Kitchenaid: Start with the best, and never buy another stand mixer again! One of the most popular small (countertop) kitchen appliances that takes the grunt work out of baking is the electric stand mixer. The KitchenAid stand mixer is the most powerful heavy duty mixer on the market, and the most trusted. Chances are, you know someone who has had a Kitchen Aid for years and has never needed it repaired or had any problem with it. I tried other stand mixers that had a lower retail price, but didn’t last long at all. In the end, these other mixers cost me a lot more than buying a KitchenAid from the start. Having an electric mixer will save you so much time and effort in mixing heavy dough, and other baking tasks, but can also be used for all sorts of jobs. You can set the KitchenAid to stir, and you just add the ingredients, instead of constantly having to stop to stir. This can make cooking and baking so much simpler, and more enjoyable. Kitchenaid Model Differences Model Classic Ultra Power Artisan Professional 5 Professional 600 Price $200 $230 $230 $300 $300 Motor 250 Watt 300 Watt 325 Watt 450 Watt 575 Watt Mixing Bowl Size 4.5 Quart 4.5 Quart 5 Quart 5 Quart 6 Quart In my Opinion, your only choice should be between the Artisan and the Professional 600 series. Amazon has great prices on both. Note that the price varies a fair bit depending on the color. The Kitchenaid mixer has a powerful 325-575 watt motor that supplies constant power even when mixing heavy cookie dough. Check the model you are interested in to make sure it has the power you want. Its 5 quart stainless steel is large enough for any batch you need mixed in your home kitchen, and the bowl is dishwasher safe. This countertop appliance comes with 10 speeds, which allow you to do everything from stirring to whipping. Kitchenaids 10 speeds let you: stir, while you add ingredients mash potatoes cut shortening into flour mix wet & dry ingredients whip cream and egg whites Kitchenaids come with a dough hook, wire whip and burnished flat beater. The dough hook is used for breads, buns, rolls, and coffee cakes where as the wire whip can be used for whipping eggs, heavy cream, sponge cakes and angle cakes. The flat beater is used for all other mixing jobs including cookies, biscuits, cakes, pastries, mashed potatoes, and quick breads. They also comes with a 1 year warranty, an instruction book, and a recipe book that includes banana nut bread, a favourite in our house! These mixers also have an attachment hub on the top, for attachments that are sold separately. All of the KitchenAid attachments are high quality and durable, and most are multipurpose. They are a little bit on the expensive side, so you should pick and choose which ones will suit your needs. Popular attachments include Food Grinder / Pasta maker Grain Mill Fruit & Vegetable Strainer Food Tray Sausage Stuffer Citrus Juicer Can Opener If you can afford it, don't start below the artisan series, as the classic and Ultra power series are too low on power for heavy baking use. I wouldn't even consider buying a classic for the use I get out of mine, even just for christmas baking. You can view all the models on the Kitchenaid website, where you can compare these models, plus their professional models, which go up 575 Watts. The professional 6 and professional 600 series come with extra features, however they are physicaly larger and weigh more. The top kitchenaid models also are harder to find online. Isn’t it time you owned the best? I am extremely happy with my model, and know that you will be to when you purchase one. Start with the best and you’ll never have to buy another stand mixer. Right now there's a sale on over at Amazon.com on the 600 series that's worth checking out.