Mixer Review

Stand mixers vs. hand mixers

We found the best reviews for stand and handheld mixers at Cook's Illustrated and Consumer Reports, because both publications perform extensive testing on the largest variety of mixers. Cook's Illustrated editors review stand mixers in two articles: One focuses on high-end stand mixers, and the other focuses on inexpensive stand mixers (under $200). Mixers are tested with a variety of tasks from whipping cream to kneading bread dough. In their test of eight handheld mixers, Cook's Illustrated editors focus on fundamental tasks such as whipping cream, mixing cake batter, beating egg whites and mixing thick peanut-butter cookie dough. Editors consider design, but performance is the focus.

Consumer Reports' latest mixer review covers 12 stand mixers and 11 hand mixers, evaluating models for their ability to whip cream, mix cookie dough, knead bread dough and mash potatoes. Along with ratings and a buyer's guide, editors list standout features. For hand mixers, Consumer Reports splits their recommendations between those good for bread dough, and those better suited to lighter-duty tasks. Noise is also factored into Consumer Reports' ratings chart -- helpful since noise complaints are frequent in owner-written reviews.

After these two, there's a drop-off in quality among the reviews we found. Good Housekeeping and Real Simple magazines make recommendations for stand and handheld mixers, but editors don't tell us much about how models were tested, and neither say anything about mixers that might not have made the cut.

One big complaint among owners of the KitchenAid KitchenAid Professional 600 (*Est. $350) is significant enough to mention here. Until recently, the Pro 600 stand mixer was made with metal gears encased in a plastic gear housing. Some owners experienced failure of their mixers within several months of use, often while kneading bread dough. In most cases (according to reviews on Amazon.com), the plastic gear housing had cracked. Many owners who complained also noted that KitchenAid replaced or repaired their mixers.

KitchenAid has since revamped the Professional 600 stand mixer and the gear housing is now made of metal (we verified this with KitchenAid customer service). Representatives told us the change was made "sometime in the past year" and retailers with older stock may still be selling machines with plastic gear housings. Because of this issue as well as the fact that Cook's Illustrated's most recent testing put the Cuisinart SM-55 (*Est. $350) slightly ahead of the Professional 600 stand mixer, we've given the Cuisinart SM-55 our nod as the best heavy-duty mixer.

Most of the top-rated stand mixers use a single beater mounted on a rotating disc. Editors at Cook's Illustrated call this "planetary action," and in testing, this proved the most effective way of blending ingredients, since the beater reaches the sides as well as the center of the bowl, gathering ingredients quickly. As a result, there is little need to stop the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl.

Stand mixers with dual beaters tend to earn lower ratings in reviews. The Sunbeam 2349 Heritage Series mixer (*Est. $130) uses dual beaters. Though less expensive than others, owner reviews for this Sunbeam mixer aren't as positive for this model as for the budget Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 (*Est. $175) which uses a single beater. Owner complaints for the Sunbeam mixer include durability problems; some say the dual beaters began hitting each other, while others say the motor gave out after a few months. Several say the Sunbeam mixer looks great, but that it choked on heavier-duty chores like making stiff cookie dough.