A stand mixer is one of best investments you can make in a kitchen appliance. If you love to cook and want a quick and easy way of making all sorts of recipes, like delicious basic sauces, pancakes, meringues, dough for cookies or a complex delectable three tiered cake for a celebration, a stand mixer delivers a high level of cooking versatility.
Our Top Pick for the Best Stand Mixer
Our top pick for the best stand mixer is the Cuisinart SM-55 Stand Mixer. With a durable die-cast metal housing and stainless-steel bowl, loads of power, 12-speed settings, and a lot of other handy features, the Cuisinart stand mixer is the new rising star in the world of stand mixers and it is excellent value for money. If you love to bake, this amazing stand mixer combines a high level of functionality and cooking versatility to create a workhorse that will make all your mixing tasks so easy.
How to Choose the Best Stand Mixer
Construction
These days, manufacturers are moving from plastic to the increasingly popular stainless steel, while other models are made out of die-cast metal. While sturdy ABS plastic is BPA-free and very easy to clean and makes the stand mixer more lightweight, stainless-steel and die-cast metal have an extra durability and it looks attractive especially if it is highly polished. The only downside of metal construction is that it can make the mixer heavier to move and lift.
Power
The power level of a stand mixer is measured in watts. Some stand mixers have a 400 or 450 wattage like the Hamilton-Beach and Kitchen-Aid which makes them a very good choice for light tasks but they may only be suitable for occasional use.
If you have medium level cooking tasks, say for a family of 4, and you will be using the mixer a few times a week, 550 watts should be sufficient, like the Breville stand mixer. For heavy-duty food preparations, especially if you are making a lot of dough for bread or using the stand mixer to experiment with a lot of different recipes, choose a higher wattage like the Cheftronic 650-watt mixer or the Cuisinart 800-watt stand mixer.
One thing to remember about the stand mixer's power level is that you also need to consider the amount of power or current (amperage) that is drawn from the electrical grid. The power also depends on the type of the motor like a speed induction motor, the direct drive transmission, and all-metal gears which will determine the overall mixing performance.
Speed Settings
Like a food processor or hand mixer, a stand mixer will have different speed settings. The speed is especially important for two reasons. The more speed options the mixer has the more control you will have over your food preparation so that you can perform a lot of different tasks like whipping cream at a higher speed and kneading dough at lower speeds. You can change the speed according to the mixing progress to make sure that the ingredients are perfectly mixed and blended.
Some stand mixers like the Cheftronic has only 6 settings, and the KitchenAid has 10 settings, while other mixers like the Hamilton-Beach, Cuisinart, and the Breville has a whopping amount of 12 different speed settings, which allow you to perform a high level of mixing, whipping, beating and kneading tasks.
Operating Features
Tilt Head Versus Bowl Lift
Stand mixers either have a tilt head or a bowl lift. The “bowl lift” type of stand mixer like the KitchenAid has a lever on the side of the machine that lifts the bowl up and down and a handle to help you lift the bowl out from under the mixing head.
A stand mixer that has a “tilt head” works on a hinge system that allows you to lift the head up and down. Once you have pulled the head back and added extra ingredients into the bowl or removed the bowl, the head can be locked back into place.
Planetary mixing action
One of the relativity new buzz words out there in the kitchen appliance world is “planetary mixing action”. This unique design feature allows the beater to rotate around its own axis similar to how the earth spins and revolves around the sun, which creates a better contact between the beater and the ingredients. This special mixing action provides a 360-degree coverage of the bowl to make sure that all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly so that you do not have to scrape the bowl.
Slow Start Feature
A slow start feature is when the motor slowly spins for the first couple of seconds before shifting into its normal speed. This feature makes sure that the ingredients do not fly into the air and splatter out of the bowl. Cuisinart offers this feature and KitchenAid offer a similar “soft start” feature or a “flour puff” option at startup, which prevents the flour from rising up in a cloud.
