Best Stand Mixer?

[tammy77]

I've been tasked with finding a good quality, long lasting stand mixer for MIL. She says she likes the Sunbeam brand because she's had luck with them in the past, but the reviews I'm reading on Amazon make me worry that she'll be disappointed with one.

So of course I'm coming to PS for recommendations! I lean strongly towards a Kitchen Aid, even though I don't have one myself, just because of how sturdy they look. That said, I don't want to dismiss other viable options. Quality, durability and ease of use are the three most important things to her. She doesn't care about having tons of attachments and as far as I know she's not going to be making a ton of bread but would like the option.

Please share your recommendations and thoughts, if you don't mind...thank you very much!!

 

[Skippy123]

I have a friend who has and loves the Sunbeam. I have the Kitchen Aide Professional and now is the time to buy one, they run a lot of deals around this time. Mine is going strong; I had it now going on 13 years.

 

[ksinger]

Things to think about:

I have lusted for a KitchenAid forever. BUT...I have a small kitchen, which means I don't have a dedicated space on my counters for one, nor are my lower cabinet openings tall enough for one to fit (it is about 14" tall). The only other place it would fit is in an upper UPPER cabinet and I'm a shortie. AND the thing weighs over 20 lbs. So hoiking from below, or having to ladder and hoist from above - neither is an option.

If any of this sounds like your MIL or if she has physical limitations, you might want to reconsider that KitchenAid, as attractive as it is.

 

[Mayk]

I love my KitchenAid. I'm not a great cook but I love to bake and I use mine all the time. It's a true workhorse and all the cool colors are just a bonus!!!

 

[minousbijoux]

I would echo what Ksinger said. I too have had several Kitchenaids and love it - with one problem. Its big, bulky and heavy. Its awkward to lift up and down. I keep it right under the counter where I use it, and even after using it sometimes, it stays sitting out, just because I hate wrestling it back into its place under the counter. I don't know how strong your MIL is, but I would definitely look at the weight and portability of each type; I seem to remember that Sunbeams are a bit smaller and more compact?

 

[amc80]

Kitchen Aid, all the way. I leave mine on the counter, so moving it around isn't an issue. I love all the fun attachments you can get.

 

[lulu]

Another recommendation for the Kitchenaid. I have one at each house and they're nice enough looking to leave on the counter.

 

[TC1987]

A DeLonghi (DSM7?) model was becoming more popular than the KitchenAids 3-4 years ago, and there might be a Breville or two that are worthy competitors. The old KitchenAids were made by Hobart, but Hobart sold off that business in late '80s or early '90s and cooks have been having a love/hate relationship with KitchenAid mixers ever since. They are not made as heavy-duty as when they were Hobart's products. I don't know anything about the Sunbeams.

There are lots of complaints that none of these mixers are good for bread. But used breadmakers can be bought for literally $4 - $10. Even if you don't like the bread they bake, they can be used as dandy mixers to mix the dough. Then you turn it out and knead, rise, etc. and bake it in the regular oven.

I have a cheap Hamilton Beach hand mixer (it has a good low speed, too), a 1995 or 1996 KitchenAid special edition K5 that has a larger motor, and a Welbilt ABM100? (like the DAKs) glass-dome bread machine ($10 from Salvation Army store) that actually makes some decent bread.

eta: If ML has to lift and move the mixer to use it, i.e. can't leave it on the counter all the time, be sure to check the weight of whatever you or she plans to buy. My mother bought some stand mixer (not a KA) but says it's too heavy for her to lift or move. She has ulnar nerve problems and had rotator cuff surgery a couple of years ago and has to work around her limitations.

 

[JewelFreak]

I love my KitchenAid too, but echo the complaints about its weight & awkwardness. Mine lives in the cupboard below the counter & it's a struggle to get it out & back in. Otherwise, it is super.

--- Laurie

 

[kenny]

The best?
The best stand mixer for home use, if you can swing $2,200, is the Hobart N50.
An investment/heirloom that will outlive your grandchildren.
Consider a used one in good condition to save $$$.



Youtube review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGfJX2CWco

http://www.hobartcorp.com/products/food-prep/mixers/n50-5-quart-mixer/

 

[lyra]

We've had the Kitchen Aid for so long, maybe almost 20 years? My DH built a slide out shelf in a lower cabinet which makes getting it out and putting it back really easy. I don't think we'll ever need another one and we do use it regularly. We also bought the meat grinder attachment for making our own ground meats. Great product.

