EDITOR’S RAVE
BOSCH MUM 5 HOME PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN MACHINE
$839 (includes a citrus press and three discs to cut, shred and grate), from electrical and department stores.
900 watts, 6.92kg, 2-litre bowl, 7 speeds
ERGONOMICS I like that the speed button is located on the right and easy to reach. With a retractable power cord, there are no dangling cables. The compact bowl has no handle, but is easy to hold when scooping out batter.
MIXING BATTER It outshone the rest with its excellent mixing – the paddle beater is slightly angled to reach the sides of the bowl better, while the bottom of the bowl is raised, creating a ring of batter so nothing is left unmixed. This was the only machine I didn’t have to stop to scrape down the bowl.
WHIPPING MERINGUE The whisk has silicone-wrapped wires and was quieter than the rest as it lightly whipped against the mixing bowl. The sugar was the most well-dissolved into the egg whites.
KNEADING DOUGH The mixer was silent and smooth as it kneaded, but it took slightly longer – 20 minutes, while the rest took under 15 minutes.
VERDICT A small but well-designed and quiet machine that is close to perfect.
RATING: 9/10
RUSSELL HOBBS CREATIONS KITCHEN MACHINE 18553-56
$749 (includes a glass blender jug), from Tangs.
800 watts, 9.45kg, 4.6-litre bowl, 10 speeds
ERGONOMICS It has a short power cable, so I had to shift appliances around on my countertop to get it near a power socket. The bowl didn’t have a handle, so I held it against my body to scoop out batter.
MIXING BATTER The machine was noisy when creaming butter and sugar at high speed, but it mixed the batter evenly.
WHIPPING MERINGUE Like the Tecno Kitchen Machine, it needed at least two egg whites to whip well. It created stiff peaks, but there were small clumps of undissolved sugar in the meringue. It was also noisy as it worked.
KNEADING DOUGH It struggled with the heavy dough and the tilt-head unlocked several times during kneading. This machine was the only one that heated up considerably after about 10 minutes of kneading dough.
VERDICT The noisiest in the line-up, it’s stable and reliable for cakes but needs help with bread dough.
RATING: 7/10
EDITOR’S RAVE
KITCHENAID ARTISAN KSM150 STAND MIXER
$799, from Tott and department stores.
325 watts, 11.8kg, 4.8-litre bowl,10 speeds
ERGONOMICS The bowl has a large handle, making it easy to keep it steady. Unlike the rest, which have speed knobs, this has a sliding lever that is just as easy to use.
MIXING BATTER It creamed butter and sugar fast, and mixed eggs and flour well.
WHIPPING MERINGUE Even in its large bowl, it whipped one egg white into stiff peaks easily.
KNEADING DOUGH It was exceptional when kneading, steady and quiet.
VERDICT The heaviest and sturdiest machine that worked steadily all around and was a breeze to use.
RATING: 9/10
GREAT FIND
TECNO KITCHEN MACHINE TMX9800
$698, from Harvey Norman.
700 watts, 7kg, 5-litre bowl, 6 speeds
ERGONOMICS The bowl has two handles, making it easy to scoop out batter. A ring around the speed knob lights up when the mixer is on – not essential, but nice to have.
MIXING BATTER I stopped the machine once to scrape down the bowl; the batter was well-mixed, pale and smooth.
WHIPPING MERINGUE The whisk needed at least two egg whites to whip but they turned out well, with stiff peaks.
KNEADING DOUGH This sturdy machine yielded a springy dough. The dough folded cleanly in the bowl, but clung to the hook, preventing it from kneading well – I had to stop the machine to separate the dough.
VERDICT A machine that does the job reasonably well, with a few chinks.
RATING: 8/10
KENWOOD CHEF PREMIER KMC570
$799, from electrical and department stores.
1,000 watts, 7.74kg, 4.6-litre bowl, 8 speeds
ERGONOMICS The big bowl doesn’t have a handle, so I propped it against my body to scoop out batter. After whipping the egg whites, the bowl was lodged tightly in the machine and took effort to unlock and remove.
MIXING BATTER It comes with two paddles – a regular one (for heavier batter) and a flexibeater (for creaming) with rubberised wings that go around the sides of the bowl to mix batter really well.
WHIPPING MERINGUE It whipped a single egg white quickly, but the motor was quite loud and the machine trembled at high speed.
KNEADING DOUGH The mixer shuddered and kneaded less evenly than the other machines. I had to stop it several times to separate the dough from the hook.
VERDICT A powerful machine that mixes well but is less competent with dough.
RATING: 7.5/10
This article was originally published in Simply Her April 2014.
All product and pricing information was correct at the time of the magazine’s publication. We advise readers to check with the stores for the latest availability and pricing information.