Small appliances for Pesach: get a stand/hand mixer and food processor for $67, shipped

Lots of you have been writing to me and asking about both small kitchen appliances for Passover. Here are my thoughts:

1. You do not need to spend a ton of money on a mixer or food processor that will be used for exactly one week a year. You don't need a top-of-the line name brand.  
2. On the other hand, we all do much more baking and cooking for Pesach, so buying something that isn't sturdy and durable would be foolish.  So would buying an unrecognizable or off-market brand.  

So when I bought my Pesach countertop appliances, I looked for something that wasn't necessarily top-of-the-line, but not a cheap piece of junk either.  That means that my Pesach food processor isn't a Cuisinart (even though my chametz one is) and my stand mixer isn't a KitchenAid (even though my chametz one is).

Let's start with mixers. You won't be needing to knead any dense bread doughs, but you will be whipping a lot (A LOT) of egg whites.  Since most of what you're mixing is (non-rising) cake/cookie batters, you won't need a huge mixing bowl.  Most people aren't able to kasher their dishwashers for Pesach, so you'll need something easy to clean.

On Amazon, there many mixers that are under $50, and there are many mixers with great reviews, but there are very, very few mixers that are under $50 with great reviews.  Except for this one:

Sunbeam's 250-Watt 5-Speed Hand and Stand Mixer Combo (model #FPSBHS030) is $39.99 with free shipping. It received 4.2 out of 5 stars over 217 customer ratings, and 181 of those ratings were either 4 or 5 stars.  It functions as both a hand mixer and a stand mixer (I view this as a MAJOR plus).

It's got five speeds and the easy-to-clean stainless steel mixing bowl is three quarts (a little on the small side, but that's ok for Pesach) and comes in two colors, black and white.

I read through many of the reviews and I'm impressed. Even the negative reviews talked about how powerful the mixer is, which is what I'm looking for.  It is a recognizable brand name (not some Asian knockoff or no-name), but not a top brand name, which is totally fine for an appliance that will be used one week a year.

• 250-watt motor 5 speeds; heel rest design.
• Chrome beaters and dough hooks.
• Dual-function hand mixer and stand mixer.
• 3-quart stainless steel bowl.

Now, on to the food processor.  I use my food processor on Pesach primarily for shredding large amounts of potatoes (it's the one time of year I make potato kugel), so I do need at least a decent capacity bowl.  Amazon has got this 8-cup Black and Decker Food Processor (model #FP1600B) for $26.99 with free shipping.  It got 3.8 out of 5 stars over 306 customer reviews and 215 of those reviews were 4 or 5 stars.

• 450-watt food processor for slicing, dicing, chopping, mincing, grating, and more.
• 8-cup-capacity work bowl; continuous-flow feed chute with pusher; on and off/pulse buttons.
• Safety interlock system; suction-cup feet; cord storage; dishwasher-safe parts.
• Includes stainless-steel chopping blade and reversible slicing/shredding disc.
• 11-2/7" x 7-4/5" x 15-2/3"

There is also a very decently priced 10-cup Black and Decker Food Processor (model #FP2500B) for $46.99 with free shipping, if you decide you need a slightly bigger model.

Now I know that some of you are brand-invested and will purchase a KitchenAid and Cuisinart for Pesach anyway, and that's okay, I get it.  I just wanted to show you that you really can have decent, workable, attractive small appliances without the top-of-the-line pricetags. For a grand total of $66.98 (probably less than you'll spend on Shmurah Matzoh), you can have both this food processor and stand/hand mixer on your Pesach countertop.

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