Every home or professional baker knows that a reliable stand mixer is key. It hastens processes, broadens the list of things you can bake, and allows you to do more with less time and effort.
There are tons of stand mixer products in the market, and most of them perform okay when used for baking goods for your family’s consumption. However, if you are serious about leveling up your skill by offering your goods for sale, then you have to invest in tools and equipment, a heavy-duty mixer for baking included.
And if you just want to test the waters first or begin small, getting a commercial stand mixer is unnecessary. You need something in between – a baking mixer that can withstand multiple uses every day or at least every weekend and with enough capacity to hold your ingredients.
Remember that purchasing a stand mixer is one important investment. Therefore, make sure you get a good one since it will serve as your partner in your baking journey. A stand mixer provides you with the freedom to do other tasks while it does his. Invest in something your budget will allow, and generally, the more expensive it gets, the better it also gets the job done.
When shopping for a stand mixer for a startup home-based baking business, consider acquiring one with a powerful motor so it can work around mixing sticky dough for a long time. Also, consider getting a mixer with a bowl that is large enough to mix a big batch of your raw ingredients so you can save time. Other things worth checking are stand mixer attachments, which should include a wire whip, dough hook, and paddle beater.
We scouted for your best stand mixer options that are also available online. Here are 3 of the best bread mixer models and kitchen mixers available on Amazon today that are good to use for a home-based baking business.
Best Stand Mixer for Your Home-based Baking Business – (Comparison)
Name | Key Feature | |
KitchenAid KSM8990NP 8-Quart Commercial Countertop Mixer – (Editor’s Choice) | 8-quart mixing bowl capacity with Bowl-lift design | Check Price |
Cuisinart SM-50BK Stand Mixer | 12-speed mixing control settings | Check Price |
Ankarsrum Original 6230 Black Diamond and Stainless Steel 7 Liter Stand Mixer | Unique design – the motor is on the bottom of the unit; the steel arm holds both a roller and a scraper and runs them simultaneously to knead the dough | Check Price |
KitchenAid KSM8990NP 8-Quart Commercial Countertop Mixer – Editor’s Choice
This stand mixer is not popular without a reason. Aside from that, it looks beautiful and premium-looking on your countertop, it is also durable, excellent performing, and reliable in many aspects. Its signature elliptical mixing motion just seems to make baked goods more delicious. Or at least, for me.
This Kitchenaid mixer model has an 8-quart large capacity mixing bowl, durable attachments, and a powerful motor. This stand mixer is designed with the bowl lifted by a sturdy base for additional stability during the mixing process. This is beneficial, particularly when mixing more and heavier ingredients that prevent shaking.
Meanwhile, before you engage in the mixing process, this stand mixer lifts the bowl with a lever towards an optimum distance to the attachment for the optimum bowl-to-beater position for efficient operation.
The KitchenAid KSM8990NP 8-Quart Commercial Countertop Mixer provides 10-speed settings for flexibility and more precise mixing motion. The motor matches this feature perfectly by delivering the right power according to your chosen setting. The motor provides precise motion and speed that allows for consistent and stable operation.
Meanwhile, this stand mixer further expands your versatility in the kitchen by crafting 12 matching attachments you can use with it. This allows you to create and whip an extensive list of baked goods you can experiment with or add to your offerings.
This stand mixer already comes with three of the most used attachments that include a whisk, a flat beater, and a power-knead spiral dough hook. All of these are made of heavy-duty, industrial-grade stainless steel that is made food-safe.
This Kitchenaid stand mixer utilizes a 500-watt 1.3 HP that is designed with high torque but produces less heat. This supports long periods of use so your stand mixer will not overheat. The motor is complemented by Powercore Technology that manages the whole operation to make it smooth and reliable.
Home bakers can invest in this stand mixer instead of the Kitchenaid artisan mixer to provide good mileage just in case you need something more powerful when the business picks up.
This stand mixer is NSF certified with all the attachments safe to be cleaned in a dishwasher. The included mixing bowl has a brushed stainless-steel finish with a J-designed handle.
Pros
- Equipped with 500-watt, 1.3 HP motor
- Bowl-lift design
- 10-speed slide control
- Brushed stainless-steel finish
- 8-quart mixing bowl capacity
- Comes with stainless-steel mixer attachments – whisk, paddle, and dough hook; compatible with a total of 12 different attachments (sold separately)
Cons
- Expensive
Conclusion
The KitchenAid KSM8990NP 8-Quart Commercial Countertop Mixer though pricey, is one great investment you can make. This stand mixer boasts of performance, reliability, and aesthetics.
Cuisinart SM-50BK Stand Mixer
If you love the eye-candy appeal of KitchenAid artisan mixers but have rather a smaller budget to boot, you can get a Cuisinart stand mixer at almost half the price.
This stand mixer comes in a variety of colors to match your personality, preference, or your kitchen’s interior. You can even purchase more than one if you fancy! They all look beautiful on a kitchen countertop but still ooze of professional appeal because of their die-cast metal construction.
