When it comes to making cookies, bread dough or other baked goods, a stand mixer is the best tool for the job. They help you get a full, thorough mix without the risk of overmixing your dough or batter. Whether you’re a novice baker or an experienced professional chef, a KitchenAid stand mixer can open your world of culinary possibilities.
Choosing the Right Stand Mixer for Your Home
A KitchenAid stand mixer is a versatile tool that can take on all kinds of mixing tasks, from simple shredding chicken to churning out fresh guacamole for your next meal. The company also offers an extensive line of compatible attachments, so you can expand your mixer’s functionality with the perfect tool for any task.
Capacity
The size of your mixer’s bowl determines the amount of food you can make. If you bake in large batches, a larger mixing bowl will allow you to easily prepare a full batch of cookie dough or knead two loaves of bread at once. In addition, the size of your mixing bowl will determine how much flour you need to add to your recipes.
Depending on your needs, you may want to consider a model with a tilt-head or a bowl-lift design. Tilt-head models have a bowl attached directly to the motor base, allowing you to easily add ingredients and swap out attachments. A bowl-lift mixer, on the other hand, lifts the mixing bowl into place as you work. This design can be more stable when mixing heavier mixtures, but it can also be a little less portable than a tilt-head model.
Colors and Price
The KitchenAid Artisan series is the most popular option in the company’s lineup. This series includes tilt-head and bowl-lift models, which have stainless steel bowls and a ten-speed setting. They are available in a wide range of colors and sizes, but they all come with the same features.
With a flex edge beater, dough hook and six-wire whip, the Artisan will handle pretty much any mixing task you can throw its way. Plus, you can purchase a number of additional mixer attachments to expand its capabilities to make pasta, shredded cheese and even make your own ice cream.
Its 10-speed settings let you control the speed of your mixing, a big selling point for anyone who wants to experiment with new recipes. The Artisan’s 3.5-quart bowl is plenty big to mix up a half batch of cookies or a loaf of bread.
If you’re just starting out, the KitchenAid Classic is a great option for the price. It’s a refurbished mixer that has been thoroughly tested to ensure it performs like new at a fraction of the cost of a new model.
For more powerful power, we recommend the KitchenAid Pro 600. It’s the most powerful stand mixer in the company’s lineup, delivering up to 500 watts of power and a bowl-lift design that helps the bowl rise into place. The Pro 600 is best for bakers who regularly prepare large amounts of dough for cakes, bread or other baked goods. It’s also a good choice for home cooks who want to make large-batch foods, such as mashed potatoes or a pot of homemade soup.