Bowl Capacity
Bowl capacity can range from a 4.5-quart sized bowl or a larger sized 5-quart that can accommodate most recipes. An extra large sized 5½-quart bowl is ideal for preparing a lot of dough for multiple batches of cookies or bread.
Noise Level
Most stand mixers are going to be noisy, but some are quieter than others and their noise level will depend on the power of the motor and which setting you are using: lower speeds are quieter while other higher speeds will generate more noise.
Design and Color
How the appliance looks in your kitchen can be a huge drawcard, so fortunately for those of us who are fashion conscious and look for an appliance that has an overall aesthetic appeal, color and design is important to manufacturers too. Some stand mixers are bulky as they have to accommodate the bowl and their multitude of settings, while others may have a more streamlined or classic design.
Highly polished or brushed stainless steel is always a popular option or manufacturers might offer you different choices like Breville and Cuisinart who make stand mixers that come in 3 different colors, and the KitchenAid stand mixer is available in 13 different colors.
Attachments
While most manufacturers supply attachments as standard accessories such as a flat beater or paddle, scraper beater, wire whisk, a mixer blade and a dough hook, you may have to purchase more attachments.
The dough hook can knead dough for freshly baked bread or a batch of cookies for the kids, and the wire whip helps to beat air into egg whites for a perfect meringue or a fluffy omelet or whip cream for a cheese cake.
Cuisinart has designed their stand mixer with three additional outlets that allow you to attach other kitchen appliances like a meat grinder, citrus juicer, blender, food processor, or a pasta maker, which means you have all of your food preparation appliances all in one place. Of course, this will depend on the amount of space you have on your countertop.
Another very handy attachment is the splash guard that fits on top of the bowl, which protects your countertop from getting dirty when ingredients are being mixed at high speeds.
Price and Warranty
The more powerful the stand mixer is and the more settings or functions it has will determine the mixer's overall price. Of course, a highly expensive machine does not always mean it will perform better than a cheaper model. When it comes to the price, think about how often you will be using the mixer. If you only want to use it occasionally for special events, like a birthday, then spending a lot of money may not be ideal.
If a stand mixer will be one of your most popular appliances that you will be using a lot, and you are a prolific baker who bakes almost on a daily basis, then spending extra dollars will be worth it as you will be getting your monies worth out of the machine.
Warranty is very important, and if you experience any problems within the warranty period, which can range from 1 year up to 5 years, contact the manufacturer immediately to have the parts replaced or have the unit repaired at no extra cost. The warranty might have limitations, so always read the warranty specifications before you buy your new stand mixer
Best Stand Mixer Reviews
1. Hamilton Beach 63232 400-Watt Eclectrics Red Stand Mixer
If you want to cook up a storm in your kitchen, for a dinner or birthday party or just to try out the latest recipe from Jamie Oliver, you need a powerful friend in your kitchen and that is where the Hamilton-Beach Eclectrics All-Metal Stand Mixer comes in. Sturdy and strong and with an attractive red color and a host of operator features, the Hamilton-Beach deliver a high mixing performance, excellent functionality, and modern stylish design, so it is great value for money.
At first glance, the funky red stand mixer and its 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl catches your eye, but it is what is inside that counts. With a strong motor that delivers 400-watts of power and 12-speed settings, you will soon be mixing, whipping and kneading like a professional. The quick releasing tilt-head design allows to easily shift the head back when you have finished whipping up your latest creation, and the powerful and efficient professional 2-way rotating “planetary mixing action” provides you with an impressive hands-free mixing and blending performance, so your batter or cake mix will be thoroughly mixed every time.
The stand mixer's 12 settings offer a lot of cooking flexibility and give you that much-needed control to suit individual recipes, and there is a good level of clearance from the bowl to the mixing tool which gives you extra room to add other ingredients.
The stand mixer comes with a non-stick beater, dough hook, and whisk, all of which are dishwasher safe. As well as carmine red, there are three other colors to choose from: licorice, Sterling silver, and sugar white. Hamilton-Beach offers a 3-year warranty for extra peace of mind.
Pros
- High-quality stand mixer
- Excellent value for money
- High cooking performance
- Sturdy and solid all metal construction
- Durable stainless steel bowl
- 12 settings
- Powerful 400-watt motor
- Efficient 2-way mixing (planetary) rotation mixing action
- Consistent mixing and blending action
- 3 colors to choose from
- 3-year standard warranty
Cons
- Mixing bowl is small
- Heavy
- Not ideal for heavy-duty mixing
2. Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed 800-Watt Stand Mixer
One of the biggest names in the kitchen appliance industry, Cuisinart, brings you a stand mixer that delivers a superb mixing performance and it has loads of extra features which makes it excellent value for its higher price tag. This super Cuisineart stand mixer will turn you into a cooking whiz in the kitchen and it uses the unique planetary mixing action for perfect mixing results.
The Cuisinart stand mixer is made out durable die-cast metal and the large, 5½-quart stainless-steel bowl can contain big batches, which allows you to mix, beat, whip up all sorts of ingredients, to make double and triple recipes, which also makes it a great time-saving appliance. With an extra powerful 800-watt motor, the mixer will have absolutely no problems with heavy-duty tasks even kneading thick bread dough.
Cuisinart has designed the stand mixer with a high level of functionality that offers you a lot of cooking versatility. There are 12 mixing speeds, a 15-minute countdown LED timer and automatic shutoff, which gives you complete operator control. You can switch the functions to suit individual recipes: choose the slow-start function to eliminate splatter or the ultra-gentle fold function to carefully blend in delicate ingredients when you are preparing a cake mix or a chocolate or cheese souffle. The mixer's tilt-back head allows for easy access to the mixing bowl and makes attaching accessories simple.
This simply amazing appliance will certainly change how you prepare your culinary creations as Cuisinart has designed this cooking dynamic with “must-have” accessories that include a chef's whisk that aerates ingredients to increase volume or make them nice and fluffy, a flat mixing paddle, and a dough hook. The splash guard protects your countertop from getting dirty and the extra-wide pouring spout for easily adding ingredients.
You can even attach other appliances like a meat grinder, citrus juicer, pasta maker, blender or food processor as the stand mixer also contains three power outlets, including a low, medium and high-speed outlet so that you can attach the appropriate appliances depending on their power.
The bowl and tools are dishwasher-safe but the tools need to be placed in the top-rack of the dishwasher and the stand mixer can be easily cleaned with just a warm soapy cloth.
With three colors to choose from, there is a mixer to suit your kitchen's décor, as well as the white, there is classic black or brushed chrome. The mixer is covered by a limited 3-year product warranty and a full 5-year motor warranty and Cuisinart has thrown in a recipe book to further inspire you to experiment with new cooking ideas.
Pros
- High-quality die-cast metal construction
- Stylish modern design
- Excellent value for money
- High level of functionality
- Powerful 800-watt motor
- Large 5½-quart polished stainless-steel mixing bowl
- 12 mixing settings
- Automatic shut-off
- 15-minute countdown timer
- 3 power outlets to add other appliances
- Easy to move tilt-back head
- Splashguard with pour spout
- 3 colors to choose from
- Bonus recipe book
- Bowl and tools are dishwasher-safe
- Limited 3-year product warranty and a full 5-year motor warranty
Cons
- Settings and timer are hard to read
- Takes a while to get used to the settings
- Noisy
- Bowl can be hard to lock into place
3. Breville BEM800XL Scraper Mixer Pro 5-Quart 550-Watt Stand Mixer
With a sleek design that adds a special touch of sophistication to your kitchen, intuitive operator-friendly technology, and a smooth mixing performance, the Breville BEM800XL Scraper Mixer Pro 5-Quart Die-Cast Stand Mixer is exceptional value for money.
