Do you love pastries, you love making desserts but you need a mixer to help you with your work? You’re in luck because in this post I come to show you a list that contains a list with the best stand mixer on the market.
Buying a stand mixer can be difficult because there are different models, designs, there are some accessories, with others, there are cheap mixers, expensive models, hand mixers, dough mixers, etc. It is best to first define your needs well and then choose the one that best fits your budget.
For you who came to this post looking for the best stand mixer, we have prepared this list that contains different models and brands. We have selected them in a fairly varied price range to find the one that fits your budget perfectly.
The best stand mixer
After having taken into account all the benefits of the stand mixers, I looked for the best models and prepared a list of the best stand mixers according to my opinion, which I want to share with you.
Smeg SMF01BLUK Retro Style Stand Mixer
The stand mixer Smeg has a stainless steel bowl with a total capacity of 4.8 litres. With this capacity, you can prepare 1 litre of whipped cream, 12 egg whites, 2.8 kg of pie dough, 2.6 kg of cake dough and 1.3 kg of bread dough. The downside of this mixer is that the whisk does not touch the bottom of the tank well and you can not mount less than 3 egg whites in snow or less than 150 ml of whipped cream, I experienced it during a class. If you are a couple or you do not suffer from large quantities, this mixer may not be for you.
The stand mixer Smeg has a direct drive motor of 800 watts with an electronic variable speed adjustable on 10 levels. This motor has the particularity of delivering lossless power because it is located in the head of the mixer. This is quite appreciable because most stand mixers have belt motors, generally less resistant and noisier. The mixer Smeg also offers start-up phase to avoid splashing, protection from overload the engine and an engine blocking safety. Something to relieve the engine and lengthen its life. I did not feel any power problems during the lessons, maybe when kneading bread dough or the mixer had a little more trouble.
The Smeg stand mixer is accompanied by a stainless steel bowl with an ergonomic handle, a wire whisk, ahook, asheet (or flat beater) and an anti-splash pouring cover. The bare minimum but for pastry it is, in any case, the bare essential. The beater and the hook are made of aluminium alloy and the wire whisk, aluminium on the body and stainless steel wires. These are solid materials but in the long term, all stainless steel would have been preferable. Especially since you will not be able to put these utensils in the dishwasher. It’s pretty damaging if you suffer from regular pain because only the bowl can be cleaned in the dishwasher. On this side, the competition is doing better. You can make the stand mixer more versatile by purchasing additional compatible accessories such as a grater, a ravioli machine, a pasta machine or a chopper.
Stand Mixer Kenwood kMix KMX750RD
The Kenwood KMix KMX750RD stand mixer has a retro and classic style. We are facing another model in which professionalism and ease of use come together in a single device.
Characteristics
We are faced with a stand mixer with a motor that offers 1000W of power, half the model previously seen. Even so, with 500 watts we will have more than enough to be able to perform 80% of the tasks we need, whether we are amateur or professional chefs.
If there is one feature that for us is the one that stands out in this mixer, it is that of the ” soft start ” function, that is, we can tell it to start beating slowly, gradually increasing its speed as time goes by.
Other features
Something curious that I liked is that, while the beater arm makes a planetary movement, the base moves in the opposite direction to the blender arm. With this, we will get a much softer dough and a much more consistent mixture. If you don’t believe it, we tell you: Yes, you can tell the difference.
It also highlights the ” Fold ” function, which allows the hook of the bowl to turn to a revolution of 2.5 turns to incorporate ingredients to make a pastry without losing air from it.
Bad points
Do not expect a light and easy to transport appliance, because as with the rest of the mixer, we are faced with a model that weighs about 9kg. Yes, 9 kilograms, there are people who don’t put so much weight on their dumbbells.
But for us, the weight is not something negative in terms of purchase choice since we have no plans to move the mixer from one place to another.
In addition, with dimensions of 38.5 x 24 x 35.5 cm we can see that keeping it in drawers is probably not an option in most cases, so we will usually leave it on top of our kitchen.
KitchenAid 5K45SSBWH Classic Stand Mixer
The first thing we should talk about is its engine. As we have seen in the previous cases, the force of the motors has been decreasing, from 1000 watts to 500, and now, in this case, to 250 watts.
The truth is that we are puzzled by the fact that, even with very different powers, these 3 models are capable of obtaining similar results, of professional quality. So we have concluded that it is nonsense that a mixer has more than 500W of power, and if having more influences the price, better move to another model.
Ten speeds Ten speeds are those available to this mixer, which will allow you to select the right speed, always with the greatest precision, for each stage of the mix. From very high speed to a slow speed.
