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Need Help Deciding On A Stand Mixer?

Buying a Stand Mixer can be a tough decision. You don’t want to spend more than necessary. You want a machine that will last for years. But… what features should you look for when faced with the enormous number of makes and models on the market. Before you buy, it’s a good idea to learn what these features are, and to decide what it is that you will be using the mixer for.

In this article I will be discussing the general features of Stand Mixers. For information about specific stand mixers check out the reviews here on my blog.

What A Stand Mixer Can Do For You;

A Stand Mixer is made to do the heavy tasks of mixing. Mixing by hand can be a feat of endurance. If you are mixing heavy batters, a hand-mixer just isn’t going to be able to handle it. A Stand Mixer is built to do all of the hard work of preparing food easily. While it does the grunt work, you are hands-free. so you can measure your ingredients and prepare your pans. This can cut your prep time in half.

A Stand Mixer can be very versatile with the attachments that are available. A good quality machine comes with at least three standard attachments. A paddle, a whisk, and a dough hook. These will allow you a lot of options by themselves. You can do everything from kneading dough for fresh bread, to whipping heavy cream to make whipped cream. Many brands also have a wide range of additional attachments. These attachments can make ice cream, roll and cut fresh pasta, grind meat, stuff sausages, and a whole lot more.

Who Would Benefit Most From A Stand Mixer?

• Do you bake more than once a month?
• Do you like to entertain?
• Do you bake for the holidays, or make food gifts for family and friends?
• Do you like to experiment with new recipes?

If you fit into two or more of these categories you need a stand mixer. The time and effort you will save will make the investment well worth it!

What Features Are Necessary?

All-Metal Construction-is important to the durability of the machine you buy.
Planetary Mixing Action-this is like the moon revolving around our planet, which in turn revolves around the sun. In other words the beater is turning on the shaft while the shaft moves around the bowl. This makes sure that the ingredients in the bowl are mixed thoroughly, because the beater his all points on the bowl. See the following video for a demonstration of this concept.

As you can see from this video the mixing action allows the beater to scrape all points on the bowl.
10-Speeds-this will allow the versatility you need for all of your recipes. Mixing doughs, making batters, and whipping all require different speed settings.
4-1/2 Quart Minimum for bowl size. This will accommodate a double batch of most recipes. However, if you are making double batches of recipes a lot, you may want to go with a larger bowl so you are sure all of your recipes can be doubled.
325-Watt Power Minimally- you will need this much power to get through mixing large batches and heavy doughs.
23 lbs or More of Total Weight-this can be a clue that you have all-metal construction. A heavier mixer is also less likely to bounce around than a lighter model.

The Following Features Are Nice, But Are Optional;

Slow-Start Feature-this is nice if you are making frosting frequently, because it prevents dry ingredients from flying-up when the mixer is started.
A Built-In Timer-nice for making bread dough or creaming butter so you don’t have to watch the clock.
A Hub-you’ll find this underneath the front plate cover. It allows you to use the optional attachments. This will give you a much larger variety of uses for your mixer.
Pouring Shields/Splatter Shield-good for reducing the mess that can result when adding dry ingredients while the mixer is running.
Color Choices-you’re probably going to want to keep your mixer on your counter, matching your decor is a nice option.

When buying a Stand Mixer you should think about what type of mixing you do the most. Your mixing needs will help to define the features your mixer should have. Do you want to be able to use optional attachments? Which attachments would you like to be able to use? If you make a lot of cookies and breads you need a heavier duty model with a larger motor. If you want to make wedding cakes or large recipes a larger bowl and more power would be appropriate. Only you can determine what your needs are. But I hope I have been helpful in explaining the choices and you feel ready to make the right investment.

For Reviews of some of the Best Stand Mixers you can click on the links below;

KitchenAid Classic K45 Stand Mixer

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer Review

KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer
Cuisinart SM70 Stand Mixer
Breville Stand Mixer Review

Why You Need a Kitchen Stand Mixer

 Save Money!

The price of a stand mixer may seem a little high to you, but by making this investment, you'll save money. The cost of prepackaged treats and snacks keeps rising higher and higher. By making your own, depending on the size and make-up of your family, you could save as much as 30% on your food bill.
Kids love to have treats in their lunches. Think of what that costs you. The average box of granola bars costs you $4-$5 dollars... For $1.50 you could have three times as many granola bars, and without all the preservatives and additives that go into the commercial products.  Just throw the ingredients into your mixer, spread the mix on a baking sheet, and twenty minutes later...you're done.  Ready made pizza crust costs $2.00 or more.  You can make your own for pennies.  With a stand mixer it's a breeze to make your own pizza crust!
You Control What Goes In...
Health is another good reason to invest in a kitchen stand mixer. You can control the fat and salt that go into your food. You can have food without preservatives and additives that can cause future health problems. No dyes and reduced sugar can help to reduce allergies.  Diabetics can make treats that use sugar substitutes and be able to enjoy an occasional treat like everyone else.  Foods you make yourself taste better too!
Save Effort...
Mixing ingredients by hand can be tedious, back-breaking work.  Even with an electric hand mixer, things are harder than they need to be.  Holding a hand mixer for 5 minutes, while beating egg whites to get a meringue to form stiff peaks, can seem like an eternity!  With a stand mixer, you just put in the ingredients, and it does all the work for you, leaving you free to do other things.  With a kitchen stand mixer you'll love how easy cooking and baking can be!