Cooking prep has never been so easy. The stylish stainless-steel Breville stand mixer is specially designed by professional bakers, and their vision for the ultimate kitchen appliance has resulted in a mixer that offers you high functionality at just the press of a button or the twist of a dial.
The stand mixer is powered by a strong 550-watt motor that has extra motor protection to stop it from overheating. For food preparation versatility, there are 12 different electronic speeds that you can select for folding and kneading, light mixing, cream beating or aerate whip, all of which are illuminated by a LED strip.
There is a very handy timer that has a LED display and can be programmed to count up or count down and there is an automatic shut-off feature. Whatever type of recipe takes your fancy, there will be no guess work required, and with load sensing technology, you can enjoy perfect mixing or blending results every time.
One of the frustrating features of mixing and blending is that you have to stop and scrape the batter from the side of the bowl. With the Breville stand mixer, mixing and blending are effortless. The scraper beater attachment continuously folds and scrapes the sides and bottom of the bowl, including the dimple at the bottom of the bowl, so that all the ingredients are mixed properly. As the stand mixer uses the unique planetary mixing action, it maintains a 360-degree coverage of the bowl. All of these intelligent features and extra attention to detail means you can be sure of an exceptionally thorough mixing performance.
The 5-quart stainless steel bowl can easily accommodate most recipes, even large portions and the bowl has a 2-piece pouring shield that minimizes spattering when mixing and adding ingredients. The bowl locking recess securely locks the bowl into place for safety and stability while the mixer is in operation. For extra ease of using during mixing, the tilt-release head can be lifted and locked into place with a large lift assist handle on the outside of the mixing head, and you do not have to worry about the mixing head falling down once you have tilted it back. There is also a lift assist on the mixing bowl that allows you to lift the bowl and then pour the ingredients into another container. For easy portability and storage, there is also another handle on the bottom of the unit, and the power cord can be conveniently stored inside the base of the mixer.
The Breville stand mixer comes with a scraper beater, flat beater, wire whip and dough hook and spatula which can go straight into the dishwasher. The stand mixer is covered by a 1-year limited warranty, and as well as the stylish silver, the Breville stand mixer comes in cranberry red or black sesame.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Smooth mixing performance
- Sturdy stainless-steel construction
- High-quality
- Fantastic operator features
- Large 5-quart stainless-steel bowl
- Unique planetary mixing action
- Intuitive Load Sensing Technology
- Strong 550-watt motor with motor protection
- 12-speed electronic control
- 10 Minute timer with auto-off
- LED displays
- Tilt-release head locks securely
- Two lift-assist handles
- 2-piece pouring shield
- Cord can be stored inside the unit
- Easy to use
- 3 colors to choose from
Cons
- Expensive
- 1-year limited warranty
4. CHEFTRONIC Stand Mixers SM-986 120V/650W 5.5-qt 6 Speed Kitchen Electric Mixer Machine
With an extra large 5.5-quart mixing bowl, an extra powerful motor and a large capacity to prepare a lot of dough, the Cheftronic Electric Mixer Machine delivers superb mixing results, and as it is one of the lightest and quietest operators, it is excellent value for money. Whatever you want to bake, the Cheftronic is up to the challenge and can perform a lot of different food preparation tasks.
Even if you are not a professional chef, once you start using the Cheftronic, you will soon be powering through the most complex of recipes. The stand mixer has a high powered 650-watt motor that has overheating protection, so if the stand mixer is overheating, it will stop automatically until it cools.
This Cheftronic is capable of kneading, whisking, folding and it is especially proficient at kneading dough for a fresh loaf of bread or a pizza base and its planetary mixing action gives complete bowl coverage so that all of the ingredients are mixed to perfection.
There are 6-speed settings with a pulse function that can be activated with just a quick turn of the large dial and the 5.5-quart stainless steel bowl can hold up to 2 kg of ingredients so it is large enough to mix a lot of dough for cookies or 4 loaves of bread in a single batch.
