Stand Mixers Reviews

This mixer is underpowered - it cautions that no stiff dough or mixture over 8 ounces should be mixed. It is not clear why they even bother to pack a dough-hook given the power. But that's not all. The bowls are shaped badly, so material accumulates in the sharp angle and escapes mixing. They are so narrow that adding ingredients without hitting the beaters is tricky. And finally, the beater release button is a chore to operate. We once had confidence in Farber products. No more.

This machine places the beaters in a fixed position into the CENTER of the SMALLER bowl. So you must scrape the sides of the bowl to help mix the ingredients. The manual warns not to scrape while the mixer is in operation.

Using the LARGER bowl is a breeze. I do no scraping when mixing a double batch of pancakes. For the larger bowl, the outer edge of a beater is aligned near the bowl edge. I just put the ingredients into the bowl, lower the beaters in, and turn it on. Within 20 seconds the pancake batter is thoroughly combined by the action of the mixer.

I did not try the dough hooks.

The following is not a complaint. I'm including it in case I'm not the only cook who did not know this about making big batches. I was surprised to see the manual state, "Never fill mixing bowl more than 1/2 full - the mixing action will cause the ingredients to rise in the bowl. Mix large recipes in several batches."

I filled the 4 quart bowl with 4 quarts of water. The level went up to about an inch from the top edge of the bowl. So 4 quarts is not the capacity for what can be mixed at a time. It is the capacity for what can be stored.

Also from the manual, "Do not attempt to knead more than 8 ounces of heavy dough or batter (heavy cookie dough or candy batter) at one time."

I received this mixer as a birthday present a year ago. I love to bake, so I use it for everthing from liquid cake mixes to stiff cookie doughs and frostings. Anyone who does cake decorating will appreciate the powerful motor for mixing stiff Royal icings. The bowls are of generous size and do not come off while mixing. The push botton controls and pause are easy to use and the entire unit wipes clean. I would recommend this mixer to anyone who is looking for a quaility and durable mixer.

I'm used to commercial baking equipment, so I put a lot of effort into finding a home mixer that would stand up to the strain of making large batches of hearty yeast breads. This is the one I chose, and I have to say, it's worked out pretty well. It doesn't "walk" across the counter like some of the smaller mixers I've used, and I haven't managed to burn out the motor yet (though the casing does start to get rather hot after 8 or so minutes of bread mixing). The splash guard is actually relatively useful, and it's easy to remove if it starts to get in your way. I would definitely recommend adhering the the recommendations in the owners' manual as to how much dough the mixer can handle at once - you can put more than that in, but it's hard to get it well mixed and the dough tends to ride up the mixing arm and pick up grease.