A hand mixer beats and whisks in any bowl you own and goes back in a drawer afterwards. A stand mixer lives on the worktop, kneads bread dough and keeps going while you weigh the next ingredient. Most home bakers only need one of them. Read on to see which jobs each type handles well, where a 2-in-1 hand mixer with a stand fits, and how your own baking points to one or the other.
What to look for
01Is a hand mixer enough for baking cakes?
For cakes, cupcakes, cookies and whipped cream, a hand mixer is enough for most home bakers. It creams butter and sugar, whisks egg whites and beats batter in whatever bowl you have. The Haooair 450W Electric Hand Mixer has 5 speeds, a turbo boost and an eject button that releases the stainless steel accessories, and it comes with a scale cup storage case to keep the set together. The SagaSave Mini Electric Hand Mixer is a smaller 3 speed model sold for cake baking. The limit is time and effort, because you hold the mixer for the whole job, and whisking a large batch of meringue to stiff peaks takes several minutes. If you bake a sponge or a tray of cookies once or twice a month, that is rarely a problem.
02Do you need a stand mixer for bread dough?
If you make bread, pizza dough or enriched doughs such as brioche every week, buy a stand mixer. Kneading a stiff dough for several minutes is hard on a handheld motor and on your arm, while a stand mixer does it with a dough hook and no one holding it. The KitchenAid Professional 5KSM7990XBWH has a 6.9 litre bowl, 10 speeds and planetary mixing action, where the hook turns on its own axis as it travels round the bowl, so it reaches more of the dough. It comes with a dough hook, flat beater, stainless steel whisk and wire guard. The Salter Toronto has a 1300W motor, a 5L stainless steel bowl, 10 speeds and pulse. A hand mixer with dough hooks, such as the Judge 2-in-1, can manage a small batch of soft dough, but stiff dough several times a week is a stand mixer job.
03What is hands-free mixing worth?
Hands-free mixing matters on long jobs and on recipes where you add ingredients while the beaters run. With a stand mixer you can spoon sugar into whisking egg whites a little at a time, or trickle oil into mayonnaise, with both hands free. It also helps anyone who finds holding a mixer for several minutes tiring, including people with wrist or hand pain. The Salter Toronto is sold as a stand mixer and kitchen scale together, with 5kg food weighing scales, liquid measurement and a tare function, which suits bakers who work from recipes by weight. A hand mixer is quicker to get out for short jobs where you want to move the beaters round the bowl yourself, such as beating a thick batter or whipping a small pot of cream.
04Is there anything between a hand mixer and a stand mixer?
Yes. A 2-in-1 hand mixer with a stand gives you a light mixer for quick jobs and a hands-free set-up for longer ones. The Judge 2-in-1 is a 300W, 5 speed hand mixer with a turbo function that sits on a tilting stand over a detachable bowl, and it comes with 2 whisks and 2 dough hooks. For cakes and cream it runs on the stand while you get on with something else, and as a 2-in-1 hand mixer it is designed to lift off the stand when you want to hold it. For heavy dough and big batches, a full stand mixer is still the better tool. The Kenwood Chefette is a smaller choice, sold as an all-in-one stand mixer with a 3.5L stainless steel bowl, variable speed plus pulse and 650W. Its bowl is about half the size of the KitchenAid Professional's 6.9 litres.
05Which attachments do you need?
Match the attachments to the jobs you do: beaters and a whisk for cakes and cream, dough hooks for bread, and a splash guard if you mix flour at speed. Hand mixers usually come with a pair of beaters, and some add dough hooks or a whisk, as the Judge 2-in-1 does with 2 of each. Stand mixers normally come with 3 tools. The KitchenAid Professional has a stainless steel whisk, flat beater and dough hook plus a wire guard, and the Vospeed 5 quart tilt-head mixer comes with a dough hook, whisk, beater and splash guard. A tilt-head design, which the Vospeed and YASHE mixers use, lets you lift the head back to reach the bowl and swap tools. The Kitchen in the box 4.5L+5L comes with 2 bowls, handy when one mix is waiting while you start another.
Our top picks
Best for everyday cakes and cream450W Electric Hand Mixer
A 450W hand mixer with 5 speeds and a turbo boost, enough for creaming, whisking and beating batter in most home baking. The eject button releases the stainless steel accessories without tugging at them. It packs away in its scale cup storage case, so it suits a baker who makes a cake now and then.
Best for small jobs and small drawersElectric Whisk
SagaSave's mini electric hand mixer has 3 speeds and stainless steel attachments and is sold for cake baking. Reach for it when you want to whip a pot of cream or mix one sponge without getting out a bigger machine.
Best for hand and hands-free in oneJudge 2-in-1 Hand Electric Mixer with
The Judge 2-in-1 is a 300W, 5 speed hand mixer with turbo that sits on a tilting stand over a detachable bowl. You get 2 whisks and 2 dough hooks in the box. It suits someone who wants hands-free mixing for cakes without giving a stand mixer permanent worktop space.
Best for weighing and mixing togetherSalter Toronto Stand Mixer & Kitchen
Salter pairs a 1300W stand mixer, with a 5L stainless steel bowl, 10 speeds and pulse, with 5kg food weighing scales that have liquid measurement and a tare function. If you bake from recipes by weight, having both from one set saves hunting for the scales. It comes in black.
Best for weekly bread and big batchesKitchenAid Professional 325 W Stand Mixer
KitchenAid's Professional 5KSM7990XBWH has a 6.9 litre bowl, 10 speeds and planetary mixing action. It comes with a stainless steel whisk, flat beater, dough hook and wire guard. Choose it if you bake bread every week or often make double quantities.
Frequently asked
Is an electric whisk the same as a hand mixer?
Mostly, yes. In the UK an electric whisk usually means a handheld mixer with beaters that you hold over a bowl, and the two names are used for the same kind of product. Some are small models with fewer speeds, like the 3 speed SagaSave, while others such as the Haooair have more speeds and a turbo boost. Check which attachments come in the box if you also want dough hooks.
Can I use a hand mixer for mashed potato?
Yes. A hand mixer on a low speed makes smooth mash with less effort than a masher. Stop as soon as the lumps have gone, because beating cooked potato for too long releases starch and turns it gluey. Keep the pan off the heat while you mix.
Is a stand mixer good for small quantities?
Not always. A single egg white or a small pot of cream can sit below the reach of the whisk in a large bowl, so it never whips properly. A hand mixer in a narrow jug or small bowl copes better with small amounts. If you often make both small and large mixes, a hand mixer alongside a stand mixer covers the gap.
Can I use my own bowls with a mixer?
With a hand mixer, yes, and a deep bowl keeps the splashes down. A stand mixer uses its own bowl, which locks onto the base, so the bowl it comes with is the size you work with unless the maker sells a spare. Avoid using a hand mixer in a non-stick pan, as the metal beaters can scratch the coating.
What speed should I use to whip cream with a hand mixer?
Start on a low speed so the cream doesn't spray, then move up to medium-high once it starts to thicken. Stop at soft peaks for folding into desserts and a little later for piping, because over-whipped cream turns grainy and then separates into butter. Chilled cream and a cold bowl whip faster.