Stand Mixer Reviews
They're a true godsend for bakers, chefs and stay-at-home mums who love to cook
Make cleaning up really straightforward. However, with dozens of models on the market from
Dozens of manufacturers, it's often tough to determine just which Stand Mixer is the ideal
for you and your needs. That's why we're here to assist you.
At Zozanga, we have compiled a list of the best Stand Mixers on the market today -- and
Given you a detailed and unbiased review to go with it too. You'll quickly be able
To pinpoint which model is the most appropriate for your needs.
STAND MIXER BUYING GUIDE: EDUCATE YOURSELF
If you regularly prepare dough, cake mixes or other pastry mixes in your kitchen, then
You could benefit from buying an electric stand mixer. These are one of the
Largest pieces of kitchen equipment that doesn't heat or boil food, and that means you need to
Make certain you'll have the ability to fit one of these pieces of equipment into your kitchen
Before you think about buying one. They can also be very expensive, and the best ones
If You're interested in purchasing one of these
Mixers for your home, then you will need to understand the difference between the
Various types of mixers, and which the most appropriate for your house is.
What is a stand mixer?
The stand mixer works through a powerful motor. This is connected to the 'head' of the
Mixer, which usually has a collection of controls, and two slots where the beaters are
placed. There is also a bowl, specifically designed to fit into the slot in the stand mixer
There are several advantages to choosing this type
of beater.
Greater amounts of flour and water, and it could also make stiffer dough, including those
required for breads or for biscuits. Moreover, some varieties of cookie mixers use a
Range of accessories that permit you to make sausages, or even ice cream. All stand
Mixers are extremely bulky, and may need to be away from other tools such as cookers and
Hobs, as they can vibrate quite significantly when used.
Should I have a stand mixer?
The question of whether you want to have a stand mixer in your home is obviously
Down to personal choice for a great deal of homeowners. However, there are some baking and
Cooking interests which make it essential to have one of these heavy-duty mixers rather
Than a standard hand-held device. Firstly, if you are making pastries or cakes for a large
Family, then you will have in order to have a mixer that can work with large quantities.
Bowl which comes with the mixer. However, if you have only use smaller
Quantities because you live alone or with a small family, then the power mixer
Alternative may not be the perfect decision for you. This is because when you use the
Smaller flour and water mixes in a large container, using a powerful motor, you will find
That you have problems with mixing the small batch correctly, and you may also discover that
The dough is overworked speedily. Smaller amounts of flour and water may also
Slosh around the bowl, rather than being mixed for long amounts of time, and the end
You will also be using a lot of electricity for the batch.
There are several important features to the stand mixer which need to be considered
Prior to making a choice on which to purchase. Firstly, there should be the standard fourblade
Whisks, a pair of which will fit in the mixer at any 1 time. Secondly, there
Should be a huge motor with significant wattage, to be able to stir the mix effectively.
As egg whites and cream, and there should be what is called a planetary motion to
the wish. This means that the whisk will turn around the bowl in a single direction, or
'orbit' the bowl on its axis at one point, and then on the opposite angle at the external
edge of the bowl.
Choosing a Stand Mixer
When You're Looking at a stand mixer, you will need to choose one which can match
The essential capacity of your dough. Most mixers feature a 7-quart bowl which is
equal to about 5 loaves of bread. Some smaller versions will only hold 5 quarts, which
Will be sufficient to make dough for a family, or to cook a single loaf of bread. There will
Also be differences in the shape of the bowl which can affect how the dough is mixed.
For example, some bowls have a 'cone' shape, meaning that they are wider at the top
round shape, giving more space for the mix to move around when being stirred. The
Cone-shapes may make it more difficult to increase the mix while it is being stirred, but they can
Encourage ingredients that aren't mixed to fall back in the base of the bowl.
Additional Stand Mixer attachments
Most stand mixers will come with a number of additional attachments that will allow you
To stir up different ingredients. The dough hook is the standard accessory, and is a
longer, flatter whisk in a curved shape that can power through heavy bread dough. You
Need to get a powerful motor for this, but the hook will stir the ingredients more
effectively than the double whisk. Another useful accessory which should be included in
the mix is the paddle whisk. This will help you to break down butter and sugar mixes
Without too much work. Other, specialist attachments, including pasta makers and
Meat-sausage grinders will need to have an additional whisk port attachment known as
the 'low gear port'.
