The Best Stand Mixers

We tested stand mixers of nearly every size and price to make recommendations that truly suit your needs. If you often do a lot of heavy-duty, large-batch baking, we suggest investing in one of our largest, most powerful co-winners, the KitchenAid 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer with Redesigned Premium Touchpoints or the Ankarsrum Original 6230 Creme and Stainless Steel 7 Liter Stand Mixer. For solid performance at a moderate price, we suggest the KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer. If space constraints are a concern, consider the petite KitchenAid Artisan Mini 3.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer. On a tight budget? We recommend the Farberware 6 Speed 4.7-Quart Professional Stand Mixer, which was slightly underpowered on tough doughs but otherwise performed very well at a fraction of the price of other mixers. Finally, if you only occasionally bake a cake or a batch of cookies, consider skipping a stand mixer altogether and choose a hand mixer. 

What You Need to Know

A stand mixer is essential for serious home bakers. It should be able to do tasks large and small, from whipping a pair of egg whites to kneading double batches of dough. But deciding which to buy has never been more complicated. KitchenAid dominates the market, but other manufacturers offer machines that promise to knead, whip, and mix with even more ease, sometimes at lower prices. Newer features include bowl-scraping beaters, stainless-steel tools, timers that automatically shut off mixing, lights that illuminate the action, extra bowls and covers, and accessories that expand the versatility of this appliance. Before you choose, it’s important to consider what kind of baking you plan to do: You’ll need plenty of power (and may need to spend more) if you do frequent, heavy-duty, big-batch projects but perhaps less power for occasional baking. Given the dizzying range of features and considerable cost of stand mixers, we shop ­carefully—and test exhaustively—to ensure you can choose from our winners with peace of mind. 

What to Look For

• Mixing Power: The main reason anyone buys a stand mixer is powerful, hands-off mixing. And kneading is where it matters most. Very wet or dry doughs are nearly impossible to work by hand and can call for up to 10 minutes of kneading. Dough develops gluten and stiffens, pushing against the machine and increasing the load on the motor. How can you tell if a mixer can handle it? Wattage seems like the answer, but it’s deceptive, experts say. The true measure is torque, said Bridget Smyser, mechanical and industrial engineering professor at Northeastern University. Torque is rotational force—how powerfully...
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