Whipping up delicious recipes is certainly great fun. Cooking is therapeutic and it also allows you to get creative. However, you need little appliances that make your life simpler in the kitchen. A mixer is an appliance without which a kitchen is incomplete. This miracle worker is great for mixing, blending, whipping and even beating your food ingredients. The kitchen mixers not only save you precious time, but also give you wonderful benefits.
Basically, there are two types of mixers to choose from, namely a hand mixer and a stand mixer. As the name suggests, hand mixers have to be held by hand when in operation. A hand mixer operates on electricity and is equipped with a handle and one or two beaters. This handle is fixed under an enclosure which houses the motor. The beaters have to be attached to the hand mixer and are powered by the built-in motor. The body of the hand mixer is generally made from plastic, while the beaters are made from stainless steel or aluminium. As the hand mixers are compact and lightweight, you can easily use them directly in the pans or bowls for quick mixing. A hand mixer is great for everyday cooking as its motor is not as powerful as that of a stand mixer. You can easily whip up brownie, cake or cookie mixtures with a hand mixer. A hand mixer is the low cost option but their use does have some limitations.
Stand mixers are usually preferable for an avid baker and chefs in restaurants. They are heavy and need more space than a hand mixer. These house a powerful motor and are great for kneading dough, whipping egg whites or cream or mixing batter. The stand mixers don’t need to be held by hand as they stand independently on their own stand or on the platform. You can just let the stand mixer do its job while you concentrate on other tasks. Stand mixers are equipped with special mixing bowls that are designed to lock into place. The mixer stand can lift the bowl to the beaters or the motor housing can raise or lower the beaters into the bowl. These stand mixers are fast and can have speed settings of up to 16 speeds. With the stand mixers, you may get additional attachments like a meat grinder, juicer, sausage stuffer, and pasta rollers. However, stand mixers are a bit on the expensive side, especially considering their wide use.
Cleaning and maintaining the mixers effectively increases their life span. Generally, the beaters and other attachments need to be hand washed or washed according to the instructions given in the manual. The base of the mixer can be cleaned with a damp cloth. Before buying a mixer, consider its use, the space available and its budget. After considering these factors, you can choose between a stand mixer and hand mixer.
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