Another STAND on MIXERS

A question has come up in relation to the stand mixer article. People ask, “Which is the best?” For me it is not a question of best but as I mentioned in the main article one needs to match the baking style to the machine. Additionally, you long time readers will know I don’t give stars, ratings or “you must buy” type recommendations. So, how do we reconcile this dilemma?

Well, I will highlight several mixers that provide superior design and power which sets them apart from the mass of mixers on the market.

I will break this down into three categories:

1) The lighter duty mixers

2) The heavy duty work horses

3) The most versatile

1) The lighter duty mixers – As I stated previously, 80 to 90% of all mixing for baking can be done by most any mixer out there. This includes cakes, pizza dough, cookies, quick breads, brownies and the like. See the original article and look under the “Basic” and “All Purpose” mixer lists.

2)The heavy duty work horses – these machines are for you large batch bakers. I generally make two – 2lb loaves of bread at one time and these machines can handle much more than that; in fact these machines are too much machine for what I normally bake. The three most powerful, effective mixers (and biggest price tags) are…

A)The Viking – 7qt bowl, 1000 watts of power. This model has made its way into the kitchens at the Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA) and is a perennial favorite of the bakers at King Arthur flour.

B) The Bosch – 7qt bowl, 700 watts of power. This machine has a unique mixing action that develops and kneads the dough much more efficiently than most. It can handle up to 12 lbs of dough.

C) The Electrolux/Magic Mill – 8 qt bowl, 450 watts of power. Don’t let the seemingly lower wattage fool you, this baby will tackle any dough you throw at it. It will handle 15 lbs of dough and 18 egg whites! This is the king of mixers for heavy, large batch bakers. Similar to the Bosch, it has a very unique and efficient mixing action that provides very effective kneading.

3) The most versatile – the Kitchen Aid 600 Series. This machine has a better overall combination of price and function. It has a 6qt bowl and 575 watts of power. For bread bakers, the 600 Series has improved function over the old 5qt lift bowl of many years ago. Kitchen Aid seems to have lowered the RPMs and increased the torque as well as improved the dough hook so that the machine kneads more than beats bread dough.

I hope this helps give people a better idea of which type of mixer is best for you. If you any further questions, please drop me an email and I will be glad to help in any way that I can.