Kitchen Stand Mixers

I'm looking for a kitchen stand/bench mixer, are there brands to avoid? Can anyone recommend a good mid-range model?

I can't really justify the cost of the Kitchenaid ones but I was looking at Kenwood, Sunbeam and Bellini and I can't find a lot of good information about what the differences are, besides their appearance which I'm not too fussed about.

My mum has a Kenwood and is very happy with it. I have a Kitchenaid and love it, can’t go past it for looks and it hasn’t skipped a beat in 10 years.

I have a Sunbeam. I'm not sure I'd recommend it though, but maybe I'm not using it for the right things. I do a lot of baking but find that I end up using my hand beaters more often than not, because the stand mixer doesn't seem to mix regular size mixtures very well. The bowl is so big, small amounts just sit at the bottom doing nothing.

It's good for whipping up big mixtures, like lots of egg whites for a pavlova, but then it doesn't mix the sugar in that well. It always ends up on the sides of the bowl and not mixed in. Then I try to scrape the sides down but it's not that easy to access the bowl with the mixing blade attached.

It's good for kneading dough though. I really hate kneading by hand and this does a pretty good job (as long as your dough is big enough).

I'm curious what people use theirs for, because mine just hasn't been used as much as I anticipated

I bought a Breville scraper beater model, was about $300 and it was rubbish, so much plastic, rattled and wobbled while using it. I returned it after one use and ended up getting an Artisan Kitchenaid. They really are worth the money. I waited until I found a good deal and found one on Catch for $520. It works so well, is really solidly built and I love it.

Bellini is a brand of kitchenware I avoid. I had Kenwoods before buying a Kitchenaid. I like both brands.

If you are going to be using it a lot I'd go for an Artisan Kitchenaid or a similar priced Kenwood.

My KitchenAid Artisan mixer died on me last year. I managed to get a better model Kitchen Aid from Kogan for around the $400 mark, Myers and DJs were selling the same model for over $1000. I think I got lucky as a week later Kogan were selling them for more ($600? $800? I can't rememember exactly how much).

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kitchenaid-bowl-lift-stand-mixer-white-kpm5-kitchenaid/

This model is better than the artisan because it has a bigger capacity bowl and holds more flour (important to me as I bake a lot of bread), more grunt in the motor and has metal not plastic gears.

They are sold out at the moment, but if you aren't in a rush it may be worth waiting for them to restock.

The only downside is that it is massive and needs to live on the floor of my pantry because it won't fit in any of my kitchen cupboards.

I also want to say that a kitchenaid on sale is worth it.

My mum has a Breville and it’s terrible. I think the motor is close to dying and my mum rarely uses it cause it’s so terrible.

Kitchenaid motors are life time guaranteed IIRC

I bought this Kenwood 12 months ago and I absolutely love it. https://spares.delonghigroup.com/en-au/component/ecart/product/0w20011301.html

I was going to buy a kitchenaid but I actually liked the lines of this better and the purple is just glorious. It came with a wealth of attachments including one I had to send away for -- and it was around $700 IIRC. Which is a lot but the deal I had meant it was half what it would normally be.

The bigger bowl was a selling point too. Shop around for deals.

I probably wouldn't buy a Sunbeam these days, although I have their retro hand mixer and it's pretty good.

Interesting to hear bad experiences with Breville as I have had one for 8 years and am very happy with it. I bake a lot (including bread) so it is used pretty much weekly. I was tossing up between the Kenwood and the Breville when I bought mine (I couldn’t justify the cost of a kitchen aid) and The only reason I didn’t choose the kenwood because at that time it didn’t have a handle on the bowl which is essential for me. The kenwood has lots of great attachments so if I needed a replacement (though no sign of that) I would go kenwood.

I had a Breville about seven years ago and it was not great. As others have said, it was very wobbly and didn’t seem well made. I upgraded to a Kenwood Chef XL about three years ago and it’s been fantastic. I can’t remember how much it was but I recall it was a good deal, and I know Costco have them regularly for a pretty good price

I got my KItchenaid during lockdown. I had plenty of time to look for deals!

I found a discontinued colour on appliances online. It was ice blue and was down from $950 to $550. (Including the sifter as a mothers Day deal)

To cut a long story short they ended up calling me on a Sunday morning as they had none left. Instead they sent me the colour of my choice by courier the next day for that price!

I’m so thrilled with it.

My KitchenAid Artisan mixer died on me last year. I managed to get a better model Kitchen Aid from Kogan for around the $400 mark, Myers and DJs were selling the same model for over $1000. I think I got lucky as a week later Kogan were selling them for more ($600? $800? I can't rememember exactly how much).

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kitchenaid-bowl-lift-stand-mixer-white-kpm5-kitchenaid/

This model is better than the artisan because it has a bigger capacity bowl and holds more flour (important to me as I bake a lot of bread), more grunt in the motor and has metal not plastic gears.

They are sold out at the moment, but if you aren't in a rush it may be worth waiting for them to restock.

The only downside is that it is massive and needs to live on the floor of my pantry because it won't fit in any of my kitchen cupboards.