 

[tammy77]

Thank you all for the recommendations and personal experiences! I think she would be fine leaving it on the counter as long as it looks nice (which Kitchen Aid does), she has plenty of space.

Kenny, I bet that thing is awesome, but there's no way she's going over $300 for a mixer unfortunately!

 

[Gypsy]

I have a Kitchen Aid. I leave it on the counter. It's not an eyesore, but I know that for some people that would be a deal breaker.

Have you looked at Cooks Illustrated to see what they recommend? They do comparisons on a lot of cookware, I'd be surprised if they haven't done one on stand mixers.

 

[soocool]

I now have 2 KitchenAid mixers, one is over 20 years old and I bought a new one about 2 years ago ( great deal at kohls). I bake a lot around the holidays so two are great to have. I make bread dough using the dough hook. I make whipped cream, meringue with it. I have asked for a pasta attachment for Xmas. My friend makes lots of yummy fresh pasta all the time with hers.

 

[TC1987]

Kitchen Collection
Home & Cook
Kitchen Collection
The Kitchen Shoppe
Le Creuset
Le Gourmet Chef

^ Some of those have retail outlet stores that sell refurbished KitchenAid mixers. Kitchen Collection has them on their web site. I don't know if a refurb is worth buying or not, but that would knock the price down to the $200 - $280 range.

 

[TC1987]

... the Hobart N50.
...

Okay, that has a shipping weight of 55# and a net weight of 45#.

 

[chemgirl]

The best?
The best stand mixer for home use, if you can swing $2,200, is the Hobart N50.
An investment/heirloom that will outlive your grandchildren.
Consider a used one in good condition to save $$$.



Youtube review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGfJX2CWco

http://www.hobartcorp.com/products/food-prep/mixers/n50-5-quart-mixer/

Um that's $2 200? I have one sitting in my lab at work right now. I use it to make adhesive pastes and foams. It really is a workhorse and just chugs along. I assumed it was a super old mixer that somebody picked up at a garage sale or something along those lines.

I named him Bart.

Time to convince the finance department to buy an actual lab mixer so Bart can come home with me!

I use a Kitchenaid Artisan at home and while I do like it, it doesn't really do well with thick dough. No problem with cakes and cookies, but it does start to struggle when I make whole wheat bread or pizza dough. If I were purchasing a new one I would go for a professional series Kitchenaid.

ETA: I just watched the Hobart video and Bart is an older version without the safety guard. Its a health and safety issue. Clearly needs to be replaced.

 

[Chewbacca]

I have had a Kenwood Patissier for the past few years, and it has been very good to me. I have worked it very hard! I would have loved a Kitchen Aid, but they cost FOUR TIMES the price of the Kenwood. One day!

 

[Haven]

We were given a beautiful KitchenAid stand mixer as a wedding gift four years ago, and I've probably only used it four times. It's lovely, and it does the job, but I'm just not that into baking.

It is very large and heavy, and I don't like keeping it on the counter. If I kept it out perhaps I would use it more.

 

[Dancing Fire]

The best?
The best stand mixer for home use, if you can swing $2,200, is the Hobart N50.
An investment/heirloom that will outlive your grandchildren.
Consider a used one in good condition to save $$$.

looks good to me...

 

[ksinger]

Well, I was kinda hoping someone would come up with a recommendation for a good one that ISN'T a KitchenAid and isn't the size of a Mack truck. Yes, I know they're great, but as I stated, I can't realistically have one. I have a very old Sunbeam Mixmaster that has done me well all these years, although it's a bit beat up and the beaters need to be beaten (har) back into alignment, which is no longer just perfect. Maybe I'll just see if I can find new beaters for it and be done with it. At least it fits under my counters and without the bowls on it, I can easily lift it up and down with one arm. Alas, the new Sunbeams have become bloated and large like the KitchenAids it seems.

I do wish manufacturers would give a nod to those of us who don't live in homes with massive kitchens...

 

[kenny]

... the Hobart N50.
...

Okay, that has a shipping weight of 55# and a net weight of 45#.

Spec sheet screen capture:



So the unit itself is 44.5 pounds, but when packed for shipping it's 55 pounds.
That makes sense to me.

 

[marcy]

Kitchen Aid. I've had mine for over 10 years now and it works great. Yes, I leave it on the counter but I got a nice quilted cover for it and it's doesn't look bad at all.

 

[House Cat]

Cuisinart mixers get far better reviews and have more powerful motors for the money. If your MIL is a serious cook, she will probably be more happy with a Cuisinart.

