Elevating Your Culinary Creations with the Best Mixer

A stand mixer is one of the most powerful and versatile devices you can buy for your kitchen. Yet, it is among the most expensive kitchen appliances too; thus, we decided to research which models are the best and which features truly matter to deliver culinary masterpieces.

KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, Empire Red, KSM150PSER

KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer provides value for money, thanks to its solid build for long-lasting quality, multiple whipping accessories, and variable speed control. It comes in various colours.

Pros

• Solid build for lasting durability
• 10 speed settings
• Includes wire whip, flat beater, and dough hook
• Over 20 colours to choose from
• It comes with a 5-qt mixing bowl

Cons

• Some reports of the lock mechanism not working at high speeds

Review

A stand mixer that boasts durability, functionality, and style, it’s no surprise the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer makes it to the top of our list. KitchenAid has been a trusted brand for decades and continues to deliver efficient and sturdy products with this home appliance.

Starting with its design, this stand mixer features a solid construction made from stainless steel to ensure lasting quality for light or heavy uses and sturdiness on kitchen countertops. The mixer is tiltable to insert or remove the five-quart stainless steel mixing bowl or mixing attachments.

Before and after mixing dough, the bowl is easily transferred to and from the mixer by lifting its strong handle. Three mixing accessories are included; a 6-wire whip, a flat beater, and a dough hook. The flat beater and dough hook are coated for lasting durability. They are dishwasher-safe, including the mixing bowl, for easy and quick cleaning.

With a 325W motor, it is powerful for light and heavy mixing, kneading or whipping. You can vary the speed between 1-10 using the slide control to find the perfect speed for each task. However, the motor might struggle to deliver adequate dough mixing for over five cups of flour.

This appliance comes in over 20 colours to match your taste or kitchen accent. It also features a lock mechanism to hold down the appliance when working.

However, there were some complaints the lock mechanism didn’t work at high speeds, requiring users to hold it in place. Nevertheless, this isn’t a dealbreaker for many customers.

The KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer is a rewarding investment for home or commercial uses. Its versatile attachments and ease of use make it an excellent option for beginner and professional chefs.

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Cuisinart Stand Mixer, 12 Speed, 5.5 Quart Stainless Steel Bowl, Chef’s Whisk, Mixing Paddle, Dough Hook, Splash Guard w/Pour Spout, White Linen, SM-50, Manual

The Cuisinart SM-50 stand mixer is designed to stay sturdy on countertops. It works with multiple attachments to deliver smooth mixing or whisking at 12 speeds, courtesy of its powerful motor.

Pros

• Powerful 5.5W motor for heavy-duty mixes
• 12 variable speeds
• Includes chef’s whisk, dough hook, and more
• Tiltable to insert or remove bowl and attachments
• Available in several colours

Cons

• Few reports of the beaters not reaching the bottom of the bowl

Review

With a powerful motor, multiple attachments, and variable speed, the Cuisinart SM-50 is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a versatile, efficient, and reliable stand mixer to handle your baking needs.

Featuring a die-cast metal construction, you can rest assured it will serve you for a long time without breaking down. Its metal construction also ensures it is not only strong, but stable on surfaces it is placed on. As for the attachments, they are made using stainless steel to withstand tough mixes and prevent rust.

The attachments included are a chef’s whisk, dough hook, flat mixing paddle, a splash guard with a pour spout, and a bowl. The bowl has a capacity of 5.5 quarts to mix, stir, whip, beat or knead large batches of ingredients and is dishwasher-safe. The splash guard keeps the batter in the bowl, preventing mess that could result from splashes.

Moreover, the pour spout allows you to pour ingredients into the bowl without removing it – it comes in handy when you don’t have much time. However, the mixer is tiltable to remove the bowl, pour ingredients into it, and insert it back. Hand wash is recommended for the attachments.

This stand mixer can handle the job from the simplest to the toughest mixes, thanks to its 500W motor. It features a slow-start function before gaining momentum to avoid splashes. Further, it offers 12 variable speeds for choosing the ideal speed for each task.

The SM-50 is available in several beautiful colours to go with your kitchen decor and is backed by a limited three-year warranty.

Despite these merits, we gathered a few complaints about the attachments not reaching the bottom of the bowl, leaving that part unmixed.

Overall, the Cuisinart SM-50 stand mixer offers immense value for money with its outstanding features, making it a great addition to your kitchen appliances.

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Hamilton Beach Electric Stand Mixer, 4 Quarts, Dough Hook, Flat Beater Attachments, Splash Guard 7 Speeds With Whisk, Black With Top Handle

If you’re in the market for a durable, effective, and affordable stand mixer, this product from Hamilton Beach is an excellent choice. It offers seven speed settings, multiple attachments, and more.

