"Although I don't have one myself, I look forward to the day when I do enough baking to justify buying one "
Stand mixers are serious machines for the serious home cook. If you do a lot of baking, it is a must otherwise a stand mixer is a tool that would great to have but not entirely necessary. You use a stand mixer for whipping , mixing, beating, and kneading. What's great about this type of mixer is it does all the work. It makes whipping cream a breese and kneading bread a simple task.
Planetary Action
If you are going to spend the money on a stand mixer, make sure it operates with "planetary action". This means that the beater not only rotates around its own axis, it also rotates around the bowl thus giving you a two motions at once. The term planetary action (motion) can be compared to the way the earth rotates on its own axis while rotating around the sun.
With all this rotating going on, the beater makes more contact with the ingredinets. This is good because it helps speed up whatever you are mixing.
Bowl Capacity
Depending on how much you bake will factor into how large the bowl should be, but I would recommend at least 4 1/2 quart capacity. This will give you enough room to knead a good sized batch of bread. And be sure the bowl is easy to secure and remove from the stand. Nobody needs any more frustration than necessary when preparing a soufle.
Weight
Stand Mixers are heavy. A average size mixer can weigh around 23 pounds so make sure you have room on your counter. You don't want to be lugging one of these machines around the kitchen. The weight is needed to keep the machine from dancing around the counter when kneading and beating flour and cookie dough.
Speed Variations
Attachments
Models to Buy
