Customer Reviews

Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart Stand Mixers

5 star:		(119)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I've been a long-time fan of the KitchenAid mixer. My grandmother has been using the same KitchenAid mixer since the late 50s, and it's still going strong. I was thrilled to get a KitchenAid "Ultra-Power" mixer as a gift about seven years ago, and it worked great for occasional use. Over the past couple of years I've been doing more and more baking, and about a year ago I began making my own bread. After about six months of using my KitchenAid to knead two loaves of whole-wheat bread every week or so, it made a terrible grinding noise, and stopped working. I decided I'd better buy a new KitchenAid with a more powerful motor, and went online to see which was recommended. Much to my surprise, the reviews for the KitchenAid were no longer as positive as they had been. People were complaining about a decrease in quality and customer service. The biggest complaint was that some metal parts had been replaced by plastic, and while it sounded as if the company had recently started making the parts out of metal again, people were giving tips on how to determine if the model you were purchasing had the metal or plastic gearboxes. On top of that, Cooks Illustrated ranked the Cuisinart mixer above KitchenAid in a March 2008 review.

I did more research and found that the warranty was much better on the Cuisinart than on the KitchenAid. So, nervously, I decided to switch from what I had always considered to be the top brand, and I bought the Cuisinart.

My first impressions were mixed. I immediately liked the way the mixer looked, but I was nervous about it, because the body and the mixing paddles are much lighter in weight than on the KitchenAid. It lacks the solid, all-metal feel of the KitchenAid. Since the KitchenAid jittered all over the counter when I was using it to knead bread or even whip butter and sugar together for cookies, I figured the Cuisinart would probably fly off the counter. I decided to use it pretty hard for six months, and then write my review.

I've used it every seven to ten days to make two loaves of heavy, whole-grain bread, have made many batches of cookies and several cakes and I'm very happy to write that this is a GREAT mixer.

Much to my surprise, it doesn't jitter at all, not even when I'm using it to knead bread. Ingredients are more thoroughly mixed, and I don't need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula nearly as often as I needed to with my KitchenAid. Counter space in my kitchen is limited, so I keep the mixer in a cupboard, and the lighter weight means that it's much easier to move around. In my experience, the lighter weight has NOT affected, in any way, the performance.

Once, when I was kneading some heavy dough on speed #4 for about twice as long as the usual seven or eight minutes (I'd forgotten to add salt to the bread and was trying to knead it in) the mixer overheated and shut itself down. It hasn't done that since, and frankly, I'd rather that happen than have the gears freeze up and completely destroy the gearbox, as happened with my KitchenAid. Another greatly appreciated feature is that some clever person designed the bowl so that it's easy to remove, even after I've used the mixer to knead dough. The bowl on the KitchenAid would lock so tightly after kneading bread that I'd have to wrench it free, usually skinning my knuckles in the process. Some reviewers complain that the bread dough "climbs" the kneading hook, making a mess. I find that the dough actually climbs a lot less than it did when I used my KitchenAid. One reviewer mentioned that she finds the splash guard mostly useless, but I love it -- I find it truly useful, unlike the awkward, two-piece splash guard that came with my KitchenAid.

The timer function is nice, especially now that I don't need to stand over the mixer while it's kneading, worrying that it'll jitter its way onto the floor. I don't leave the room, but now I set the timer and let the mixer do its thing while I prep other ingredients or grease the baking pans. I really like the slow-start feature -- no more cloud of flour when I turn on the mixer.

Basically, this mixer does everything my KitchenAid did, and does it better. The performance has been highly satisfactory, and if it breaks down any time in the next five years, it will still be under warranty ... unlike my KitchenAid, which was only covered for a year.

I don't hate KitchenAid -- I think the mixers are probably still a good product, overall. I know that I was using mine for more than it was designed to handle. However, I am happier with the Cuisinart and have recommended it highly to several friends.

This is still a relatively early review. I expect stand mixers to last for at least a decade, and ideally for much longer. Six months after my purchase, I'm very happy with this machine. If anything happens to change that, I'll update this review.

January 29, 2009
I dropped my mixer! I was doing a lot of Christmas baking, the countertop was crowded, I put it too close to the edge of the counter and WHAM, it fell to the floor, landing hard, upside down. While I have no idea how the trauma will affect the overall life of the mixer, it still works fine. The top is a little askew now, and the hinged door at the front that covers the slow-speed power outlet will no longer stay closed. But: the mixer works as well as it ever did. I really wish I hadn't dropped it, but this is a strong peice of equipment. That was a hard fall from countertop height to a hardwood floor, and there appears to have been nothing more than cosmetic damage. I've been baking as much as ever, and it still works beautifully.

