The Bakery Boss comes loaded with everything required of the British Baking Show-wannabe: a 4.7-litre glass borosilicate microwave-safe bowl, an additional 3.8 litre stainless steel bowl and an abundance of tools, including a scraper beater with rubber edges to catch errant ingredients on the side of the bowl, a dough hook, a flat beater for heavier batters and a huge whisk. Our master baker, a dyed-in-the-wool KitchenAid devotee, loved pretty much everything about this mixer, especially the easy attachment mounting method, the spring-loaded arm-raising mechanism, the twin handle 4.6-litre bowl, the electronic speed controller and, of course, that brilliant bowl light. Nevertheless, what really makes this mixer stand head and shoulders above every other model on the planet is the inclusion of a computer-controlled interface, built-in scales and the ability to warm ingredients – in the bowl! The interface has six presets, including dough proving, chocolate melting, egg white whisking and dough kneading. However, most avid bakers will love the scale and bowl-heating functions most. To use the scales, you simply clamp the mixing bowl into position and select the scale function, change the units to your preference and pour in the ingredients. 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.

Known as Breville The Bakery Boss outside of the UK, this model doesn't go out of its way to look unlike a traditional stand mixer, but it still boasts a host of natty design flourishes.These include a very handy handle on the front of the articulated mixer arm, an LED-lit bowl, an LCD timer and a handy strip light that displays the speed setting you’ve selected, just in case you’ve forgotten. The splash guard is innovative and very effective, and while it's heavy, the owl means you can keep a knowing eye on your bakes as they mix. I also enjoyed the range of speeds, and how powerful they can be if you turn them up high. If you wanted to make a meringue, it would be perfect. About this review, and the reviewerOf all the stand mixers I've tried (which is a lot!), this is the one I would buy for myself. It's not quite as pretty as the KitchenAid, but it's a lotcheaper and has twice the power. Extras such as a glass bowl and sturdy splash guard are also included in the price, whereas you'd get a stainless steel bowl if you went for almost any other mixer on the market. The 300-watt Artisan is available in 13 tantalising colours – including a very tasty honey colour – and comes with a 4.8-litre stainless steel bowl, a smaller 3-litre stainless steel bowl without a handle for smaller batches or extra ingredients for the same recipe, a balloon whisk, dough hook, flat beater and a brilliant Flex Edge beater with a rubber edge for scraping wayward ingredients off the side of the bowl. The electronic speed control system is another tactile addition. Switch it on and the circular control dial lights up in readiness for you to select your preferred speed from one to eight. It also provides an extra low speed for gently folding in egg whites and a full-speed pulse function for rapidly blitzing whatever it is you want to rapidly blitz. The stainless steel bowl is a sight to behold and very practical too because it comes with a handle on either side. The plastic splash guard on top of the bowl slides on very easily and our test baker loved the transparent flip-up cover for feeding in ingredients. 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. Effortlessly combining a vintage look with modern machinery, a stand mixer from Kenwood will be your new best friend in the kitchen. For those who love experimenting with a range of cooking styles, the kMix and its accompanying tools allow you to whip up anything from a pavlova to fresh pasta with little effort. Versatile and easy-to-use

If you have a large family or bake on an industrial scale and are looking for a mixer with a big enough bowl to accommodate a four kilo cake, then this is the model for you. Before divulging its premium features, let’s start with the basics. The Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL comes with a huge 7-litre stainless steel bowl, a smaller 5-litre mixing bowl, four main attachments – a standard whisk, Kenwood’s excellent K beater, a creaming beater with rubber edges and huge dough hook – and a bright LED bowl lamp. Like its smaller stablemate reviewed above, it also features two external ports for adding a range of 25 optional attachments. Whether it's sweet or savoury, you'll find the kMix Stand Mixer has a hook or a whisk for whatever task you have at hand. In addition, the Smart Speed Control has 6 speed options and a fold option, carefully and gradually building up speed without creating any kitchen nightmares. That said, the 1000 W motor allows you to work even the toughest of doughs without any hassle. Designer style with a thrifty price tag Few modern mixers match this handsome retro beauty for style or blending efficiency. Granted, it has fewer high-tech bells and whistles than some of its competitors but you'll reap the benefits in reliability, durability, efficiency and, above all, ease of use.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. Millie Fender heads up all things small appliances at Ideal Home. There’s nothing she loves more than testing out the latest and greatest cooking gadgets, for indoor and outdoor use, from toasters to air fryers. Millie lives in South London and is constantly squeezing more appliances into her modest kitchen. If it makes it onto the kitchen counters full time, you know an appliance is worth the hype. Just when you think it can’t get any better, a light tap of the chrome slab on top switches on an LED that bathes the entire bowl in bright white light so you can see how the mix is going. 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.