Having the Right Tools for the Job...

Seriously, having the right tools can mean the difference between seeming like an amateur cook, and being a great cook!  You get better results when you use the right tools.  Mixing by hand you can't get as smooth and elastic a bread dough.  The stand mixer doesn't require adding too much flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands, so you get a better product.  A stand mixer can aerate egg whites much faster and easier than you can with a hand mixer and it give you professional results.  You wouldn't want to use a whisk broom to clean all the floors in your house, why would you want to do your kitchen tasks the hard way!

Article continued below.

KitchenAid Classic K45SS Review ...See lowest prices

This is the lowest priced model Kitchenaid makes. Perfect for the new cook and for smaller kitchens.

KitchenAid Artisan Review ...See lowest prices

This model has a bigger motor and a larger bowl. It comes in a wide assortment of colors to match your decor. A better choice for the more seasoned cook or someone that entertains frequently.

KitchenAid Pro 600 Review ...See lowest prices

Made for the professional with a powerful motor (575 watts) and a large bowl with 6 quart capacity. Durable all metal construction.

KitchenAid Mixer Attachments ...See lowest prices

KitchenAid is very versatile with many attachments to choose from including; an ice cream maker attachment, a pasta maker attachment, and a meat grinder/sausage stuffer attachment

Cuisinart SM-70BC Review ...See lowest prices

A professional mixer with 1,000 watts if power, 12-speeds, and a 7-Quart mixing bowl. Features 12 speeds and a 15 minute timer.

Breville 5-Quart Mixer Review ...See lowest prices

Made for the professional baker this model has 12-speeds, a 10 minute timer, and a unique paddle attachment that eliminates the need for scraping down the bowl.

My Blog Articles to help you in your kitchen including;

Earn Money With A Home Baking Business

Article from above continued...

With the food cost savings you experience making your own baked goods, one of these mixers will pay for itself in the first year. Stand mixers like these are durable and made to last, so the savings will continue to add up. From my own experience cheaper mixers just don't last. They may work well at first, but six months down the road... they'll be smoking, useless junk. With good quality mixers like these, you'll get many years of enjoyment!
You'll find cooking so much easier, you'll start to think of it as fun! Your family will be happy too. There's nothing like the smell and taste of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! And... you'll still have time and energy to enjoy your family!
The health benefits alone should be good reason to buy a stand mixer to make your own foods. No preservatives or additives, less fat, less salt and sugar. For diabetics, or people watching their sugar intake, there are lots of free recipes that use sugar substitutes available for free on-line.
Money savings, time savings, less effort, better health, and better food. Who wouldn't want that?

KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer Review

KitchenAid's K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer

is a fantastic mixer. Perfect for kitchens of all sizes, the KitchenAid Classic stand mixer delivers the power and durability to mix large batches. The 4-1/2-quart bowl can hold up to 8 cups of flour, (which translates to as many as 144 cookies or 2 loaves of bread). The powerful 250-watt motor won't strain to mix this amount either. Try doing that with a hand mixer!  It has a versatile 10 speed control that allows for folding in ingredients on the lowest speed, and whipping air into eggs to make wonderful fluffy meringues on the highest speed. It has a durable, direct drive transmission, and comes with three attachments.  There is a flat beater for making batter, meat loaf, and all textures in-between; a wire whip for egg whites, mayonnaise, and more air-infused creations; and a hook for mixing and kneading yeast doughs. All three are solid in construction and easily secured to the beater shaft with a simple twist; untwisting them is a bit trickier because the attachment stems are short and can be hard to grasp, especially if they get a bit greasy. The bowl itself locks tight to the base with a simple turn.
Update;  Buy this Mixer on sale at Amazon through this link only!
This mixer is more affordable than some of the other KitchenAid models if you aren't sure how much you will use a stand mixer.  The bowl holds a smaller volume than some of the other models, but it's perfect if you are creating meals and treats for an average sized family.  If you are planning to make larger volumes on a regular basis (considering baking professionally), you would want a larger bowl (at least 6 qt.) and a heavier duty motor (350 watt or more).  I have used this model mixer for the last 6 years on a daily basis and it shows no sign of wear at all.  I absolutely love it!  This is the least powerful machine Kitchenaid makes but it can knead  stiff dough (like bagel dough made with high-gluten flour), that would turn your mother's mixmaster into a smoking, stinking heap of fried motor components, without showing any signs of strain at all. Machine kneading can take a lot of the effort and variability out of making bread... you never "knead in" too much flour to keep it from sticking to your hands, and the 20 minutes you normally spend working the dough turns into 10 minutes you can use to clean up the kitchen.  No more arms that feel like noodles after kneading for 10 minutes.  If you've never tried making bread before, you'll be amazed at just how easy it can be using a stand mixer. Honestly, you'll be tempted to make your own bread a lot when you see how easy it is and how good fresh bread tastes.  Having a stand mixer is a real time-saver. I absolutely love it for making meringues, I can get most of my clean-up done while the mixer does the work, and the final product in beautiful.
 
