Customer Reviews

Cuisinart HSM-70 Power Advantage 7-Speed Handheld/Stand Mixer

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I recently purchased this mixer because I was questioning whether or not to purchase the much-celebrated Kitchen-Aid Artisan Mixer. My reasoning: "for far less money, I'll purchase this mixer and see how often I really use it, and if it warrants a larger purchase in a year or two."
I opened the box and promptly made a batch of cookies which turned out delicious! Two weeks later I made cupcakes and the batter was COMPLETELY smooth, no lumps and NO handmixing. I really enjoy that the bowl spins while mixing, the power is substantial, and it is not a large appliance and can be left out on the counter if desired.
I haven't used the dough hooks yet, but plan to make pizza with it soon, perhaps I'll add to this review at that time.
For now, I am completely satisfied with this purchase and would definitely recommend it to occasional bakers who don't want to shell out three times as much $$ for something they will only use a few times a year.

I just started working with this mixer. It's working pretty well for a hand/stand mixer. The only thing that may make other people consider other mixers is the fact that this one spins around the outside of the bowl. That leaves the ingredients in the center needing a little extra hand mixing, which is fine with this machine. I can detach the mixer from it's stand and just mix through the remaining ingredients.

It's working fabulously for me so far. It has a 3.5qt flat bottomed bowl, a spatula, 1 set of beaters, dough hooks and a bubble whisk. For the price it's great. I'm hoping this one will last. It's got the retro styling and is compact enough to stay on my counter without taking up too much space.

I don't usually like to give negative comments on things and only do so when they are truly deserved. This mixer is useless as a stand mixer. I bake A LOT and am not able to use this a s a stand mixer when I am making any recipe other than something with the consistency of water. If you are going to let this mixer sit and gather dust in a cabinet then it can't do you any harm. If, however, you are actually looking for a mixer that you can use don't buy this one. The motor is pretty powerful but the design of the stand and beaters is really just bad. I've been baking for over 30 years and just retired a Krups hand/stand mixer after about 25 years that had a GREAT design. Too bad Krups doesn't still make it or I'd buy one. Anyway, this mixer doesn't turn the bowl. You have to do that. The turn mechanism is on the beater rather than the stand and the beaters are the old fashioned type that gets batter stuck in them which inhibits the turning mechanism. I've ended up either having to take the mixer off the stand to use it since I have to spin the bowl myself anyway or I just mix by hand. Shame on Cuisinart. They're much too good to have put out such a bad product. I forgot to mention that I had to return one of these because it burned up on the Cuisinart bread recipe that came with the thing. So, I'm reviewing the second one after two months of using it at least 2 times a week. It's going back and I'm just getting my money back. Don't waste your money or time with this one. You would be better off with a cheaper hand mixer. To end on a positive note, this mixer is really pretty to look at.

I've been a Cuisinart fan for years, but this product disappointed. While making foccacia from the recipe that came with the mixer, it started to smoke while kneading the dough, then it died. While one generous reviewer gave it three stars after experiencing the exact same thing, I don't think an overload detector would have been terribly expensive and would save a bunch of motors. While Cuisinart would have taken it back, they said I'd have to pay for shipping both ways...pretty bogus. Luckily (I guess), I just bought the thing and can return it to Amazon for a refund. Just one more in the infinitely long line of low quality electronics shipped halfway around the world so we can save a few bucks.

This is a great mixer. I got it because my old hand mixer died, and I wasn't sure if I wanted a stand mixer or not. I love the versatility of being able to use it as a hand mixer or use it with the stand. It's really quite durable, and I really enjoy using it. The beaters have a little foot to keep the stainless steel bowl moving. Very handy! It was well worth it! I can't wait to do some more baking so I can use it more often. Great item, I highly reccommend it.

This mixer has a whisk attachment which is recommended for whipping cream. The problem is that the whisk scrapes heavily against the steel bowl. The result is that the whipped cream ends up riddled with little black specs. Upon emptying the bowl it can be seen that the black material is clumps of fine metal powder that has been scraped from the bottom of the bowl where the whisk contacts it. The black contamination was easily spotted in whipped cream. It may not be noticeable in other uses... Yikes!

I haven't tried whipping with the beaters yet but they have a plastic disk that contacts the bowl. So maybe I'll only end up with plastic residue in my food and not stainless steel!

I am very happy with this mixer. I've wanted one for a long time, but many of the sturdy ones were too pricey for me. This one is just right! It does everything you could want and is very durable. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a versatile, quality mixer at an affordable price.

I basically bought this mixer to knead bread dough. I first tried one of the recipes from the booklet that came with it and the dough was VERY dry and the bowl did not turn with the dough hooks inserted.
I then called their customer service number and was asked to try a dfifferent recipe. I tried one of my own, and it worked better, but I am still not thrilled with the performance.
The mixer does seem to work fine with the regular beaters, though.

The HSM-70 was selected to replace a similar Krups product that served well for over 20 years. This one looks like it should do the same. It is powerfull but light and flexible. The warranty is 3 years and if Cuisinart follows through as they have on other products we've owned, it has real value. So far, we're very happy with the products performance.

The only thing the "stand" feature of this model is good for is holding your mixer for you in between mixing. The bowl DOES NOT spin with the action of the beaters, so you have to turn it yourself.

Also, I've read the Cooks Illustrated review praising this model, but I spent 6 minutes whipping egg whites to soft peaks today, when the recipe said it would take about 1 minute. Getting them to hard peaks while adding sugar took similarly a much longer time than expected.

In short; it's a good little hand mixer, but it won't replace a stand mixer, which is what I was hoping it would do when my last one's motor burnt up.

UPDATE: I feel a little sheepish about this, but last night I figured out that if I loosened the screw on the bottom of the rotating part of the stand, the bowl WOULD, in fact, turn with the mixing action. I changed my review from 3 starts to 4 for this reason. I was making a batch of cookie dough, and this really worked the motor hard, and I had to keep pushing the dough out of the center and off of the sides of the bowl manually, but that would probably be the case with any mixer that doesn't have a paddle attachment. I'm now happier that I bought the stand instead of just the hand mixer.