The KitchenAid Classic Series stand mixer my mom had in the ’90s is still hanging around today, mixing, beating, and kneading as well as ever. My mom used it when I was in elementary school to make cakes and cookies for birthdays and school events; it survived my daily baking sessions in high school; and now, while I’m back home quarantining with my mom during this crisis, it’s back on the kitchen counter while we stress bake, whipping up my favorite-ever chocolate chip cookie recipe and flourless double-chocolate brownies. KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Qt. 10-Speed White Stand Mixer with Tilt-Head, $260; homedepot.com. We’ve moved houses (and cities), half the family has developed gluten intolerances, and I’ve graduated college and gotten a stand mixer of my own in my grown-up city apartment, but this decades-old mixer is still as reliable as ever. Our KitchenAid stand mixer is the most basic model, without the flashy colors or KitchenAid Color of the Year options popular now or any of the best KitchenAid attachments, but I still smile when I pull it out from the cabinet. There’s a reason KitchenAid stand mixers have a cult following: They’re reliable, durable, and long-lasting, able to mix and blend and whip year after year without grinding gears or breaking down. In college, I learned that you don’t need a stand mixer to make delicious cookies, cakes, or brownies, but it certainly makes the process easier and more fun—and with so many smart attachments out there, you can use a good stand mixer for so much more than baking (think shredding chicken, kneading bread dough, and making ice cream). The key is to pick the right stand mixer, and I can’t imagine one better than KitchenAid’s.