Other features
The beater of this product rotates clockwise (planetary system), while the shaft rotates counterclockwise, as we also found in the Kenwood. In this way, we get the blender to have 67 different contact points throughout the entire container.
Again, 3 are the different accessories included in this mixer:
The flat beater. It will be useful for mixing doughs with a normal mixture or a heavy dough mixture. It is coated with nylon.
Globe beater. This whisk will help you incorporate the maximum amount of air into mounted mixtures. The results will be much creamier.
Hook to knead. With it, you will mix yeast doughs quickly and effortlessly. Also coated with nylon.
With these accessories, you will increase the versatility of your new KitchenAid Artisan blender.
KitchenAid 5KSM7591XBER Planetary Food Mixer
We cannot disagree that all KitchenAid models have a unique charm that attracts the buyer from the first real look. The KitchenAid Heavy Duty is one of its models that are easily able to embellish your kitchen and add a very modern and classic touch to it at the same time.
It is a nice model with a very successful and very refined retro design. It is a model that shows a lot of professionalism and above all a lot of robustness and resistance.
What we really appreciated is the safe and secure nature of the latter, which has an optional protective grid and a safety switch. This measure is very important if the mixer was available to your children.
The KitchenAid Planetary Food Mixer is equipped with a power of 500 watts, and just like the rest of the models of the brand, the latter also has a DC motor and direct transmission. That said, this hand mixer is able to deliver as much energy and power without loss as a result.
In addition, you can always adjust the speed of this mixer according to 10 progressive levels of movement intensity or speed. This stand mixer is equipped with an easily accessible speed button located on the side of it. You can access it at any time while the device is operating.
The KitchenAid Planetary Food Mixer offers you a multitude of essential accessories that you will need to perfect your work, whether that of a baker or a pastry chef.
The model puts at your disposal a stainless steel bowl with a capacity of 6.9 litres. We are talking about a very resistant bowl that you can use for small or large quantities.
Thus, as already mentioned at the start and by checking its capacity, you can now be sure that the model is intended primarily for very large preparations with family or even in restaurants. The bowl is also distinguished by its ergonomic character since it is designed with a handle which facilitates handling and ensures comfortable control of the bowl although it is full and heavy.
The model also obviously offers a wire whisk, a flat beater and a dough hook. The whip is really magic, it is made up of 11 stainless steel wires. It was however designed in the shape of an ellipse to allow itself to generate a maximum of air within the bowl in a minimum of time.
You should also know that the KitchenAid Planetary Food Mixer is very practical by ensuring that all of its accessories are compatible with a dishwasher.
Cuisinart SM50BU Precision Stand Mixer
What is a stand mixer?
Although it is a machine built with the most advanced technology, the arm kneader has been displaced and has become an auxiliary machine.
It is solid but silent and is perfect for bread, pastry, wholemeal, rye dough, also for light dough, such as biscuits, puddings and loaf.
In general, its structure is made of stainless steel, its mechanical components, such as gears, are made of cast iron and its high-quality arms, as well as having several speeds and timers. Best of all, they rarely need maintenance.
Its vertical arms achieve an oxygenated mixture, homogeneous and above all perfect, thanks to the number of strokes they give per minute, thus imitating the act of kneading with our own hands.
Actually, I can’t tell you which one to choose between these two types of stand mixers, but I advise you to make your decision based on the types of dishes or recipes and how often you prepare them. It’s all a matter of taste and practicality.
How does the stand mixer work?
stand mixers, dough mixers, food mixers, or whatever you prefer to call them, are specially designed to prepare any type of dough.
These have a mechanized system that mimics manual work, replacing it completely. This means that fatigue will no longer be an excuse for not wanting to cook.
The stand mixersare composed of a container to place the ingredients, an element to knead (either hooks or arms), motors that activate the movements of the container and the hook and of course, the technological processes necessary to turn on, off, program speeds and time.
Unlike the bakery, which only serves to make bread of different styles, with a stand mixer, the possibilities are endless: sweet, salty, soft, hard, complex, simple All the dishes you decide can be made.
At the end of my search, I learned a lot about the different types of kneaders and the advantages of having a house.
From the comments of the buyers on Amazon, I understood that the stand mixers honour their names since they are true kitchen helpers and facilitate all your culinary tasks.
Planetary or arms stand mixer?
In my search for the best stand mixer, I found different models, including kneaders, blenders, grinders and food processors.
The most common and most purchased are planetary kneaders and arm kneaders, but there are several differences between the twotypes:
Planetary mixer
The planetary kneader, better known as a planetary mixer, is an indispensable machine in the kitchen.