September 4, 2010
Wow -- I don't often look back at my reviews, and when I came back today to make an update, I was surprised that so many people found this helpful. Thanks! I hope if you bought a mixer based on my recommendation that you've loved it. Mine is still going strong, and this evening over dinner, I recommended it to a friend who was thinking of buying a new stand mixer.

Thank you to those who have commented, it adds some additional insight and balance. It was interesting reading the comments -- one person commented that this mixer didn't really handle large batches of heavy rye dough, so you might want to keep that in mind if you make a LOT of bread. I'm still making a loaf or two every week and am quite pleased. One commenter mentioned that his KitchenAid mixer never moved around the countertop. Since I would have to literally hold my KitchenAid down while kneading bread, it makes me wonder how much variance you might find between individual mixers. One of the things I still really, really like about the Cuisinart is that it stays still for me, even when I'm kneading a couple of loaves-worth of bread dough. In fact, I've recently stepped up my bread baking, because I've been experimenting with sourdough recipes. I've also been churning out a LOT of batches of cookies recently as I experiment with a new recipe. (I noticed today that my jeans are feeling a bit tight around the waist. Maybe I need to experiment with something a bit lower-calorie. But, I digress.)

Anyway, I logged on this evening to say I'm still quite pleased with my mixer. Despite the tragic dropping incident over a year and a half ago, the Cuisinart is still working beautifully.

December 6, 2011
I'm updating this review without much to add, other than I'm using this mixer more than ever, and it continues to work beautifully. I keep a large rubber band around the top of it to hold the slow-speed power-outlet door closed, but that's my own fault, since I let it drop off the counter two years ago.

This is a relatively new purchase and it has been used only a few times, but so far everything is working wonderfully. The slow start and fold features are great; it keeps flour-type ingredients from dusting the kitchen counter, and the kitchen floor, and other kitchen appliances - you get the idea. I was happy that it also came with a splash guard for much the same reason! The design is sleek, the control knob works well, overall a good product.

There is one complaint I have: the top cover which also hides the accessory attachment area, is easy to remove. So much so that it sometimes comes off accidentally when raising the mixer head if you grab the wrong part. No big deal really, but something that should be looked at for future product development.

The main point I want to make is the strength of the warranty. To have a company stand behind their equipment by giving a 3 year product warranty and a 5 year motor warranty is very comforting. Compare that warranty to the one KitchenAid gives (1 year).

I bought this to replace a 5 qt. KitchenAid Artisan. I do a little cake decorating and I needed something that would handle large batches of buttercream icing a couple times per week, as well as general kitchen use. It was a toss up between this one and the KitchenAid Pro. I was a little nervous about spending so much money on something that doesn't have the solid reputation that KitchenAid mixers have, but I'm so glad I took the chance! This is a wonderful mixer!! In my opinion, it is far superior to the KitchenAids in almost every way. I would recommend this to anyone.
Pros:
It handles large and small quantities equally well.
The more powerful motor is wonderful! It handles lots of heavy dough and icing with ease.
The splash guard forms a tight seal. Not air tight, but when I make huge batches of buttercream icing (using 5# of powdered sugar) it keeps in all the powdered sugar dust and I don't have quite so much to clean up afterward. In fact, I have very little to clean up!
If you start on a high speed it gets faster gradually so that you don't end up splashing what is in the bowl all over you.
The timer turns the mixer off automatically when time's up. No more over mixing!!
The paddle, whisk and dough hook are dishwasher safe.
I can't say anything about the attachments as I don't have any yet, but I love that I can add a blender or chopper to it without having to by the whole small appliance.
Cons:
It is mostly plastic and therefore much lighter than the KitchenAid. I haven't found this to be a problem at all with it walking of wobbling like I thought I would. But, the plastic body makes it look kind of cheap.
It is louder than my KitchenAid was.

Overall, the cons are very minimal. I've not found them to be enough of a bother to skew my opinion of the mixer. I absolutely LOVE this mixer and I will never go back to KitchenAid!