Pros

• Least price on the list
• Seven speed settings
• Full bowl coverage during mixes
• Dishwasher-safe attachments

Cons

• Build quality could be improved

Review

This Hamilton Beach electric stand mixer is popular for people looking for an affordable and functional mixer to handle basic or mid-range mixing, whipping, or beating.

Run on a 300W motor; this mixer is powerful enough to deliver smooth mixes, and its seven-speed settings ensure there’s a speed for every mixing job you intend to perform. The slow speeds are suitable for kneading dough for bread, while the high speeds work well for whipping cream.

It’s user-friendly, with a button to eject the mixer, a large top handle to lift and tilt it for inserting or removing the bowl and attachments, and a knob control for adjusting speed. It comes with four accessories to handle a wide range of mixing tasks: a whisk, flat beater, dough hook, and splash guard, all of which are dishwasher-safe.

The bowl capacity is 4 quarts, big enough to make large batches of dough. It has dual side handles for easy lifting and is dishwasher-safe for hassle-free cleaning. Using planetary mixing action, the attachments provide full coverage of the bowl during mixes, ensuring all the batter is thoroughly mixed. We like that the attachments do not scratch the stainless steel sides of the bowl, which is great.

Although the build quality of this product is not disappointing, it could be better, and many customers agree with us.

While this mixer may not offer the same durability as high-end models, it still delivers impressive performance for various mixing or whipping jobs and is the best choice for budget shoppers.

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Bosch MUM6N10UC Universal Plus Stand Mixer, 800 watt, 6.5-Quarts

Bosch Universal Plus stand mixer offers several unique features, including a powerful motor and a 6.5-quart bowl. It is versatile and ideal for the largest and most demanding mixes.

Pros

• The powerful motor handles the toughest mixes
• Large bowl capacity (6.5 quarts)
• It uses dual beaters for complete coverage and thorough mixing
• Versatile use

Cons

• Misleading power rating of 800W when it’s really 500W

Review

Suppose you want to go all out and don’t mind spending a little extra when shopping. In that case, the Bosch Universal Plus Stand Mixer is a top-notch appliance with incredible power, versatility, speed, and much more.

With a powerful 500W motor, it handles the thickest batters, thoroughly mixing them to your desired texture. It comes with multiple attachments, making it versatile and extending its applications beyond baking to food preparation, like grinding meat or making homemade pasta.

The attachments included are dual wire whips, a dough hook, a pouring shield, and a scraper. The double whips reach the bottom of the bowl for thorough and consistent mixing. And the scraper attaches to the whips to keep the sides of the bowl clean, ensuring minimal and easier cleaning.

Using an open-bowl design, pouring ingredients into the bowl is fast and more straightforward, and you can monitor the entire process. Additionally, the bowl is 6.5 quarts large to cater to many people with a single batch. It is BPA-free and dishwasher-safe for stress-free cleaning.

This Bosch mixer is lightweight but sturdy and can be left on the counter or stored in the cabinet. It has a sturdy base with four feet underneath for superior stability. The base also houses the speed control knob to choose between four speeds.

Although labelled 800W in the product description, a few users pointed out that what they received was actually rated 500W.

This Bosch stand mixer’s high quality, versatility, and ease of use place it among the best options and is worth considering.

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Stand Mixer, CUSIMAX Dough Mixer Tilt-Head Electric Mixer with 5-Quart Stainless Steel Bowl, Dough Hook, Mixing Beater and Whisk, Splash Guard

CUSIMAX Dough Mixer is another popular option with a large bowl, multiple attachments, and easy controls. This appliance operates quietly and cools down quickly using heat dissipation vents.

Pros

• 400W of power for light and thick mixes
• Five quarts large bowl
• Variable speed settings
• Cool and quiet operation

Cons

• Attachments are coated poorly

Review

This CUSIMAX Dough Mixer is a fantastic alternative for people looking for mid-range but versatile and practical mixers for baking or food preparation.

This mixer boasts a strong and sturdy construction with ABS housing. Inside the housing is a powerful 400W motor to smoothly and effortlessly mix thick ingredients for baking your favourite desserts and snacks.

It has a large stainless steel bowl with a 5-quart capacity, making it easy to mix ingredients for a large batch at once. Like many other mixers, this design has a tiltable head to easily attach or detach attachments and insert or remove the bowl.

In addition to the bowl, you get three more accessories; a mixing beater, dough hook, and whisk. The beaters operate using planetary motion for consistent and even mixing. Also attached to the head is a splatter shield that covers the bowl during operation to prevent spills. All of the accessories are dishwasher-safe for easy maintenance.

