Hand Mixers

Hand mixers work well for quick jobs

Although hand mixers lack the power of larger stand mixers, the best among them can perform many of the same tasks, at a fraction of the cost and countertop space. We found professional hand-mixer reviews from Food & Wine magazine, Cook's Illustrated magazine and ConsumerReports.org. Both Food & Wine magazine and one professional review select the KitchenAid Professional 9-Speed Hand Mixer (*Est. $70) as their top choice. More than 200 reviewers at Amazon.com enthusiastically rave about this mixer, giving it an average rating of four and half stars out of five. Many users praise the product for being lightweight, quiet and easy to clean.

Food & Wine magazine also features four hand-mixer reviews, and like other reviewers gives the KitchenAid Professional 9-Speed Hand Mixer the top slot for being "powerful and as easy to control." The mixer's slow speeds allows users to mix dry ingredients mess-free, and its smooth digital control pad makes cleaning buttons a breeze. Only-Cookware.com also praises the KitchenAid Professional 9-Speed Hand Mixer for being "solid but also lightweight, so you won't tire easily" during use.

The KitchenAid Professional 9-Speed Hand Mixer also edges out the KitchenAid Artisan 7-Speed Hand Mixer in one professional review. Both models possess a convenient slow-start feature that limits splattering when you start the mixer and are similarly priced. That said, it makes sense for consumers to choose the KitchenAid Professional 9-Speed Hand Mixer since users get two extra speed settings and a stainless-steel whisk attachment with this product.

One foodie magazine rates the KitchenAid Artisan 7-Speed Hand Mixer (*Est. $70) over the now discontinued Braun MultiMix 4-in-1 M880. The Cuisinart PowerSelect 7-Speed Electronic Hand Mixer (*Est. $50), another solid choice, is recommended in one professional review and receives honorable mention in another, but it's now only available in a pale pink color that doesn't appeal to some consumers.

One professional review selects the KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer (*Est. $50) and the now-discontinued Braun MultiMix 4-in-1M880 as being better than other models at handling bread dough. However, this KitchenAid model receives mixed reviews from owners on Amazon.com and Epinions.com. Several Amazon.com reviews describe the KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer's high and low speed settings as being about the same and say this hand mixer lacks the oomph to mix chocolate chip cookie dough. Reviews on Epinions.com mirror similar sentiments, with a majority of owners feeling dissatisfied with the weak performance of their KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer.