you, pay attention to the speed and performance of the device. Additionally, ask what material the stirrer is made of.

Do not forget that the more power the mixer has, the wider its cooking capabilities. The high power will help to interrupt difficult-to-grind foods into a liquid mass in a short time, and the electricity bills will delight you, since it will work quite economically.

If you buy a mixer for home use, too much power is not needed, and you can select it within 200 watts.

According to their power, mixers are divided into several main categories:

• Average power - ranges from 160 to 250 watts. Devices with such a capacity are used in most cases only for kneading batter, making glaze and mixing light food. Appliances with such power do an excellent job of preparing homogeneous cocktails, smoothies, etc. Corollas with this power are made of not too thick and durable material. Most often, their framework is weak and cannot cope with tasks more difficult than breaking the dough into a homogeneous mass.
• High power - such devices are produced with a power of 250 watts, they are faster and can easily cope with more complex tasks. Most often, such mixers are used to prepare too thick and dense dough, as well as marshmallows. The composition of such a device may already contain several different-shaped nozzles-corollas. Their very design in these types is more durable and larger in size, and the material from which they are most often made is stainless steel.

If you are faced with the task of choosing which mixer is better, pay attention to the main criteria. Then, having come for a long-awaited purchase, you will enjoy the process.

The main criteria include:

• Working power.
• The presence of the necessary modes of operation of the device.
• Bowl volume (if you need a stand mixer).
• The material from which the body or bowl is made.
• Availability of additional functions.
• Product complete set.

Types of Kitchen Mixers

Modern kitchen appliances are divided into three main types or groups. All three were developed for specific human needs and which one to choose will depend only on you and your preferences.

Types of kitchen helpers:

• Manual.
• Stationary.
• Combined (mixed) type.

Manual type mixers

Differs in low power and rather compact size. Use involves holding it in your hands. The convenience of such a mixer is that it can be used to mix products in any container convenient for you. But it is best to mix them in small and tall containers. This will help keep the stirring liquid from splattering over the walls of the entire kitchen.

It is used for preparing small portions of batter or baby food, it can also be used for breaking up an air-foam mass.

The working electric motor is located in the housing of the handle of the device. The number of speeds can be different depending on the model, but most often it has no more than five in its arsenal.

The advantages of the manual type include:

• Small mass.
• Simplicity and ease of use.
• The ability to use the device in a suitable container.
• Device mobility - due to its dimensions, you can easily take this device with you to the dacha, vacation, or prepare a dish from anywhere in the house.
• Simplicity of design: working beaters can be easily removed and easily washed and dried.

The disadvantages of this type of mixer include the fact that when mixing products, you need to carefully monitor the speed, since there is a possibility of sprinkling yourself and the walls of the house. Another small drawback is that during long-term operation, the mixer handle gets very hot, and the hostess gets tired of holding it.

Stationary kitchen assistant

It's worth buying if you use mixers a lot. It differs from the manual one in its large dimensions and impressive weight. This type of technique is most suitable for avid chefs or is most often used in public places by chefs for cooking.

This mixer is much more expensive than a regular hand mixer. If you bought one, it is best to place the device on a fixed tabletop.

The stationary type design is simple, it consists only of a body, a bowl and working beaters. The power of such mixers is several times higher than usual and fluctuates in the region of 250-400 watts, there are models with higher power, but most often they are already used on an industrial scale. They have a large number of speeds and modes, which is most often a big plus for the hostess.

The advantages of a stationary device:

• You don't need to make any efforts, just load all the necessary ingredients into the bowl, set the required power, speed and mode, and the device will do the rest for you.
• Cooking speed.
• Availability of various functional modes and speeds.
• Ease of use.
• Handles kneading even the thickest dough with ease.
• Can be used as a shredder for cooked or raw food.
• Large bowl volume.

The advantages can also be attributed to the fact that the bowl of the stationary mixer is removed and easily washed and dried, the whisk can also be easily removed from the working body.

There are practically no disadvantages of this type. The only thing is that if you have a limited amount of free space in the kitchen, its placement can be a problem, since it takes up a lot of space.

Combined or mixed type

It is somewhat similar to stationary types of devices. It has a removable bowl, the motor with beaters are combined into one design. In modern models, the whisks can be easily removed, which is very convenient in caring for the device. This type is very rarely found in home appliance stores, most often they are made to order and used in catering. The combination mixer combines all the advantages and disadvantages of the above types.

But the highlight of such a device is that you have the right to choose yourself depending on situations, how you will use it, simply by selecting the required mode - "manual" or "stationary".

The disadvantages include its uniqueness, it is used in few places and is most often replaced by a conventional hand mixer.

Additional functions of the kitchen appliance

In order not to wonder which mixer is better to buy, when choosing, pay attention to the additional functions that it contains. They are not just invented, as they are designed to facilitate the process of mixing food.

The most typical features found in almost every mixer are:

• Pulse mode.
• Turbo mode.
• Rotating bowl.

Turbo mode cannot be used on a permanent basis; it is advisable to use this function to end the mixing process. It is activated by pressing a special button. At this time, the working beaters accelerate the rotation. To avoid overheating of the device, try to use this additional function to a lesser extent.

Cooks use the turbo mode to make a smooth, smooth puree or to break up dough lumps.

The pulse function is used when grinding solid products into one mass. The principle of its operation is simple - the more you hold down the impulse button, the faster the beaters pick up speed. Conversely, with a minimal push of the button, the whisks in a weak scrolling bring the mass to readiness. Its advantage is a different change in the speed of rotation of the beaters, from the maximum to the minimum.

The function of a rotating bowl, it works on the principle of planetary rotation, when the working beaters of the device rotate in one direction, and the bowl itself in the other. This type of mixing is considered the fastest and most reliable, the consistency of the mixture of products is homogeneous, tender and without the presence of lumps in it.

With such a wide assortment, it is sometimes difficult to know which mixer you need. Give your choice to trusted brands of manufacturers and see that your kitchen assistant can accommodate all the necessary arsenal of functions, then it will bring you comfort and speed in cooking your loved ones dishes.