What is a Cheftronic Stand Mixer?

I just discovered a new brand of stand mixer called the Cheftronic.  The first thing I asked myself was "What is a Cheftronic Stand Mixer?"  After a little research I found this new mixer to be getting good reviews from new owners of this mixer.  Made by Cheftronic this stand mixer is powerful like a KitchenAid without the high price tag.

This stand mixer is a basic 6 speed mixer with a powerful 650 watt motor.  It has a planetary mixing feature and the mixer head swings 50 degrees for ease of use.  It comes with the basic beater attachments and one 5.5 quart metal bowl.  This brand has a limit of only four colors to choose from: red, white, stainless and black.

Besides the price tag of almost half the price of a KitchenAid brand, the Cheftronic has a quiet motor which is desirable to many of us who love to bake.  This new brand is from overseas and one complaint is that the instructions arrive in a foreign language which makes it difficult to follow for a new user or cook.

Cheftronic 650w Planetary Mixer

The Hand Mixer Versus the Stand Mixer

An age old question: Which is better, the hand mixer versus the stand mixer?  If you are in the market for a new mixer for yourself, a new cook or a newlywed gift, then researching the best mixer to buy is a must before purchasing.  I hope I can help you with some "food for thought" in the differences between a portable hand mixer and a larger stand mixer.

One of the first items that may be on your list to research is price range that fits within your budget.  This is pretty much self-explanatory that a hand mixer with be much less expensive than a larger stand mixer.  Prices for the hand mixers range from a very inexpensive $15 to a Kitchen Aid hand mixer for $99.  Like the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for".  The less expensive mixers have smaller motors, less attachments and limited warranties.  The more expensive models are more powerful with extra attachments.  I own a Sunbeam hand mixer that is just as powerful as a stand mixer.  It was priced around $30 years ago.

Stand mixers are priced from approximately $99 all the way up to several hundred dollars or more.  Professional mixers range in the thousands but usually only commercial kitchens or professional bakers look for this type of mixer.  Just as with the hand mixers, the less expensive mixers have smaller motors, less speeds and limited attachments available.  The more expensive the stand mixer the larger the motor, more attachments are included and like with the Kitchen Aid brand there are many accessories to purchase in the future.

The next item to compare between the hand and stand mixer is size.  This means keep in mind the space you have available either in your kitchen or in the person's kitchen that you are buying for.  A portable mixer is small and will store easily in small spaces.  A large stand one will need a large counter space or cabinet area to store it in.  With some brands the style and colors are so attractive that you won't mind keeping it out on the counter where everyone can see it.  One popular brand of mixer actually comes out with one to two new colors each year to match home decor.

The last important question I have for you when deciding between the hand mixer versus the stand mixer is what are your actually baking and mixing needs?  Are you or your gift recipient an avid cook or baker?  Or are you just needing a basic appliance for once in awhile cooking?  Once you define the type of cook that is receiving this new mixer, then you will have your answer on which style of mixer to purchase, the hand mixer or the stand mixer.

Kitchen Aid 9 Speed Hand Mixer

Best Stand Mixer for Holiday Baking

Holidays bring out the need for finding the best stand mixer for holiday baking.  Today is the Saturday before Easter Sunday and there is lots of cooking going on in the kitchen!  Potatoes are boiling, vegetables being prepared, ham is ready in its cooking pan and the baking is ready to commence.

Finding the best stand mixer for baking is very important.  Take a few minutes to think of the type of baking you plan on doing for any of the upcoming holidays and then review which mixer works best for you.  At Easter for example, I make breads stuffed with nut fillings, sugar cookies and fresh pies.  I need a mixer that can mix thick dough and whip meringue toppings.

In preparation for holiday baking, first I gather all the necessary supplies including food ingredients needed on the recipes, equipment including the mixer, baking pans and an area to work in.  I tend to spread out throughout the kitchen when baking goodies for the family gathering.

I will first mix the bread dough to set aside and rise.  Then I change the beaters from dough hook to regular mixing beaters.  I have an extra bowl for my mixer for when I am doing a variety a mixing projects.  I even have the whisk beater for making a nice meringue topping for my lemon pies.  Once a system is in place, this baking project is pretty easy.  The family sure looks forward to the homemade baked goods using our old family recipes.

I recommend the Kitchen Aid mixer if you need a range of mixing needs such as I do.  The mid-range mixer usually fits most budgets and will satisfy a variety of needs.  It comes with the three beaters mentioned above.  An extra bowl can be purchased separately.  If your budget is tight, then the basic Sunbeam Mixer works for basic mixing needs.  These two are my favorite mixers to own.

Kitchen Aid Classic Plus Stand Mixer

A New Kitchen Aid Attachment for 2015

If you are a Kitchen Aid mixer owner, you may be wondering what new attachments there are for 2015!  The newest attachment on my list is the KitchenAid KSM1APC Spiralizer Attachment with Peel, Core and Slice which makes vegetable noodles for a healthier meal option.  Making zucchini or squash noodles is very popular today with lots of recipes that can be found on recipe sites.  I substitute my vegetable noodles for flour pasta noodles in recipes since I am always needing to watch my diet to loose weight and it is a better choice for my diabetic partner.

