If you are looking to purchase a stand mixer to complement your kitchen arsenal you need to consider durability, warranty and features in order to get the best value for your money.
A durable mixer is one with mostly metal parts and just very few plastic parts. Most of the recipes where you will need a mixer will require the mixer to operate for an extended period of time. Plastic parts may deform and even breakdown when the mixer is accumulates heat--and it will accumulate heat when you use it for a quite a while. Metal parts and housing on the other hand, is very resilient to heat, it will not deform nor breakdown.
A flexible kind is one which you can use for a wide range of blending and mixing chores, not just kneading dough. This is where speed settings and adjustable whisks come to consideration. Some mixers may even offer attachments which allows you to use your mixer as a blender, meat processor and pasta maker just to name a few.
In this review, we will take a look at 3 industry heavyweights on stand mixer. Kitchenaid, Cuisinart and the Viking brand have been around for a quite a while and are quite dominant in the market.
Kitchenaid
Kitchenaid has the widest following among the stand mixers, and for good reason. This stand mixer is found in a lot of kitchens, your grandmother probably had Kitchenaid--it was probably passed on to your mother, which will be passed on to you. This brand of mixer is very durable and has lasted the test of time. Kitchenaid is one of the best, but its claim to the top spot is somewhat contested.
Cuisinart
Not to be outclassed by Kitchenaid, Cuisinart is also one of the heavyweights in the stand mixer arena. It has plenty of models to choose from. If you need serious power, it has a model which packs a powerful 800 watts. Cuisinart's strength is its use of technology. It has a plenty of convenience features which makes your kitchen duties a lot easier and more efficient. For example, it has a countdown timer which auto shuts off when the timer has finished.
Viking
The Viking brand lives up to its name. It's tough, rugged and very durable. Viking did not hide the toughness of their stand mixers inside, they flaunted it. Just looking at the exterior of the Viking stand mixer, you can already appreciate that it is built rock solid. It has a 1000 watt motor that beat any tough dough to submission.
Which stand mixer is the best
This is a tough question without an easy answer. If money is not a concern, get a Viking. The Viking is the most powerful of the all three, it is also probably the most durable--not the most flexible though. The Viking brand is for professional chef and the really serious home chef who do not need their mixer to double as a blender or pasta maker. If you need to feed a small nation everyday by kneading 6 loaves of bread, the Viking is for you, it is built to withstand restaurant grade punishment.
If you don't want to spend a fortune on the Viking but still want a sturdy stand mixer, then Kitchen is clearly the winner, it is middle of the road between Cuisinart and the Viking.
