There are numerous kitchen appliances available in the market these days so confusions usually arise when you want to make a purchase. One thing is for sure, all of these devices are designed to make your cooking experience much easier. The stand mixer is a cooking appliance that generally simplifies the process of mixing ingredients and baking as well. A blender on the other hand is generally meant for blending and mixing. There are other several differences between these two appliances and it is important for you to be familiar with the features and functionalities of each so that you may save both money and time. People who cook regularly without doubt need to invest in blenders and stand mixers so that their needs may be served adequately.
Blender
Basically, a blender is usually comprised of a container that is made from stainless steel, glass or even steel plastic in some cases. The containers normally have the information regarding the measurements of ingredients that can be put inside written clearly on them. You can essentially use a blender for several cooking tasks around your kitchen such as making smoothies, crushing ice, making soup, making milkshakes and fruit purees as well. The usual ingredients that are meant for blenders include vegetables, yogurt, ice, liquids and fruits. Blenders are small in size and can be hand held even though they mostly come with stands so that they can be placed on the kitchen counter when being used. Moreover, they generally have low speeds and cannot be used for mixing ingredients that require higher power such as bread dough for instance.
Stand Mixer
The stand mixer is commonly motorized equipment that simplifies the entire process involved in mixing and baking as well. This is usually a large mixer when compared to the 'Hand Mixer' that can be hand held and is also portable. The stand mixer is heavy and weighs about 30lbs which is why it should be placed at a specific spot on the kitchen counter permanently. When you want to mix bread dough that this thick then this mixer comes in handy because it is essentially comprised of three components. They are: A dough-hook, beaters and the flat beaters. The hook is mainly meant for kneading dough while the beaters are meant for mixing eggs, cakes strokes and other similar stuff. In addition to this, you will also get other attachments for making ice cream, stuffing sausage and rolling pasta in these mixers.
The Differences between the Two
Apart from the major differences, there are other several differences between blenders and stand mixers which are:
• Appearance & Structure- In general, blenders are normally hand held and can either be manually operated or electrically operated too. They are usually small and portable. Stand mixers on the other hand cannot be operated manually. The stand mixers normally come equipped with stands which are meant to bear the entire weight of the machine since they are heavy. Moreover, you can leave the machine to operate while you are handling other tasks around the kitchen.
• Power- Blenders operate using smaller motors which means that they can only provide you with low power. This usually makes is impossible to mix tougher ingredients, like bread dough, because the machine lacks the capability to do so. Stand mixer are able to provide you with more power since they use larger motors hence it is possible to whip up any type of food using the machines. This will however largely depend on the strength of the frame that the mixer has and the ingredient's consistency.
• Cost- The thumb rule which is applied to kitchen appliances reveals that the price range is directly proportional to the size of the machine. This therefore means that you will be able to purchase the blenders at much cheaper prices than the stand mixers. Blenders are normally sold for prices ranging from $15 to $35 while mixers conversely go for prices ranging from $70 to $500. The big motors, extensive structures and other features are what make the stand mixers to be very costly.
• Performance & Efficiency- When it comes to performance and efficiency, stand mixers without doubt deliver much more when compared to blenders. This is owing to the fact that the stand mixers have higher speeds, larger bowl and other excellent features that ensure you get the best cooking experience ever.
In conclusion, stand mixers are much more advanced than blenders. When you want to purchase one of the machines and you are not sure which is best for your case, evaluate your cooking needs carefully so that you may be able to choose the most suitable one. Professional cooks generally prefer the stand mixer since they require performing complex cooking jobs but novices can go for blenders since they usually need to do simple tasks with the machines.