What makes a good mixer

So trust me in saying that when my family took advantage of a Black Friday steal and got me a KitchenAid stand mixer, my life changed. Suddenly, recipes that had always felt out of reach whether because of effort or skill were attainable: I was making big batches of brown butter and toffee chocolate chip cookies on weeknights and turning out braids of chocolate-y babkallah on the weekends. The best part? In fact, I saved energy by pulling out my stand mixer anytime a recipe even hinted at long mixing times or kneading of any kind.

You don't need a stand mixer for these cookies —but having one makes you more likely to make them. For starters, a stand mixer is a stationary, motor-powered mixer that consistently churns large quantities of ingredients for long periods of time at a consistent pace. These three attachments cover most of the bases for an average home baker, from creaming butter to beating egg whites to kneading dough.

But the best mixers focus on the song. They put the song on a pedestal and present it in its best light. While they make the record sound great too, they know that sonics are secondary. The song is everything. Sometimes you take a mix in the wrong direction. This will never change. The best mixers know that failure is part of the process. When they make a mistake, they look for opportunities to learn from it. They determine what they can do differently next time, and move on. What do YOU think separates a good mixer from a great one?

Let me know by leaving a comment below. You can probably make a mix sound pretty good. But the truth is… There are a lot of good mixers out there. And far fewer exceptional ones. So what separates you from them? Experts told us they use other popular accessories, including an ice cream maker , which typically features a freeze bowl and rotating dasher, and a pasta maker , which cuts pasta sheets into noodles of varying thickness.

Stand mixers can include either a glass or a stainless steel mixing bowl. A higher wattage means a more powerful motor, which can come in handy if you have large quantities of food or heavier dough.

Most good quality stand mixers have wattages ranging from watts to upwards of watts. Speed settings can also be a feature worth considering: Most stand mixers come with anywhere between five and 12 settings. Different foods require varying speeds to adequately mix them, from a slow start and low mixing speed to a medium-high and high speed for faster beating or whipping. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Follow Select. By Mili Godio. Shopping Why I chose this Belgian waffle maker over others. Williams Sonoma. Bed Bath and Beyond. Sur La Table.