Can a cheaper hand mixer impress when it comes to whipping up your favourite bakes and more? We say yes.
We put six hand mixers costing £12.50 or less to the test to find out which we'd have in our Bake Off tent.
One did well enough to be named our Editor's Choice. It whipped up perfect stiff-peaked meringues in the quickest time of those we tested, came out on top for quickly taking lumps out of cake batter, was easy to operate and had the longest power cord of those we tested.
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Best hand mixers
From the whisks that wowed, to 'could do batter'. Here's what we loved and disliked about the hand mixers we tested, ranked from best to worst.
Editor's Choice: Wilko Everyday Value Hand Mixer
Only available at Wilko: £8.
Weight: 600g
Size HxWxD (minus whisks): 17 x 8 x 14cm
Cord length: 130cm
Our verdict: Whisked us off our feet
Pros: We'd happily use this hand mixer when attempting to be the star baker in the Bake Off tent. It's the lightest hand mixer we tested and one of the cheapest, but also the fastest to whisk up meringues from egg whites (1 minute 15 seconds). It also mixed one of the least lumpy cake batters.
The cherry on top? It has the longest power cord of the hand mixers we tested, which gives you plenty of wiggle room to work with on your worktops.
Like all of the hand mixers we tested, it's easy to use and has clearly labelled parts and buttons.
Cons: We always try to pick out at least one con, but there just wasn't one with this hand mixer.
Asda George Home Hand Mixer
Only available at Asda: £8.
Weight: 650g
Size HxWxD (minus whisks): 16 x 8 x 14cm
Cord length: 120cm
Our verdict: Batter than most
Pros: Asda's hand mixer impressed us. It whisked meringues in the second fastest time (1 minute 30 seconds) and mixed up the joint smoothest cake batter of the hand mixers we tested.
Its easy-to-understand controls and decent-length power cord make this hand mixer a fine companion for any aspiring Bake Off star.
Cons: You'll need to wait 15 seconds more for your meringue soft peaks than our Editor's Choice hand mixer.
Currys Essentials C12HMW17 Hand Mixer
Only available at Currys: £7.99.
Weight: 700g
Size HxWxD (minus whisks): 18 x 8 x 13cm
Cord length: 85cm
Our verdict: Almost eggs-cellent
Pros: This Currys' essential hand mixer is one of the cheapest hand mixers we saw and finished in our top three.
It's the third fastest (2 minutes 30 seconds) to whisk egg whites into stiff peaks, and just like all the hand mixers we tested it's easy to use and get the hang of.
Cons: The cake mix had a few lumps, but it wasn't the lumpiest we made. We mixed each cake batter for two minutes for our test, as per the recipe we were following, and then compared results. But if you were making cake mix at home you'd end up with no lumps if you kept mixing for longer.
There's no eject button for the whisks on this hand mixer. It also has the shortest power cord length of those we tested, so bear that in mind if you don't have plugs close to your kitchen surface or work station.
Cookworks Electric Hand Mixer
Only available at Argos: £12.50.
Weight: 750g
Size HxWxD (minus whisks): 18 x 8 x 14cm
Cord length: 115cm
Our verdict: Beaten by cheaper
Pros: We found this Cookworks hand mixer from Argos as easy to use as all the others we tested. It has simple, clearly labelled controls and, like the rest, is just plug-in and go. We also like the good length of the power cord, though it isn't the most generous we saw.
Cons: It was one of the slowest we tested at whisking meringues. It took three minutes to achieve stiff peaks. The cake mix we made had a few lumps remaining in it after two minutes mixing, but it wasn't the worst we saw, and, of course, the longer you whisk, the fewer lumps you'd have.
Tesco Hand Mixer
Only available at Tesco: £8.
Weight: 700g
Size HxWxD (minus whisks): 17 x 8 x 13cm
Cord length: 106cm
Our verdict: Batter late than never
Pros: The Tesco hand mixer is easy to use, just like the others we tested. All the parts and buttons are clearly labelled.
Cons: The Tesco hand mixer is the second slowest (3 minutes 40 seconds) we found for whisking egg whites into stiff peaks.
There were a few lumps in the cake batter we mixed with this one, but it wasn't the lumpiest. The longer you use the hand mixer, the fewer lumps you'd have, but the best cheap hand mixer we found gave us nearly lump-free batter in the two minutes stated in the recipe we used.
Dunelm Hand Mixer
Only available at Dunelm: £11.
Weight: 700g
Size HxWxD (minus whisks): 17 x 8 x 14cm
Cord length: 110cm
Our verdict: More egg-xertion needed
Pros: This Dunelm hand mixer is as easy to use as the rest we tested. We also like the good length of the power cord, though it wasn't the most generous.
Cons: Dunelm's hand mixer mixed up the lumpiest cake batter in our tests. We used the hand mixer to mix the cake batter for two minutes, as called for in the recipe, but if you use it for longer, you'd end up with fewer lumps.
Your hands might get stiff before your egg whites do, as it takes the longest time to whisk meringues of all the hand mixers we tested: 3 minutes 50 seconds.
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How we tested hand mixers
- Each hand mixer was used to mix vanilla sponge cake batter for two minutes on its medium setting. The batter was then run through a fine sieve to check for lumps.
- Each hand mixer was timed on its medium setting for how long it took to whisk egg whites into stiff peak meringues.
We also examined build quality and how easy each hand mixer was to use, but they were all similar on both of these.
Our selection was based on the cheapest hand mixers from leading UK retailers, and we purchased all the products we tested.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/best-hand-mixer-al22B9m2Hhbr