The Best Kitchen Mixers – What to Look For

Whether you know them as kitchen mixers or food processors, these are kitchen gadgets than many of us own.  They are used for everything from mixing up some pancake batter to creating the mixture for cakes plus many more tasks.  The best kitchen mixers are a huge asset that you will be surprised to find ever more uses for.  But what should you look for when you are buying a new kitchen mixer or replacing your existing one?

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Kitchen mixers – the types

There are three main types of kitchen mixer to choose from.  Which one is best depends on what you want to do with them, how much space you have to store them and your budget?

Hand mixer

If you want something simple and easy to use that doesn’t need much space and doesn’t cost a lot of money, then the best hand mixers are the solution.  These are quiet and lightweight, have a number of speed settings and can be used with any bowl or container that can hold their attachments.

Stand mixer

A stand mixer is the big cousin of the hand mixer and comes with a mixing bowl and attachments, so you don’t need anything else to start using it.  Most will come with a few basic attachments such as a flat beater or mixer blade, a dough hook and a balloon whisk.

Combination

This is the hybrid type of kitchen mixer that can either be used with a stand or detached and used as a hand mixer.  They tend not to be as powerful as a stand mixer but will have more attachments than a hand mixer.  They are ideal if you need some of the features of both and are space conscious as they usually take up less room.

Food processor

We aren’t going to go into detail about food processors here, that’s for another day.  But the difference between a stand mixer and food processor is the range of tasks they can do.  Food processors often do more jobs such as chopping, slicing and grating but may not have the features and attachments that a stand mixer has.  A food processor is also a cousin of the blender as some will have some of the features of a blender, such as blades.

Attachments for kitchen mixers

One of the key ways to access which is the best kitchen mixer for you is to look at the different attachments it comes with and what is also available.  Think about the kind of tasks you want the mixer to do and what attachments you will need for them to help you decide.

For example, most stand mixers will come with three standard attachments:

• Flat beater (mixer blade) – this is used for mixing normal to heavy consistency ingredients and for jobs such as mixing a cake mix, icing or even for mixing up mashed potato
• Dough hook – this is for kneading dough for bread and heavier pastries
• Balloon whisk – used for things like whipping egg whites, creaming light cake mixtures and batters and anything that needs a lot of air into it but not for heavier mixtures as it isn’t always strong enough

There are also some extra attachments that may either come with the stand mixer or be purchased separately.  A splash guard is often included with the mixer – this sits over the top of the bowl and stops the ingredients from splashing out.  It can also be handy for lighter ingredients like icing or sugar which might float away!

A flexi-beater is a variation of the flat beater but has a silicone or rubber spatula on the outer edge.  This scrapes the side of the bowl and stops that weird situation where there are unmixed ingredients around the edge.

Food processor attachments

With some mixers, such as the KitchenAid ranges, there is a range of specialist food processor attachments that you can use with the mixer.  These fit in a different spot to the mixer attachments and widen the range of jobs that the mixer can do, making it more like a food processor.  Some examples of these include:

• Mini chopper for nuts, herb and spices
• Blender jug to create smoothies, puree foods and juicing
• Slicer and grater
• Citrus press for fresh juice
• Slow juicer for hard ingredients like vegetables and tough fruit
• Grinder or mill for spices, pepper or dried fruit – some can also grind coffee beans
• Meat mincer to mince meat and fish, sometimes also a sausage making attachment
• Pasta maker for various styles of pasta
• Spiralizer to create zoodles and other vegetable noodles
• Ice cream bowl which is frozen after mixing

Hand mixers have a much smaller range of attachments than stand mixers because they don’t have the size, motor capacity or anywhere to attach them.  So when it comes to getting these extra features, if they are what you need then a stand mixer is probably the best option.

Best stand mixers

Now the question of ‘what is the best stand mixer’ is going to be different for everyone but I thought I would take a look at some of the big names and well-rated products to give you some inspiration.  Look at the attachments that come with the appliance but also at the other attachments available if you have things you know you want to add later.

With stand mixers, always make sure you look at the measurements and make sure you have somewhere to put them.  We have one that used to stand on the kitchen bench but took up half the area!  So now it has a spot in the utility room and comes into the kitchen when it is needed.

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer

We have to start with the one of the KitchenAid range because they are among the most well known of brands and easily recognised.  They even look super stylish!  This particular Artisan 175 model comes in gorgeous colours like this pistachio as well as red and cream so if you want to coordinate with your kitchen décor, there’s plenty of choices.

There are a 10-speed direct drive motor and a single attachment hub for ease of use.  The set comes with two stainless steel work bowls, a whisk, dough hook and flat beater as well as a flex edge beater.  There are also almost every attachment available mentioned above (and some that aren’t).  Many of these attach at the front of the mixer rather than where the bowl stands.

It is definitely an investment mixer with many cheaper models available.  But if you want flexibility, power, a 5-year guarantee and a very stylish looking mixer, it is definitely one to consider. And you can often find some brilliant deals if you shop around, especially on Black Friday and around Christmas!

Kenwood KMC011 5 quart Chef Titanium Kitchen Machine

Kenwood opts for the no-nonsense style of stand mixer.  Their Chef XL Stand Mixer comes in a sleek silver colour and has an extra large 6.7-litre bowl for those big cake mixes.  It also has intelligent control that gradually increases speed from gentle to full speed, so you don’t end up splattering those wet ingredients around the kitchen.

It comes with the dough hook, flat beater and whisks while there are extra features that attach to the top of the mixer such as a mill attachment, grater and even an ice cream attachment. 

Cooks Professional 800W Stand Mixer

If you are looking for a more budget-friendly option, then the Cooks Professional is a great range to look at.  We have a red coloured slightly older version of this 800W Stand Mixer and it still does the job perfectly. 

The mixer comes with a 4.5-litre bowl and three attachments for all the main tasks – the dough hook, whisk and flat beater.  The mixer has an easy to use system that lets you lift up the mixer head to get access to the bowl and comes with a splash guard.  It also has a simple dial to change the settings.

Best hand mixers

When you are looking at hand mixers, the key considerations are the speed and settings available and if they have the attachments that you need.

KitchenAid KHM926CA 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater

The KitchenAid Hand Mixer also comes in eye-catching colours but also with some good features.  There are 9-speed settings with a soft start to avoid splattering that food while they also have a one hand operation.

The mixer comes with stainless steel Turbo Beaters for light or heavy mixes, a 16 wire whisk, a mixing rod and also a pair of dough hooks.  There is even a cotton carry case for the attachments and the mixer. 

Cuisinart HM-90S Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Handheld Mixer with Storage Case

A great handheld mixer, this comes with beaters, chef’s whisk, dough hooks and a spatula as well as a storage case built into the bottom to keep them all in.  It has 9 speed options and one-touch speed control to make it easy to use as well as three low start speeds to reduce the chance of a major mess in the kitchen!

Best combination mixer

Combination mixers don’t seem to be as plentiful as the other two categories, but I did find one from Lakeland that is both a small stand mixer and also able to use as a hand mixer.  Their 2 in 1 Hand and Stand Mixer has a 300-watt motor and five different speed settings.  You can mix in the accompanying bowl or another bowl you have.  It also comes with 2 dough hooks, 2 beaters, a spatula and mixing plate. 

Picking the best kitchen mixers

Picking the best kitchen mixer can be fun – there are plenty to choose from, some rather stylish ones and even lots of colours.  But the important things are the size of the motor, the speed settings and the attachments available.  Once you know what kind of thing you want to make, then you are best placed to make that choice!