KitchenAid KHM7T Ultra Power Plus Hand Mixer

I do a lot of baking, and as a result, I'm very hard on mixers. I make a lot of Wilton cakes, so my stand mixer is usually busy with frosting, so I need a hand mixer to mix my cake batter.

When my trusty Farberware hand mixer gave up the ghost recently, I started looking at new hand mixers, but my husband took matters into his own hands and got me the KitchenAid 7-Speed Artisan Hand Mixer, Model KHM7TOB.

~&~ The Basics ~&~

The KitchenAid 7-Speed Artisan Hand Mixer comes in a variety of colors (I have black) and features a "powerful motor," "electronic mixing sensor," and "Clean Touch Digital Control Pad." All this sounds very complicated, but basically amounts to an electronic touch pad for controlling mixer speed, and a powerful motor that electronically senses the density of whatever you are mixing, adjusting the mixer to maintain a constant speed even when going through thicker areas.

The KitchenAid 7-Speed Artisan Hand Mixer boasts seven speeds, from a slow stir to a high whip. To use, turn the on/off switch on the side to the on position, then control the speed with the up and down buttons on the digital control pad on the handle. The display shows what speed the mixer is at, and below the arrow buttons is another button for an immediate stop.

The KitchenAid 7-Speed Artisan Hand Mixer comes with one set of Self-Cleaning Stainless Steel Turbo Beater Accessories, which are beaters with thin wires that allegedly clean easier than standard beaters. The mixer comes with the KitchenAid Hassle-Free Replacement Warranty, which guarantees your mixer against failure of any time for one full year, during which time KitchenAid will replace your mixer with no questions asked.

~&~ My Experience ~&~

The first time I used my KitchenAid 7-Speed Artisan Hand Mixer, I was shocked by how smooth it felt compared to my old Farberware mixer, which I adored. It was the difference between driving my '93 Saturn and my mother's new Buick; the KitchenAid mixer just seemed to feel better in my hand. I do not notice any vibration of the motor.

The seven speeds allow for more variety than most hand-mixers that I have tried, and I really like the instant-off button rather than trying to slow a mixer before stopping it. As far as mixing ability, this is probably the best hand mixer I've used designed for home use.

Clean-up is very easy; just put the beaters in the dishwasher, and wipe down the main unit with a damp cloth after each use.

~&~ The Only Downside ~&~

My old Farberware hand mixer actually came with two sets of beaters: one very similar to the ones that come with this KitchenAid, and another with larger, flatter sides. I liked the option of having both sets for two reasons: one was that I could use one set of beaters for a white batter and the other set for a chocolate batter when doing a split-flavor sheet cake, and the other reason was that I could use the flat-side beaters for batters I didn't want tons of air in (like brownies) and the wire beaters for things like whipped cream or angel food cake.

Without this option, I'm stuck using just the wire beaters, which, while they might be easy to clean, tend to put a bit more air in my box-mix cakes than I'd like. For decorating cakes, especially character cakes, I find that a denser consistency works much better. I wish KitchenAid would give me the option of choosing one or the other.

~&~ Overall ~&~

Overall, this is a terrific mixer for the price I paid ($69.99). I love it so much that I bought my mother one for Christmas after trying to beat whipped cream with her cheap old hand mixer, and she, too, has fallen in love, confessing she doesn't know how she ever lived with her old one to begin with.