The standing mixer is a staple appliance in any baker or home chef's kitchen, a mighty machine that frees your hands up for other tasks while it creams together butter and sugar or incorporates dry ingredients. You'll find one on many countertops — including Jennifer Garner's — but where do you begin when choosing one for your kitchen?

Chef Nicole Guzman, a.k.a. Nikki Meow, a former pastry chef in Los Angeles, says to start by looking at the power. "You want the machine to operate at a minimum of [around] 600 watts of power with a 5-quart mixing bowl," she says. "Lack of power and a small bowl attachment can be an indicator that it's a lower quality product." High quality signs to look for, she adds, are all-metal construction to aid in stability and durability, and at least 8-10 speeds.

Our testers put 21 stand mixers to work, making whipped cream, bread and cookie dough, and then cleaning the mixer. They evaluated each model based on its design, performance, size, features, and value. The Breville Bakery Chef stand mixer was our overall favorite, but we also found four more winners to recommend.

Pros: Lots of little luxuries, from a mixing bowl illuminator to a digital timer, are built into this Breville model, which earned a perfect score from our testers in all categories.

Cons: Hard to find many negatives here. The whisk and bowl are hand-wash only, so that's a minor inconvenience, and it's got a moderately high (although justified) price point.

Here's a kitchen appliance that checks all the boxes. Of the 21 standing mixers we tested, the Breville Bakery Chef Stand Mixer was the only one to earn a perfect score in all of our testing categories—design, size, features, performance, and value.

While it outperformed the rest, it was really the little things that made this model our favorite of the group. The motor is powerful yet quiet, it's got a built-in digital timer that starts timing when the mixing begins, and there's even a mixing bowl illuminator to shine light on your ingredients as they incorporate. The settings come in especially handy for those who love to bake. Among them: a whipped cream setting, a creaming setting, and a dough setting. 

Our testers especially liked the design of the paddle and whisk attachments. The beaters and whisks that are included with the mixer "were perfect," noted one tester. Testing the mixer, we found that it "was very quiet and powerful. Did the job fast." And it did the job well—there was not a dry spot to be found in our cookie dough test. It whipped up whipped cream in record time, and outperformed the other machines in our bread-making test.

Even with all of those great features, Breville's The Bakery Chef Stand Mixer was the least expensive stand mixer of the bunch, outside of our budget pick. It looks the part, too. There were no fingerprints left on the surface of the mixer after use, and the mixer is the perfect size for use on any table or surface.

Pros: Avid bakers will love this machine, capable of tackling jobs large or small.

Cons: The bowl is sometimes difficult to seat, and it's not necessarily the best choice for the occasional baker due to its capacity. 

With its large bowl, this 7-quart KitchenAid mixer is well equipped for large jobs, but small jobs are also a piece of cake. Our tester noted that the machine can work single or double batches with ease. That said, it was noisier when the task became more difficult, as when the bread dough forms into a ball. 

This mixer comes with a whisk, double and paddle attachments, and a splash guard with chute for dry ingredients. There are many other optional attachments that can be purchased separately. 

Our tester had nothing but praise for the mixer while making cooking dough. Ingredients were incorporated well with no scraping required, and walnuts were mixed in without any issue. The machine's motor was not taxed during the task, nor did the appliance move while working. For the bread test, while the mixer was large enough to accommodate the dough, the baker must manually scrape the bowl. The dough also required more kneading beyond what the mixer did in our test. 

We appreciated that the bowl, attachments, and splash shield are top rack dishwasher safe on this model. Overall, this KitchenAid mixer "performs as advertised," said our tester, and it's best suited for larger batch baking: "Small jobs can be done, but I wouldn't necessarily use it for only a cup of whipped cream. Avid bakers would love this. The average home cook should pass."

Pros: With its retro look, great performance, and dishwasher-safe cleaning, our splurge pick would make many a home chef happy. 

Cons: The mixer was noticeably louder and shaky while kneading bread dough on higher speeds.

This ten-speed machine was able to tackle our whipped cream test (stiff peaks in less than a minute) and cookie dough test with ease. The mixer is large enough to handle cookie dough and mix it well, and the ingredients were fully incorporated without needing to scrape the sides of the bowl. 

As with other mixers we tested, this one was able to produce elastic bread dough, but it was not thoroughly kneaded, despite the mixer shaking while in use. The motor was noticeably warm when we performed our bread test, and the motor produced a high pitched whine. Even in the whipped cream test, our tester pointed out, the motor sounded "like a jet about to take off." 

This mixer was easy to clean, with a dishwasher safe bowl and attachments. Single and double batches are totally doable with the Smeg, noted our tester: "The avid baker and home cook, maybe even a small business owner, would be happy with this mixer."