See what other customers had to say;

Quote from Marielle;

I've wanted this mixer for years, but didn't want to spend the money. This is a great deal on Amazon and the mixer performs beautifully !! My friends have had their KitchenAid's for years without any problems. I just wish the bowl that comes with the mixer had a handle, but I've seen that particular bowl very reasonably priced on Amazon. I guess that will be my next purchase !!

To get the best price on the KitchenAid Classic Mixer including Free Shipping click here!


Happy mixing !!

Earn Money With A Home Baking Business

Are you passionate about cooking and baking?

When people try your baked goods, do they ask for your recipe?  Are your goodies the first to sell-out at the local bake sales? Do you love being in the kitchen and creating new recipes?  Do you need more money..., but want to be home with the kids?  If you answered "yes" to at least two of the questions above, then starting a home baking business might be right for you.
Everybody loves home-baked cookies and cakes...
But, not everyone has the time to bake.  Especially in light of all the responsibilities that come with our modern life.  People run from one thing to the next  (jobs, errands, school meetings, and more), leaving little time for the kitchen.  Or, if they do have time, not everyone enjoys baking.  This is where your home business can be helpful to people.  So...how do you start your business?
First, you must determine a need...

• Are there busy moms that might prefer their children have snacks with nutritional value and no preservatives?
• Are there people who throw parties frequently that would like appetizers or pastries brought in for them?
• Are there offices that might like treats brought in for the employees regularly (say a hump day or end of the week treat)?
• Maybe social groups that have tea and cakes at their meetings?

Deciding what niche you will serve will make marketing easier.
Any business you can think of fulfills the needs of a specific group of people.  By making this decision early on, you can save yourself a lot of time and streamline your marketing efforts. By knowing what group you will be marketing to, you can more easily develop recipes.  Your business will have a purpose, and it will fill the needs of a group of people that will be excited to buy what you are offering.
Next, you should look at the competition for the niche you are choosing...
As with any business researching the market is essential.

• Are there other businesses serving the group you have chosen already?
• What is your competition charging?
• Do people like their quality?
• Is there room for another business serving the same group?
• Are the prices you want to charge reasonable for the market you will be serving?

Now, you need to determine the cost of producing your product
Find the recipes you will use for your business.  Make a list of the ingredients used in each of your recipes.  Then, determine the cost of those ingredients.  Let's say you are going to sell cookies by the dozen, what is the cost for the ingredients to make that dozen cookies.  In addition to eggs, flour, sugar, etc., don't forget to include the cost of packaging those cookies.  Plastic wrap, Styrofoam, gift bags all have a cost as well.
Next, you will determine the price you will charge.
A good rule of thumb is to use a percentage food cost to determine your price.  The percentage range should be between 25-35 percent.  So if your dozen cookies cost $1.50 to produce, at 30 percent food cost, you would take your cost $1.50 divided by .30 equals $5.00.  So, you would charge your customer $5.00 for that dozen cookies.  That would make your profit $3.50 per dozen cookies.

• If you charge a 25% food cost; $1.50/.25=$6.00
• If you charge a 30% food cost; $1.50/.30=$5.00
• If you charge a 35% food cost;  $1.50/.35=$4.28

A 30% food cost is pretty standard but you will also need to consider what your competition is selling the same product for and what your market will be willing to pay.

Focus Your Efforts On The Success Of Your Business

All business take time to set up. A home baking business has a smaller cost of start up than many other businesses.  You can work from home and set your own schedule.  It may seem a little complicated at first, but if you work through the steps I have outlined you are on your way to success.  Here are a few more pointers you need to consider;

• Point One: Create a home baked good that people will crave and talk about.  Your business will grow fastest by word-of-mouth.  Make a list of products you can make that are so good that customers won't be able to get enough.
• If you have several products take them to the places your customer base will be, and give out free samples.  Have fliers with your prices or business cards available to hand out when you do this.
• Point Two: Customer care is important.  Give people a product they want at a price they are willing to pay.  Deliver their goods on time.  Don't take so many orders that you end up sacrificing quality to meet demand.  If you need to create a waiting list for your products it is better than being late or delivering a lesser quality.
• Point Three: Decide how much you want to work and develop a work schedule.  If your orders increase to a point where you are exceeding the amount of time you have allotted for work, you may need to create a waiting list or hire help to meet the orders.

For a more detailed outline of how to start a home baking business  buy this e-book "Cake Decorating Business Secrets".  It will give you more detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to set-up your new business, promote your business, avoid common mistakes, and save money while creating the business of your dreams.  Available at Clickbank only through this link