Proluxury Blender
Crisoforo Schuhmacher
Equipped with high wattages, stand mixers can whizz through creaming and kneading tasks with absolute ease, not only saving you time, but effort, too. They can also help take you're bakes to the next level. Whether it's croissants or Swiss meringue buttercream if you're embarking on technically difficult baking projects you'll likely need the help of a stand mixer.
We put a range of stand mixers to the test, from models from big-name brands such as KitchenAid and Kenwood, to household names including Bosch, Cuisinart and Morphy Richards. We looked at the build quality, efficiency and accessories, and put each model to the test using thoroughly-tested Good Food recipes. For more information, read about how we test and review products at Good Food.
A 1000W motor provides the oomph. All attachments arrive inside a two-pocket pouch, which is game-changing for storage. The patisserie set is tucked in one side (featuring a stirring whisk with silicone edge; height-adjustable beating whisk; and kneading hook with gear protector) and four food processor discs for slicing, grating and shredding in the other. All are dishwasher-safe.
Kenwood is one of the key brands in the world of stand mixers. Decades of innovation have made them the go-to brand for keen bakers and professional chefs alike. This model includes a powerful motor and high-quality attachments that are built to last. While it's less technologically advanced than the Kenwood Chef Patissier XL above, it does include some of the features we loved. It comes with two bowls (seven- and five-litres) and in-built scales.
The mixer comes with a 5.6-litre capacity, balloon whisk, paddle, and dough hook, and we found the quality of design to be excellent. The motor was almost squeaky during use, and it took a few minutes longer than expected to reach the speed we wanted. Lifting the bowl in and out of the mixer was also trickier than hoped, and it took us a few attempts to get the hang of it.
We achieved light, fluffy results when whisking egg whites, and again when making a basic cake batter. Mixing small amounts would likely prove difficult owing to its large size, but if you're baking for a crowd, this gadget can handle it all with ease.
Like all KitchenAid mixers, this model is equipped with 10 speed settings on a sliding scale. This model comes with a beater, dough hook and balloon whisk - check out the full review to see what comes with the 175 and 185 models.
If space is at a premium in your kitchen, this innovative stand mixer by Morphy Richards is a compact alternative. It offers all the traditional functions from within a small footprint about the size and width of a large mixing bowl.
This Breville stand mixer is one of the most unique models on the list. On the surface, it looks like any other stand mixer, but hidden on the underside of the tilt-head is a heater. This heater can be used to soften or melt butter or chocolate, for those last-minute bakes.
Each of our test recipes came out as we hoped: soft buns, moist cake and stiff-peaked meringue. Notably though, the Breville rocked around a little when kneading dough and when mixing at higher speeds. We also had to go in and scrape down the bowl when mixing cake batter, despite using the flex-edge beater.
The die-case metal body with high-gloss finish gives this relatively affordable and large-capacity stand mixer the robust, quality feel of those twice its price. Features like its 5.2-litre stainless steel mixing bowl with practical handle contribute to the sense that what you get is great value for money.
It performs the basics well. The flat paddle mixer, dough hook and large whisk have good size and heft, sitting low in the bowl so as to pick up all ingredients. Its motor is 500W, which was less powerful than most tested but kneaded away without looking or sounding strained.
The dough hook, balloon whisk and beater attachments all performed well when tested with multiple recipes. Particularly impressive was the dough hook, which quickly brought the mix together and made a smooth and bouncy enriched dough for our cinnamon pecan sticky buns.
We were impressed by the large capacity of the 6.5L bowl which could easily be used to make multiple cakes or loaves at once. If you regularly bake in bulk this is a really good feature, especially since large-capacity mixers usually come at a much heftier price tag.
Stand mixers have a hinged main body with an output for various attachments, typically whisks, beaters and dough hooks, although you can often upgrade and buy a wide range of attachments. They are known to whisk egg whites, whip up a dough and cream butter with sugar incredibly quickly.
A hand mixer performs many of the same baking tasks as a stand mixer. A hand mixer (sometimes referred to as beaters) also operate using rotating attachments, but are far smaller than stand mixers, which in turn makes them more affordable.
We tested a representative sample of food mixers, from budget-friendly options to high-end investment models, and used them to whisk egg whites for a chocolate & peanut butter pavlova, make an enriched dough for chelsea buns, and cream together butter and sugar before making a zesty lemon & orange cake. We tested all attachments, final cooked products and scored the machines against the following criteria:
Best hand mixers
Best cake stands
Best cake tins
Best serving dishes and platters
Best food processors
Best blenders
Best slow cookers
Best stand mixers
Best pressure cookers
Best multicookers
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