A stand mixer is a very useful appliance and every kitchen should have one. When you start shopping for a stand mixer you will quickly find that there are countless options available to you so we wanted to put together this stand mixer buyers guide to help you decide which features you need and give you some tips for picking out the right mixer at the right price.
Speaking of price, one of the first things you need to do is set your budget. A good stand mixer will cost you somewhere between $200 and $300, maybe a little more. There are some cheap mixers available and you can find stand mixers for as little as $30 to $50 but these are cheaply made machines without a lot of power and probably won’t be very useful to most people. You can also purchase high-end units that go from $800 to $1200 or more but it’s not really necessary to pay that much unless you have a lot of money to spend or you need a professional grade stand mixer because you run a business that requires a mixer.
When you know how much you’re willing to spend you can start shopping and one of the first things you should look at is how much power a mixer has. There are a lot of stand mixers that have 400 watt to 600 watt motors and these are plenty powerful for most kitchens. A more powerful motor will often mean a more expensive price tag so if you’re on a tight budget and you are trying to save some money you might go with a less powerful motor but make sure the mixer you choose has at least a 250 watt motor or you will have a lot of trouble mixing anything other than the lightest batters.
When you are looking to buy a stand mixer you will also have to decide which features are important to you. A lot of mixers today have what they call planetary action where the beaters move in an elliptical path around the bowl to mix ingredients more thoroughly. Some mixers also operate more quietly than others so you might want to look for one that promises quiet operation. A lot of mixers also have multiple speeds which is good because you can start mixing slowly to prevent splattering and then increase to a higher speed.
A lot of mixers today also have optional attachments. Every mixer will come with the standard beaters, whisks and a dough hook but some stand mixers also have optional meat grinders, pasta extruders, ice cream makers etc. You’ll need to decide if these types of attachments are important to you before you decide which stand mixer to buy.
There are certainly a lot of things to take into consideration so I hope this stand mixer buyers guide has helped you figure out some of the more important things to look for when you are shopping. It’s also a good idea to look at user reviews online. See what other customers had to say about a particular machine and that will give you a good idea about its quality.
