The SMEG Stand Mixer Is a Good Deal for the Dough

We’ve written before about all the reasons to own a stand mixer. Even if you don’t bake regularly, a stand mixer is an investment that will last for years, and possibly decades. It’s one of those small appliances you’re relieved to have when you do need it.

We had the opportunity to use a  SMEG stand mixer to cook for our family at home, and we were extremely pleased with the results. In this post, we’ll cover the details of the SMEG stand mixer (including all the gorgeous available colors and helpful attachments) and analyze how it performed for us.

All About the SMEG Stand Mixer

SMEG is an Italian company that was founded in 1948. They began manufacturing home appliances at a time when refrigerators and electric ranges and dishwashers were just being introduced into homes. Their mid-century roots are showcased in the retro designs that have earned SMEG a wide range of awards. SMEG focuses on details as they bring together technology and style in their products.

The SMEG stand mixer has received its share of awards. In 2014, the mixer was honored with a  Good Design Award, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum. In 2015, the SMEG mixer was selected for an iF Design Award. iF is an independent design institution that was founded in Germany, and their awards have been a symbol of respect and prestige for over 60 years.

The mixer comes with a 5-quart  stainless steel bowl, stainless steel wire whisk, aluminum flat beater, aluminum dough hook, and plastic pouring shield. Use the wire whisk for mixing liquids or other light and airy ingredients. The flat beater is ideal for combining liquid mixtures with dry ingredients, such as cake or quick bread batter. Switch to the dough hook for denser mixtures with a greater proportion of flour, such as bread dough or sugar cookie dough. The dough hook is also excellent for kneading and will save you the time and energy of kneading by hand. The pouring shield makes it easy to add ingredients without splashing or spilling, and it helps keep ingredients in the bowl when you turn on the mixer.

SMEG also offers a full range of attachments that extend the functionality of your mixer. Use the  pasta roller to press pasta dough into thin sheets. The various pasta cutter attachments can cut your pasta sheets into spaghetti, fettuccine, and even ravioli. Use the food grinder to process all sorts of meat, and the slicer/grater attachment handles vegetables, cheese, and chocolate.

Apart from all the functionality of the SMEG stand mixer, it simply looks gorgeous on the counter. Of course it’s offered in a range of colors, from a sleek matte silver to a deep rich red. The powder pastel colors complement the '50s-era style. We love the colors of the mixer body, but we also admire the lines and curves of the base, and details like the ball lever knob. The styling is both retro and futuristic at once.

Cooking With the SMEG Stand Mixer

How did the  SMEG stand mixer hold up to our everyday cooking tasks? We used it for a variety of recipes that are mainstays in our household. Below, we’ll share the recipes we used and discuss how the mixer performed.

Dough Hook for Pizza Dough

If you’re making any type of yeasted bread or dough that requires kneading, save yourself time and energy with the SMEG stand mixer. Yes, you can knead by hand, but the mixer can do the job in five minutes, while it would take you at least twice as long on your own.

We made the dough recipe from our  homemade pizza post, and we were thrilled with the results. There was no need to start with the flat beater and swap it out for the dough hook. We used the dough hook for the entire process, and it worked perfectly to combine the ingredients and knead the dough. The SMEG stand mixer can handle up to 46 ounces of bread dough, which is a hefty amount whether you’re making loaves of bread or multiple pizzas.

Flat Beater for Cookie Dough

We couldn’t resist trying one of the  cookie cake recipes from our recent post. The flat beater on the SMEG stand mixer is perfect for cookie dough. Most cookie dough recipes start by creaming softened butter and sugar, then mixing in eggs and vanilla at medium-high speed. While these ingredients are soft, they aren’t liquid and don’t require the wire whisk attachment. You can leave the flat beater in place when you add the dry ingredients.

You will need to scrape the sides of the bowl, as well as the bottom, to make sure there aren’t any pockets of butter or sugar left behind and that all the ingredients have been incorporated. Cookie dough isn’t as dense as bread dough, and it’s important not to overmix it, so don’t use the dough hook or let it continue mixing longer than necessary.

Wire Whisk and Flat Beater for Zucchini Quiche

One of our favorite ways to use the bounty of zucchini in our backyard garden each summer is  zucchini quiche. The SMEG stand mixer is the ideal tool for combining all the quiche filling ingredients. Start with the wire whisk to whip the eggs. Then swap out the whisk for the flat beater to mix the rest of the ingredients, including the grated zucchini and shredded cheese. While this quiche filling is more liquid than cookie dough or quick bread, the solid bits of zucchini and cheese will get caught in the wires if you use the whisk. The flat beater gets the job done more effectively.

Wire Whisk for Cream Cheese Frosting

We took a break from zucchini this summer to make a carrot cake, which meant we had to make  cream cheese frosting to go with it. This recipe features browned butter, which adds another flavor dimension to the frosting and makes it somewhat thinner than other types of frosting. The key here, as in so many recipes, is to ensure your ingredients are room temperature so they are soft enough to blend well.

We used the wire whisk with the SMEG stand mixer to whip the cream cheese, vanilla, and browned butter (which had cooled to room temperature but was still liquid). We left the wire whisk in place as we beat in the powdered sugar a half-cup at a time. Watch your ingredients as they mix, and use your judgment on how well they’re mixing and how hard your mixer is working. The SMEG mixer is a powerhouse, but it’s essential to use the right attachment for the job. If you find the frosting is too thick for the wire whisk, you can always swap it out for the flat beater before adding the rest of the powdered sugar.