This mixer Cuisinart is backed by a 500-watt motor to support 12-speed mixing control settings. This allows for precise mixing operations for a variety of bread and pastry types. You can also experiment and discover techniques you can adopt to further improve your creations. Who knows how soon you can whip up that signature bread you’ll be known in the world for?
The Cuisinart SM-50BK Stand Mixer is designed with a tilt-back head to easily remove and put back the mixing bowl. A base attached to the body provides stable support to prevent the bowl from flying out or from wiggling during the mixing process. Meanwhile, this stand mixer also comes with a splash guard (with a pour spout) to help prevent spillage.
This stand mixer comes with a polished stainless-steel bowl for easy cleaning and maintenance. It can hold up to 5.5-quarts of ingredients. Meanwhile, it also includes the three basic mixer attachments – whisk, flat paddle, dough hook. You can also buy separately other compatible attachments like a meat grinder, pasta extruder, ice cream maker, spiralizer, etc. for that multi-purpose operation.
Pros
- Equipped with a 500-watt motor
- 12-speed mixing control settings
- Tilt-back head design for easy access to the mixing bowl
- The bowl comes with a splash guard
- Die-cast metal construction
- Comes in different colors
- Compatible with other attachments like a meat grinder, pasta extruder, ice cream maker, spiralizer, etc.
Cons
- Smaller bowl capacity at 5.5 quarts only
Conclusion
If you need a powerful stand mixer that is more affordable being a startup home-based baker, purchasing the Cuisinart SM-50BK Stand Mixer is one good investment to transition with.
Ankarsrum Original 6230 Black Diamond and Stainless Steel 7 Liter Stand Mixer
If you want an unconventional-looking stand mixer that is still reliable in terms of power and performance, the Ankarsrum mixer is worth considering. Actually, professional bakers know this brand and can attest to its performance when it comes to bread making.
As a baker, you are called to have powerful hands and arms to do the kneading. Thanks to the invention of a stand mixer, you can now save your energy doing the nitty-gritty and making your creations palatable to the eyes, too. The best thing about this stand mixer is that is engineered to deliver powerful yet stable and consistent mixing motion so that your ingredients meld and react with each other beautifully.
This countertop mixer boasts a powerful 600-watt motor yet remains quiet while in operation. This efficient operation does not easily wear the motor so you can maximize your investment for a long time. The motor is the key to unlock a lot of power and features, which I’ll continue to list down here.
That said, this mixer for dough has a speed control knob that you can use to transition from 45 to 130 RPM. Meanwhile, the motor itself is equipped with an electronic speed sensor that automatically adjusts the torque depending on the load. This power-motor management allows for efficient operation, as mentioned.
This stand mixer comes with a large-capacity mixing bowl – 7 liters to be exact. That translates to about 21 cups of flour for your dough. The bowl is made of heavy-duty stainless steel for easy maintenance and cleaning.
Meanwhile, since this stand mixer is leaning on bread making, its included attachments are all precise and appropriate for mixing and raising different kinds of dough. The mixing attachments are friendly to the dough in terms of breaking gluten or hydrating it. It comes with a dough roller, knife, scraper, and mixer attachments like a dough hook and a set of single wire whips for light batters and cooking dough. The bowl also comes with a lid that you can use when rising the dough.
The Ankarsrum Original 6230 Black Diamond and Stainless Steel 7 Liter Stand Mixer also comes with a 3.5-liter capacity double-beater bowl made of BPA/BPS FREE Tritan plastic material that can withstand the heat from boiled sugar syrup. Being plastic, it can also resist the oil residue of butter and cream when being mixed.
Other useful features include a 12-minute timer and compatible attachments to turn your machine for other purposes like meat grinding, juice pressing, vegetable slicing, etc.
Pros
- Equipped with a powerful yet quiet 600-watt motor
- Large 7-liter capacity for the main mixing bowl plus 3.5-liter capacity for the double-mixer bowl
- Unique design – the motor is on the bottom of the unit; the steel arm holds both a roller and a scraper and runs them simultaneously to knead the dough
- With adjustable speed (45 to 130 RPM) and self-adjusting torque depending on the load
- Variety of color options
Cons
- Expensive
Conclusion
The Ankarsrum Original 6230 Black Diamond and Stainless Steel 7 Liter Stand Mixer is one heavy-duty machine that a home-based baker business person can rely on, especially in the bread department.
Final Verdict
The best mixer for baking should be reliable, heavy-duty, high-performing, and powerful enough to be your partner in your growing business. But since your kitchen will be its home in the meantime, you don’t have to buy those commercial and bulky ones just yet.
With those key performance indicators, the best stand mixer on this list is the KitchenAid KSM8990NP 8-Quart Commercial Countertop Mixer.
The KitchenAid KSM8990NP 8-Quart Commercial Countertop Mixer ticks all the requirements. And with its beautiful and sturdy built, it provides you the best of both worlds – a beautiful stand mixer and a reliable partner for your home baking and growing business.