Stand mixers can fluctuate in worth, from modestly designed fashions that get the fundamentals proper, to classy and specialist items of package, so selecting the best one for you generally is a little bit of a minefield. We’ve detailed all of the issues you need to take into account earlier than shopping for a stand mixer and share our tried-and-tested prime picks for a spread of various cooks and their wants.
For baking inspiration, head over to our straightforward baking recipes assortment. On our recipes web page you’ll discover all method of scrumptious bakes, from straightforward candy traybakes, straightforward desserts, the finest cheesecake recipes, straightforward bread recipes and rather more. Simply entering into baking? Our finest tart tins 24 finest baking ideas are a should learn and, to your favorite baker (and even your self), our finest baking items information is stuffed with concepts.
Finest stand mixers at a look
Finest good stand mixer: Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL, £559
Finest stand mixer for bakers: Ankarsrum Assistent Authentic meals mixer, £649
Finest mid-range Kenwood stand mixer: Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL, £392
Finest hybrid stand mixer and meals processor: Bosch CreationLine MUM5XW10, £373.98
Finest stand mixer for fashionable kitchens: KitchenAid Artisan, £499
Finest stand mixer for candy bakes: Sage the Bakery Boss, £415
Finest entry-level Kenwood stand mixer: Kenwood kMix, £257
Most user-friendly stand mixer: Kenwood Chef Baker, £337.99
Finest vibrant stand mixer: Smeg stand mixer SMF03, £449
Finest fundamental stand mixer: KitchenAid Traditional, £349
Finest inexpensive stand mixer: Cuisinart Precision stand mixer, £247
Finest stand mixer for small areas: KitchenAid Mini, £349
What can a stand mixer be used for?
The unique stand mixers have been designed merely to help as egg beaters. However by means of fixed innovation and numerous redesigns most fashionable stand mixers now include three attachments for beating, whisking and kneading. There are numerous candy and savoury dishes to create utilizing any of those attachments. Use the beater to make desserts, pastry, cookies, and icing – it may even be used to mash potatoes. The balloon whisk is good for aerating egg whites for meringue, whipping cream and making whisked sponges comparable to genoise. The dough hook can be utilized for all method of bread doughs – it tackles excessive hydration pizza dough, traditional bread doughs, enriched doughs and pasta, plus rather more.
Many stand mixer manufacturers additionally provide a spread of extra attachments to make sure you get essentially the most out of your mixer. These can embrace meals processor attachments, pasta and cookie presses, sausage stuffers, vegetable cutters and extra.
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What to look out for when selecting a stand mixer
- Design: each aesthetics and the added design options of a stand mixer ought to issue into your determination making. Should you’re planning on preserving your stand mixer on the kitchen counter, mixers which are obtainable in a spread of colors are a fantastic alternative to both add a pop of color to your house or to tie all of it collectively.
- Measurement: stand mixers vary in dimension from mini fashions to hulking XL machines. Take into account the house you’ve got within the kitchen, not forgetting the peak. Don’t neglect, there’ll must be quantity of clearance house above the mixer for when the lean head is absolutely prolonged.
- Capability: familiarise your self with the bowl capability of the mixer you’re curious about – 3-4 litres is nice for smaller bakes, 4-6 litres is the commonest dimension, making it nice for all bakes, while 6 litres+ is good for big bakes and batch cooking. Some stand mixers include two bowl sizes, which can be helpful.
- Weight: stand mixers must be somewhat weighty to make sure they keep anchored to the worksurface when kneading heavy doughs or mixing at full pace. Should you’re unable to maintain your stand mixer on the kitchen counter, take into account getting a lighter mannequin however don’t go so mild that it’s a flimsy development.
- Versatility: most stand mixers include attachments for beating, whisking and kneading as normal. However many manufacturers provide extra attachments for a wide range of duties, comparable to pasta making, sausage making, ice cream making and rather more. Should you’re trying to take advantage of your new stand mixer, the choice for extra bits of package is a giant plus. Some stand mixers have extra in-built options, too: do you want in-built scales, a timer and even bowl-warming applied sciences?
- Worth: take into account how a lot cash you need to spend on a brand new stand mixer. They will vary in worth from round £200 as much as £800. Weigh up the additions to work out whether or not they’re value it for you, for the worth.
Prime tip: in case your stand mixer doesn’t include a storage bag for the attachments, line the bowl with a clear tea towel and retailer the attachments inside. This retains all of the attachments collectively and the tea towel stops them from scratching the bowl.
Finest stand mixers to purchase in 2022
Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL, £559
Rating: 5/5
Finest good stand mixer
Kenwood is without doubt one of the greatest names on the planet of stand mixers and the Chef Patissier XL is its most superior mannequin.
This stand mixer is packed to the rafters with helpful additions. The Patissier XL comes with two bowls (5L and 7L), built-in scales, an EasyWarm bowl and a touchscreen management panel with presets for a spread of key baking dishes.
This mannequin methodically and skilfully labored by means of all checks, producing high-quality and, most significantly, scrumptious outcomes.