Choosing wattage
When You're Looking for a powerful mixer, you may be tempted to choose the one
which boasts the most wattage from the motor. However, this is not always true,
Because the functioning of the motor and the speed of the whisks are two separate
issues. Most people manage better choosing capacity and whisk speeds rather than
motor wattage. This is particularly true if you intend to use lower gear accessories such
as the sausage maker or a pasta dough mixer attachment.
STAND MIXER COMPARISON CHART: COMPARE THE
BEST MODELS
Our Stand Mixer Comparison Chart lets you choose the best model for your needs. You
Can easily navigate between the different models on the marketplace, and filter by Purpose,
Price and our Review Score. When You've identified a Stand Mixer that takes your fancy
-- simply click the button to read our full, comprehensive and unbiased review.
STAND MIXERS EXPLAINED: WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW
Stand mixers are becoming increasingly popular among kitchen owners, and the rise in
Cookery programs has only accelerated demand for these things. Although they can look
Very attractive, and certainly blend dough faster than the typical hand-whisk model of
The 70s and 80s, many people buy stand mixers without knowing much about them. If
You have decided that you are making enough pastries to justify throwing out the hand
Mixer and installing a stand version in its place, then you might want to know more about
The device before you continue, and learn the basic principles of this item.
The basic facts about stand mixers
The name of the stand mixer tells you a lot about the operation and use of this machine.
Firstly, it is built onto a fixed mount, known as the stand, which can be placed anywhere
In the kitchen or even moved to a useful location when it is required. The mixer includes
A bowl which could be fitted into position at the bottom of the stand, a pair of whisks which
Are utilised to blend dough in the bowl, and an arching 'head', which holds the port for the
Whisks, and also contains the buttons and dials used to control the mixer.
The standard whisking motion is known as the planetary whisk. This is a movement
Where the centre of the whisk moves in 1 motion around the bowl, and the blades of
the whisk turn in the opposite direction, sweeping up as much as possible of the mix,
and turning it into dough. Using this motion, the dough should always be at the bottom
of the bowl, and not flattened to the sides. This is also the most efficient motion for
mixing light doughs and pastries.
The mixer is powered by a large motor, which is placed inside the stand in the space
Next to the bowl, forming part of the pillar supporting the whisk head. This motor can be
Powered through power, or via batteries, although the latter is now becoming a
lot less common.
What can I used a stand mixer for?
If you want a stand mixer in your kitchen, then you are probably calculating on using it
for doughs, such as cake and pastry mixes, and even bread dough. This is the most
Common use for the mixer, and will enable you to get the best out of the device. However,
This is not all that the mixer can do, and if you want to use it more often, then you could
also use it for whipping cream and egg whites, for blending chocolate mousse and other
lighter doughs, for making pasta dough from scratch, and even, with the right
accessories, make sausages using the meat grinder. You can also use it to mix together
dry ingredients before adding to a pan, or blending ingredients together prior to forming
a dough. Some cooks also use the mixer for mashing potatoes and other vegetables.
The accessories commonly found with the stand mixer
In addition to the standard two whisks which come with the mixer, you may also find that
You have the ability to buy a range of other accessories which can help you to blend and
mash your ingredients more effectively. The most common accessory to be included
with the mixer is the dough hook. This is a flatter, curved whisk which will knead dough
more effectively than the pair of whisks. They may take a while to form the dough, but it
Is usually more effective than food processors or hand-whisks in creating the perfect
bread dough. You may also find a large balloon whisk, which can be used for mixing
ingredients together quickly and finely, and for adding more air into dough or batter, and
a paddle beater, which will whip cream and egg whites more effectively than a hand
whisk. You will also find, usually for sale as separate items, jug blender tools, mincers
Which allow you to grind meat, and an ice-cream mixer which will let you create
ice-cream ready for freezing. Some of these accessories will require that you need to
attach a low-gear tool into the whisk ports before you can use them.
There are plenty of accessories which can be attached to the mixer itself in order to
Make the use of the tool more effective. For example, you might choose to buy a splash
Guard, which will be fitted over the bowl to be able to stop mixtures from splashing out
Of the bowl when the whisks are being used. This may need to be attached prior to
switching on the whisks. The jug blender will also be attached to the bowl, and allows
You to turn your stand mixer into a juice maker, so that you can blend fruits into
smoothies, or turn vegetables into soup.