Dp got me one of these from good guys when it was on special for Christmas the year before. I love it! It fell off the bench a couple of weeks ago when I was making brioche and it wobbled off, absolutely fine. I got the pasta attachments for Christmas last year, so I can make fresh pasta in half an hour!!

I bought a Kenwood Chef XL Sense and absolutely love it. I decided to go for the larger kenwood as I make big batches of cake mix but I use it all the time for smaller batches as well and it mixes thoroughly. It's not noisy, it's stable, well priced (esp incl all the attachments) and has a good reputation. I read a lot of reviews before settling on the kenwood.

I have a Kenwood and I really like it.

Just watch with the really cheap kitchen aids as some are reconditioned models - I've seen some of these on Catch.

We had an old Kenwood which lasted 30 years plus but that was back in the early 70s.

You need one with planetary action. My first was a Sunbeam 25+ years ago as that was all i could afford. Never liked it and it was a waste of money - should have just saved up longer. Finally gave that away and bought a kitchen aid.

If we ever get one it will be a Kenwood, sadly not my MIL's which is still going 40+ years on as she still uses it (and it is the UK) lol!

My KitchenAid Artisan mixer died on me last year. I managed to get a better model Kitchen Aid from Kogan for around the $400 mark, Myers and DJs were selling the same model for over $1000. I think I got lucky as a week later Kogan were selling them for more ($600? $800? I can't rememember exactly how much).

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kitchenaid-bowl-lift-stand-mixer-white-kpm5-kitchenaid/

This model is better than the artisan because it has a bigger capacity bowl and holds more flour (important to me as I bake a lot of bread), more grunt in the motor and has metal not plastic gears.

They are sold out at the moment, but if you aren't in a rush it may be worth waiting for them to restock.

The only downside is that it is massive and needs to live on the floor of my pantry because it won't fit in any of my kitchen cupboards.

 

Dp got me one of these from good guys when it was on special for Christmas the year before. I love it! It fell off the bench a couple of weeks ago when I was making brioche and it wobbled off, absolutely fine. I got the pasta attachments for Christmas last year, so I can make fresh pasta in half an hour!!

Whilst im glad it survived. It shouldnt actually wobble off the bench!

Make sure its is adjusted correctly.

https://producthelp.kitchenaid.com/Countertop_Appliances/Stand_Mixers/Product_Info/Stand_Mixer_Videos/VIDEO%3A__Adjusting_the_Beater_to_Bowl_Clearance_(Dime_Test)

I didn't know you could do that! I'll have to check it the next time I get it out. It's the first time that it's done it and I figured it was just because it was dough. It seems perfectly stable otherwise. But I'll check. Thanks!

I'm looking for a kitchen stand/bench mixer, are there brands to avoid? Can anyone recommend a good mid-range model?

I can't really justify the cost of the Kitchenaid ones but I was looking at Kenwood, Sunbeam and Bellini and I can't find a lot of good information about what the differences are, besides their appearance which I'm not too fussed about.

What will you be using it for/how frequently will you be using it?

If you’re just whipping light cakes and stuff, a cheaper one might be fine. If you’re planning on regularly kneading dough then I would be waiting for a Kenwood or KA to go on sale.

If you overheat and burn out the motor of a cheap one and need to replace it, it might equate to the cost of a good one on sale.

I replaced my Artisan KA with a bigger one a few years ago. I much prefer the larger capacity and motor power for kneading. I have hungry teens and it takes me the same time to make a double batch of cookies/cakes/whatever and the machine can handle it. I used to need to cream single batches of batter in the Artisan which took forever in Mum’s Sunbeam. We make fresh pasta quite regularly and the KA makes it a breeze.

Thank you for all the replies, it seems to be pretty unanimous at this stage.

I want one to make biscuits and pizza dough (which I currently do by hand) and down the track I'd like to learn to make fresh pasta. It sounds like it's probably worth looking for a Kitchenaid or Kenwood.

I have a Breville bakery boss and it’s great, use it multiple times a week and it handles everything including sourdough.

Kitchenaids are often available using FlyBuys or credit card rewards points schemes, if you have them. My mum got me one for my 30th (about 8 years ago) using her CC points. In the time I've had it, she has been through 2 or 3 cheaper ones. So this year for mothers day I used my flybuys points to get her one! I was limited in colour choice (as I think they offload the less popular colours there to clear them) but got a classic silver that she was happy with.

I'm eyeing this one off, what does everyone think?

https://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/KitchenAid-KSM150-Stand-Mixer-Black.aspx

I'm eyeing this one off, what does everyone think?

https://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/KitchenAid-KSM150-Stand-Mixer-Black.aspx

For a black one that is a great price. If it’s not urgent and you are not picky on colour then you could hold out for a cheaper one. Appliances Online sometimes have them for great prices with extra attachments, usually closer to Mother’s Day.

We would love to get one, but cannot justify the $700+ for a kitchen aid

Do any other brands compare? I borrowed my friends ALDI Sterling brand one, but I had to keep scraping the sides down no matter how much I had in there.

So the Kenwood or Cuisinarts compare?

Mainly for making cakes, icing, pizza dough, basic kind of stuff.

Thanks