The Cheftronic is one of the easiest stand mixers to use and the tilt-release head allows you to access the bowl and the change the attachments with minimal fuss. The transparent splash guard protects your countertop while also allowing to keep your eye on the progress of the ingredients in the bowl.
Even though the stand mixer's housing is made out of plastic, which is designed to keep the weight down to make it easier to move around and store, the ABS BPA-free plastic is strong and durable and very easy to keep clean. The suction cups on the bottom also helps to hold the machine firmly in place while you work.
The Cheftronic comes with a whisk, kneading hook, a mixer blade, and a flexible beater, and there are 4 colors to choose from: red, black, silver, and white, and the stand mixer is covered by a 1-year warranty.
Pros
- Super powerful 650-watt motor with overheating protection
- Very good planetary action
- Ideal for making dough
- Great value for money
- Strong and durable ABS BPA-free plastic housing
- Extra large stainless steel 5.5-qt. mixing bowl
- 6 optimized speeds with pulse function
- Tilt head design allows clear access to the bowl and beater
- Transparent splash guard
- Quiet operator
- Very easy to use
Cons
- Mixer blades are not easy to remove
- No handle on the mixer or bowl
- No LED display or timer
- Limited speed settings
- Only 1-year warranty
5. KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series 450-Watt Stand Mixer
KitchenAid is famous for their high-quality kitchen appliances that combine eye-catching aesthetics with a superior level of unparalleled performance. If you want to take your food preparation to a professional level, the KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series Stand Mixer delivers consistent mixing results and it is perfect for light to moderate mixing jobs and it looks super stylish as well.
The sturdy stand mixer can be relied upon for perfect mixing results due to its internal design which includes a direct-drive transmission, all-metal gears, and the strong 450-watt motor has an “Overload Reset” that helps to eliminate any overheating of the motor.
The mixer's classic style housing is made from durable die-cast metal and the 5-quart polished stainless steel bowl uses a bowl lift design and the ergonomically designed handle allows you to lock the bowl securely into place during the mixing process.
This stunning machine features special sensors for intuitive mixing and blending and a unique planetary mixing action that allows the beater to move to 67 different points around the bowl, which results in a thorough blending results.
There are 10 speeds to suit a wide range of recipes, from a very slow stir to high mixing speed, or use the “Soft Start” mixing feature to prevent any ingredient splash-out of the bowl. Another highlight is the hinged hub cover that conveniently flips up so that you can install various attachments like a flat beater, spiral dough hook, and stainless-steel wire whip. With all of these attachments, you can whip egg whites, prepare a meat loaf, dough for a pizza or a loaf of bread.
For extra cooking versatility, there are optional attachments that are sold separately like a citrus juicer or sausage stuffer to complete your kitchen appliance entourage. KitchenAid offers you a large range of 13 different colors that will compliment all types of kitchen décors.
The Kitchenaid stand mixer is covered by a 1-year warranty.
Pros
- High-quality design
- Great value for money
- Strong 450-watt motor with overheating protection
- Delivers consistent mixing results
- Direct-drive transmission and all-metal gears
- Durable die-cast metal housing
- Large 5-quart stainless steel bowl
- Very good planetary mixing action
- 10 mixing speeds
- Ideal for making dough
- 13 colors to choose from
Cons
- The head can jump around when making thick dough
- Only 1-year warranty
- Not ideal for everyday use
Our Top Pick for the Best Stand Mixer
Our top pick for the best stand mixer is the Cuisinart SM-55 Stand Mixer. With a durable die-cast metal housing and stainless-steel bowl, loads of power, 12-speed settings, and a lot of other handy features, the Cuisinart stand mixer is the new rising star in the world of stand mixers and it is excellent value for money. If you love to bake, this amazing stand mixer combines a high level of functionality and cooking versatility to create a workhorse that will make all your mixing tasks so easy.
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