Appliances & Heat

Electric Mixer

Powered beaters for whipping, creaming, and kneading

Motorized beaters that whip cream, cream butter and sugar, and knead dough far faster than by hand. Start slow so dry ingredients don't fly, then build speed. The right attachment turns heavy mixing jobs into a few minutes' work.

An electric mixer is motorized beaters — in a handheld unit or a benchtop stand — that whip, cream, and beat far faster and more tirelessly than a hand and a whisk ever could. The category covers two forms with the same purpose: hand mixers, light and grab-and-go for quick whipping and batters, and stand mixers, heavy and powerful enough to knead bread dough and whip a mountain of meringue hands-free. Either way, the mixer takes the muscle and the minutes out of baking's most repetitive jobs: creaming butter and sugar fluffy, whipping cream to peaks, beating eggs to ribbon.

The technique that protects both your kitchen and your results is speed control: start low so dry ingredients and liquids don't fly out of the bowl, then build up as the mixture comes together. Stopping to scrape the bowl down matters too — beaters leave a clinging ring of unmixed batter at the sides and bottom that won't incorporate on its own. Match the attachment to the task, don't overbeat (especially flour-based batters, which toughen), and the mixer turns slow handwork into a few easy minutes.

Types & varieties

Hand mixer

Lightweight twin beaters you hold over the bowl. Cheap, easy to store, and fine for cream, eggs, and most batters; not for stiff bread dough.

Stand mixer

A heavy benchtop machine that mixes hands-free and powers through stiff dough and big batches. The baker's workhorse, with the broadest attachment range.

Beater types

Flat beaters for creaming and batters, balloon whisks for cream and egg whites, dough hooks for kneading — swap to suit the job.

Power range

Hand mixers run modest wattage for light work; stand mixers pack far more torque for dense dough and long mixes.

How to use it

Pick the right beater, manage the speed, and scrape the bowl. Most mixing problems are either splatter from starting too fast or streaks from not scraping.

Start on the lowest speed so flour and liquid don't spray, then ramp up once combined
Use the whisk for air (cream, egg whites), the flat beater for creaming and batters, the hook for dough
Stop and scrape the bowl sides and bottom so nothing clings unmixed
Beat egg whites and cream to the right peak and stop — overbeating curdles cream and dries out whites

Care and safety

The motor body must stay dry, and moving beaters and dough hooks deserve respect.

Detach the beaters to wash (many are dishwasher-safe); wipe the motor body, never submerge it
Unplug before attaching or removing beaters and before reaching into the bowl
Keep fingers, spatulas, and cloths out of the bowl while the beaters are running
Don't push a hand mixer past its limit on stiff dough — that's a stand mixer's job

Common uses

Whipping cream to soft or stiff peaksCreaming butter and sugar for cakes and cookiesBeating eggs and making meringueMixing cake, muffin, and pancake battersMaking frosting and buttercreamKneading bread and pizza dough (stand mixer)Mashing potatoes (carefully, on low)Beating cheesecake and mousse mixtures

Tips & pitfalls

Start slow, finish fast — beginning on high speed throws flour and batter across the counter.
Scrape the bowl down partway through; beaters always leave an unmixed ring at the sides and base.
Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (a few minutes) — that aeration is what lifts cakes and cookies.
Don't overbeat batters with flour in them; once combined, stop, or you'll develop gluten and toughen the crumb.
Chill the bowl and beaters before whipping cream and it'll come to peaks faster and hold better.