The Absolute Best Stand Mixers You Can Buy Right Now

I keep in mind once I obtained my first KitchenAid stand mixer. (My mother scored it for me off of Craigslist!) It felt like a milestone. On the time, I nonetheless considered myself as an inexperienced dwelling cook dinner and, there I used to be, prepared for a coveted piece of apparatus that solely severe dwelling cooks had! And oh, the cookies, desserts, meringues, and quite a few bookmarked recipes I may lastly make!

For years, I cherished that mixer — carting it with me to each summer season internship condo sublet and on multiple cross-country transfer. Final yr, the mixer died and, after contacting KitchenAid’s buyer help, I discovered it was greater than 20 years previous So, it lived an extended life!

And, actually, an incredible stand mixer ought to be capable to stick round for some time. As a result of stand mixers could be expensive! Outdoors of main home equipment, a stand mixer is probably going the subsequent greatest kitchen funding you’ll make.

So, I got down to discover the very best of the very best — evaluating almost a dozen of the most well-liked stand mixers and placing them by means of a slew of assessments to find out the highest fashions to your dwelling kitchen (and mine). Earlier than I delve into my findings, right here’s a fast rundown of my favorites.

I’m the Instruments Editor at Kitchn and an expert kitchen tools tester. I beforehand labored at America’s Check Kitchen and my opinions on matters like stand mixers, induction burners, toaster ovens, and multicookers have been printed in Prepare dinner’s Illustrated, Prepare dinner’s Nation, and on the America’s Check Kitchen web site. My work has additionally been featured on America’s Check Kitchen’s and Prepare dinner’s Nation’s tv packages. 

There are two methods stand mixers truly do the blending. There are mixers with stationary beaters (image a hand mixer, with two beaters, that’s simply been was a stand mixer) and there are mixers with a single beater that rotates counterclockwise within the mixer’s bowl. The latter known as “planetary motion.”

Stationary beaters spin in place and don’t successfully combine all of the elements all through the bowl. In my testing, I discovered that they’re unable to combine meals coloring into yogurt. In addition they weren’t nice at whipping cream or performing greater duties, like creaming butter and sugar collectively. For that reason, I don’t advocate mixers with stationary beaters.

Planetary mixers, nonetheless, have beaters that circle the bowl, effectively and evenly incorporating elements. And of those planetary mixers, the very best ones have attachments that get as near the underside and sides of the bowl as attainable. (Since you don’t need to have unmixed flour on the backside of the bowl! And since you need to have the ability to whip just a bit little bit of cream!)

Some mixers are extra {powerful} than others. However don’t get too caught up with the wattage that’s touted on the containers. Why? A lower-performing mixer that I attempted says it has a 500-watt motor, however my total choose from KitchenAid has simply 325 watts. That’s as a result of how {powerful} a stand mixer is isn’t based mostly on watts, however torque.

Merely put, and in keeping with the dictionary, torque is “a drive that produces or tends to supply rotation.” Some stand mixers transfer actually quick, however don’t do a lot, kinda like urgent the gasoline whereas your automobile’s caught within the mud. Whereas top-notch stand mixers, like those from KitchenAid, transfer slower, however extra successfully, powerfully, and with extra torque.

Now, at dwelling, it’s fairly laborious to measure torque. So, how will you inform if one mixer has extra torque than one other? By how effectively and simply it mixes — whether or not that’s creaming butter and sugar, mixing chocolate chips into cookie batter, or kneading ciabatta dough. You might additionally take the mixers aside, which I’ve executed prior to now however don’t actually advocate. In the event you insist on busting out the screw driver: One of the best mixers have principally steel elements, making them extra {powerful}, sturdy, and able to producing extra torque. And the worst? You’ll discover a number of plastic gears.

Most stand mixers are a bear to carry and retailer (mine lives on my countertop always for that very motive). However, there’s a motive for this heft. Once more, these high-end, {powerful} mixers have principally steel elements, which makes them heavier.

Lighter mixers (I wouldn’t purchase something lower than 16 kilos; the burden of the KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer) additionally stroll round loads (that means: they skip and bounce round on the counter once they’re mixing). After all, there are conditions when even the very best stand mixers might stroll — like when kneading sticky, robust ciabatta dough — nevertheless it’s fairly unacceptable if this occurs if you’re simply making cookie dough or cake batter, which might occur with lighter fashions.

There are two totally different kinds of stand mixers on the market. I’ll define the professionals of cons of every under.