After burning out 2 hand mixers and 1 small stand mixer in the last 8 yrs, I decided to invest in something that would handle thick cookie dough. (They always broke at Christmas time when I made several batches of sugar cookie dough.) I did lots of online research into the different brands (I specifically was looking at the kitchen aide first, then viking, hamilton beach, and cuisinart). I was leaning toward the kitchen aide because so many of my family have one, yet they don't really use them for heavy tasks much. If I was going to commit counter space to this monster, I wanted to be able to use it for mixing bread dough as well and get rid of my bread machine. My budget leaned more toward the kitchen aide classic/artisan and not the kitchen aide pro. I eliminated the viking, hamilton beach because I couldn't find any local stores that carried them. I like to see the product before buying. Seeing the poor reviews for the lower end kitchen aides in regards to their ability to handle thick bread dough and longevity, I started to consider the cuisinart. It has a lower profile, so sits under the cabinets better. The tilt head is convenient and it locks up in place. (Some KAs have this feature too.) The machine is lighter than the kitchen aide. Most of the body is a metal composite that is not as heavy. Under the top cover of the machine it is a plastic composite. Since this is not a stress point on the machine, I don't think it is a major area to worry about. (I wouldn't use any abrasive pad on this part though as I think it would scratch the mirror finish) I know that the new plastic composites (Like on the dyson vacuum cleaner) are much stronger and durable than the old plastics. I am not sure about the inner gears if they are made of plastic or metal. With the longer warranty, I was more willing to take a risk with the cuisinart than the KA. Also that 800 watt motor vs 375 watts for the KA seamed promising.

So now to its performance. The stainless steel bowl is very sturdy and shaped well. (oval instead of round). The paddles did get all the way to the side. Only had to scrape the bottom of the bowl once when creaming a small batch of butter. I have made 4 batches of cookies, 2 batches of bread, and whipped some cream and mixed swedish pancakes. My daughter was amazed that she did not have to scrape down the walls of the bowl when doing the sugar cookie dough. Everything was well mixed. When kneeding the bread dough the machine did shake. Was worried about this. It did not walk across the counter though. When I shut the machine off, I realized where I had placed it wasn't level. On the second batch I made sure it was on level footing . I also found out I had it on too high a speed for kneading. With the lower setting and level counter, there was very little shaking. Not anymore than my bread machine makes when kneading dough. The bread dough was also well mixed. Did not have to scrape down the sides or the bottom to get any stray ingredients. The bowl did release from the base very easy after the kneading. (My dads KA was welded in placed after kneading and took two of us to pry the bowl loose.) The splash guard sits tightly on top of the bowl and around the mixer head. My mother in laws splash guard on her KA is open in the middle and you can still get splattered. But the pour spout on the cuisinart is a little small for adding flour using a measuring cup. A round cup and an oblong opening make it difficult to get the dry ingredients in and not over the lid. Liquids are easy to add to this spout.

The count down timer is a really nice feature. I tend to either over mix or under mix things. So when it says mix for 2 min, I just set the timer and let it go. The timer button is a little sensitive and I tend to over shoot the time I wish to set and have to go round the dial to get back. The gradual speed up when mixing is also a plus. Not necessary, but nice, just in case you forgot you were on speed 10 when adding flour, you won't get dusted. The fold feature does a slow 1 1/2 turn for adding things gently. The paddles/ beater blades are made of some metal composite that is lighter than the kitchen aide. I am thinking this will add to the life of the motor. I can't give this a 5 star as I haven't had it long enough to tell. Since I have had it only a few days, I thought I should maybe give it a 3, but realized the features are so easy to use and intuitive (My machine did not come with an instruction booklet and I figured everything out within minutes) that it deserves a 4 for ease of use. If it lasts more than the 5 yr warranty and handles weekly bread batches, than I can give it a better rating. For the price, it has better features than the low end KA, (splash guard, timer, fold feature, and gradual speed up) looks nice (though I still like the classic shape of the KA), and has a powerful motor. The warranty was the real deal.

Bought this mixer after comparing it to the ubiquitous KitchenAid Artisan. This mixer has a much more powerful motor. The two additional accessory attachment ports really open this machine up for much more than just standard mixing. The dough hook is particularly good -- yeast bread dough comes out quite nice. Machine doesn't feel as substantial as the Artisan, mainly due to the fact that the Cuisinart isn't completely made of metal. The Cuisinart seems to move a little more than you'd like when mixing heavy things like bread dough. I find the splash guard mostly useless. Overall, however, this is a very good machine at a good price. I am happy with this mixer, and use it often.

I wanted to purchase a stand mixer for my 16 year old daughter who is an aspiring pastry chef and the first thought was Kitchen-Aid (KA). Rather than just buying one because of the reputation, I did some in depth research, read a lot of reviews and discovered some interesting facts and points of interest.
I wanted a powerful mixer so that it would last, I wanted the unit to fit on my countertop and I wanted the mixer-head to tilt up. This is where KA lost me and I'll tell you why. KA has essentially 2 designs for the home user, a "tilt up head" and "bowl lift" designs. The bowl lift models have the more powerful motors and metal gears (I assume the tilt head models don't have metal gears because they don't advertise it like they do on the "bowl lift" models) The "bowl lift" model will not fit under your kitchen cabinets on your counter top and the mixer attachment (paddle, whip...) has to be removed with the bowl as apposed to lifting the mixer head and just removing the bowl. The motor size of the two brands can't really be compared because KA uses a transmission, which allows for a smaller motor and Cuisinart uses a variable speed motor control, which requires a larger motor. The point though is that in order to get the larger motor (and metal gears) in a KA you have to get the "bowl lift" design.
The Cuisinart has the features I required (listed above) and a nifty built in timer but, only 2 choices of mixers. I chose the 5.5 qt. because it fit my budget and I feel that I purchased more mixer for my money than if I had purchased a KA.
Having made several loaves of bread and dozens and dozens of cookies (I use it more than my daughter) with her new Cuisinart, I am truly pleased with the unit. It is quiet and powerful (I've made double batch bread and cookies without a problem). There are numerous attachments available and the warranty is way better than KA.
Thanks to the rest of you reviewers out there, I made a great choice!