Don’t be intimidated by all of the high-tech options, the Patissier XL is solely a pleasure to make use of. Nevertheless it’s value taking into account that these additional options come at a excessive price, so this mannequin is finest suited to those that really want them.
Learn the total Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL overview
Ankarsrum Assistent Authentic Meals Mixer, £649
Rating 5/5
Finest stand mixer for bakers
This stand mixer stole our hearts. It stands out on this checklist for shunning the normal stand mixer silhouette. However the variations don’t cease there. Reasonably than that includes a planetary mixing mechanism, the bowl rotates on the Ankarsrum.
Watching the Ankarsrum work is mesmerising, notably relating to bread. It kneads dough with delicacy and respect, and, as soon as baked, our cardamom buns have been essentially the most professional-quality of all of the buns produced by the fashions on this checklist. Cake mixes will must be helped somewhat, because the beaters alone weren’t in a position to absolutely incorporate all of the components.
However the Ankarsrum Assistent is effectively well worth the funding and is clearly constructed to final. A must have for bread bakers.
Learn the total Ankarsrum Assistent Authentic Meals Mixer overview
Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL, £392
Rating: 5/5
Finest mid-range Kenwood stand mixer
Should you’re enchanted by the additions on the Titanium Chef Patissier XL however don’t have any actual want for bowl warming or a touchscreen management panel, the Chef Baker XL is a superb various. It options the identical in-built scales and comes with two bowls, superb for batch baking.
Design-wise, the Chef vary could be very comparable and subsequently easy to make use of. The mixer accelerates at a mild and thought of tempo, reaching excessive speeds due to the highly effective 1,400-watt motor. The Chef Baker XL helped us obtain incredible outcomes throughout all cake making, whisking and dough kneading duties, and comes at a superb worth.
Learn the total Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL overview
Bosch CreationLine MUM5XW10, £373.98
Rating: 5/5
Finest hybrid stand mixer and meals processor
This distinctive providing from Bosch is a hybrid machine: a two-in-one stand mixer and meals processor. Included are the three normal stand mixer attachments, in addition to grating and slicing discs. This mannequin sits panorama on the counter and has a helpful digital show.
In use the attachments rotate rhythmically across the bowl gathering up each ingredient. The cake and meringue checks have been an actual success however we discovered the plastic dough hook struggled to face as much as our weighty enriched dough. With plenty of helpful and effectively thought of extras, the Bosch CreationLine machine provides actual bang to your buck.
Learn the total Bosch CreationLine MUM5X10 overview
KitchenAid Artisan, from £449
Rating: 4.5/5
Finest stand mixer for fashionable kitchens
The KitchenAid Artisan is the stand mixer that crops up on all one of the best cooking reveals. It’s sturdy, dependable, comes with a wealth of attachments and, better of all, obtainable in an entire host of thrilling, daring and attention-grabbing colors. There are three several types of Artisan mannequin to select from – the variations are detailed in our full overview.
The Artisan scored extremely for its easy and intuitive controls, and simple to suit attachments. Its low wattage meant dough was somewhat gradual to convey collectively however it excelled on the cake and meringue making checks. Extra options such because the helpful deal with on the bowl and vary of KitchenAid equipment obtainable make the KitchenAid Artisan a dependable and versatile selection.
Learn the total KitchenAid Artisan overview
Sage the Bakery Boss, £415
Rating: 4.5/5
Finest stand mixer for candy bakes
Identified for its modern and impressive-looking home equipment, Sage has a robust popularity relating to performance-focussed items of package. A wealth of helpful attachments and equipment are included with the Bakery Boss, highlights being the additional bowl and the scraper beater.
There are additionally some nifty additions that you just don’t discover on most stand mixers, together with a bowl mild and the 12-speed information, which helps you to know one of the best pace to make use of for a spread of duties. The Bakery Boss excelled on our meringue and cake making checks. The dough for our cardamom buns turned knotted across the dough hook a number of instances and the necks of every of the attachment are brief, which means we received batter and meringue over our palms.
Learn the total Sage the Bakery Boss overview
Kenwood kMix, £257
Rating: 4.5/5
Finest entry-level Kenwood stand mixer
Should you’ve been admiring Kenwood stand mixers for some time however really feel the Chef vary is both too technical to your wants or barely more cash than you’re joyful to spend, the Kenwood kMix offers all of the spectacular energy and high-quality attachments of its Chef counterparts.
Design-wise, it’s extra enjoyable wanting than the marginally critical Chef vary, and is on the market in a spread of enjoyable colors. The 1,000-watt motor powered by means of all our bakes with ease, producing a light-weight and fluffy cake, and delicate meringue. The dough did get wrapped across the dough hook, which was a disgrace. However the kMix packs a punch and will get the fundamentals achieved effectively.
Learn the total Kenwood kMix overview
Kenwood Chef Baker, £337.99
Rating: 4.5/5
Most user-friendly stand mixer
The Chef Baker is Kenwood’s entry-level mannequin to the Chef vary. It’s extra pared again than the Chef Baker XL and the Chef Patissier XL on this checklist however no much less spectacular, that includes a 5L mixing bowl and the identical mild pace dial. This stand mixer made mild work of all three checks, producing precisely the outcomes we have been on the lookout for.
