Do I want a hand mixer or a stand mixer? I just started so I’m leaning towards a hand mixer, but I’d like to learn from the wisdom of the more experienced baker. 
If you are positive you will be doing a lot of baking in the future, and especially if you are going to bake bread, a stand mixer is a great investment. I love mine and use it pretty much on a weekly basis.
On the other hand, if you are not sure this will be an activity you will pursue over the long haul, a hand mixer might be a good start for you. I would recommend that you don’t stint too much on it, though…get one with a lot of power, or cookie dough might give it trouble. You won’t be able to knead bread dough with it, although of course you can always do that by hand or with a food processor if you have one.
I use my hand mixer a lot, too…I find it is more convenient for easy-to-mix items like muffin or cake batter.
Have fun with your baking!
I second that a hand mixer is good enough if you are just starting out, but if you do it for a while and enjoy it, a stand mixer is a great investment.
A good one offers far more power than a hand mixer, will come with more attachments to expand your repetoire, like a bread hook for pasta or bread. A stand mixer can also free you up to do more than one thing at once (also perhaps not a good thing when you are just learning, as baking is like chemistry and accuracy and concentration is important). Plus a stand mixer like my beautiful KitchenAid in cobalt blue is a thing of beauty in or out of action, and a real pleasure to use - you find yourself inventing new ways to put it into action.
For pastry though, a food processor is more the way to go, so can depend on what you think you might cook. But a hand mixer will be a great way to decide whether you’ve got the baking bug.
Cooking threads usually do better in Cafe Society, so I’ll move this one for you.
samclem GQ moderator
Ditto what she said. If you’re going to be cooking a lot in the future, a stand mixer is worth it and if you’re going to get a stand mixer you ought to get a KitchenAid. I use mine for everything from bread to mashed potatoes to making my own ground meat. “A think of beauty” is really the best way to describe them.
Thanks! I was just about to do that after finally seeing the words ‘cuisine’
Just buy the stand mixer and be done with it. You’ll find enough uses for it even if you never bake again.
I’d buy the hand mixer first. While I am totally devoted to my KitchenAid stand mixer, I still use my KitchenAid hand mixer, too. It’s nice to have both.
If you buy the hand mixer first, and then decide that this really isn’t your cup of tea, you haven’t invested nearly as much money or counter space. If you decide that you want the stand mixer later, then you’ll have both and be set for life.
I’ve wanted a stand mixer my whole life and finally, at the age of 43, now have one. I think of all those years I spent pining … so I have to recommend going ahead and getting a gorgeous KitchenAid.
I also use my KitchenAid for lots of things besides baking, so I think it’s a great investment. You can get a shredder and a juicer and a slicer and…
I don’t use a hand mixer anymore; I burned the engine out and gave up in disgust. Probably if you bought a better one or used it more wisely, it would be fine. But really, if you’re planning on spending the rest of your life cooking meals on a daily basis, as most of us have to do, the KitchenAid will be your favorite appliance for the next 30 years. (My mom is still using attachments that belonged to her MIL–they are solid iron and will still fit in a modern mixer. My brother is using our grandmother’s old one. Those things are built to last.)
I barely use my hand mixer and get by just fine. The Mr. loves the small appliances and would die to have a big mixer or a food processor.
I guess I’m more of a throwback. I’m much rather chop things with my knife than with some slicer/dicer, use a hand crank can opener than an electric, etc.
It kind of depends who you are, I personally hate having to drag out appliances to cook, but maybe it’s just me. 
The biggest problem in my family when it comes to needing some sort of mixer is that hand mixers burn out on us every few years. Although there’s a KitchenAid stand mixer in the house, it doesn’t get used as often because we’re not making big or complex meals as often anymore. However, I lust after using that thing all the time because of its tried and true usefulness. (Every year my mom used to make mashed potatoes and other foods from scratch with that mixer; I want to try making breads with it.)
I agree completely. I bake a lot, and while I use my stand mixer more, I definitely use my hand mixer, too.
It does depend a bit on what you’re into baking – bread and cookies would be better served by a stand mixer. Cakes, quick breads, muffins and the like can usually be done with a hand mixer. I find it convenient to have both, especially when I’m doing a lot of baking at one time, so I’m not forever cleaning bowls and mixer attachments.
If you really have your heart set on a stand mixer, maybe see if you can find an inexpensive used one first (not even KitchenAid, necessarily), just to see how much you use it. I used my mom’s old mixer for years – I don’t even know what brand it was – and it was perfectly serviceable for the amount of baking I did.
When you are ready to buy a mixer of any kind, check out Cook’s Illustrated for product reviews. I used their recommendations to buy my hand mixer, and I love it.
Thanks for the great advice everybody!