Can This Hobby Be Done With A Hand Mixer?
Decorating By Sabre3of4 Updated 10 Dec 2009 , 6:12am by 7yyrt
Sigh, I want a KA or a Sunbeam. I lust after a Hobart 10 or 20 qt. mixer to the pit of my heart(used one before )I have.... a lowly hand mixer. So can I do the mixing for stiff Buttercream and so forth with it? or am I SOL?
Sabrina
Is it an electric hand mixer? Some of the newer hand mixers have pretty large motors for their size.
You would just need to make sure you make the batches of frosting, batter, etc. appropriate to the size of the mixer. Meaning you might have to make several small batches of frosting, not 6 qts. at one time.
HTH
It can be done but your arm will get really tired holding that hand mixer and all the time thinking "if I had a KA I could be doing something else while my icing was mixing. " I would save up my pennies to buy one. You can check ebay or Craigs list to see if anyone has one for sale. You could even check with KA to see if they have any refurbished ones. Just a thought.
It CAN be done ... but it's SO much better with a stand mixer. Like CakeRN said, you can do other stuff while it's mixing AND your arm doesn't turn to jello.
My very first stand mixer was a combo christmas gift .... my then-hubby and my parents plus one sister all chipped in to get me one. Maybe you can put that on your "I've been a very good girl this year!" list!
I used a hand mixer for a long time before I bought a stand mixer. My kids would literally hide from me because as soon as one of them passed by the kitchen I would say "Can you hold it, just for a little while". Ha! Well one day I was making royal icing and I burnt it out. YAY! I now had the perfect excuse to buy a stand mixer. I didn't get a super one. It only cost about $80 but it was well worth it. Now I want to buy another one but I'm holding out for a KA. So yes you can do without a stand mixer for a while but you'll get tired quick.
I used a hand mixer too for quite awhile before getting a stand mixer...the stand mixers are really important though once you start doing more than an occasional cake.
We are in a similar position. We want something substantial, but funds aren't available for it right now.
What we use instead, definitely helps us make do. It's actually not bad at all, and is better than doing it all by hand ...
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4229423/Trail/searchtext%3EMIXER.htm
Something like a KA will be out of our price range for a long time, so we have looked for an alternative. I came across this on ebay, and after watching the demo video on the link, it looks like an excellent contender! ...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250529726190&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Of course there is a slight problem in the fact that both items are sold in the UK, but maybe you have something similar in your country?
Sign up for the Amazon.com emails and watch carefully...in the past I have gotten a 4.5 quart Kitchenaid mixer on there for $99 and free shipping!!!! I have since traded that one up for a second 6 qt but still... the opportunity for an affordable stand mixer is out there...I recommend especially watching right around Christmas and just after....also around New Years.
they still make hand mixers? lol j/k
Until last christmas thats what I used, then from my wonderful hubby I got the ultra power 4.5 q KA..... and life has been great since then, I can imagine doing stuff without it now! Especially with a 2 year old running around!
I'm pretty sure they even made cakes before electricity
Mike
Ahhh yes but did they make stiff buttercream and roses before electricity? lol.. Ahh back to the day of the simple cake.
Sabre~ Many MANY moons ago I made buttercream with a handmixer but I always had problems getting it to the right stiffness. I think it was because my arm was about to fall off.. lol.. Then I had to try making a batch of royal, and my mixer burned out.. lol.. I was doing the happy dance. I informed DH what I wanted from Santa that year.. When my new KA arrived I burried my old mixer in the backyard (j/k) and I never looked back..
I too recently started to bake cakes, only for class and cakes for family. I searched daily on ebay and craigslist for a used one. I finally lucked out at a yard sale. He was asking $65 for 4.5 quart Kitchen Aid and I honestly don't think the guy knew anything about the treasure he had. I actually had the guts to say " I have $60, will you take that?" He said yes!!! That was such a rush, no lie! Keep searching and pray!
Using a hand mixer is possible, I used butter cream recipe that took 1 cup of shortening and 4 cups of powered sugar that worked. It seemed to be the right amount my hand mixer could handle. Good luck!