I judged the entire stand mixers on the next standards, on a scale of 1 to five (1 being the worst and 5 being the very best):

KitchenAid is synonymous with dwelling stand mixers and for good motive: They make the very best ones. Fingers-down. The one which’s greatest for many dwelling cooks: the KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer. The lean-head design is simple to function and it’s a cinch to vary or take away attachments. The mixer’s bowl has a useful deal with and simply twists to lock onto the mixer’s base. The machine is {powerful}, too, simply capable of sort out small and enormous portions of elements, be it whipped cream or cookie dough. This mixer does stroll a little bit when kneading ciabatta, however nonetheless produces lovely, shiny, well-kneaded dough. And except you’re repeatedly making robust breads like this, I don’t see it being a difficulty.

Notice: I additionally appreciated the Smeg Stand Mixer. It wasn’t as constant or straightforward to make use of because the KitchenAid, however should you just like the look of Smeg merchandise, you’ll probably be pleased with their stand mixer, too.

Who it’s greatest for: Most dwelling cooks and bakers.
Good to know: This mixer is available in 11 colors and you should purchase totally different mixing bowls with enjoyable patterns and prints to make use of as an alternative of the chrome steel one. KitchenAid additionally sells many attachments which are all suitable with this stand mixer, together with a pasta roller and meat grinder.

This incredibly powerful mixer is bigger than the Artisan and might energy by means of double batches, small quantities of elements, and difficult bread doughs with ease. (It was the one mixer that didn’t stroll — the truth is, it didn’t transfer a single inch! — when kneading ciabatta.) Its bowl-lift design is simple to function and makes it straightforward so as to add elements. The blending bowl tends to click on and rock barely when the mixer first begins getting going, however this finally stops. In the event you bake a number of bread (or simply bake loads normally), I’d say the ultra-powerful mixer is nicely definitely worth the funding.

Who it’s greatest for: Avid bread bakers and people searching for a extra {powerful} stand mixer.
Good to know: It’s available in 10 colours, though not all of them can be found for the time being. KitchenAid additionally sells many attachments which are all suitable with this stand mixer, like a pasta roller and meat grinder.

The KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer is small, however mighty. It has an easy-to-operate, tilt-head design and a piece bowl that has a useful deal with and securely locks onto the bottom. It could possibly deal with all commonplace baking duties with ease — cookies, desserts, meringues, you title it. It does have a bigger hole between the attachments and backside of the bowl than different KitchenAid mixers, so unmixed elements typically get caught there. And whereas it will possibly deal with ciabatta, it wouldn’t be my go-to mixer for robust breads regularly. (See above!) That stated, it’s a implausible stand mixer that packs a complete lot into a little bit bundle and is really nice for these searching for a compact mannequin — or who can’t carry a bigger stand mixer, as this one weighs in at about 25 p.c lower than different full-size, tilt-head KitchenAid mixers.

Who it’s greatest for: These with small kitchens or who dwell in flats.
Good to know: This mixer is available in 5 colours. KitchenAid additionally sells many attachments which are suitable with this stand mixer, like a pasta roller and meat grinder. The ice cream maker attachment shouldn’t be suitable with this mixer.

No, $300 isn’t cheap, however the KitchenAid Classic Plus Stand Mixer is priced decrease than different fashions and nonetheless delivers implausible efficiency. (Sure, there are $40 stand mixers on Amazon, however I’d not advocate them. They received’t carry out and can probably burn out shortly, which suggests you’ll need to spend more cash down the street on a brand new machine.) The straightforward-to-use tilt head design makes it a cinch so as to add and take away attachments and scrape down the perimeters of the blending bowl. Though the bowl does lack a deal with, its capability is smaller than the Artisan’s, and it isn’t best-suited to repeatedly kneading sticky bread dough, it will possibly deal with most different baking duties with ease. In contrast to different KitchenAid stand mixers, the Basic Plus is just out there in white and black.

Notice: In the event you’re searching for a stand mixer underneath $200, try this mannequin from Hamilton Beach. It walked round whereas making ciabatta and isn’t as {powerful} or straightforward to make use of as a KitchenAid, nevertheless it did nicely in my different assessments and is a stable mixer at its value level.

Who it’s greatest for: Those that desire a fundamental, no-frills stand mixer.
Good to know: KitchenAid additionally sells many attachments which are suitable with this stand mixer, like a pasta roller and meat grinder.

We are going to do our homework, going wildly in depth with our testing. However we condense the data into straightforward, breezy summaries as a way to see what we picked and why, then transfer on along with your life. As a result of we all know you’re busy!

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