I am wanting to buy a mixer and went in to look at them, but was bombarded with all these choices. I only want one for home baking - so does anyone have any advice so I can narrow down my options. Thanks
cgvl,
May 4, 8:02am
what sort are you looking for. ie Hand held, on a stand, do you want it to just beat/cream butter and sugar etc or do you want to make dough with it. Also how much home baking do you do? I have both a hand held one, which is great for beating cream and doing the baking with. The One on a Stand I use for when I am making things like Pav or marshmallow that needs beating for some time, it also will mix dough. Personal choice the hand held one is a cheap one under $40, the Stand one cost around $400. The last cheap one I bought (from TWH) cost $20 and lasted at least10 years and was well used. I replaced it with the Stand on and was not happy. If I had to replace the Stand one again I would go for either a Breville Scraper or Kenwood but if I had the money I would go for a more expensive one.
oldhippy,
May 4, 8:11am
Thanks for that cgvl, I am after a stand one and did look at a breville scraper. they come in so many various sizes lol. thanks again
bisloy,
May 5, 5:04am
I would lean toward the kenwood myself . but I prefer the older ones
madj,
May 5, 5:20am
My first was a breville scrapper and it did a fairly decent basic job. I now have a sunbeam planetary cafe series mixer which is a lot more powerful and I love it (I won this in a competition). I would suggest buying the best machine within your budget, brands like kenwood, kitchen aid are good ones but think about what you are really going to use it for. If it is the basics every now and then home baking then the breville I feel is a good budget choice, you can always progress up if you catch the bakers bug! If your ambitions in the kitchen are a lot more then consider a more sturdy machine that will do more. Steer clear of budget brands (although some are actually pretty good) and too many gimmicks (for some they aren't gimmicks of course) that you simply and realistically won't use (unless of course you would). Use the internet to read reviews and compare, look out for specials and narrow down your choices, in store once you have all the info choose the one that appeals the most. Good luck.
nauru,
May 5, 6:25am
I agree, there are plenty of older ones available for sale, IMO they are better than the modern models. Mine was my MIL's which she bought in the early 60's, it's still going strong. Never needed a repair in all that time.
kay34,
May 5, 6:41am
I have a Breville scraper (was $2-300) from memory 3 years ago from Briscoes. Love it, use it weekly for baking and dough. For me, couldn't live without it.
samanya,
May 5, 7:30am
I 100% agree. Mine is a battered old thing that was my Mothers & it has never faltered . brilliant machine (they don't make them now, as they used to)
oldhippy,
May 5, 8:36pm
Thanks people for the advice. Much appreciated. :-)
sarahb5,
May 5, 9:38pm
I like my simple Sunbeam mixer because it can be a stand mixer or a hand mixer so can use it in more than one bowl at a time but if I was buying a new one I'd choose a glass bowl just to make it easier with recipes that use melted butter
unknowndisorder,
May 5, 9:48pm
the other thing to consider is weight. if you are lifting it in and out a cupboard, make sure it is not too heavy for you to do so.
I bought a Aunbeam, but it didn't last and rather than bother getting it fixed/checked out, bought a Kitchen Aid, which I love, but my husband always comments how heavy it is.
Not sure if other brands have the same, but there are bowl lifts and head tilts. (And yes, I got in lots of trouble for buying it, but that'll teach him for going out with his mates and knowing I wanted to bake lol - I just tell him at least I went for the cheapest option, but also got a second, so it was not full price).
also check out the consumer website, not sure if they have done tests on them, but would imagine so :)
cgvl,
May 5, 10:11pm
I had an old sunbeam like Sarahb5's. I replaced it with a new one (Sunbeam) which I detest, as it can only be used on a stand, hence why I have an el cheapo hand held one as well. Give me my old Sunbeam one any day.
sarahb5,
Aug 21, 2:07am
Having said that I am trying to replace my separate mixer, processor and blender with one machine that does everything - Braun kitchen machine
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