Power and acceleration are the key ingredients when purchasing stand mixers.

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Stand Mixer Buying Guide

Power, Speed, and Control The power (watts) and acceleration that drive your mixer determine the machine's stamina. For whipping egg whites and mixing cakes, a light-duty stand mixer will suffice. Look for thin-wire beaters without the center rod for fluffier batters, more consistent mixing, and easy cleanup. Paddles mix thoroughly to keep ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and dough hooks outperform spirals. A 400- to 450-watt stand mixer is a pleaser when making bread. A motor that is too small will laboriously churn and sputter, facing burnout. Undersized bowls cause dough to climb the hook/spiral and lodge into connections on the underside of the mixer, which can cause mechanical problems. Recipes post speeds - drive through them respectively. There are no shortcuts. Ten speeds insure that you will not outgrow your stand mixer, but fewer speeds will handle most jobs. Starting off slow reduces splatters and flour showers. Some stand mixers have up to three slow-start speeds.

Yummy Extras
A warranty is essential; one to three years is preferred. Beware of the 90-day limited warranty. Manuals are priceless; look for complete books/booklets with tips, troubleshooting, maintenance advice, and recipes.

Some stand mixers offer replacement bowls, hooks and beaters. Some higher-end stand mixers offer ice cream, juicer, can opener, slicer, pasta, blender, food processor, meat grinder, and sausage-stuffing attachments. Attachments are not interchangeable between brands, and sometimes not between models.

Look for models with wide bowls - adding ingredients is easier and messes are reduced. Heavier, skid-proof bases remain stationary during use. Pour spouts prevent messes; splashguards are a plus, but use caution. If a feed tube is angled improperly, liquid will pour out onto the countertop instead of into the mixing bowl. Tilt-Head vs. Lift-Bowl models are a matter of preference and available counter space. (Lift-Bowl models are heavier and require more counter space and a higher clearance under the cabinets.)