Sunbeam Mixmaster JMP1000WH

Surprisingly good – I’ve got an older Sunbeam handheld Mixmaster so I thought I knew what I was in for. I was expecting a light, low powered, handheld mixer but I was so wrong. The Sunbeam JMP1000WH is a high powered, sturdy, workhorse of a mixer. It has a whopping 6 speed settings with a burst button. It comes with two sets of attachments; beaters for cakes and meringue, and dough hooks for biscuits and bread. The mixer comes with a handy base case enclosure to keep everything together, and for only 250 watts it sure has some power.

I never imagined I’d be able to effortlessly beat perfect peaks for meringues but this outperformed my expensive stand mixer. There was no undissolved sugar stuck to the sides and no need to fold in the sides with a spatula. Cookie dough was easily combined with the dough hooks but the mixer did feel a bit heavy with the added resistance of a thicker mix.

This mixer retails at around $40 and is a great space saving addition to any cook’s kitchen.

I should have got one sooner – I’d have bought this mixer without being asked to review it in exchange for keeping it, if I had known about its convenience and practicality. I’ve a couple of handheld mixers. This is the first I’m attracted to and the first findable in the same place as its essential bits. While mixing herbal cookies dough, my stand mixer couldn’t reduce the size of some crunchy bits so I used the hand-held mixer in the same bowl. A blender would have squashed little chunks of ginger, but the conical twirly things did the job, counter-rotating. I was surprised how easy it is to aim the beaters at different places in the bowl, because my stick blenders too often flick ingredients out of the bowl but the mixer swirls ingredients together while mixing. When I first got the Sunbeam hand mixer, I felt the finish of the stainless-steel bits. Smooth and the easy-to-clean like non-stick or better for some ingredients. When stuff is being mixed, it somehow lubricates the blade things so they do no damage when they hit the sides of the bowl/whatever, metal or plastic, like oil works in a car motor. The tapering of the pair of beaters helps fit the sides of containers better and I think some clever design features, in the blades, are setting up swirls which seem to stick to the beaters rather than splash out of the container. Blender sticks, at any speed, eventually output ingredients for painting the wall, swishing onto bench, sink, floor… I use blender sticks especially ones without clog-up holes. I blend veges, cooked with a roast, for soup. I’ve been using a blender and/or blender sticks, to do what they do brilliantly but, until now, using blenders for what I should have been using a mixer for. This mixer is a mixer not a blender. I wish I’d used a mixer, not a blender, before…and it would have been worth the hunts for the mixer/s/bits. Easy to grab, use and clean. Have a look at the photos of some draws full of gear. During hours of cooking cookies, getting tired, legless and memory-challenged, leads to gratitude for finding this mixer’s twirly bits in its neat flexible plastic box. Better than excavations causing further chaos for the next time one wants the last little bit to make something go. I’m also grateful also for something to beneficially replace a fork or whisk as these perversely also occasionally randomly splash the workbench, walls, floor… with liquid escaping from a saucepan, bowl…whatever is being attacked by technology…it’s not our fault. This Sunbeam mixer is 250Watts. That’s about the legal limit for an electric pedal-bike. It’s gutsy. A horse-power is about 750Watts. One-horsepower electric motors used to dim house-lights when starting without electronics; now hand-held blender sticks can be 600Watts; and those can be violent and messy; and we can’t all be celebrity chefs. We need to be at least halfway between compost and compos mentis for cleaning up afterwards; and this little machine, the “JMP1000WH” helps lots. A good thing about having lots of gadgets is duplication and having exactly the right instruments for each job. Besides avoiding breaking off to clean up the savoury spicy garlic onion herby stuff before preparing the fruit and drinks, having a little mixer on hand results in less finger-licking consequences when making herbal cookies, for example. Blender and chopper tanks take time to clean so better to put the mixer into the same bowl as other ingredients and need to clean only the blades. Mixing eggs and cream for example started at the lowest speed, with trepidation; and I accidentally pressed the turbo button; with no mess!

So much better than my old one! – This handy machine is definitely an improvement on my last one. You may well think that all hand mixers are the same, but this one stands out as a useful and efficient tool for my somewhat specific kitchen needs. I am very fond of making cakes which incorporate nuts—chopped up as well as ground, pre-baked mashed up yams or pumpkin as well as the more customary ingredients. This combination results in a fairly thick batter which takes some handling for perfect results. As I make these cakes regularly, this handy machine comes into its own with the improved motor performance that saves me time and effort. As a lover of good design, I appreciate the solid construction and the weight being just right: not too light or too heavy and the shape of the handle which fits very comfortably in my hand. Aside from these positives I was particularly impressed by the simple and effective construction of the container which houses mixer and attachments. Such clever and simple design!

Overall, a good design, functional, easy and pleasant to use, and good value for money – The Sunbeam Mixmaster JMP1000WH is a well thought-out design for a number of reasons. The body is rounded, with a single multi-switch and one power boost switch strategically located. Ergonomically designed handle has a smooth finish and is tapered. This makes for a light, very easy to use hand mixer that is easy to keep hygienically clean. On appearance, the handle doesn't look like much but in use, one quickly gets to appreciate just how good this little mixer is as one has total freedom of grip to work fast and efficiently with minimal associated baking mess. Initially, I was not too impressed with the "Beater Eject" button which is combined with the Power On and Speed Control settings. It took a while to work out exactly how and where to press to eject as the instructions were somewhat vague. The Beaters and Dough Hooks initially failed to release properly but after some use, it became a lot easier and eventually ejected with ease. I really liked the slow mode (1) as it is slower than most other units I have encountered. This desirable feature allows for a gentle, controlled mix to start with. If one wants to increase the speed, a simple forward flick of the upright (switch) toggle will move the switch to the next level without accidently overriding to a faster speed. So total control at all times. The "Burst of Power" works well but beware - rather than a progressive speed increase, it's an instant boost to maximum speed. NB. The Boost of Power feature is actually a burst of SPEED - not a power burst as implied and makes no difference on the maximum speed (6) setting. However, the multi-switch with the upright paddle has to be one of the best I have encountered - speed notches are evenly spaced for precise, incremental speed increase / decreases. The other bonus is that the Beaters are exceptionally easy to insert as they are interchangeable - no left or rights to worry about. The Beaters also have an excellent taper that allows for a good match to most mixing bowls. The Dough Hooks have a left and right fit. As far as dough mixing goes, one should take cognizance of the fact that this mixer is a lightweight item with a small 250w motor so it has its limitations. The storage case is also a good duel-feature - the unit can be neatly stored upright, with attachments. Like most hand mixers, this one is just as noisy as the rest, but with a smooth operation. Overall, a good design, functional, easy and pleasant to use, and good value for money.