A handheld mixer beats egg whites and whips cream effortlessly to soft, billowy peaks. Although you could do these jobs with a whisk, plan on spending a lot more time and icing down your arm when done. A handheld mixer is almost a must for creaming butter and sugar for cookies and cakes--a wooden spoon just can't beat in as much air, and the texture of baked goods often suffers.

Keep in mind that a standing electric mixer costs three or four times as much as a handheld mixer, but you get a lot more power--enough to knead bread dough--plus the convenience of keeping your hands free. Of course, if you have limited room on your counter, it's a lot easier to pull out a handheld mixer than a standing mixer to beat a few egg whites.

The Choices
At first glance, most handheld mixers look alike. There are several important design differences:

-Speeds All handheld mixers offer a range of speeds. Some models have several preset speeds; others have a continuous dial that varies the speed from very slow to fast.

-Handle design Some handles run perfectly parallel to the body of the mixer (this is called a straight handle design) while others are slanted so that the handle is higher in the front and lower in the back.

-Beater design Traditional models have a thick post down the middle of each beater. Newer designs rely on thin, curved wires, and the center of each beater is open.

-Attachments Some mixers come with special hooks for kneading bread dough. Others have whisks for beating egg whites and cream.

-Power source Most handheld mixers have cords that attach to electrical outlets. Cordless mixers, which come with a recharging base, are also available.