If you’re like most folks, you’ve probably never given much thought to which hand mixer or immersion blender you should use. You might be wondering how the differences affect your cooking and general kitchen experience.
Today, we’ll take a look at the top six hand mixers on the market in terms of cost, performance, and quality. We’ll also discuss what differentiates each one so that you can choose wisely.
Finally, we’ll look at the top five immersion blenders on the market and talk about how they stack up.
How We Came Up with Our Top Picks
We took a look at the top ten best-selling hand mixers on big name sites like Amazon, Target, WalMart and more. We compared their features to find out which ones were most popular. Then we looked at what people had to say about each model. We looked for common themes that people had as feedback, then used them as an indicator of performance and quality. Once we determined which ones were the most well-liked, we ranked them in terms of cost: lowest to highest.
Next, we took a look at the top five best-selling immersion blenders on Amazon. We compared their features, quality, and cost in the same way we did with the hand mixers. Once we had our list, we ranked them in order of cost: lowest to highest.
Is a hand mixer the same thing as an immersion blender?
While a hand mixer is similar to an immersion blender, they are in fact two different machines designed for different tasks.
Hand mixers are great for mixing dough, pie dough, making cookie dough and sauces. You can also beat eggs in your mixer to create meringue or whip egg whites. They are often used by bakers, chefs and foodies to create homemade whipped cream or frosting.
Immersion blenders, in contrast, do not have a whisk attachment much like a traditional hand mixer does. They typically have more power than a hand mixer and are best for making soups, mixing batter for cakes and cookies and whipping eggs into batters.
Can I use a hand mixer instead of an immersion blender for soup?
Absolutely. You can use a hand mixer, or any hand-held electric mixer to make homemade soup.
Immersion blenders are designed for handheld use, so they are easier to control than a traditional countertop blender. They are also easy to store since they generally have shorter handles that tuck down into the motor and grip portion of the blender. Hand mixers on the other hand do not store easily in this manner and they are much larger than immersion blenders.
There seem to be fewer models of countertop blenders available these days as people prefer using immersion blenders instead because of their ease of use and smaller stature.
Do I really need an immersion blender?
Immersion blenders are a great addition to any kitchen because they can be used for many tasks in addition to mixing soups.
You can use them to make smoothies, puree fruits and vegetables for baby food, blend your own protein shakes, mix batters for cakes and cookies and whip cream or egg whites. They are also great if you’re making any kind of soup or hot chocolate and don’t want to mess up the countertops in your kitchen since they can blend everything you need directly in the pot you are cooking in.
Are immersion blenders worth it?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes, for many reasons.
Immersion blenders (and hand mixers) are much easier to clean than the countertop versions. They have removable blades and containers that you can rinse and put in the dishwasher.
Immersion blenders are also very easy to use while standing in front of your stove or under running water. They will blend everything directly in your pot of soup or hot chocolate, so you don’t have to transfer ingredients from another container which can time consuming and messy.
Immersion blenders are also quiet compared to traditional countertop models which are loud when they’re on.
Is a milk frother the same as an immersion blender?
A milk frother is a great addition to any kitchen for sure but it’s not the same as an immersion blender.
A milk frother is used to froth or heat liquids, such as cold or hot milk, soy milk or cream. You can use it to whip up whipped cream or make your own latte at home. They are also useful if you have a baby who doesn’t tolerate cow’s milk and you need to give her formula or breast milk that contains a lot of nutrients from the blender (like fruits and vegetables).
You can use your immersion blender for hot chocolate but not for preparing baby formula because it’s not powerful enough.
Can you use immersion blender for mashed potatoes?
You can use an immersion blender to make mashed potatoes, but they are not designed for that task. They are designed to blend hot liquids (like soup or hot chocolate), not cold foods like potatoes.
Immersion blenders are not usually powerful enough to properly mash potatoes either because they are made to handle soups and batters, not starchy foods like mashed potatoes that require more power.
There are some exceptions though, like the KitchenAid Immersion Blender which has more power than most. It can crush ice, whip eggs and whisk eggs as well as make smoothies, mix fruit juice drinks and prepare milkshakes.
Can you froth oat milk with an immersion blender?
You can whip oat milk with an immersion blender and froth it if you want, but it’s not that useful. You need to turn the jar upside down and use a whisk or handheld mixer to whip the milk, not an immersion blender which is designed for in-pot blending.
We think a hand mixer would be more useful if you wanted to make oat milk or froth another cold beverage with your immersion blender.
Final Thoughts:
Thank you again for taking the time to read our guide. We hope it helps you make the right purchasing decision.
We’ve gathered all the information pertaining to immersion blenders in one place, and we’ve prioritized them according to cost and user ratings. We also explain the differences between hand mixers and immersion blenders just in case you’re not sure what you want and need.
Our guide is meant to be used as a starting point for your research. We were able to compile as many data points as possible about these machines, but it’s very difficult to get every little detail of each model, especially since they come in so many different shapes and sizes.
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