I have/had a stand mixer. The sunbeam one and my boyfriend got his fingers wound in the beaters trying to fix it. Anyway, he did not get hurt but the mixer no longer will spin the beaters. My sister gave me her Sunbeam hand mixer and that baby is powerful. I makes a better batch of BC than the stand mixer. So now, I am going to invest in a KA in the next two months or so.
i JUST bought my first KA! It's the pro 600 6 qt. Before that, i was burning through hand mixers left and right. So yes, you can definitely use a hand mixer. I made cakes for 2 years using only a hand mixer. And while I was making my last cake, my hand mixer broke, so I mixed 2 batches of WASC, 3 batches of decorator's cream cheese frosting and 7 batches of mmf by hand! Believe me, a hand mixer is better than a spoon!
I have seen some great sales on Sunbeam stand mixers. Not as good as a KA but better than a hand mixer. I think I saw one for under $70 or something like that.
Actually, I just looked on Walmart.com and they have one for $49 and two better ones for $79 - I know it's still alot of money but just FYI!
I started with a hand mixer, I burned it; it was a very cheap no name one. I got the work done, of course, but it would take at least twice the time to get the cake done.
My lovely DH felt sorry for me when the hand mixer burned I found a brand new 4.5q KA in my kitchen the next day after work!! Men, life has definetely been easier since then.
I really hope you can find a reaaly good deal and get you KA, it is worth every penny.
You can do it, but if you can get a KA or some other wrist saver go for it!!!
I have burned through 3 handhelds until I got one with more HP. But I still make fondant by hand. Ya know a girl can break a wrist on fondant or at least get carpal tunnel syndrome... or is that from being a CC addict?
My hubby keeps pestering me for more cake and now I am gonna say I am on a cake strike until I get the right tools for the right job. He is a carpenter by trade so he should understand the difference between using a hand saw verses an electric one. Though money is tight right now- really tight. One day...
I have a Sunbeam stand mixer it works for most recipes but for fondant and stuff like that I use KA
Not made before electricity?
Heres a small royal wedding cake journey through time.
http://www.clarasdesignercakes.com/blog/2009/05/24/royal-wedding-cakes-and-a-power-surge/
1858: Princess Victoria Vicky (Queen Victorias oldest child)
1863: King Edward VII and Princess Alexandra of Great Britain
1871: Princess Louise (sixth child of Queen Victoria)
1923: Prince Albert, later King George VI of England
and a bunch after electricity...
Thanks for the encouragment folks...
My DH is laid-off right now so it will be a bit before I can get a stand mixer.
Yes, my mixer is electric and I have no problem with holding dessert hostage unless I have help with the icing mixing... I don't really need alot of buttercream made at a time right now as I just started taking classes and am still building my baking kit back up to snuff.
Thanks for the reassurace
Sabrina
I'm pretty sure they even made cakes before electricity
Mike
Not made before electricity?
Heres a small royal wedding cake journey through time.
http://www.clarasdesignercakes.com/blog/2009/05/24/royal-wedding-cakes-and-a-power-surge/
1858: Princess Victoria Vicky (Queen Victorias oldest child)
1863: King Edward VII and Princess Alexandra of Great Britain
1871: Princess Louise (sixth child of Queen Victoria)
1923: Prince Albert, later King George VI of England
and a bunch after electricity...
How illuminating. Thanks so much for sharing.
yeah 7yyrt I wonder what kind of molds they used way back when. Baking was by fire and you had to master the fire's temperature.
I purchased a sunbeam stand mixer at the local thrift store and also one at a garage sale. I used these until I got my KA and still use one of them for smaller things or when I'm using the KA on something else. I've kept both of them for emergencies.
I used hand mixers for a while, but I burned out the motors of 2 hand mixers doing RI. So, that is something to be careful with.
You can survive without a KA indefinitely... Though, I'd prefer not to...I was just really lucky and got my KA as a wedding present. Didn't realize it at the time (cause I had just started decorating), but it was the best present ever! Keep saving- it's worth every penny!
Really, the only thing I need a mixer for is royal icing. I was never able to get that right with a hand mixer.
But stand mixers are easier for most things.
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