Do You Need A Mixer?

Sibling Rivalry


But what was even more surprising than those machines' failures were the remarkable results put up by
A seemingly low-powered machine, 1 company's smallest and most affordable model.
this machine won our inexpensive stand mixer testing.)
In fact, its
only real competition was its sibling: a machine with more than three times as much horsepower, nearly
twice the capacity, and a much heftier price tag. The only time this inexpensive model faltered was in an
abuse test: a standoff between two models by the same manufacturer, our overall top performers, to
see which could mix 10 batches of bagel dough and 10 batches of pizza dough (with 30-minute rests
between batches) without flinching.
Bagels that the latch locking down the tilt head on the smaller mixer stopped working--a result that
Indicated more about the possible disadvantage of tilt-head mixers than it did about this machine's
motor, which, by the way, carried on just fine if we held the mixer's head in place.
Besides a bowl-lift rather than a tilt-head design, we had a few wish list items for the aforementioned
machine: a bowl handle, preferably a vertical one to help us control the weight of the vessel and keep
Our other hand free for scraping, and a splash guard (one that could slip on and off easily, such as the
one on the model which bested this one). And for all three models by our winning maker, an easy-to-set
timer with automatic shutoff would be nice. (Notably, a larger bowl capacity is not something we
missed, as evidenced by its strong performance with a double batch of pizza dough. What's more, we
Measured each mixer bowl's usable capacity--the amount of the space between the top of the
Attachment and the base of the bowl--and discovered that no model actually made use of its bowl's
Complete volume; some used barely more than half. Bottom line: A stand mixer's stated capacity may not
Only be misleading but it also might not be a good indication of the machine's capacity to handle large
loads.)Thanks to its power, heft (at 21.5 pounds, it's one of the heaviest mixers we tested), compact size,
simple operation, and relatively wallet-friendly price, the smaller sibling of our winning machine earned
our Best Buy status. But if you do a lot of heavy-duty baking, you'll want to save up for its bigger
brother, a stand mixer whose range of ability and durability make it truly worthy of investment.
METHODOLOGY
We tested nine stand mixers from leading brands, focusing on the key tasks of whipping, creaming, and
kneading and also rating them on design and ease of use. Mixers appear in order of preference. Prices
shown were paid online.
WHIPPING: We whipped average and very small amounts of ingredients, including two egg whites, four
egg whites plus hot sugar syrup for meringue, and 1 and 2 cups of heavy cream. High marks went to
machines that quickly and easily handled all quantities and tasks.
CREAMING: The best mixers quickly and thoroughly creamed butter and sugar for sugar cookie dough
and reverse-creamed yellow cake batter, and required minimal scraping of the bowl or paddle.
KNEADING: We preferred mixers that could handle both single and double batches of glossy, elastic
pizza dough and also knead stiff, heavy bagel dough into a smooth, cohesive mass without jamming or
struggling. Mixers that failed at these jobs were downgraded significantly.
DESIGN: We evaluated the weight, shape, controls, and operation of each mixer and its parts, including
the whisk, mixing paddle, dough hook, and splash guard (when included). We also assessed the usable
capacity of each model by measuring how much water we needed to pour into the bowl to reach the
top of each mixing attachment, and we compared those results with the stated capacity.