What can I use to substitute an electric mixer? Will I achieve the same consistency if I use hand?!


Question: The recipe requires an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Another requires it on low speed until creamy...


Answers: The recipe requires an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Another requires it on low speed until creamy...

Beating stuff up by hand is how people baked for a thousand years+ - until very recently, in fact. Even the little "egg beater" mixers with the crank that you turn have only been around for a hundred years or so.

This is how you do it -

To cream butter and sugar make sure that you let your butter come to room temperature, then use a sturdy wooden spoon and stir the ingredients rapidly. Don't worry about those mixer speeds.

For egg whites or cream - you want an extremely clean & dry metal bowl (copper is "best" for egg whites, but how many of us have those any more. . . ) and a wire whisk. If you are beating cream put your bowl into the freezer for a few minutes so that it gets very cold. For egg whites leave the bowl at room temp.. Add your egg whites or cream to the bowl, wrap your arm around the bowl to hold it steady in the crook of your arm and whisk like mad.

With a little practice you'll find that the amount of time you spend mixing is not much different than it is with a mixer. And you will have muscles in your arm you did not know existed.

Not the same, but better. Just mix it in one direction and stroke and don't over do it.

it depends what your making, if you use an electric mixer it adds air into the dough / batter, if you mix by hand it wont be so fluffy, cookies: by hand, cakes: by mixer.

I mix nearly everything by hand. I have a small hand mixer that I use only when a recipe calls for whipping something till it's frothy. Usually eggs or whipping cream. I've found that anything else can be easily mixed by hand.

I do have a whisk that I use if I'm trying to make something fluffy. If you don't have a whisk, use a fork and stir it really fast! Build up those arm muscles.

It depends on what you're mixing. If it's not too stiff (like butter and sugar) you can do it with a pastry cutter. If liquidy, like eggs, you can do it with a mechanical egg beater (or a fork or wire whisk, but that takes longer). You could also use a wire whisk or a mechanical egg beater for something like whipping cream or egg whites. If you are getting into something stiffer, like cookie dough, you probably want to use a wooden spoon. Generally speaking you can achieve good results without using an electric mixer. To make it easier, separately combine wet ingredients, mix them, mix the dry ingredients separately, and then combine wet and dry gradually stirring robustly with a wooden spoon. Most recipes operate in this order anyway. Just make sure you mix long and hard enough to achieve the right consistency, it takes a lot more time and effort usually.

In desperation I've used a fork in my husband's electric drill and worked a treat.

fork and whisk away
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