We can also still fully recommend our best buy, the Cuisinart PowerSelect 3-Speed Hand Mixer. Kneading wet, heavy bread dough by hand is hard work. How we tested While we use stand mixers for heavy-duty tasks like kneading bread, a good handheld mixer helps if you don’t want to lug out the stand mixer every time you need to whip 1/2 cup of cream. The Best Hand Mixer: Oster 7-Speed Clean Start Hand Mixer After undergoing months of use and a series of tests, our Test Kitchen gave Oster’s seven-speed mixer ($40) a perfect score.
We can also still fully recommend our best buy, the Cuisinart PowerSelect 3-Speed Hand Mixer. Thus, when KitchenAid debuted the first stand mixer designed for home cooks in 1919, it caused a big stir. Our food stylists and prep cooks all found that the Oster mixer was easy to use and made mixing up all … Heavy, stiff doughs or very soft, sticky ones are best made in a stand mixer. The Best Hand Mixer, According to Cook’s Illustrated KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, $40 at Bed Bath & Beyond The Cook’s Illustrated editors gave this mixer a perfect score for design, light mixing, moderate mixing, and heavy mixing. Our recipes for Bagel Bread and Ciabatta call for 10 minutes of kneading on medium speed—a workout for any mixer. The mixer with the two stationary beaters stirred only what was directly underneath the beaters, so we had to finish mixing every food by hand. So is mixing together thick cookie dough.

America's Test Kitchen Cook's Illustrated Cooking School Cook's Country ATK Shop ATK Kids Stand vs. Hand-Held Mixers In head-to-head competitions, stand mixers always best hand-held mixers. The mixer with the two stationary beaters stirred only what was directly underneath the beaters, so we had to finish mixing every food by hand.
This mixer also struggled through our most basic tests; it was unable to thoroughly whip cream, beat egg whites to soft peaks, or produce a glossy half-batch of meringue.

They even compared it to a sports car because it’s light, maneuverable, and efficient.

This mixer also struggled through our most basic tests; it was unable to thoroughly whip cream, beat egg whites to soft peaks, or produce a glossy half-batch of meringue. While kneading bread dough by hand can be fun, it’s not always an option.

How We Tested While we use stand mixers for heavy-duty tasks like kneading bread, a good handheld mixer helps if you don’t want to lug out the stand mixer every time you need to whip 1/2 cup of cream.

To avoid prolonged cleanup sessions, use a deep sided bowl and stabilize it on your countertop.

It's easy to make a mess when using a hand mixer.