We originally purchased the kitchenaid professional and it was too tall to slide under the cabinets on our kitchen counters. Instead of dropping down to the Artisan Kitchenaid we bought this Cuisenart instead. It operates every bit as well as the Kitchenaid with improvements with built in timers and the additional top access port for attachements. I will admit it doesn't seem as heavy duty as the Kitchenaid in construction, some of the parts seem plastic instead of the heavy metal of the kitchenaid but it is a lot easier to remove the beaters with the high tilt that this model provides. Hopefully the digital fetures hold up well.

I did a lot of research before making my purchase. Thanks mostly to the reviewers on this site (as well as two cooking webistes), I chose the Cuisinart SM-55. I have been using my Cuisinart Stand Mixer for almost 3 months now. I am VERY happy with this product. Thanks to all who wrote in to express their opinions.

I make two loaves of bread - white, whole wheat or French - every other week. I also make quick breads with dried fruits and nuts in them as well as several dozen cookies every month. And of course, there are mashed potatoes every week. This mixer handles it all with ease.

I love the slow start feature, the fold speed and the timer. Even the splash guard is well-thought out and useful. The bowl never jams on the stand and is always easy to remove. Clean up is a breeze.

I haven't been as pleased with it on the few occasions I made a batter for pancakes or cupcakes. When I do that, I often have to stop the mixer to scrape the sides or the bottom of the bowl. I'm sure that will change as I learn more about how to use the Cuisinart properly. Still because of that I would have to say that people who use a mixer only a few times a year or mostly for light work - meringues, cakes, even mashed potatoes - might find this is more mixer than they really need. There are prettier and less expensive models that will work just fine for them.

I love that this is such a sturdy machine. It doesn't vibrate or move on the counter. I never worry that it might fall off the edge, even if it's kneading a double batch of dough. It is relatively quiet (Although really, does anyone expect a power tool to be quiet?. The metal gear box and the great warranty were two of the things that made me choose Cuisinart over the other brands.

I haven't purchased any of the attachments because I already own a Cuisinart food processor and a Cuisinart blender. I'm happy with both of those products, too!

The bottom line is this: for the kind of heavy doughs I make most often, the Cuisinart SM-55 is the perfect machine. I think I made a really good choice.

I have used it half a dozen times, mostly on bread and other stiff dough. The mixing was over before I knew it, with the ingredients on the sides and bottom of the bowl all incorporated into the whole. On recipes where I was instructed to let the dough rise in a plastic bag, when I lifted the mixer head the entire ball of dough clung to the dough hook. I held open the bag with my left hand, slid it under the dough ball then with one finger of my right hand, slowly coaxed the dough off the dough hook and into the bag. No trouble, no wads of dough sticking to the hook and no messy hands. Wow!!

Today the mixer gets four stars. In a few years, if all is well, I will add the fifth star. Longevity is the ultimate test.

The bowl on this machine is, in fact, 5.5 quarts. The usable space for mixing is just a bit more than half that. The bowl is deep and narrow and the beaters are very small. The bowl is about 9" tall (outside measure). The whisk attachment has tines that are only 4" from top to bottom. To put this in perspective, my Cuisinart hand-mixer has tines 3-1/2" long. The actual mixing capacity of this machine is closer to 3 quarts. If that is sufficient for you, it is highly rated for performance at Cook's Illustrated. Sadly, I will be returning the unit because I actually need the stated capacity.

Update: I decided to give it a try before returning it and found it could make a double batch of cookie dough (13.5 cups of dry ingredients, 2 eggs and 1.5 cups of butter) - though just barely. Towards the end I had to stop the mixer and push the ingredients down because as the machine folded the ingredients the batter that rose above the 4" paddle just kind of sat there. I was, however, able to successfully incorporate all the ingredients. I have decided to keep it because that is the largest quantity I am likely to make on a regular basis (and living in Canada makes returning it much more of a hassle than it is for US customers). Still quite a bit less than the stated capacity.