Which Stand Mixer To Buy

Stand mixers are an essential kitchen appliance every household should own for sweet and savory recipes. People even use them for non-culinary purposes such as crafts projects like slime. For many essential recipes, a household that cooks an average amount will eventually require a stand mixer."}},"@type": "Question","name": "How long do typical stand mixers last?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Some manufacturers state that a mixer can last as long as 30 years with proper maintenance. However, regular use leads to a more reasonable 10 to 15-year maximum since the motors can burn out if not properly maintained. As a result, stand mixers can be pricier since they can often last so long. If you bake a lot, we recommend investing a bit more so it will last for years to come.","@type": "Question","name": "What types of stand mixers are there?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "There are two main types of stand mixers: a tilt-head mixer with a hinged top for more bowl access and a bowl-lift mixer, which uses a level to bring the bowl up towards the attachments. Stand mixers also come in a variety of sizes from two to eight quarts. A medium-capacity mixer will be somewhere in the middle of that range, and the footprint is generally proportionate to the size. You can find mixers in every color under the rainbow, and some manufacturers even release limited-edition colors and collaborations with chefs and artists."]}]}] Skip to contentFood & WineSearchSearchPlease fill out this field.Log InMy AccountLog OutMagazine Subscribe Manage Your Subscription Give a Gift Subscription Get Help Newsletter Sweepstakes Subscribe SearchSearchPlease fill out this field.RecipesRecipes Breakfast & Brunch Lunch Appetizers Dinner Side Dishes Salads Soup Desserts Cocktails Holidays & Events View All IngredientsIngredients Beef Bread Chicken Seafood Pasta & Noodles Pork Vegetables View All WineWine Red Wine White Wine Champagne & Sparkling Wine Rose Wine Wine Regions View All DrinksDrinks Beer Coffee Tea Juices View All SpiritsSpirits Rum Whiskey Vodka Gin Mocktails Tequila Mezcal View All What to BuyWhat to Buy Food & Wine Faves Trends & Deals Cookware Bar & Drinks Small Appliances Knives Grilling & BBQ Hosting & Dining View All Cooking TechniquesCooking Techniques Baking Grilling Steal This Trick View All TravelTravel Restaurants Bars Wine Regions View All News About Us Subscribe Log InMy AccountMy AccountLog OutMagazineMagazine Subscribe Manage Your Subscription Give a Gift Subscription Get Help Newsletter Sweepstakes Follow Us Facebook Flipboard Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Lunch Appetizers Dinner Side Dishes Salads Soup Desserts Cocktails Holidays & Events View All Ingredients Beef Bread Chicken Seafood Pasta & Noodles Pork Vegetables View All Wine Red Wine White Wine Champagne & Sparkling Wine Rose Wine Wine Regions View All Drinks Beer Coffee Tea Juices View All Spirits Rum Whiskey Vodka Gin Mocktails Tequila Mezcal View All What to Buy Food & Wine Faves Trends & Deals Cookware Bar & Drinks Small Appliances Knives Grilling & BBQ Hosting & Dining View All Cooking Techniques Baking Grilling Steal This Trick View All Travel Restaurants Bars Wine Regions View All News About UsSubscribeWhat to BuyAppliancesSmall AppliancesThe 6 Best Stand Mixers for 2023, Tested and ReviewedAttack any baking task, big or small, with our top picks.

which stand mixer to buy

Stand mixers are an essential kitchen appliance every household should own for sweet and savory recipes. People even use them for non-culinary purposes such as crafts projects like slime. For many essential recipes, a household that cooks an average amount will eventually require a stand mixer.

Some manufacturers state that a mixer can last as long as 30 years with proper maintenance. However, regular use leads to a more reasonable 10 to 15-year maximum since the motors can burn out if not properly maintained. As a result, stand mixers can be pricier since they can often last so long. If you bake a lot, we recommend investing a bit more so it will last for years to come.

There are two main types of stand mixers: a tilt-head mixer with a hinged top for more bowl access and a bowl-lift mixer, which uses a level to bring the bowl up towards the attachments. Stand mixers also come in a variety of sizes from two to eight quarts. A medium-capacity mixer will be somewhere in the middle of that range, and the footprint is generally proportionate to the size. You can find mixers in every color under the rainbow, and some manufacturers even release limited-edition colors and collaborations with chefs and artists.

A great stand mixer will make your baking and cooking life a lot easier and can accomplish tasks that would be harder or impossible to do by hand. A well-made stand mixer can help you turn out rustic bread loaves, moist cake layers, and dozens upon dozens of cookies. It can make quick work of whipping egg whites into meringue and heavy cream into an airy dessert topping. Great mixers also have power hubs for extra accessories that can roll out pasta dough, grind meat, and even churn ice cream.

Stand mixers can be categorized in two ways: by the design of the base or by the mixing action. The design of the base determines how the beater attachment meets the bowl and comes in one of two styles:

As for bowl size, we recommend 5 to 6 quarts, which is big enough to make about four dozen standard-size cookies or handle just about any home baking task you might want to tackle. With a larger bowl, the beaters will make less contact with small amounts of liquids or foods.

Optional accessories: Many mixers come with a power hub that allows you to attach additional accessories, like a meat grinder or pasta maker (which you have to buy separately). While this feature is not essential, we like having the option to get even more use out of what is usually a large, expensive machine.

We also made a genoise (a type of sponge cake), which requires whipping whole eggs with sugar to give the cake its light, fluffy texture. Because the addition of flour in the last step of this recipe deflates the batter by about 25%, it needs to be nice and airy to begin with to get tall, tender layers. So to judge how well each mixer aerated the batter, we measured the height of the baked cakes (down to 1/16 of an inch) and looked for an even, delicate crumb.

Finally, to see if the mixers could handle small-batch recipes, we used them to whip only one egg white, and then just cup of cream. And every step of the way we also took note of how easy each mixer was to use, clean, and store.

When testing the Breville Bakery Chef for a 2021 update, we repeated all the tests except for the sponge cake batter test. We thought that one duplicated the findings of our seven-minute frosting test, which also tested for how well a mixer could whip air into ingredients.

The Artisan was one of the quietest mixers we tested. Only the Hamilton Beach was quieter, while the KitchenAid Pro 600 was the loudest and highest pitched, and the Cuisinart 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer was loud in a grumbling-motorcycle kind of way.

Like the KitchenAid Artisan, the Pro 600 has a hub for extra attachments like a pasta maker or a meat grinder, which are sold separately. The same attachments will work on both the Artisan and Pro lines interchangeably. The Pro also comes with a pouring shield that slides on conveniently to prevent ingredients from splashing out of the bowl.

Unfortunately, the Pro 600 Series was by far the loudest, highest-pitched mixer in our testing lineup. That said, this machine is a beast, in a good way. Like the Artisan, it comes with just a one-year warranty, but in our experience working with it in commercial kitchens, it will last for many years.

We tested the Breville Bakery Chef in 2021, and it works well. It was sturdy enough to resist rocking and walking on the counter as we whipped cream, mixed cookies, and kneaded pizza dough, while many other mixers we previously tried were not. And you may like some of its extra features: a timer that counts up and down, an automatically locking tilt-head, a 5-quart borosilicate-glass bowl (in addition to its 4-quart stainless steel bowl), and a silicone-coated scraper beater.

Go for the 6-quart size if you frequently make big batches of things such as bread dough. Otherwise, a 5-quart mixer will surely handle anything you want to make, and works better for small tasks like whipping cup of cream.

If you bake only occasionally or have limited space, a hand mixer can do the job. But if you bake a lot or like to tackle bigger, more complex projects, a stand mixer will save you a lot of time and energy.

A stand mixer is a heavy-duty electric mixer built into a stationary stand with a bowl. Most have multiple speeds, can handle dense ingredients and offer hands-free operation. Stand mixers can usually mix, whip and knead with various accessories but also shred meat, mash potatoes, churn out fresh guacamole and more. 041b061a72