Mixers are a great way of taking the energy and wooden spoon out of making cakes. You can choose from hand held versions with beaters to tabletop ones with extras such as dough hooks, and there’s bound to be one to suit your needs.

Check out these buying tips which should help you make the right choice!

Style

Mixers come in all colours, and they can be freestanding (with bowl and mixer) or handheld. The ones covered here are mostly handheld, but there are some freestanding versions where the mixer is removable, so they offer a ready made mixing station, but also offer the versatility of a handheld model.

Action

Mixers can come with thin or thick wire beaters, which will mix most cake ingredients. You may also want to look for the addition of dough hooks with the mixer if you want to make your own bread. Most mixers have two beaters, but if you can find a model with more mixing will be easier.

Power and speeds

The higher the power in Watts of the mixer, the more easily it can mix ingredients. A power of 150W is sufficient for most uses, although you may want a higher power if you are going to make dough, which is harder to mix than cake mixture. Speeds vary from two to five, and the larger the number the greater the versatility in how fast you add in ingredients and mix them. A boost may be a good idea if you want to beat lots of air into mixture, or if you are using harder ingredients.

Extras

Cord storage is a good idea for keeping the worktop tidy and for safety reasons, and push button tool ejection means you can eject beater straight into the sink.