The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 67

mounted motor that drives the blade via a belt. Failing at
even the easiest of tasks, those processors aren’t worth the
boxtheycomein.Instead,lookformodelswithasolid-state
motor attached directly to the blade shaft, with no
intermediarybeltorchain.Thesetakeupalittleextraspace
in terms of height, because the motor must be placed
underneaththeprocessorbowl,butthat’saneasytrade-off.
The two best processors that fit all this criteria at a
reasonablepricearetheKitchenAid12-cupFoodProcessor
($199.95) and the Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus 11-cup Food
Processor (about $165). And at such similar price points
(admittedly much more expensive than many useless
models), it all comes down to bowl design, and in this
category, the Cuisinart wins: it’s got a larger feed tube, as
wellasstraightsidesthatensurethatallyourfoodfallsback
down into the blade. For some reason, the KitchenAid has
sloping sides. Ingredients can ride up the sides more easily
andmaynotbechoppedoremulsifiedproperly.
6.StandMixer,withMeatGrinderAttachment
A good stand mixer is a true workhorse for anyone who
bakesmorethanoccasionally.Whenselectingone,thereare
afewcriteriathatIlookfor:
• It should have a dough hook attachment and a motor
powerfulenoughtomixatleast2poundsofbreaddough
withoutstraining,shaking,orburningout.
•Itshouldhaveawhiskattachmenttowhipcreamandto
whip egg whites quickly and efficiently into frothy
meringuesandfoams.


• Itshouldhaveapaddleattachment to cream butter and

sugar effortlessly, as well as make short work of mashed
potatoesandsausagemixtures.
• It should feature planetary motion, meaning the whisk
attachmentspinsarounditsaxisinonedirectionandorbits
around the work bowl in the opposite direction, to
maximizecontactandmixingpower.
• It should have a port for attachments such as a meat
grinderorpastamaker.
Once again, just as with food processors, the epic battle
for kitchen superiority (at least for the home consumer)
comes down to KitchenAid and Cuisinart. Despite the fact
thatmanymanufacturersboasttheirmotorwattagesintheir
advertising (for instance, Cuisinart does a side-by-side
comparison of their 800-watt SM-55 mixer versus the 325
wattsoftheKitchenAidArtisan),thesenumbersmeanvery
little.Withinagivenmanufacturer’sproductlineup, it is an
indicatorofhowpowerfulthemotorwillbe,butthewattage
isactuallythepowerconsumedbythemixer,notthepower
producedbythemotor.It’samarketinggimmick,pureand
simple. Given a choice between two motors that perform
equallywell(saythe325-wattmotoroftheKitchenAidPro
500versusthe800-wattmotoroftheCuisinartSM-55),it’s
actually better to pick the one with lower wattage and save
onelectricity.
Both the KitchenAid and the Cuisinart have a meat
grinder attachment available, an absolute must in my
kitchen. It saves money and produces incalculably better
results for burgers, sausages, meatballs, and meat loaves.