Pros: It doubles as a hand mixer and can handle making cookie dough as a stand mixer.

Cons: This budget model feels cheap, and its motor is excessively noisy.

As with many budget buys, this is a mixer that looks and feels cheap—but it still does the job well. It can handle light batches with ease, but we'd be wary about doing anything more than a double batch.

When we made cookie dough with this model, all of the ingredients were fully incorporated with no need to scrape the sides on the bowl. The motor did start to slow as the cookie dough fully incorporated, but this did not affect the end result. 

The six-speed machine shook a little while making cookie dough. When it took on bread dough, it shook a lot. The shape of the dough hook on this model actually helps the mixer to incorporate dry ingredients from the edges of the bowl, though the dough did require more kneading. 

This stand mixer doubles as a hand mixer and, ultimately, that's where it performs better. Bakers on a budget who are accustomed to a hand mixer might do well with this model. But be prepared for hand-washing after use—all the parts, including the bowl, are hand-wash only. Overall, "basic functions work well," said our tester, and additional attachments can be purchased separately, but they're not as extensive as the more expensive models. 

Pros: This highly versatile machine has a very sleek Swedish design and comes with a bevy of attachments. 

Cons: A handle on the bowls would make this model more user friendly. It's also a little cumbersome as a whole. 

With an extensive array of attachments, this is not your ordinary stand mixer. The mixer comes with attachments such as a dough roller, knife, and scraper, plus a dough hook and dust cover lid, plus more that can be purchased separately. 

The Ankarsrum passed our tests with flying colors. We had stiff peaks in our whipped cream in just 38 seconds, thanks to a dual whisk that rotates around the bowl. We had to babysit the cookie dough a bit, though our tester chalked that up to possible user error. There was no heat to the motor and "no movement at all" to the mixer while working on the cookie dough. This model did a good job with the bread dough, and the design helped to form a more natural kneading action, our tester pointed out. Unlike some of our other winners, the bread dough was kneaded adequately here. 

The bowls, dough hook, and dough knife are all dishwasher safe, while the other parts must be hand washed. Handles on the bowls would make this mixer more user friendly (though perhaps less stylish!). Overall, this model "would work for any mixing job," said our tester. "The mixer performed well in all tests."

Consider how often you'll use a stand mixer when browsing different models—not just how often you'd like to use it. "Think about what your cooking needs will actually be," says chef Nikki Meow. "What recipes will you be making? How often will you be using the machine?" For example, if you're baking for large groups, you'll want a mixer that's big enough to be able to mix a hefty batch. If you only need a mixer for occasion-baking/cooking, consider something smaller since stand mixers tend to take up quite a bit of countertop real estate.

In our tests, we found that higher price points did not necessarily mean more or better features, as compared to the more economical options. The three bowl-lift mixers that we tested (with prices ranging from $549 to $999) all performed exceptionally well, but these mixers did not provide adequate features as compared to our overall winner, the Breville the Bakery Chef Stand Mixer, with an MSRP of $399. 

Chef Nikki Meow emphasizes that low wattage is a red flag for most stand mixer users—anything under the 600 watt range is typically a no-go. (The exception in our testing is our budget pick, which we acknowledge is a better choice as a combo hand mixer.) "Stand mixers are an investment, so cheaper isn't necessarily better, unless it's the right fit for your cooking style," says Chef Nikki.

Some models come with everything you need right in the box, while others have attachments that require a separate purchase. Look closely at what each model can do from the jump, without additional purchases. The three standard must-haves, says our expert, are the whisk, dough hook, and paddle.

Name recognition exists for a reason, adds chef Nikki Meow, speaking to the popularity of KitchenAid stand mixers: "Most people opt for KitchenAids because they're tried and true, aesthetically pleasing, come in a wide range of colors to suit your tastes (pun intended), and have a ton of attachments to get the most out of the machine."Design: A stand mixer can often be a kitchen showpiece, so don't hesitate to invest in a beauty. In our testing, the top scoring models' aesthetics matched their overall performance.

A stand mixer can often be a kitchen showpiece, so don't hesitate to invest in a beauty. In our testing, the top scoring models' aesthetics matched their overall performance. 

Our testers tried out a total of 21 stand mixers. They evaluated the design, size, and features of each model, and put each mixer through its paces. Each mixer was tested on making whipped cream, cookie dough, and bread dough. Testers evaluated the performance on all three tests, noting details like whether all ingredients were well-incorporated, and if the bowl needed scraping at the end. Ease of cleaning was considered, as was the overall value of each mixer. Testers only learned the price of each model after testing, so they were able to fairly judge whether each one lived up to its price tag.

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