One of its most outstanding features is the ability to exchange your utensils or accessories. Generally, a planetary kneader, whatever its brand, includes arod beater, amixing paddle and/or akneading hook.
This allows you to increase your culinary possibilities since each accessory has a specific function:
- The whisk is excellent for soft creams, mayonnaise, meringues, whipped cream or egg whites.
- The mixing paddle allows you to mix the doughs for biscuits, creams, etc.
- Instead, the kneading hook is ideal for cookies, cakes, pizzas, bread and croissants.
Many of these blenders do not need gears, lubrication, or control their oil levels. And yes, they are somewhat robust but very easy to use, since they have small rubber studs at the base that absorb all vibrations and avoid unnecessary movements.
Normally they come with aremovable cauldron. This makes it easier for the user to extract the mixture or dough more comfortably, in order to handle it better. In addition, it has several levels of speed and power, which translates into the possibility of making different types of masses.
How to use a stand mixer?
The use of a stand mixer is incredibly simple. Just plug it into a power outlet and press the start button.
Beforehand, you must naturally pour the preparation into the bowl. It is also necessary to fix the right accessory on the tilting head depending on the mixture to be mixed or the kneading dough. You can choose the whisk or the dough hook for example.
At the start of the recipe, it is prudent to always start the stand mixer at low speed and then to accelerate the rate of rotation. In this way, we avoid splashing and we better control the course of operations. With a little habit, adjusting the speed quickly becomes child’s play.
Incidentally, if ingredients have to be added during mixing, it is best to pour them gently onto the edge of the bowl. By pouring them directly on the rotating mixer, you risk putting them everywhere in the kitchen.
In addition, it may be necessary from time to time to bring back to the centre of the bowl part of the dough which is on the edges. To do this, simply stop the electric mixer and scrape the walls using a spatula. After manually mixing the preparation, the stand mixer can be restarted.
As you can see, there is nothing very complicated in using a stand mixer. When you have installed it in your kitchen, you will not be able to do without it!
Why buy hand mixer?
You bake cakes all over the place. Children devour your pies at snack time. Your friends love your pizzas. Every Sunday, the whole family feasts on your dishes. If this is the case, then yes, you must buy a stand mixer. But amateur cooks also have the right to have fun by equipping themselves like a chef!
The stand mixer offers the advantage of being able to cook in large quantities. But it also allows obtaining a qualitative result clearly superior to that of a basic electric mixer. Cooks little perfectionists will find in this stand mixer a good way to have pasta always smooth and lump-free.
Ease of use is another asset that knows how to convince. When you spend time behind the stove, why on earth do you bother kneading by hand? Choosing a stand mixer is simplifying your life in the kitchen.
How to choose to stand mixer?
Many models are commercially available. It is important to take into account the most relevant criteria in order to choose the best stand mixer. From power to a number of speeds, including bowl capacity, useful features, accessories and price, nothing should be left out.
Power
The power of this electric mixer is variable. The larger it is, the more convenient it is to work with all kinds of pasta. It is generally between 300 and 1200 watts. For intensive use, it is preferable to opt for a model greater than 1000 watts.
Speed
In addition to power, the number of speeds is important for mixing at a different speed. Most models have at least 3 to 4 speeds, but some offer more. Note that the faster the speed of the stand mixer, the more perfect the result obtained. But don’t forget that there are also recipes that call for intermediate speeds.
Capacity
Capacity is expressed in litres. Most often, it varies from 2 to 7 litres. A professional model exceeds 10 litres. If you plan to make pastry or bread, preferably choose a stand mixer with a large capacity. For moderate use, settle for a lower volume. It will be more than enough.
Weight and dimensions
A stand mixer is a bulky and heavy device. It sometimes weighs up to 13 kilos. This is why we prefer to find it a definitive place on a work surface so as not to have to transport it each time it is used again. Therefore, if space is lacking in your kitchen, take into account the weight and dimensions of the stand mixer before buying it.
Brand
Recognized brands will give you complete satisfaction (Kenwood, Moulinex, KitchenAid, etc.). Of course, they often sell more expensive products than the others, but you will be covered by an excellent guarantee in case of breakdown. On the other hand, if you bet on an unknown manufacturer, you run the risk of acquiring irreparable equipment if it fails.
In all cases, the comparison between the devices is essential. If you plan to buy your first stand mixer, choose simplicity first. You can always get additional accessories afterwards according to your needs. Indeed, it is useless to want to have all the optional tools from the start if you do not plan to use them very regularly.
