KN12AP KitchenAid Mixer Attachment Pack
13 Stores $85 - $185
Stand Mixer Buying Guide
A stand mixer may be the home cook’s best friend. Whether you bake for pleasure, or feel like you need a team of elves to keep up with the endless school bake sales and holiday madness, a stand mixer’s appeal is simple: It does most of the work for you, and does it much faster than you could by hand, or even with a portable mixer. Stand mixers can finish off time-consuming steps like beating egg whites or whipping cream in a flash, or put a family-size batch of mashed potatoes on the dinner table in mere minutes. Also, unlike portable mixers, powerful stand mixers can take on heavy-duty chores like blending flour into stiff cookie dough and kneading bread. Pronto’s Stand Mixer Buying Guide will help you choose the best stand mixer for your needs and budget, whether you’re a novice cupcake-baker or a serious home chef (see also Hand Mixer Buying Guide, Blender Buying Guide, Food Processor Buying Guide).
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the five
What are the five key points I need to look at?
Mixing action
Two-way “planetary action,” in which a single beater spins on its axis while rotating around a stationary bowl, delivers the best and fastest results, especially on heavier doughs, like cookies and breads. The traditional pair of interlocking stationary beaters found on inexpensive stand mixers (usually with a rotating bowl) will do for light-duty tasks, but not serious baking.
Power and speeds
Don’t get caught up in a numbers game – manufacturers like to tout high wattage and lots of speeds, but tests and reviews show these have little to do with stand mixer performance. The number of cups of flour a stand mixer can handle is a better indicator of effective power, and more than 6 speeds is a bonus that probably won’t noticeably affect results.
Attachments
Look for a stand mixer with a flat beater for stirring, a wire whisk for whipping, and a C-shaped dough hook for bread kneading. Models that come only with a pair of stationary beaters will be less effective. Some mid-to-high end models offer optional accessories like juicers, meat grinders, or pasta makers that can turn a stand mixer into an all-in-one kitchen machine for a dedicated cook.
Size matters
Stand mixers often weigh 20 pounds or more. Heavier mixers are more powerful, durable, and stable, but are challenging to move from countertop to cabinet for storage. A good solution is to store your stand mixer on a counter under a cabinet, but measure carefully to make sure it will fit. Mixer bowl capacity ranges from 1 to 7 quarts, with 4 to 6 quarts as the ideal range for most cooks.
Styling
Stand mixers often stay in full view on countertops. Once you’ve settled on the features and performance you need, consider which model will coordinate best with your kitchen décor. Stand mixers are available in dozens of colors, and a range of styles that will compliment classic, retro, and modern kitchens. You may find you love the way your stand mixer looks almost as much as you love how hard it works.
pronto pick
What product do we recommend?
The 400-watt Hamilton Beach 63220 Stand Mixer earned kudos from Real Simple magazine, where it went head-to-head with 20 stand mixers and “stirred thick cookie dough and everything else testers threw at it in no time.” We like the high-end features like planetary mixing action, a full range of attachments, and all-metal construction, delivered at an affordable price. The sleek retro styling will be right at home on most countertops.
experts say
Real Simple Magazine – Best “Biggest” Stand Mixer: KitchenAid Professional 6 Series Stand Mixer. “On this 525-watt professional-grade mixer, a lever raises and drops the bowl, rather than the head, so you can add ingredients while the mixer is running. The super size bowl lets you double some recipes. The stir function (found only in professional mixers) smoothly folded in chocolate chips in 10 seconds.” Source: Real Simple Magazine
Cook’s Illustrated – The Hobart N50 Stand Mixer ““Purrs like a kitten,” said testers about this industrial-strength lion, as it calmly processed rustic dough, oatmeal cookies, and anything else we threw its way.” Source: Cook’s Illustrated
Cooking.com – Hamilton Beach 63220 Eclectrics All-Metal 12-Speed Stand Mixer. “When you're ready for a kitchen re-do, don't call in the carpenters! Instead, "counterscape" your kitchen with Hamilton Beach's retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their "Eclectrics" line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s.” Source: Cooking.com
celebrity buzz
What stand mixers are the celebrities using?
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck of the famed Hollywood hot spot Spago has launched his own line of kitchenware, including the Wolfgang Puck Bistro Commercially Rated Stand Mixer, which boasts a 700-watt motor and 12 mixing speeds. This mixer may not make your house the place to be after the Oscars, but it will steal the show by making your party prep a snap.
Wallet Impact
What can I expect in my price range?
| Price | Description | Good Pick (see all Stand Mixers) |
| $ | Lightweight, portable stand mixers that typically feature stationary beaters and a rotating bowl. These models perform well on light-duty tasks like whipping cream or stirring thin batters, but may strain on stiff cookie dough or “walk” across your counter. Expect to pay $50 – $200. |
Compare prices at 6 stores $134 - $218 |
| $$ | High quality, sturdy stand mixers with all-metal construction that can handle heavier jobs like kneading bread and stirring batch after batch of cookies. Costing $200-$500, these models feature planetary mixing action, powerful motors, and a full range of speeds and attachments. |
Compare prices at 12 stores $150 - $400 |
| $$$ | For the hardcore, high-volume baker, these top-dollar workhorses offer exceptional power and durability. At $1,000 and up, these stand mixers can tackle the toughest doughs quietly and consistently, but are not very portable, often weighing over 50 pounds. |
Compare prices at 2 stores $2,545 - $2,689 |
shop talk
What are the terms and definitions I need to know about?
Dough hook
A C-shaped attachment specifically designed for kneading bread doughs. Dough hooks are usually standard equipment on better-quality stand mixers that use planetary action. Some mixers that use stationary beaters come with a pair of corkscrew-shaped dough hooks, but these aren’t as effective.
Planetary action
Stand mixers using planetary action have a single beater which both spins on its own axis and orbits around a bowl that’s locked in place – a lot like the way planets move around the sun. Planetary action makes the quickest work of blending and creaming tasks, and since the beater makes close contact with the bowl’s surface, you won’t waste time scraping down your ingredients.
Stationary beaters
The traditional pair of spinning, interlocking beaters seen on hand mixers, usually paired on budget stand mixers with a rotating bowl. Stationary beaters can manage simple tasks, but heavy bread or cookie doughs may clog them up or stop the bowl from rotating. Since the beaters can’t reach the entire bowl, you’ll need to scrape down often.
Wattage
A measure of the power of a stand mixer’s motor, with models offering anywhere from 200 to over 1000 watts. An important caveat – most tests have shown no link between wattage and performance, finding overall design the key to good results.
Whisk
A cage-shaped attachment made of strands of flexible wire, designed to whip air into cream, egg whites, or light batters. Whisks usually come standard with better-quality stand mixers.
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