Stand Mixers

Stand mixers are flexible but pricey

Unlike hand mixers, which exceed at smaller tasks, stand mixers (often considered the workhorses of the mixer world), are best for tackling heavier jobs like mixing thicker bread dough. Most stand mixers come with three attachments: a flat beater for mixing batters, a dough hook for kneading and a wire whisk. Editors at Cook's Illustrated magazine prefer products that allow the height of attachments to be adjusted and have dough hooks with a disk at the top to prevent sticking. They also feel a 5- to 6-quart bowl is plenty roomy, but one with a spacious bottom is less likely to spatter while mixing.

The KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer (*Est. $285) emerges as one of the top stand mixers according to reviews from Choice and Bon Appetit magazines. It is also the top choice of owners at Cooking.com and is highly rated by more than 1,500 users at Amazon.com. This large-capacity stand mixer is a cooking wonder, powerful enough to mix up to nine dozen cookies at a time or dough for four loaves. The KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer's 10-speed slide control and splash guard (with a chute for adding ingredients) also make it easy to use. This mixer also features a 5-quart stainless-steel bowl and three attachments -- all of which are dishwasher-safe. Adventurous cooks can also purchase optional attachments for this mixer, for an additional cost, like a sausage stuffer or citrus juicer.

Choice magazine evaluates 12 stand mixers for noise, ease of use and performance in three separate tasks -- whisking egg whites, mixing cake batter and kneading pizza dough in less than five minutes -- and the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer receives perfect scores in all areas.Testers describe this mixer's attachments as "very easy to insert" and they like the height adjustment. One downside: There is no eject button, so removing these items can be tricky. One professional foodie magazine also noticed that this mixer did not knead thick cookie dough with oats quite as well as the Cuisinart 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer SM-55 (*Est. $260), and said its "narrow bowl mouth hindered the tidy addition of dry ingredients."

While the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer receives the best reviews overall, two less expensive stand mixers also perform well on less demanding tasks. The KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer (*Est. $200) is highlighted in two professional reviews. In fact, our runner-up budget mixer model, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 Stand Mixer (*Est. $180), receives excellent reviews but takes a back seat to the KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer in these two reviews. Both mixers include a 4.5-quart stainless-steel mixing bowl, which is slightly smaller than the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer.

Several professional reviews compare the KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer against other stand mixers and find it performs better at kneading bread dough, mixing cookie dough and whipping cream. Still, one review said it left the mashed potatoes a little lumpy and was a "bit noisier and heavier" than other mixers. That said, this mixer receives praise for its "intuitive" controls, which include a 10-speed slide control like the KitchenAid Artisan Series

Stand Mixer. It also has the same attachments and one-year warranty as the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer. Most mixers are not extensively reviewed on Epinions.com, but a noticeably large number of owners (more than 275) report they are thrilled with their KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer.

In tests, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 Stand Mixer is also a standout. As with KitchenAid, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 Stand Mixer uses a planetary mixing action -- as the mixing head rotates around the bowl, the beater rotates in the opposite direction. This kitchen mixer has 12 speeds, offering up to 400 watts of power. Professional testers say the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 Stand Mixer is a good light-duty kitchen mixer, helpful for mixing cake batter, whipping cream and mashing potatoes. Kneading dough is not its strength, however. Among the scores of reviews we read on Epinions.com and Amazon.com, a number of users report negative experiences with the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 Stand Mixer. While some say the mixer can handle heavy loads without overheating, others state the exact opposite. Some users also indicate that the unit "walks" across the counter on speeds of four and higher. Others bemoan the need to constantly scrape ingredients that spread up the sides of the bowl. In professional testing, however, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63221 Stand Mixer did a good job on the basics, and the balance of user reviews is generally positive.

One last choice, The KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer (*Est. $355), receives good marks in one professional review but is bashed in another due to its louder noise level. Since performance rankings are on par with the KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer, it doesn't seem worth paying substantially more for the KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer.