Food mixers can be an absolute dream for all those aspiring chefs that are either a little lazy or a little too pushed for time to do everything by hand. Buying one can however be a little bit of a minefield as the price can vary massively, and it is not always a case of getting what you pay for. A food mixer is the type of item where a good quality mixer may actually be relatively inexpensive but appear less attractive due to a lack of fancy extra functions. Conversely, a poorer quality food mixer with lots of fancy extras can appeal even though it is more expensive than it really should be. These are my top five tips to help you to avoid buying a dummy.
1. Highest power does not always equal the best mixer
Food mixers will advertise in their product description their power level, which usually varies all the way up to around 700W. With items such as a microwave it is a general rule that you should go for the most power that you can afford. You should note that this is not so with a food mixer. If you buy a 700W mixer which does not have a good range of control over speed then you will end up with less cake in your mixing bowl and more cake on the walls. There really is no need to have a mixer with power of more than around 500W or so, as this is ample to mix most things that you would use a food mixer for.
2. Choose a food mixer which has a good range of speeds to choose from.
Moving on from the last point, having good control over speed not only means that you can keep more in the bowl, but also different speeds are suited to different tasks. You probably are not going to want to whip cream on the same speed setting as mixing bread dough for instance.
3. Pick a food mixer which completely disassembles quickly and easily.
Some of the newer models of food mixer have special devices which allow them to rapidly disassemble and reassemble. This is very important as the food mixer will inevitably get very dirty and if it is difficult to completely disassemble this can be a nightmare for cleaning.
4. Choose a mixer which is short and long with a heavy base.
When you are mixing the food mixer will start to shake and move around, which is natural considering the speeds at which the blades are rotating. If you choose a mixer which is not sturdy then it is likely that it will move. This could possibly cause damage to work surfaces and also means that the blender can't be left unattended even for a moment in case it falls on the floor.
5. Choose a good quality but simple food mixer.
It is very unlikely that you will need most of the gadgets which are included on today's food mixers. If you are in any doubt about what you will and won't use then it is better to err on the side of a simpler mixer. Otherwise the mixer may just become overwhelming to use and you may also be sacrificing actual quality for lots of bells and whistles.