Sick And Tired Of Doing Stand Mixers The Old Way? Read This

Best Mixer



The Kenmore Elite 5 Quart Mixer looks, at first glance, very similar to the Artisan. From
The lock switch on the back to the form of the bowls, it is easy to get the two mixers
Mixed up with one another, until you turn them on.

There are also minor problems with the design of the
attachments. For instance, the wider flat top of the bread hook caught a lot of flour as
we added ingredients to the bowl. The neck of the paddle attachment makes it difficult
to remove without getting dough on our hands. Furthermore, after 10 minutes of kneading

couldn't get it off.
That all being said, these problems only make the mixer less user friendly, and we were
At
A price of nearly half the cost of the list price on the Artisan, these tradeoffs will make
That's why it earned our best value pick.

The Breville Scraper Mixer Pro splits the difference between the Kenmore 5 Quart and
While it isn't cheap enough to be called a Best Value, if you're
On the lookout for a terrific mixer that is more affordable than the list price of the KitchenAid, this
is it.

Kenmore. It is 5 pounds lighter than the Artisan, with user-friendly handles on the front
And back of the head for easy carrying, a well-made speed dial, and a cord capture to
The Breville consistently completed tasks

Whites, well mixed cookies, and great bread.
As with the Kenmore 5 Quart, there isn't enough
Space at the top of the paddle attachment, so you will get your hands covered in cookie
dough when you remove the paddle. In addition, the bowl does not lock in as smoothly
as our two top picks. Most importantly, when the Breville mixes something heavy at high
Speed (like sticky pizza dough) the whole mixer "walks" all over the counter.
Still, if you want a great mixer for lighter-weight baking (cookies, cakes, bread) and you
Don't wish to get a KitchenAid, this is a good option.
KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart
Out of the box, the Pro 600 is beautiful. There's a nice, solid handle for locking the bowl
Into place and a simple to use splatter shield. Plus, it comes with all the well-made
Attachments we expect from the major stand mixer manufacturer, and a more powerful
motor than the Artisan.
Performance-wise, the KP26M1X we tested was--hands-down--the best at kneading
Bread dough, but it was very slow to whip three egg whites.
It also did not feel quite as polished as our best option. For example, the paddle
Attachment was difficult to attach, and the metal trim bulged out when we pushed the
speed dial to the "off" position. The bowl-lift manage and speed knobs are on opposite
Sides of the machine, so we had to situate it in the middle of a counter.
Kenmore Elite 6 Quart
The Kenmore Elite 6 Quart has a more powerful motor than the Kenmore 5 Quart (600
Versus 400 watts) and a larger capacity, but testing showed that the ability of the
Machine to mix and whip wasn't materially different than the Kenmore 5 Quart. It
whipped more slowly, but incorporated chunks into cookie dough faster and more
efficiently. The motor was the loudest we tested, and whined ear-piercingly as it
kneaded bread dough. If you have your heart set on an affordable bowl-lift design,
though, this Kenmore (model number 89308) costs just $100 more than the tilt-head
Kenmore.
Cuisinart SM-55
While the Cuisinart 5.5 Quart mixer combined chunks into cookie dough more efficiently
Than most mixers we tested, it was consistently among the slowest to complete tasks,
Taking an extra minute to fully whip egg whites into stiff peaks. The biggest drawback of
The Cuisinart 5.5 Quart, however, is its general design.
On top of the mixer, there's a lid that covers two motor attachments for accessories.
However, it doesn't snap into place, which means it's easy to pinch your hands or pop
The top off accidentally as you're attempting to move the mixer around the kitchen. The mixer
is also top-heavy, so it's easy to tip the mixer over when you're changing attachments.
Cleaning is another huge issue with this mixer. From the way the bowl attaches to the
Cuisinart logo to the speed dial design, there are a lot of places on the mixer that will
require more than a quick swipe of a wet cloth to clean.
Its awkward design, plus the fact that It's almost as expensive as the KitchenAid
Artisan, makes it hard to recommend this mixer.
Cuisinart SM-70BC
The Cuisinart 7 Quart stands about two inches taller than the 5.5 Quart. It has a more
powerful motor and a whisk with significantly more tines. Unfortunately, the 7 Quart
Adds functional issues on top of the design issues with the 5.5 Quart. Since the bowl is
Taller--but no wider--than the 5.5 Quart, it's tough to scrape all the way down to the
bottom of the bowl.
While the whisk is much improved, the other attachments are simply larger versions of
The exact same design. Butter, for example, got stuck just as easily in the paddle as with the
5.5 Quart. Overall, the added capacity (and cost) Doesn't make the Cuisinart 7 Quart
better than the 5 Quart.
Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 63232
The Hamilton Beach Eclectrics Mixer is the least expensive stand mixer we tested. It is
styled like the Kenmore 5 Quart and the KitchenAid Artisan, with a simple button for
head lock release and a speed dial. The biggest concern with this mixer is the motor.
Rated at 400 watts, it claims to be more powerful than the Artisan's 325 watts, but in
testing the mixer struggled to mix thick cookie dough and knead bread.
We also found that the bowl handle's sharp edges uncomfortably cut into our hands,
And although the speed dial is labeled up to 12, the motor only has 6 speeds. At roughly
The identical price, the Kenmore 5 Quart is a far better choice.