Hand Mixer Attachment Uses

Hand mixers are a convenient go-to appliance as you whip, beat or mix the ingredients of your favorite creations. They provide flexibility to move about the kitchen, and some models like the KitchenAid® Cordless 7 Speed Hand Mixer offer extra convenience because you are not tethered to one spot with a cord. Hand mixers typically come with two beaters, which are versatile and useful for many recipes. Other hand mixer attachments include a whisk, dough hook and blending rod. Read this guide to learn more about hand mixer attachments and how you can use them in your next culinary adventure.

Black KitchenAid® hand mixer with beaters over cookie dough Black KitchenAid® hand mixer with beaters over cookie dough

5 Hand Mixer Attachments Explained

KitchenAid® hand mixers come with beaters such as the Stainless Steel Turbo Beaters™. Select models also come with Flex Edge Beaters, a Stainless Steel Pro Whisk, Stainless Steel Dough Hooks or a Blending Rod. Read on to learn more about each of these attachments and how to use them with your hand mixer.

1. Stainless Steel Turbo Beaters™

Stainless Steel Turbo Beaters™ are self-cleaning, as they are designed with no center rod. They are great for mixing dense ingredients like chunky macadamia nut cookie dough and decadent crumb cake batter. The beaters are the most versatile of the hand mixer attachments. 

Stainless Steel Turbo Beaters
Stainless Steel Turbo Beater™ Uses
  • Mixing cookie dough
  • Mixing cake batter
  • Mashing potatoes
  • Beating eggs
  • Blending butter and sugar
  • Stirring gelatin mixtures
  • Mixing dry ingredients with liquid ingredients
  • Stirring in nuts or chocolate chips
  • Mixing chiffon

  • Mixing homemade icing

  • Whipping homemade whipped cream

  • Whipping meringue

  • Whipping quiche filling

  • Mixing quiche crust

  • Beating macaron filling

Recipes to Try
Summer Shepherd’s Pie image from Yummly
Summer Shepherd’s Pie
VIEW RECIPE
Chocolate Tahini Cookie image from Yummly
CHOCOLATE TAHINI COOKIES
VIEW RECIPE
Mashed potato waffle image from Yummly
Mashed Potato Waffles
VIEW RECIPE

2. Flex Edge Beaters

The Flex Edge Beater Accessory delivers twice the surface area for faster, more thorough mixing,1 and it also reduces the need to scrape down sides of the bowl, when compared to metal beaters. Flex Edge Beaters are a versatile attachment that can be used to mix up the ingredients of your favorite creations.

1. Compared to metal Turbo Beater II™ accessories based on cake batter.

Flex Edge Beaters
Flex Edge Beater Uses
  • Slowly stir in chunky ingredients, like nuts or chocolate chips

  • Stirring cake batters

  • Stirring cookie doughs

  • Mashing potatoes

  • Mixing cheesecake

  • Mixing crepes

Recipes to Try
Mashed Potato image from Yummly
MASHED POTATOES
VIEW RECIPE
Classic Chiffon Cake image from Yummly
Classic Chiffon Cake with Basil Whipped Cream and Strawberries
VIEW RECIPE
Maple Apple Cake image from Yummly
MAPLE APPLE CAKE
VIEW RECIPE

3. Stainless Steel Pro Whisk

A whisk is another common hand mixer attachment that can be used for a variety of recipes. The most common type of whisk is shaped like a balloon and has wire tines. A wire whisk is used for incorporating air into a light mixture quickly. The KitchenAid® Stainless Steel Pro Whisk has 16 tines and can easily whip egg whites to fluffy peaks or transform heavy cream to whipping cream to top your favorite desserts.

The Stainless Steel Pro Whisk comes with the KitchenAid® 7-Speed Hand Mixer.

Stainless Steel Pro Whisk
Stainless Steel Pro Whisk Uses
  • Whipping egg whites
  • Whipping heavy cream
  • Mixing pudding
  • Mixing sauces
  • Mixing mousse
  • Beating meringue mixtures
  • Mixing homemade gelato
Recipes to Try
Lemon Mousse image from Yummly
LEMON MOUSSE
VIEW RECIPE
Lemon and Raspberry Pavlova image from Yummly
Meyer Lemon and Raspberry Pavlova
VIEW RECIPE
Coffee pudding image from Yummly
COFFEE PUDDING WITH SWEET CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM
VIEW RECIPE

4. Stainless Steel Dough Hooks

Dough hooks are another useful attachment for your hand mixer that can help you create delicious homemade pasta and bread doughs. This attachment helps eliminate the manual effort of kneading dough by hand, streamlining your bread and dough recipes. Use your dough hooks to knead yeast dough for homemade sandwich bread or other bread varieties. Two Stainless Steel Dough Hooks come in the accessory package for the KitchenAid® 9-Speed Hand Mixer.

Stainless Steel Dough Hooks
Stainless Steel Dough Hook Uses
  • Kneading bread dough

  • Kneading pasta dough

  • Mixing quick breads and batter breads

  • Blend butter and sugar

Recipes to Try
Cranberry Walnut Bread image from Yummly
CRANBERRY WALNUT BREAD
VIEW RECIPE
Basic Sandwich Bread image from Yummly
BASIC SANDWICH BREAD
VIEW RECIPE
Homemade Pasta image from Yummly
HOMEMADE PASTA
VIEW RECIPE

5. Blending Rod

A blending rod is another helpful attachment for your hand mixer. A blending rod will make your hand mixer function similarly to a hand blender. It is a great tool for mixing soups, milkshakes, drink mixes and sauces that require light mixing. When you purchase the KitchenAid® 9-Speed Hand Mixer, you will get a variety of attachments including the blending rod.

Blending Rod
Blending Rod Uses
  • Mixing chocolate milk

  • Mixing milk shakes

  • Blending drink mixes

  • Blending smoothies

  • Lightly mixing sauces

  • Emulsifying dressings

Recipes to Try
Pumpkin Spice Latte Smooth image from Yummly
PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE SMOOTHIE
VIEW RECIPE
Carrot Ginger Elixir image from Yummly
CARROT GINGER ELIXIR
VIEW RECIPE
Asian Lime Dressing image from Yummly
ASIAN LIME DRESSING
VIEW RECIPE
Person using hand mixer with Flex Edge Beaters Person using hand mixer with Flex Edge Beaters

Are Hand Mixer Attachments Universal?

Across brands, hand mixer attachments are generally not universal, but are made specifically for the brand’s hand mixer. Many KitchenAid® hand mixer attachments are interchangeable between select models. For specific information about your hand mixer and which attachments go with it, you can check your owner’s manual.

Explore KitchenAid® hand mixers and accessories

Nothing beats a hand mixer for common kitchen tasks. KitchenAid brand offers multiple mixers in a variety of speeds to help with whipping, mixing, kneading and more. With different attachments to choose from, your KitchenAid® hand mixer can become a trusted partner in your next making adventure.

Learn More About KitchenAid® Hand Mixers