 

[ksinger]

Well, I was kinda hoping someone would come up with a recommendation for a good one that ISN'T a KitchenAid and isn't the size of a Mack truck. Yes, I know they're great, but as I stated, I can't realistically have one. I have a very old Sunbeam Mixmaster that has done me well all these years, although it's a bit beat up and the beaters need to be beaten (har) back into alignment, which is no longer just perfect. Maybe I'll just see if I can find new beaters for it and be done with it. At least it fits under my counters and without the bowls on it, I can easily lift it up and down with one arm. Alas, the new Sunbeams have become bloated and large like the KitchenAids it seems.

I do wish manufacturers would give a nod to those of us who don't live in homes with massive kitchens...

HA! Given that I've recently purchased a new Breville Compact Smart Oven that is top-rated and that I like very much, I may get their stand mixer, which, according to Consumer Reports, has just knocked KitchenAid off its pedestal. It's still a honker in size but compared to the KitchenAid Artisan which weighs in at 25.8 lbs and 325 watts, the Breville is 16 lbs and 550 watts. The 10 lb difference makes hoiking the thing about a much more reasonable prospect. Maybe the upper cabinet isn't such an unreasonable spot now...hmmm....

Breville unseats stand-mixer champ KitchenAid in our tests
http://news.consumerreports.org/home/2012/10/breville-unseats-stand-mixer-champ-kitchenaid-in-our-tests.html

 

[kenny]

the KitchenAid Artisan which weighs in at 25.8 lbs and 325 watts, the Breville is 16 lbs and 550 watts.

FWIW, 324 and 550 watts is power consumption.
That is meaningless when comparing which is "better", as in more powerful.

Power is measured by units like horsepower.

 

[tammy77]

Thanks to all of the recommendations, she went with a Kitchen Aid Artisan 5 qt and we managed to get her a GREAT deal! If anyone's in the market, Khols has it for end price of under $300 including tax and shipping - plus a $30 mail in rebate AND $75.00 Khols Cash that can be used next week. You have to put the code "BLACKFRI" in on the payment screen to knock the last 15% off. So happy!

ETA: Bought online, of course!

 

[ksinger]

the KitchenAid Artisan which weighs in at 25.8 lbs and 325 watts, the Breville is 16 lbs and 550 watts.

FWIW, 324 and 550 watts is power consumption.
That is meaningless when comparing which is "better", as in more powerful.

Power is measured by units like horsepower.

Yeah, I did actually know that. Oddly, I seem to remember not so long ago when KitchenAid mixers and other small appliances actually gave the hp measurement. I guess they don't want you to actually know anymore or something.

The only thing I will really be going on is the fact that the Breville appears as able as a KitchenAid, to do work like making bread and is rated as well or better, and weighs a full 10 lbs LESS. That's the real biggie - I won't have to juggle the weight of an extra bowling ball when I try to move the thing.

 

[luv2sparkle]

It depends on what you will use it for. For every day use, making cookies and cakes and whipping cream, a Kitchen Aid is fine, and works well. If you want to make bread in large batches, then the motor in the Kitchen Aid won't stand up to it for a very long time.

I have made pizza dough in mine regularly for the last 5 years or so and it has been fine. If I want to make anything with over 6 cups of flour it lags, and recently broke. Hubby was able to fix it. For larger batches I pull out my Magic Mill DLX (which is now called the Verona
DLX) made by Electrolux. I was recently going to buy a new mixer and was going to get the Bosch universal. Each of these mixers operate
very differently, but both make excellent bread. They can be found at pleasanthillgrain.com and you can watch videos about them on youtube.

 

[kenny]

the KitchenAid Artisan which weighs in at 25.8 lbs and 325 watts, the Breville is 16 lbs and 550 watts.

FWIW, 324 and 550 watts is power consumption.
That is meaningless when comparing which is "better", as in more powerful.

Power is measured by units like horsepower.

Yeah, I did actually know that. Oddly, I seem to remember not so long ago when KitchenAid mixers and other small appliances actually gave the hp measurement. I guess they don't want you to actually know anymore or something.

I think you're right.
Input power (power consumption in watts) is not necessarily proportional to output power since efficiency can vary.
What I like about the Hobart N50 is they tell actually tell you the output power (which is now strong the unit is) in horse power.
Sure it is a commercial unit, but in the home it will last forever.
I wanna buy a Hobart but probably never will unless I stumble across one at a garage sale.