Black & Decker Easy Storage Hand Mixer

Why I reached for this hand mixer

I pulled the Easy Storage mixer out of its case for a weekend of baking and weeknight dinners, and it quickly found a permanent spot in my rotation. I own a stand mixer, but I still prefer a hand mixer for small batches, quick whipped cream, and anything that doesn’t justify hauling a heavy machine onto the counter. This one hits the right notes: a controlled low start, a surprisingly strong Turbo/PowerBoost for thick mixtures, and a storage solution that actually keeps all the pieces together.

Design and controls

The design is straightforward and familiar in the best way. The body is compact and well balanced in the hand, with a comfortable grip that doesn’t feel slippery even when you’ve been creaming butter for a while. The speed selector is easy to nudge with a thumb and the Turbo/PowerBoost button sits right where my finger naturally lands. I didn’t find myself accidentally hitting Turbo, but it’s close enough for quick bursts when I needed a bit more oomph.

There are six speed settings with a deliberately reduced first speed. That low start is more than marketing—it prevents flour plumes and minimizes splatter when you add liquids to dry ingredients. At the other end of the range, Turbo adds a noticeable jump for short pushes through dense pockets. The 275-watt motor isn’t the most powerful on paper, but in practice it’s tuned well for typical home baking tasks.

Two details I appreciate in day-to-day use: it stands upright securely on its heel between mixes, and there’s a bowl rest that lets the head perch on the rim of a mixing bowl. The bowl rest worked on my metal bowls with rolled rims; on thinner-lipped glass bowls it perched but wasn’t as confidence-inspiring. Still, it’s handy when you need a free hand to scrape down the sides.

Attachments and setup

The kit includes two wire beaters, two dough hooks, and a whisk. The attachments click in with an audible snap and eject cleanly with the release button—no wiggling or tugging required. I like that the dough hooks are clearly keyed so you can’t insert them incorrectly. The whisk is a real value add; it whips air faster than the standard beaters and gives smoother results when I’m aiming for soft peaks.

All attachments are dishwasher-safe. I’ve thrown them in the top rack after sticky tasks like marshmallow fluff and they come out spotless. The mixer body wipes down easily with a damp cloth; the vents don’t trap as much dust as some designs I’ve used.

Mixing performance

• Light batters and creams: For pancake batter and sponge cakes, the low start keeps lumps from flying while still pulling ingredients together quickly. Switching up through the mid-range speeds gets batters silky without overworking gluten. For whipped cream and meringue, the whisk attachment shines. Chilled cream went from soft to firm peaks in a few minutes at speeds 4–6, with Turbo for the last few seconds to tighten everything up. Egg whites built volume evenly without large bubbles.

• Cookie dough and frostings: Creaming butter and sugar at speed 3–4 produced a pale, fluffy base without bogging down. As I added flour and chocolate chips, I bumped to Turbo in short pulses to work through dense patches. The wire beaters handled classic chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie doughs without bending. For stiffer doughs (think peanut butter or shortbread), short Turbo bursts help, but I wouldn’t treat this like a stand mixer. Give it common-sense rests and scrape down often for even mixing.

• Breads and pizza dough: The dough hooks are best for small batches and enriched doughs. A single 10-inch pizza dough or a one-loaf sandwich bread came together fine, although I kept kneading times modest to avoid motor strain. For big, high-hydration bread projects, this is not the tool; it’s a good helper for the initial mix and a few minutes of kneading, then finish by hand.

• Mashed potatoes and starchy purées: Wire beaters whip air and can overwork starch. If you want silky, lump-free mashed potatoes, this setup tends to produce more of a “smashed” texture or can turn gluey if you overmix. A ricer or food mill is better, or use a gentler hand and finish with a masher. I’d love to see flat beaters included for this specific task, but they aren’t part of the kit.

Noise is in the expected range for a hand mixer—audible but not shrill. Vibration is modest, and the head tracks straight without a fight. After extended mixing sessions, the body got warm but never hot, and there was no scorched smell.

Day-to-day usability

The Easy Storage mixer proves its name every time I put it away. The full-size storage case is actually large enough for all the attachments and the mixer. I appreciate not playing Tetris to snap the lid shut. The case also makes it easy to grab and go if you’re baking at a friend’s house.

On the counter, the heel rest is stable and keeps beaters off the surface—less mess, fewer tipped-over pauses. The bowl rest is helpful but not universal; check how it fits your go-to mixing bowl. The cord is typical for a kitchen appliance—manageable and out of the way with a bit of awareness. Corded power means consistent performance, and in exchange you do a little cord choreography around the bowl.

Switching speeds while mixing feels predictable; each click up or down is a modest change rather than a jump, which helps avoid splatter. Turbo is best treated like a momentary assist rather than a sustained mode—press, push through the resistance, release, and continue at your set speed.

Cleaning and storage

Cleaning is straightforward. A quick rinse prevents dried-on batter from clinging to the attachments, and the dishwasher takes care of the rest. The mixer body has shallow seams that don’t trap much flour or sugar. The storage case keeps everything together, which means I actually use the whisk and dough hooks instead of digging through a drawer to find them.

Small nitpicks: the case latch requires a firm push to snap closed if you don’t coil things neatly, and if you toss the attachments in haphazardly, the whisk can catch on the lid when you open it. A simple habit of placing the whisk first and laying the beaters flat solves it.

Limitations and trade-offs

• Not a stand mixer replacement: It’s excellent for everyday baking, but large batches of stiff dough will challenge it. Keep dough quantity and knead time reasonable with the hooks, or switch to hand kneading when resistance ramps up.

• No flat beaters: Wire beaters are versatile for most tasks but aren’t ideal for ultra-smooth mashed potatoes or super thick batters you want to work without aeration. If those are regular tasks, you might miss flat beaters.

• Bowl rest fit is bowl-dependent: Works well on some rims, less so on others. The heel rest is the more universally reliable parking spot.

None of these are dealbreakers for how I cook and bake, but they’re worth noting so you match the tool to the task.

Value and warranty

Rated at 275 watts, with six speeds plus a Turbo/PowerBoost, a full set of attachments, and a genuinely useful storage case, this is a well-rounded package. The 2-year limited warranty provides a bit of peace of mind. Build quality feels solid where it counts—the gearbox doesn’t chatter, the buttons have positive action, and the attachments don’t wobble once locked in.

The bottom line

The Easy Storage mixer is the right kind of everyday tool: capable, thoughtfully designed, and easy to put away. It excels at batters, whipped cream, meringue, cookies, and small-batch doughs. The reduced first speed keeps mess in check, Turbo gives you brief bursts of power when you need it, and the included whisk and dough hooks expand what you can tackle without dragging out a bigger machine. Cleaning is low effort, and the storage case means you actually keep the set together.

Recommendation: I recommend this hand mixer to home cooks and bakers who want a reliable, space-saving workhorse for daily tasks. It’s not a stand mixer, and it won’t replace one for heavy bread projects or specialty tasks like ultra-smooth mashed potatoes, but it handles the vast majority of mixing jobs with ease. If you value controlled starts, a practical attachment set, and a storage solution that reduces clutter, this is an easy yes.