I Asked 3 Food Experts To Name the Best Hand Mixer—They All Said the Same Brand

While a good stand mixer can help you tackle a variety of kitchen tasks, from prepping cookie and bread doughs to shredding chicken, its size may get in the way. A hand mixer, however, can easily be tucked away when not in use and brought out for any occasion. With enough power, a hand mixer can tackle just about any task a stand mixer can with a much smaller footprint. With so many brands available, what’s the best option for the job? I spoke to three food and baking experts to find out.

The 3 Food and Baking Experts I Asked

• Erin Jeanne McDowell: Recipe developer, food stylist, and three-time cookbook author
• Jennifer Pallian, BSc RD: Recipe developer and food blogger behind Foodess
• Mimi Council: Three-time cookbook author, former bakery owner, recipe developer and food blogger behind Mimi's Organic Eats  

The Best Hand Mixer

Erin Jeanne McDowell is an authority on all things pie, along with savory and sweet baking. The hand mixer she has used for almost seven years now? Braun’s MultiMix Hand Mixer. “I’ve been recommending it for years,” she says. “It’s cost-effective and fits in a drawer.”

Mimi Council echoes that love for this hand mixer, especially because of how easy it is to fit in a kitchen drawer without taking up too much space.

Just because it’s small doesn’t mean this hand mixer lacks power. “When it comes to assessing the quality of different hand mixers, I recommend comparing the wattage, which is the best indicator of power,” says Pallian. “Higher wattage mixers handle heavier tasks like mixing dense cookie dough or kneading bread with ease and without straining the motor.”

The Braun MultiMix has 350 watts of power in a compact design—that’s actually more than many stand mixers. “This not only makes your mixing quicker and more effective but ensures smoother operation and longer-lasting durability of the machine itself,” says Pallian. That powerful motor is also included in the mixer's clever body design, making it much easier to hold. “The motor is in the front of the machine. For most, it's in the back,” adds McDowell. “I have carpal tunnel, and the front-loaded motor is life-changing. All the weight of the mixer isn't on my wrist or hand.”

Council uses this hand mixer for anything from cake batters to whipped cream, but with 10 speeds, it can do so much more. McDowell loves using both the standard beaters and dough hooks on this hand mixer. She’s even used it to make brioche, which has a very intense and long mixing time. Of course, it can be used for other savory applications as well, including shredding chicken or pork and whipping mashed potatoes.

As for clean-up? McDowell loves that the mixer body doesn’t have external vents or a lot of nooks and crannies. That way, ingredients don't get stuck in any hard-to-clean grooves. “A lot of hand mixers have visible vents, and flour gets into those easily and can seriously gunk up the motor. All the attachments are dishwasher safe, and it is super easy to clean."

_{To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.}