
07-19-2011, 11:30 AM
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2,186 posts, read 7,777,153 times
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Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer
Rating: 5 out of 5
I know that, in the land of consumer grade stand mixers, KitchenAid is king. People love the colors and love that everyone on Food Network uses them in their little fake TV kitchens.
But this Cuisinart stand mixer is a wonderful countertop machine. As someone with limited kitchen space, a primary advantage of this mixer is that is is extremely compact for the amount of power it's packing. At only about a foot tall, it easily slides under my low counters or into a cupboard when not in use. It doesn't waste space in its design. For people with huge kitchens, this might not be an issue, but it's amazing and very important for the rest of us.
Even though it's physically smaller than other mixers, it mixes anything I give it to mix. I'm more of a baker than a cook. The bread hook on this machine is great and gets dough to a perfect consistency every time I use it. There isn't ever flour left over like some mixers. No matter how much I put in the bowl (and I'm a fan of the double batch) it combines everything perfectly without taxing the motor or abusing the dough.
The built-in time is wonderful to use while mixing things and its simple design means you can press buttons with the one finger not coated in dough. The speeds are great and have a lot of differentiation among them. The mixer works up to its higher speeds, which prevents the flying out of flour or egg whites or whatever else I'm mixing.
My only complaint about the mixer is that there is no pasta rolling accessory available. There is a pasta extruder, which certainly has its uses, but for some like me who dreams in linguine, a pasta accessory would be great. Other than that, though, I have no complaints about the mixer itself.
Review by professional reviewer, Oct. 2, 2010
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