The 5200 XL is comprised of a heavy-duty main unit replete with a 1,100-watt motor and a plethora of accessories too long to list here. Highlights include a 3.6-litre stainless steel bowl, three extra plastic bowls and a whole bunch of cutting and slicing implements. Shipped directly from our Isleworth (West London) facility by DPD with a 1 hour delivery time slot. Like most mixers, the heavy-weight top half articulates upwards to make it easy to remove the gorgeously shiny 4.6-litre stainless steel bowl (good for a dozen egg whites or 2.72kgs of cake mix) and change between the industrial strength stainless-steel K-beater, whisk and dough hook. Unlike some mixers which require manually lifting the heavy arm, this one is operated by a simple latch which causes the whole top to spring up on its own without any effort whatsoever. Nice. You might also want to look out for features such as a soft-start function, which reduces mess by going very gently at first. There’s also load-sensing, which detects when you’re mixing something that’s especially tough or easygoing, and adjusts power so that the speed is consistent no matter what. In addition to the 4.7L glass mixing bowl, the Bakery Boss™ comes standard with a second 3.8L polished stainless mixing bowl for better processing of smaller quantities. 12 speed electronic control

The Chef Patissier XL is an all-in-one baking machine. Not only does it do everything a traditional stand mixers does – and does it well – but it also has in-bowl weighing and warming. This means you can weigh, mix and prove your bread dough all from one bowl. It’s also ideal for melting chocolate and butter, or even for making Swiss meringue. Constructed almost entirely from die-cast metal and equipped with an ultra-powerful 1,500-watt motor (KitchenAid’s is just 300 watts), this high-end mixer weighs in at a substantial 9.2 kilos, so once it’s in position, it's best to leave it there.Our E-commerce Editor, Molly Cleary, is well and truly on team KitchenAid. ‘We test a lot of kitchen appliances at our dedicated facility, which is thankfully kitted out with a few KitchenAid Artisans. These stand mixers are capable of every task, from kneading to whipping up egg whites.’

Another brilliant feature of this mixer is that it has not one but two separate accessory outlets, one for slow-speed attachments (pasta roller, meat mincer and grinding mill) and the other for high-speed accessories (food processor, glass blender and compact chopper). You can also buy optional beaters designed specifically for creaming and folding. The Kenwood Titanium Chef passed every whipping, mixing and kneading task we threw at it with effortless, speedy aplomb. It was also an absolute doddle to clean. Highly recommended, then, for so many reasons. Detects when heavy doughs and batters are being mixed and automatically adjust the power to maintain the selected speed. Features:Not only does the KMix look great on countertops, but it also has an extra-large capacity that can hold 2.72kg of cake mixture and 1.35kg of bread dough, enough to make a couple of loaves or several Victoria sponges. Even when filled to capacity, the motor doesn’t overheat, which proves it’s not just style over substance. It does get a little shaky while making bread dough but even heavy-duty machines such as the KitchenAid Artisan become lethargic when pushed to their limits. Of course, if size is what you’re after, the Kenwood certainly wins this round with a 5-litre bowl. But if you don’t want to fill your kitchen worktops with a heavy glass bowl, it might be worth choosing the KitchenAid’s smaller 4.8L stainless steel bowl - which some could argue is the more stylish option. Which one is easiest to use and clean? When worktop or cupboard space is in short supply, this Mini mixer is the perfect solution. While it might be 20% smaller, it’s only a slight compromise on its bigger brother, the Artisan. For starters, it’ll still be able to whip up to eight egg whites, cream 2kg of mashed potatoes or mix 680g of plain flour in its 3.3l bowl, using ten speeds powered by a quiet direct drive motor. Plus, it has the same thorough planetary mixing action of the Artisan, and even an attachment hub on the front. This means you can power everything you can with a regular KitchenAid tilt head model – mince meat, slice vegetables, roll or cut pasta or squeeze, chop and process food – without hauling another appliance out.