KitchenAid Stand Mixer: The Queen of Small Appliances

[This post is in collaboration with KitchenAid]

I have wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer for YEARS. Every family birthday, every birthday party, and every Christmas, and many more times in-between, for over a decade, I have either day-dreamt or verbally expressed this desire to anyone that would listen. And yes, I might have expressed this desire every time I watched Nigella Lawson casually whipping up a baking storm too. Just ask my husband - although he could be accused of not listening to many of my other material desires (I mean, where ARE those diamond rings to mark the births of our children?!), even he acknowledged that this was something I’d been wanting for a LONG time.

I was already a huge fan of the KitchenAid brand - we had a KitchenAid blender for over ten years and it has only gone into retirement because I managed to clumsily break the glass jug, but believe me when I say I’ve pushed it more than one probably should over the years. These are products that are really made to last.

When the stand mixer arrived, I promptly rearranged the entire kitchen around it because of all the kitchen appliances I can possibly think of, THIS is the one that is as beautiful as it is practical. This is one appliance that for me, and I’m sure you’ll agree, falls into a category of its very own: yes, it’s a small appliance, but it’s also a kitchen accessory, to be seen AND used. Iconic even? I say yes!

I went for the 4.8 litre tilt-head stand mixer in Cast Iron Black. Of course. The subtle texture of the matt black finish, would work perfectly alongside all interior styles, from the very traditional to the über modern. This particular model comes in seven colours - my other favourites are the Chrome, Brushed Nickel and Pebbled Palm.

It comes with whisk, flat beater and dough hook attachments as standard, alongside a pouring shield, 4.8 litre stainless steel bowl with handle, and a smaller 3 litre stainless steel bowl, both which lock into the base when in use.

The domestic goddess wannabe in me, is completely geeking-out over the tilt head, and the fact that the ten speed settings really are different (unlike my rubbish cheap hand-mixer that just pretends to have three settings, when actually it’s either just on or off!). And I no longer need to brace myself waiting for what used to be an inevitable splatter of ingredients all over the place when switching it on, as it just doesn’t happen with the KitchenAid mixer - no cream and no egg whites left the bowl during the making of this pavlova. Not even a drop!

My cynical husband whipped up some banana bread with it on the weekend (his baking specialty!), and I dare say, it was his best one yet. He absolutely loved the ease that the hands-free mixing affords, and also mentioned the lack of any splatter whatsoever.

There are loads of attachments available for the mixers, from pasta rollers and cutters, to shredders and graters, a spiralizer, a sausage maker, and even a slow juicer and an ice-cream maker! I’ve always wanted to make black sesame ice-cream, so maybe that one will be first on my accessory wish-list!

We have been forever spoiled for any other mixer, and why would we ever want to replace this thing of beauty anyway? It will retain pride of place on the worktop, and hopefully also have the knock-on effect of me keeping a tidier kitchen generally too. Well, we’ll see about that one, but one thing is for sure, it will stand the test of time with its classic good looks, and make me happy every single time I walk past it in the kitchen. And maybe, just maybe, my inner domestic goddess will finally have her day…