The mixer offers variable speed settings to allow you to adjust the speed between low, medium, and maximum to find the sweet spot that suits each recipe. It has a sturdy base with non-slip suction cups for added rigidity on surfaces placed.

Due to its compact nature, it is easy to move around and store in cabinets. It works quietly and dissipates heat via its built-in vents. Also, it comes in multiple fascinating colours if you’re interested in aesthetically-pleasing appliances.

This product is nearly perfect, except its attachments need to be coated better, as reported by some previous customers.

Overall, the CUSIMAX Dough Mixer scores nearly perfect scores in performance, durability, speed range, and more. It would make an excellent purchase for cooking enthusiasts or professional bakers.

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Stand mixer buying guide

Since stand mixers are not cheap and take up substantial space in the kitchen, some people question their necessity. Indeed, if you need a mixer mainly for occasionally whisking egg whites, mashing potatoes, or making cookie batters, a good-quality hand mixer or stick blender will suffice for those tasks. These appliances will also be lighter and will require less storage space.

However, if baking is one of your passions, a stand mixer becomes irreplaceable. Its powerful motor will mix the ingredients quicker and more evenly, leading to better results. A stand mixer will beat more air into egg whites and liquid batters than its hand-operated cousin and knead dense bread or pizza doughs that, let’s be honest, no other device can handle.

However, the most significant benefit of getting a stand mixer is that you still have two free hands to do other things while it’s working. It’s just like having a full-time assistant in your kitchen. And with the right attachments, your mixer will manage everything from mincing to juicing, making it the ultimate cooking device.

Stand mixer types

Most stand mixer models can be divided into two types depending on how the bowl is inserted.

Tilt-head

The most common ones are tilt-head stand mixers. The top part can be lifted up (in best models, it is spring-loaded) for placing or removing the bowl. The tilt-head models tend to be less bulky and more affordable; that’s why they are popular among home bakers. However, they require more vertical space and can be problematic to use under kitchen cabinets. For durability, this construction is not optimal either.

Bowl-lift

The bowl-lift stand mixers are larger, heavier and more stable. As the name suggests, they have a lever for inserting the bowl and lifting it towards the mixing attachment, whereas the head itself does not move. These mixers used to be found in professional kitchens only, but there are also some models for home bakers nowadays. The bowl-lift models can manage larger capacities and more frequent use even when handling the dense dough. They don’t need extra space above either. However, adding additional ingredients or scraping the bowl becomes harder–every time you want to remove the bowl, you have to turn off the mixer and remove its attachment first.

Mixing performance

Once we have the bowl securely in place, the next step is mixing the ingredients well. Nearly all stand mixers will use one of the two mixing actions to perform the task.

Most models use planetary action. The attachment rotates in one direction while the drive shaft moves the opposite way – just like the Earth orbits around the sun. This double action ensures more efficient mixing, meaning that pretty much nothing remains unstirred, and you have to scrape the sides of the bowl less. Planetary action works well, no matter which attachment tool you use.

The mixers geared towards bread making (sometimes called spiral mixers) often use a different mechanism. The agitator itself does not move, and the bowl rotates instead. This allows for much faster mixing with less friction. Thus, the dough does not increase in temperature and, afterwards, rises better. The spiral mixers often are not well suited for other tasks like whipping.

Engine power

The engine power in watts is one of the first selling points the manufacturers will throw at you. It is easy to believe that more simply means better; however, the truth is a bit more complicated. The placement and quality of the motor are as important as the watt figure. For example, the KitchenAid models typically will have way fewer watts than the competitors of the same price range; however, they are among the best mixers available and continuously perform well.

If you only bake occasionally and in small quantities, a light-duty stand mixer will be enough. Still, don’t go below 250 W; that’s the minimum if you also want to make cookies and biscuits, not just meringues and pancakes. Be aware that light-duty stand mixers are not well-suited for making bread and pizzas. They might still manage the task occasionally, but this is likely to strain the engine and shorten its lifespan.

A medium-duty stand mixer will be optimal for regular bakers who cook larger batches and love to make bread and pizzas occasionally. With the power starting from 350 W, these models are versatile enough for most cooking needs while remaining small and relatively affordable. The upper limit for a medium-duty mixer is kneading heavy dough once to twice a week.

If you need a model that regularly manages large quantities of dense dough, it is worth investing in a heavy-duty stand mixer with a minimum engine power of 600 W. The heavy-duty mixers come with large bowls, high-quality built and long guarantee periods. They also come with steep price tags; however, these machines are irreplaceable for those who enjoy homemade bread, bagels and pizzas.

Capacity

Just like the watt number, the bowl capacity in specifications tends to be misleading as well. First, you will never be able to fully fill the mixer bowl without making a mess in your kitchen. Here’s some useful guidance on how much you can get out of it.