Neat and compact, the Chef Baker is a horny choice that doesn’t take up an excessive amount of house on the kitchen counter. It additionally options Kenwood’s interchangeable PopTops (detachable colored panels) that convey a pop of color to the mixer. It’s not the quietest mannequin and we seen that the lean head jolted somewhat when mixing the dough, however in any other case it’s moderately priced and sensible at on a regular basis baking duties.
Learn the total Kenwood Chef Baker overview
Smeg stand mixer SMF03, £449
Rating: 4/5
Finest vibrant stand mixer
That is Smeg’s most modern stand mixer. It is available in a horny array of colors appropriate for each muted and maximalist kitchens. Included with this mannequin are all of the attachments you’ll have to get began, in addition to an uncommon anchor-shaped scraper beater attachment.
This mannequin carried out effectively on the cake-making take a look at, although the scraper beater didn’t work as we anticipated, so we opted for the normal beater paddle as an alternative, which labored significantly higher. We discovered the SMF03 lacked oomph and consequently our meringue and dough checks took a very long time to finish.
Finest suited to the design-conscious cake baker.
KitchenAid Traditional, £349
Rating: 4/5
Finest fundamental stand mixer
Immediately recognisable as a KitchenAid, the Traditional is a part of its mid-range assortment. It’s barely completely different to the Artisan in that it’s solely obtainable in black or white, comes with a 4.3L bowl (slightly than 4.8L) and has a barely decrease wattage. In any other case it comes with all the identical attachments.
Given its wattage, we discovered this mannequin somewhat gradual to convey mixes collectively, which posed no actual issues on our meringue take a look at however did lead to some robust buns. We couldn’t fault it on our cake making take a look at, nevertheless.
That is the stand mixer for the occasional baker. It is enticing, easy to make use of however doesn’t include all of the bells and whistles of among the different fashions on this checklist, which is okay, as a result of some individuals simply don’t want that.
Learn the total KitchenAid Traditional overview
Cuisinart Precision stand mixer, £247
Rating: 4.5/5
Finest inexpensive stand mixer
Just like the KitchenAid above, this Cuisinart mannequin is simply obtainable in black and white. This wholly uncomplicated machine is easy and intuitive to place collectively. The attachments are reassuringly weighty and really effectively constructed.
This mannequin did a superb job on our cake making and whisking checks however the low wattage meant that it struggled considerably when kneading bread dough. We discovered the low pace settings a welcome addition, notably when beginning to combine doughs – the speeds are mild and managed.
Easy to make use of, effectively designed and budget-friendly, the Cuisinart Precision stand mixer is a high-quality, inexpensive choice.
Learn the total Cuisinart Precision stand mixer overview
KitchenAid Mini, £349
Rating: 4/5
Finest stand mixer for small house
Brief on house or simply an occasional baker? The KitchenAid Mini is a scaled-down model of the enduring KitchenAid Artisan and Traditional. It has a 3.3L bowl and the identical 10 pace settings plus ½ pace starter because the Traditional. It’s easy and simple to make use of however we did discover the pace dial somewhat stiff to make use of. We’d have appreciated to have seen a deal with on the slippery bowl, as we struggled to scrape out cake batter comfortably whereas holding it.
The Mini produced shiny stiff peaked meringues and a easy, effectively combined cake batter. The lean head jolted somewhat when kneading the bread dough, although. Should you’re after a space-saving choice for infrequent small bakes, the Mini hits the mark.
Learn the total KitchenAid Mini overview
How we examined stand mixers
The stand mixers featured on this overview have been examined in managed circumstances utilizing a standardised testing standards. We picked three traditional olive recipes to check three key stand mixer duties and their attachments. To place the beater to the take a look at, we made olive’s straightforward chocolate cake recipe. For the dough hook, we made cardamom custard buns (skolebrød) and to check the balloon whisk, we whipped up a fundamental pavlova. All stand mixers have been scored in opposition to the next standards:
- Efficiency: the feel of the cake, bread and meringue have been assessed earlier than and after baking. We seemed for absolutely integrated components, constant bakes and bakes that have been mild, open and ethereal in texture.
- Ease of use: all fashions have been scored for the convenience and intuitiveness of their meeting. We seemed for easy controls and mild acceleration – no aggressive jolting! Every part from the convenience of becoming the attachments, heft of the lean head and any options that added to the consumer expertise, have been assessed.
- Worth for cash: the fashions on this checklist vary in worth massively, so efficiency, versatility and included options have been all thought of. These home equipment are a pricey funding for some, so the worth have to be proper.
- High quality of supplies: stand mixers needs to be constructed to final, and that goes for his or her attachments, too. We seemed for effectively constructed, sturdy engineering.
- Design and aesthetic: with lots of the fashions on this checklist weighing in at round 10kg, you actually don’t wish to be shifting your stand mixer each time you wish to use it. We seemed for enticing mixers with a high-quality end. Being obtainable in a spread of colors or the choice for customisable parts scored mixers additional factors.
To seek out out extra about how testing home equipment is finished at olive, head over to our how we take a look at web page.
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