I recommend experimenting with the types of vegetables and fruit when you get your attachment. Some such as the zucchini are easy to slice but other harder vegetables such as butternut squash are a bit of a challenge.  As with all things I found, not everything works well in the attachments.  There are however, many items that work well and many different types of recipes to use this spiralizer for.


There are 3 sizes of blades that come with this attachment feature for your Kitchen Aid.  Having the handy peeling tool with the slicer blades is a nice added feature.  There is no need to peel
 before using the spiralizer tools.  Many hand crank spiralizers require you to peel the vegetable or fruit first.

This new attachment is dishwasher safe and has a one year warranty just like all other Kitchen Aid attachments and appliances.  Owning a Kitchen Aid stand mixer becomes many different appliances in one!  That is one of my favorite things about the Kitchen Aid brand!

What is the Most Popular Kitchen Aid Mixer Color?

With the fifteen (15) or more colors of the Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer, I was sitting here wondering what color was the favorite of customers?  I see the Candy Apple Red color quite in the stores lately.  I noticed that this red mixer has many attachments that are also available in this lovely red shade.  I have to be honest, this is my favorite color in the kitchen.  I have a mix of apple red, black and soft yellow in my kitchen.

My mixer is a charcoal grey, but if I was to purchase a new one, I would select the Kitchen Aid stand mixer in candy apple red.  It is so attractive with black and silver appliances.  The next popular color of stand mixers that I see today is silver and black.  I think that these mixers blend with most decor and match the new appliances we see in new or remodeled homes.  White was a popular stand mixer in the past but think it is just a retro choice today.  If you see a white stand mixer in a home, it is usually an older mixer that they have had for years.

A new color of Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer for 2015 is Champagne Gold.  It has speck of glitter in the color that adds to its sparkle.  Kitchen Aid puts out a new colors each year to keep up with trends in decor in your home.  I do not find this new color attractive to me, but I will watch to see how it is received by the reviews once it is one the market for awhile.  What is your favorite stand mixer color?

What is the Best Kitchen Aid Attachment for the Baker

With the Christmas holidays quickly approaching, you may be asking what is the best Kitchen Aid Attachment for the baker?  If you are like me, I have my list ready of traditional baked goods that I make each season.  I bake up batches of cookies, candy and breads to give as gifts.  My stand mixer works real hard during the Christmas season!

The best attachment I have found for my Kitchen Aid is the Flex Edge Beater which fits both the 4.5 quart and 5 quart size mixers.  It fits 12 different models of stand mixers.  This beater is made of metal which makes it more durable for all the heavy mixing of cookie and bread batter that you will be doing.  I make a sugar cookie recipe that becomes real thick and this beater just cuts through the dough like butter!  

The rubber edge allows for continuously mixing the dough or batter without having to stop to scrape the sides of the bowl.  That is so nice when I am usually limited on time to do my baking.  Every little bit helps when needing to get so much baking done!  It cleans up easy too.  I like that as well.

I mentioned baking breads but I mean flavored loaf breads such as Pumpkin Spice or Banana Bread.  This beater is made for mixing batters with consistency such as these breads.  If you are making breads with a heavy yeast dough, then use a dough hook.  Each attachment works the best when using it for what it is designed for.  This Flex Edge Beater is made to scrape the bowl as it is mixing.  I love it!  If you own a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, than you will want to put this beater on your wish list!

How to Make Perfect Meringue in Your Mixer

I learned how to make the perfect meringue using my stand mixer years ago.  I loved to bake pies, cookies and muffins as a teenager and learned the special tips for perfect baking from my grandmother.  I was so fortunate to have my grandparents nearby when I was growing up and I have so many memories because of it.  Baking tips from my "nanny" was one of them.

We lived in Southern California where citrus fruit was abundant.  Nanny's lemon tree produced the larges lemons I think I ever saw.  And it so happened that Lemon Meringue Pie was my father's favorite flavor of pie.  So I learned with Nanny's help to make fresh lemon pie filling from scratch and fluffy egg white meringue to top it off with.  By making your own lemon filling using only egg yolks, you have the egg whites left over to make a nice meringue.

When separating the egg yolk from the whites, place the egg whites in a large mixer bowl.  I place them lightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator while I prepare the filling.  Once the filling is cooked and cooling, remove the mixer bowl with egg whites from refrigerator.  Add 1 tsp of cream of tartar to 4 egg whites and beat using a slower speed until thoroughly blended.

Get ready 6 tablespoons of sugar in small bowl keeping the tablespoon measure handy.  Turn on your mixer on the highest speed and add one tablespoon of sugar.  Whip for one minute then add another tablespoon of sugar, whip for one minute or so and repeat this step until all 6 tablespoons of sugar are mixed into egg white mixture.  The important tip in making a perfect smooth egg white meringue is to add the sugar very slowly and keep whipping the egg whites on high speed through this process.  You do not want to feel any granules of sugar in the meringue.

After all the sugar is in the mixture, whip on high until firm peaks form when lightly touched with spatula.  Carefully spoon the meringue on top of your pie filling and bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the meringue peaks are lightly browned.  Watch it carefully so the meringue does not burn.

Anyone of the best selling stand mixers are powerful enough to beat egg whites to just the right consistency to make a perfect meringue.  I hope my simple tip helps you to make a perfect meringue too.