The market is filled with a wide range of kitchen appliances; a few of them are so uncommon that people have never heard their names before. From coffee making machines to the contraptions which serve the purpose of microwaving an egg, there are so many of them that we often forget which appliance is used for which work particularly. The situation gets even more bad when the appliances carry similar purposes and sometimes similar names. In this article, we are going to have a hot debate that arises between the hand mixer and immersion blender. Do you think the immersion blender and hand mixer are the same? Are you confused whenever you have to use one of them ? Or are you in a dilemma while choosing between an immersion blender and a hand mixer?
The fact that sometimes the immersion blenders are also known by the name ‘hand blenders’ makes this thing even more confusing. All of the above questions arise when people read about the different types of blenders. If you have also been through such a situation, we understand your concern. And for the same reason, we have written this article. In this article, we are going to throw some light on both the immersion blender and hand mixers, their uses, and the pros and cons. This will help you get an accurate idea so that you may be able to select which of these appliances is perfect for your kitchen requirements.
Let us start.
Is the immersion blender different from a hand mixer?
It is probably one of the most crucial questions; we would like to inform you that both the immersion blender and hand mixers are not the same, although both of these appliances have similar functionalities and names. But, they are used for distinct purposes. The immersion blender is more like a normal blender, while the hand mixer seems more like the stand mixer. Therefore, one should not consider the two appliances as one. Both the hand mixers and immersion blenders have their pros and cons. And we have discussed them below.
Let us now discover the differences between hand mixers and immersion blenders.
What is a Hand Mixer?
A hand mixer is a small-sized, handheld appliance, which is equipped with 2 or 3 mixing blades. In most of the hand mixers, the mixing blades are removable so that people may change them according to their requirements. The hand mixers also have a provision of speed controlling buttons, which can be used to change the speed of the mixer while using the mixer. Hand mixers are such handheld appliances that can be used to mix numerous ingredients from whipping cream, vegetable purees to egg whites. Typically, the hand mixers are powered by a wall plug, and unlike the immersion blenders, the hand mixers boast more power. Also, the hand mixers are large comparatively. If you are thinking of using a hand mixer to blend runny or hot liquids such as soups, hot chocolates, then we would like to tell you that it is not a very good idea.
The main purpose of a hand mixer is to combine different ingredients (dry or wet). One should also keep in mind that a hand mixer never turns any product to its liquid state.
Uses of Hand mixers: Particularly, a hand mixer is used for small tasks that are usually performed by stand mixers. These tasks include; whipping cream for cakes/pastries, combining various batters, creating icings, beating eggs, and others. All in all, hand mixers are a good alternative to stand mixers. If you do not have a stand mixer in your kitchen, you can use a hand mixer to accomplish all your stand mixer tasks.
Pros:
- Hand mixers are extremely portable and travel-friendly.
- They are easy to operate and can be used by almost everyone.
- Hand mixers have a high versatility and can be used to complete numerous purposes.
- Hand mixers can be used as an alternative to standing mixers.
- They are available in a wide variety of brands, models, and colors.
- Hand mixers often come along with various blade attachments.
Cons:
- The hand mixers are not suitable to blend hot liquids such as hot coffee, soups, and other hot beverages.
- Hand mixers do not have the capability of converting food products into their liquid states. It only combines and whips the ingredients.
What is an Immersion blender?
Let us now understand the immersion blenders. The immersion blenders are small-sized appliances; it resembles a stick. This appliance is equipped with chopping blades present at the top. And those blades have the capacity of breaking down various ingredients to get an extra-smooth and silk-like consistency.
One of the remarkable things about the immersion blenders is that it can be directly put inside a cup or a bowl. And in that way, such blenders can be immersed inside the food or liquid for the purpose of blending. Because of the same reason, these blenders are named ‘immersion blenders.’ Unlike the hand mixers, the immersion blenders are capable of converting the different ingredients into a puree or a liquid state. Moreover, the immersion blender tends to give an even and thin consistency to the food product that it blends. If you want a good consistency in your soup, then immersion blender is a big yes for you.
Uses of Immersion Blenders: The main purpose of an immersion blender is to chop the food products and turn them into a puree form. For example, if you want a vegetable puree, then you can easily put an immersion blender into the bowl of your boiled vegetables and turn them into a puree. Unlike the hand mixers, immersion blenders are capable of blending the hot food products such as for blending soups, hot chocolates, and other hot beverages. It would not be unfair if we say the immersion blenders fulfill the purpose of normal blenders except for the fact that the user does not have to put the ingredients into a large jug to get a puree.
But, unlike the hand mixers, the immersion blender is not considered a perfect tool for mixing the dry and wet ingredients. This means you cannot use an immersion blender to mix the batters or to whip anything. The reason behind this is that the immersion blender lacks in its ability to incorporate sufficient amount of air molecules into the ingredients. For such purposes, a stand or a hand mixer would work better.
Pros:
- The immersion blenders are very small and can be carried anywhere in the hang bag.
- They are extremely easy to operate, which means even your kids (more than 14 years) can use the immersion blender without any worries. However, it is suggested that you should not handle the blender to your kids.
- Immersion blenders are considered best to use with hot ingredients, like soups, hot chocolates, etc.
- Immersion blenders are quite effective in making purees.
Cons:
- The immersion blenders cannot be used to mix dry and wet ingredients. That is, they do not have the capability of mixing cake batters, make icings, or whip other ingredients.
Do you need both an immersion blender and a hand mixer?
Purchasing both the immersion blender and a hand mixer is more of a personal choice. And it entirely depends upon the requirements of the users. Some people use immersion blenders to mix everything from cake batters to purees, while others prefer using separate appliances for both the purposes (considering the fact that immersion blenders are not that much capable of mixing dry and wet ingredients efficiently). Some people still mash the boiled potatoes as well as other food products using their hands, but let’s not go towards that topic as it is another topic of discussion.
If you ask us, we would suggest you purchase both the hand mixers and immersion blenders, but only if this decision goes according to your budget. Otherwise, there are people out there using an immersion blender to accomplish all their tasks. But, again, there are people who keep both the appliances to avoid kitchen frustrations while cooking. Both products have a lot of overlaps in their functionalities. Now that you are aware of the intricacies, the final decision is to rest up to you. For added convenience, check out the information given below.
- For making smoothies: immersion blender works better.
- For beating eggs: hand mixer works best.
- For preparing food for baby: immersion blender is perfect.
- For whipping creams or eggs: hand mixer works perfectly.
- For creaming soups: immersion blender is excellent.
- For making batters: hand mixer is considered best.
Conclusion
With the advancements in technologies, kitchen gadgets are also evolving. There are numerous kitchen appliances that prove to be very beneficial. The immersion blenders and hand mixers fall into the category of such advanced kitchen gadgets. It doesn’t matter which appliance you favor; both the immersion blender and hand mixers are brilliant and very efficient inside the kitchen. Most chefs prefer using immersion blenders while the bakers love hand mixers. Apart from that, we would also like to inform you that there are some fusion devices available. For your instance, you can buy a fusion device and change the blending blades with a stick/immersion wand to perform the function of immersion blenders and vice-versa. Therefore, choose the product that fits perfectly to fulfill all your kitchen needs. We hope you select an efficient appliance. Happy cooking!
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