If you're looking to buy a stand mixer, the first thing that you should consider is how much power you need. If you just use it to mix cake batter, then you can probably do with most any stand mixer. But if your the type who likes to use your stand mixer to knead yeast bread, and big batches at that. Then you need to think about the most powerful motor available. Most stand mixers have motors that range from 300-watt to 1,000 watt. I also cosider the motor warranty to be important on an expensive stand mixer.

The next thing that you want to consider in a stand mixer is the size of the mixing bowl, These generally range in size on a stand mixer from 3 to 7 quarts. I like to buy an expensive kichen appliance that I can grow into. My cooking style and entertaining needs have changed a lot over the years and I've been glad that I've chosen cooking appliances that have been able to change with me.

You also have to look at the speeds available. Some batters and doughs need to start at very low speeds to incorporate the ingredients and then be gradually increased.

I also like to have several stand mixer attachments, especially a dough hook for yeast bread and a whisk for beating eqg whites.

Here is a great selection of stand mixers by some of the best name brands in the industry - Hamilton Beach, KitchenAid, and Cuisinart.

A beautiful red stand mixer by Kitchen Aid. A powerful heavy duty stand mixer with 325-watts and 10 speeds. This means that you'll easily cream butter and knead bread dough. You can also mix a alot of cookie dough batter with a 5-quart capacity.

This KitchenAid Stand Mxer comes with 3 attachements. The flat beater mixes everything from cake batter to a sturdy meatloaf. A wire whip easily whips egg whites and all of your recipes that call for you to beat until fluffy or stiff peaks form. And my favorite attachment a hook for kneading dough for yeast breads. It's very easy to switch between attachments.

A pouring shield lets you easily add eggs and almost anything else to your batter without creating a messy splatter.

While the picture shows a red stand mixer, this KitchenAid stand mixer comes in a wide variety of colors. White, Cobalt Blue, Yellow, Black, Persimmon, Onyx Black, Tangerine Orange, Caviar Black, Cornflower Blue, Silver Metallic, Green Apple, Almond Cream, Imperial Grey, Ice Blue, Metallic Chrome, Majestic Yellow, Pistachio, Gloss Cinnamon, Blue Willow, Bayleaf Green, Boysenberry, and Pear.

Powerful Hamilton Beach stand mixer with 400 watts and 12-speeds will let you beat up cookie batter, egg whites and yeast breads easily and efficiently. Comes with 4.5 quart mixing bowl and a dough hook and whisk attachment. For added convenience there's a quick release-tilt up head. The Hamilton Beach stand mixer is designed with a hand-finished sterling color and is smudge proof. The silver color will blend with the most contemporary kitchen design.

To keep you and your surroundings tidy while you bake the Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer has a splash guard. This lets you add things like eggs or liquid to your batter without having it end up on you. The unique mixing head moves around the bowl as the beater moves in the opposite direction.

The Cuisinart Stand Mixer has a powerful 1,000-watt motor and a very large 7-quart stainless-steel bowl. If you're cooking large recipes with heavy batter and doughs, this is a great stand mixer option. When you need to time your mixing there's a super convenient 15-minute countdown timer. It has a super-slow speed and then allows you to easily increase speed. This reduces the chances of you splattering yourself and wasting batter.

The Cuisinart bowl design is narrower and less round than that found in other major stand mixers.

Comes with several attahments: chef's whisk, flat mixing paddle, dough hook, and splashguard. The Cuisinart Stand Mixer comes in three of the most popular colors: black, white and brushed chrome. And has a Five-Year Motor Warranty.