Stand Mixers

Stand mixers are flexible but pricey

Stand mixers excel at tackling heavier jobs like mixing thick bread dough, and most 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 stand mixers that have adjustable attachments and dough hooks with a disk at the top to prevent sticking. Cook's Illustrated editors also note that a 5- to 6-quart bowl is plenty roomy, but one with a spacious bottom is less likely to spatter while mixing.

Two similar KitchenAid stand mixers emerge as the top-rated models in both expert and owner reviews. In fact, one professional review gives them identical ratings for whipping, mixing, kneading, convenience and noise. The KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer (*Est. $300) with a 325-watt motor and 5-quart mixing bowl with handle may be the best choice for serious bakers. This large-capacity stand mixer can mix dough for up to nine dozen cookies at a time or dough for four loaves of bread. In July 2009, Australia's Choice magazine gave the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer perfect scores for whisking egg whites, mixing cake batter and kneading pizza dough. The bowl and attachments -- with the exception of the whisk -- are dishwasher-safe.

The KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer is the top choice of owners at Cooking.com and is the highest-ranked stand mixer by more than 1,900 users at Amazon.com. Owners at these retail websites call this mixer a workhorse and report very few durability issues. Many owners say they've been using this countertop mixer for a decade or more. Epinions.com and Viewpoints.com are two other websites that have accumulated a good number of mostly positive owner-written reviews on this stand mixer. Owners particularly like the wide array of 25 color choices, the splash guard that fits onto the top of the bowl and the chute for neatly adding ingredients.

Another standout in reviews is the Cuisinart 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer SM-55 (*Est. $300).One foodie magazine gives it top scores for whipping and mixing and says it outperformed other models at heavy-duty kneading tasks due to its uniquely-shaped spiral dough hook. However, in similar testing conducted by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, the Cuisinart 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer SM-55 didn't perform as well as the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer at kneading. Another expert review rated it lower on mixing cookie dough and ease of use. The attachments are dishwasher-safe and can be adjusted by loosening a nut at the top. Owner reviews at Amazon.com and Cooking.com are highly complementary about this mixer's power and features, and many prefer it to KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer. In addition to 12 speeds, it has a fold setting and a countdown timer with automatic shutoff. It's available in white, black and silver and is covered by a three-year warranty.

If you don't want to spend $300 on a mixer, a well-reviewed alternative is the KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer (*Est. $200). It has a smaller motor (250 watts versus 325 watts) and a smaller bowl (4 quarts as opposed to 5) than the KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer. Another drawback for some users: it is only sold in white. In addition, it doesn't have a handle on the bowl or a pouring shield for neatly adding ingredients. Still, several professional reviews compare the KitchenAid Classic Series with other stand mixers and find it performs better than comparably priced, and even more expensive, mixers at kneading bread dough, mixing cookie dough and whipping cream.

Hundreds of owner reviews of the KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer are overwhelmingly enthusiastic; many have been using it for a decade or longer. We found the most reviews for this stand mixer at Viewpoints.com, where more than 1,000 owners give it an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5. Many users regularly use it for whipping and making dough and report no durability issues. At Amazon.com, the KitchenAid Classic has accumulated approximately 400 owner reviews. Owners praise its ease of use and cleaning, but there are some complaints that it strains and overheats when kneading bread dough. Oddly, several unhappy owners say it leaks an oily substance into the mixing bowl.

Both KitchenAid stand mixers have a 10-speed slide control and include three standard attachments -- a flat beater, a dough hook and a wire whisk. Adventurous cooks can also purchase optional attachments for these stand mixers, like a sausage stuffer or citrus juicer. Because these mixers weigh 25 pounds, users say it's more practical to leave them on the counter than store them in a cupboard. KitchenAid offers a one-year warranty on all its mixers.

Another less expensive option is the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics Stand Mixer (*Est. $220) with a 4.5-quart mixing bowl. It receives excellent reviews for whipping cream, mixing cake batter and blending mashed potatoes but takes a back seat to the KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer in two professional reviews. But unlike the KitchenAid Classic (which only comes in white), the Hamilton Beach mixer comes in five color choices and includes a pouring shield (like the more expensive KitchenAid Artisan). Additionally, this Hamilton Beach mixer is covered by a three-year warranty (KitchenAid mixers are covered by a one-year warranty). The Hamilton Beach mixer also uses a "planetary action" beater.

There aren't as many owner-written reviews for the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics Stand Mixer as top-rated KitchenAid mixers. We found the most reviews at Amazon.com, where more than 100 owners give it an overall rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. Reviews are mostly positive, although several say it doesn't thoroughly incorporate ingredients, and the height of the attachments cannot be adjusted. A few owners complain that it really only has six speed settings (the settings are labeled 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, and there no settings in between those numbers).

According to experts and owners, the best choice for bakers who are willing to spend more for a larger-capacity mixer is the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series Stand Mixer (*Est. $400). This mixer has a roomy 5.5-quart bowl and performance ratings that are on par with the KitchenAid Artisan and Classic. However, experts warn that it's noisier and larger -- about 2 inches taller and five pounds heavier. Another difference is the bowl slides up and down, rather than lifting the motor head, which requires extra height clearance under cabinets. One foodie magazine recommends the Professional 600 for making thick cookie and bread dough. Many reviewers, including users on Amazon.com, say they prefer the newly designed spiral dough hook to the standard C-shape because it brings the mix to the center of the bowl and prevents it from sticking to the sides. The Professional 600 stand mixer is available in 10 color choices and is backed by a one-year warranty.

The KitchenAid Professional 600 Series Stand Mixer also earns solid reviews from owners. More than 1,250 owners give it an overall rating of 4.3 stars at Amazon.com. Recent reviews are mostly positive, saying it works well and they prefer the metal attachments to plastic. Negative reviews, primarily from several years ago, complain that the motor strains and smokes while mixing heavy dough, and the gears break. At Cooking.com, about 225 reviewers give it a near-perfect average rating of 4.8 stars. They say it mixes faster than other models they've owned in the past. Some owners say it's cumbersome getting the bowl into the mounting bracket and wish this mixer came with a second, smaller-sized bowl.