It is common for beginners in the kitchen to have a conflict of opinion between an immersion blender vs hand mixer. Both appliances can mix and blend all types of food, but each has certain limitations. An immersion blender is suitable for purees and soups while a hand mixer is needed for dry ingredients.
It’s difficult to choose the right kitchen tool from the many available today. Many appliances can perform multiple functions, making it difficult to choose one that suits your needs. As a result, it becomes difficult to buy an appliance for a particular kitchen task. That’s why immersion blenders vs hand mixers are a common topic of debate.
What is an Immersion Blender?
An immersion blender is a versatile kitchen tool that adds convenience to cooking many recipes. The immersion blenders have blades that immerse in food ingredients, unlike other blenders where food items are poured into the blending jars. Therefore, it’s called an immersion blender. These immersive blending machines have the shape of a stick and have a fitted motor and a rotating chopping blade. The chopping blades blend solid foods into liquids or purées, creating an even, smooth, and desired texture.
Are you worried that placing an immersion blender inside an empty container filled with liquid food items and then turning the blender on could cause a mess inside your cooking area? This isn’t the case as the powerful blades of the immersion blender are made to limit splashing considerably. The blades of an immersion blender are completely protected and durable enough to crush foodstuffs that are solid into a liquid with an even consistency.
The top handheld immersion blender gives you a comfortable grip and better control over the tool to ensure that it is kept in place during the mixing.
Immersion Blender Uses:
-  Hand-held immersion blenders are ideal for making sauces, soups, and smoothies.
- Immersion hand blenders are also perfect for whipping cream, or egg whites.
- You can make use of your immersion blender to make baby food.
-  Immersion hand blenders are useful for chopping vegetables and various other foods.
-  They can also be used as a whisk attachment on the stand mixer.
How to Use an Immersion Blender?
- Assemble the motor body, the heaviest part of the blender, with a blender attachment. Attach these parts together securely.
- Place the stick blender down into the bowl/container filled with ingredients.
- Gently squeeze the trigger and hold the blender till you get the desired consistency.
- Continuously move the bowl or stick blender to make sure that your hand blender blends everything.
What is a Hand Mixer?
A hand mixer is also a handheld device that comes with removable mixing and whisking attachments to mix the ingredients. These mixers are handy for blending, whisking, beating, and whipping food ingredients. Hand mixers are portable and easy to clean and store in smaller kitchens as well.
You don’t have to be concerned about whether your hand mixer is powerful enough because the majority of hand mixers are equipped with a minimum of 250 watts of power, which is plenty to meet baking requirements.
Hand mixers utilize a technique called “direct drive” because they employ the friction of two different surfaces. The friction is caused by an arm that is connected directly to an electric motor using gears engineered to boost torque even at lower RPMs.
Hand Mixer Uses:
- A hand mixer is a perfect appliance for anyone who loves baking and cooking.
- It can also be used to make dough for your favorite cookies.
- Hand mixers are great for those who have limited mobility or arthritis as they require less muscle power than some other equipment, such as the stand mixer.
How to Use a Hand Mixer Without Making a Mess?
- Ensure that the bowl or container you will use should be deep or narrow as this allows deep and consistent mixing without splattering the mix all over the surface.
- To allow more rigidity and stability to your hand mixer, place your bowl or container on a soft conduit before mixing. You can use a thick kitchen towel for this.
- When mixing, always start at the lowest speed. Starting to mix at a higher speed increases the likelihood of splattering the mixture all over.
- To ensure consistent mixing, move your mixer constantly in the same direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) in a circular motion. The unmixed ingredients will stick by the side of your bowl/container. Use a spatula to scrape the unmixed parts into the bowl and allow for consistency of the mix.
- You have to remove the battery from the mixer carefully and for this, you’ll need to remove the mixer from the bowl. However, keep the mixer just below the lip of the bowl but it should not touch the ingredients in the bowl anymore. Turn on the hand mixer for a few seconds so that the batter on your hand mixer base gets off onto the bowl.
When to Use Immersion Blender?
Cutting
Using an immersion blender to chop vegetables is a quick way of getting even-sized veggie cuts. This produces a fine texture that is easy to incorporate into dishes like a casserole. The food will even cook fast.
Puree
An immersion blender has a blade that purees an entire batch of veggies at once. This happens once you lower the immersion blender into the pot you want to puree in. An immersion blender incorporates more air than a traditional blender. This helps in creating frothy foam on creamy soups.
Blend a Soup
An immersion blender helps in breaking the veggies into a semi-thick liquid texture. If you pulse the appliance more, it will lead to a thick and textured soup.
If you are looking to buy an immersion blender, our other blog can also help you choose the best blender for your kitchen.
When to Use Hand Mixer?
Combine Ingredients
Hand mixers contain a set of blades that turn smoothly and consistently during the mixing process. Electric hand mixers come at various mixing speeds that help mix and combine hard ingredients like dough.
Used for Cake Batter
Hand mixers, when used on cake batter, decrease the density of the batter. A hand mixer makes the batter light and fluffy, allowing the cake to rise to perfection.
Turn Anything into Liquid
The speed of a mixer is not high to produce the same consistency as an immersion blender. The hand mixer can crush everything and turn it into a semi-liquid mush, but the blades aren’t close enough to produce a complete liquid effect.
Deciding between Breville Vs Kitchenaid stand mixers can be confusing. A glance over our blog on these mixers will guide you to make an informed decision.
Create Icing
The blades of a hand mixer and a powerful motor can whisk and make significant icing for cakes. Always go for hand mixers that come with a powerful motor for the best results. You can also consider reading reviews of BLACK & DECKER BL2010BG Blender  for more clarity.
Immersion Blender vs Hand Mixer: The Differences
- The metal parts of the immersion blender are usually sharp, whereas the beaters on the hand mixer are usually dull. So, a hand-mixer is more suitable for liquefying and chopping rather than mixing.
- A hand mixer has two beaters. It means that the total beaters’ speed may not be required to be set to a high level, since the amount of beating happening will be higher because of the larger surface area of the beater within the mix.
In contrast, hand blenders generally contain only an inch or two of the blade’s length when they are constructed. This means they might require moving around more often, or need to spin at a higher speed in order to achieve the same or more amount of work accomplished.
- The beaters of hand mixers can be easily interchanged. The whisk-like beaters on certain hand mixers may be substituted with dough hooks, but they cannot be interchanged between different brands.
Hand mixers are usually more adaptable, as they can be employed for many purposes. However, the immersion hand blender’s blade usually comes with the one that you will use until the device lasts.
Immersion Blender vs Hand Mixer: Do You Need Both?
The answer depends on your necessity and kitchen requirements. People who have been using blenders for a long time prefer to accomplish all their tasks with them. Immersion blenders are ideal for making baby food and sauce. You must opt for a hand mixer to shred chicken or whip cream. It will make your task more manageable as the blades are sharper than an immersion blender.
The motor of a hand mixer is robust compared to that of an immersion blender and can easily cut tough food items. If you understand how your appliance is used, you will find the most suitable appliance, and your food quality will gradually improve. You can check top-rated models like KitchenAid® Cordless 7 Speed Hand Mixer which features dishwasher-safe parts that make cleaning easy.
Can Immersion Blender Replace Hand Mixer?
No, an immersion blender cannot replace the hand mixer. Powdery ingredients or loosely chopped ingredients are best for a hand mixer. Hand mixers may not be best used for blending food ingredients, but immersion blenders are perfect for the job.
Buy the Best Immersion Blender Vs Hand mixer
Breville BSB510XL
The Breville BSB510XL 8″ immersion blender is a versatile kitchen appliance ideal for those who need to blend large quantities or tall pots of food. Its adjustable speed ensures the perfect consistency every time. The ergonomic pistol-like control grip with trigger operation makes it easy to use, while its bell-shaped base, revolutionary shape, and internal ribbing add to its stability and durability. This immersion blender is a brilliant choice for anyone looking for a quality, reliable tool for all their blending needs.
All-Clad Programmable Hand Blender
The All-Clad Programmable Hand Blender is an intuitive kitchen tool. Its safety lock button ensures the blender is secure and safe to use, while its battery indicator light informs the user of the remaining charge. With five variable speed options, the motor is powerful and adjustable to meet the user’s culinary needs. The quick charge base fully charges the device in two hours for maximum convenience.
Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer
The Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer is a powerful, multipurpose kitchen gadget. It comes with nine speeds, allowing you to find the perfect speed for any task. The mixer also includes two scraper beaters, two dough hooks, and two balloon whisks, making it a versatile tool that can handle various baking tasks. The ergonomic design and soft-grip handle make it comfortable to use.
Breville Hand Mixer
The Breville Hand Mixer features 9-speed settings that meet varied requirements. It is easy to use and can prepare the dishes for you quickly. It comes with an ergonomic handle that offers a comfortable grip. This model detects the type of attachments used and automatically recalibrates to the perfect speed.
HAMILTON BEACH Hand Mixer
The reviews of HAMILTON BEACH Hand Mixer show it is the most smart-looking hand mixer. You can easily eject the food accessories with the help of a one-press-eject button. It comes with a soft-start feature that helps prevent ingredients from splattering. Its lockable swivel cord allows locking the cord into either the left or right side of the mixer.
Immersion Blender Vs Hand Mixer: Final Verdict
A hand mixer is more versatile than an immersion blender, as it allows you to mix and semi-blend ingredients efficiently. Do not forget to make your cooking regime a delightful one by using the right appliance and attachments. We also recommend you read reviews of personal blenders  before choosing the most suitable appliance for your culinary needs.
Air fryers and microwaves are other kitchen appliances you may need to cook a variety of dishes that you have prepped for with the best hand mixers and blenders. The difference between air fryers & microwaves can be confusing. You can read through our other blog to decide on the right cooking appliance for your kitchen.
BestViewsReviews will also help you find the best stand mixers and top-rated hand mixers on the market. A list of best-rated and reviewed products is curated on the basis of quality, convenience, and durability. Get unbiased, honest reviews on a wide variety of products before you buy.
