| Product: |
Kenwood HM320 Hand Mixer |
| Date: |
30/06/05 (500 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: handy little kitchen gadget, easy to use, easy to clean
Disadvantages: no disadvantages as far as I am concerned
When my birthday came round last year and friends asked me what I wanted as a gift I surprised the lot of them. I wanted a hand mixer, not a big food processor, not a blender, a cheap and cheerful, simple hand mixer. They fell about laughing. I can’t blame them.
The reason behind my request was a simple one. On the odd occasion I actually cook or bake I used a whisk and I was getting tired (quite literally) of putting in the muscle-power.
The Kenwood HM320 (‘HM’ I guess stands for hand mixer) came in a neat box. I was surprised to find that only the minimum amount of cardboard box was used. Everything was tightly packed and there was no wastage. The actual mixer was wrapped in a bubble wrap bag; the whisks were at the bottom, stuck onto cardboard.
I was surprised to find that I got more than just the normal steel beaters with the mixer. I also found two kneaders, used mainly for heavy dough, i.e. when bread making. I have no intention of making my own bread so these kneaders will not be used – but nice to know that I could if I wanted to.
The beaters and kneaders are attached to a neat little grip that clips into the holes on the mixer. It’s so much easier to store and there’s no rummaging around the kitchen drawers to find them when you need them. Something else I noticed was a clip that holds the cord in its place when you wrap it around the mixer when you store it away. No more mess in my cupboards.
The mixer itself comes with a 250W motor. In most cases you won’t need more than 150W but if you are planning to do some heavy bread dough kneading, the extra power should come in handy.
Like most mixers, this one comes with three speeds. The button on top slides forward and swift thumb action will change speed, either faster or slower.
Using the hand mixer is easy. The beaters are attached to the mixer, you plug the whole lot in and slowly lower it into bowl and slide the knob forward to adjust your speed. It’s always wise to start on the slowest speed and slowly increase to avoid spillage – or setting off your smoke detector when adding flour into the mix. In no time at all you will have smooth batter, dough mix or perfectly stiff egg white. While it is possible to fold the egg white into any mix on the slowest setting, I find it easier to do it by hand. That way I can control the speed even better. Even the slowest setting I find a little too fast for delicate mixtures that must not be beaten too vigorously.
If you need to add to the bowl you can simply switch off the mixer, stand it on its end with the beaters over the bowl to avoid dripping on the worktop, add whatever you need and then start again, increasing the speed gradually. Of course you can leave the mixer running but you might end up with a big mess in kitchen when everything goes flying across the room.
To remove the beaters (or kneaders) you simply press the eject button on top of the mixer and they drop out. A little safety device prevents the button to be used when the mixer is on. The same safety feature prevents you from switching the mixer on without the beaters attached.
The weight of the mixer is a little over 1kg and it is comfortable to use. Even children can use it but I would suggest that smaller children are supervised when using the mixer. Although the machine will not start without the beaters attached, nor will they drop out while the machine is on, there is still the danger of little (and larger) fingers getting caught in the beater if not careful.
Cleaning the mixer is easy. Simply wipe off any drips and spots with a damp cloth, never submerge it into water. The beaters and kneaders clean easily and are dishwasher safe.
I am glad I got my little mixer, not that I use it that often but it makes life so much easier than it was before. And now that I have it, I am more inclined to actually start cooking and baking from scratch. Anything that makes life easier can only be good.
There are plenty of hand mixers on the market, some more expensive, some less, but in the end, they will all do the same job, whether they cost £10 or £50. If a cheaper item gets the job done, then why spend more money than necessary. This little beauty gets the job done and I can only recommend it.
An instruction leaflet in a variety of languages is enclosed in the box. It is short and to the point, repeating the most common safety instructions. The line ‘remove all packaging before use’ made us laugh, though.
Kenwood HM320
Price: from £15.95 depending on where you buy (even Amazon.co.uk stock this particular item)
Summary: nice addition in every person's kitchen
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