• If you cook in small batches (for 1-3 people), a stand mixer with a capacity of ~3 litres will suffice.
• 4-5 litre mixers are optimal for average-sized families and occasional batch cooking if you have guests.
• Large mixers with a bowl capacity of over 6 litres are ideal for batch bakers; however, the best models will handle small amounts as well.

It is also practical to know what amount of food your stand mixer can handle in a go. Different manufacturers will offer various estimates that are considered safe, for example, the maximum amount of egg whites, number of loaves, or weight of flour. These are calculated taking into account the mixer’s power, built, and capacity together. Try to find this information in user reviews or specifications to have a more accurate picture of the number of ingredients you will be able to mix.

Stand mixer weight

Generally, we believe that lighter appliances are better; however, stand mixers are the exception to the rule. It is the weight that will prevent your mixer from walking over the counter when kneading heavy dough; thus, heavier means better.

Often, the heftiness also indicates better quality (read, metal) parts. The stand mixers are not designed to be taken out and put away regularly; they deserve to bask on your counter. Therefore, pay attention to the design and whether it will fit your kitchen décor.

If there’s no space on the countertop for permanent storage, some manufacturers also make plastic models that have rubber suction feet to keep their devices lightweight but steady in action.

Understanding stand mixer speeds

Essentially, your mixer only needs three speeds: A slow speed for gently stirring the ingredients and kneading the dough, a medium one for mixing batters, and a high one for whisking. Everything else is a variation of those three but can be useful for elaborated recipes.

We prefer models that have a slow-start mode, either automatic or manual. This means that the mixing speed increases gradually, preventing flour-shower in your kitchen. Some other extra options, such as pulse mode or pause, can be useful for some recipes, but they are not essential.

Mixing accessories

Pretty much every model on the market nowadays comes with at least three essential stand mixer attachments. These are:

• Flat beater – sometimes also called paddle attachment, this tool is excellent for beating batters and cooking doughs or even mashing potatoes. It is arrowhead-shaped to better stir the ingredients and has one or two crossbars for support.
• Dough hook – typically shaped like the J letter or a spiral, this tool is almost exclusively used for tough doughs, such as bread, pasta, or pizza. The hook presses the dough against the sides or the bottom of the bowl, ensuring even and efficient kneading.
• Balloon whisk – formed from wire loops, this tool is used for whisking, whipping, and creaming. Its distinctive shape allows the incorporation of more air into the mix; however, it is not strong enough for denser batters and usually has to be hand-washed.

For a better mixing experience, you may want to consider a model with additional accessories:

• Pouring shield – also called splashguard, this is the best way to minimize mixer-related mess in your kitchen. Typically made from transparent plastic, it tightly seals the bowl around the attachment so that nothing escapes. Some pouring shields have a hinged lid or a feed chute for adding ingredients during the mixing process.
• Flex-edge beater – this tool looks and functions similarly to the paddle attachment; however, it has one or both sides covered in silicone or rubber for scraping the bowl more thoroughly. A Flex-edge beater is especially useful for recipes that require ingredients such as cream, butter or honey that tend to stick to the sides of the bowl.
• Extra bowls – these get very handy since you can make two mixtures one after another. It is also a good idea to have bowls of various capacities for different cooking amounts if your model allows it. Most bowls are made of stainless steel, but some options of glass and ceramics are available. Irrespective of the material, we strongly prefer bowls that have handles since they can be carried and emptied easier.

Extra attachments

Many stand mixer models will allow purchasing a vast range of extra attachments from food processors and mincers to juice extractors, pasta rollers, or even ice cream makers. If bought separately, these extras tend to be costly, and you will get a better value from a model with additional accessories included. Here are some useful extras you might want to add to your stand mixer:

• Food processor attachment is usually placed on the top of your stand mixer. Depending on the blades included, this accessory can chop, slice, shred, or even juice citrus fruits.
• Blender jug is useful for breaking down liquids. You can use it to quickly prepare smoothies, sauces, and dips. The jug is also attached to the top of the mixer.
• Mincer can be attached on top or in front of your stand mixer, depending on the model. It can be used to grind ingredients for meatballs, burgers, or pâtés.
• Juice extractor allows enjoying freshly squeezed juices. Some models have a simple citrus press, whereas others can extract juice from harder fruits and veggies.
• Pasta maker will allow you to make homemade pasta. The shapes you’ll be able to prepare depending on the attachments included, but most tools can at least prepare spaghetti and a few other types.

Be aware that extra attachments will occupy space in your kitchen (considerably less than separate devices, but still), so it may not be worth it to invest in extensive bundles that contain accessories you don’t use much.