Stand Mixers

A stand mixer is a must if you love baking, cooking meals from scratch or experimenting with complicated recipes. This all-in-one kitchen gadget kneads, mixes and whips ingredients – unlike food processors and blenders, which chop or liquify. Some feature speed settings and extra attachments to grind or shred meat, slice vegetables, and press pasta.

A stand mixer is worth the investment if you're looking for a multipurpose kitchen tool. They're more powerful than your average hand mixer and make light work of heavy doughs and large batches of mixtures. They knead, mix and whip ingredients as standard. And some come with attachments allowing you to grind meat, slice vegetables, shred pork and press pasta, so there's no need to purchase separate gadgets. Most brands develop models to specific specifications, so consider how frequently you'll use one before purchasing.

Most stand mixers are highly versatile, thanks to their range of attachments. They can perform many kitchen tasks, including:

1. Kneading dough for bread, pizzas and cookies
2. Mixing cake batter
3. Whipping egg whites and cream
4. Making meatballs
5. Shredding chicken and pork

Not necessarily. If you wish, you can make bread by hand, but it will take longer and require more effort than a stand mixer with dough hook attachment.

If you're unsure whether to buy a stand mixer or a food processor, consider how you'll use it. A stand mixer is ideal for regular bakers, foodies or people looking to cook more efficiently. They allow you to perform many kitchen tasks like kneading, mixing and whipping with little effort and are more precise than mixing by hand. Their additional attachments and speed settings can also grind, slice, shred and whip. On the other hand, a food processor is the perfect everyday appliance. It blends, chops, grates and slices, saving you time when prepping vegetables or creating fresh family meals. They're also easy to clean and take up less space than a stand mixer.