Processor versatility: Stand mixers should take on key kitchen tasks that make life a lot easier. Whisking, beating and kneading attachments are key to this and we awarded extra points to machines that offer more integrated features, like weighing scales, timers and extra attachments.

I will comment though that using only 3 cups of flour with 50% hydration, it does seem to struggle at times. At times it sounds like it may almost stall. Adding a little water loosens it up, but still sometimes need to push it a little beyond 2 to get more power. The manual warns not to kneed dough faster than 2 or the unit can be damaged. The Kitchenaid didn't just do a little better, it feels functional. It actually works. I guess the Frigidaire is the cheapest planetary mixer I could find, and it does what it claims, but does it so poorly that its questionably useful. Its also nice to have the stir speed to calmly do some of the initial mixing. Dough from this machine has been great. The speed range is amazing in comparison. There is a stir setting that is probably about 1/2 the speed of "2". 2 is similar to 1 (the minimum) on the Frigidaire. The max speed 10 is MUCH faster than 8 on the Frigidaire. Roughly speed 10 is about 3 revolutions/second vs. about 2 revolutions/second for the Frigidaire on its top setting of 8.Much to my surprise, comparing the two, the Frigidaire is barely functional vs. a fully functional Kitchenaid. Note that we are not experienced at stand mixers nor at making dough. This is our attempt to get into making dough. The speed range 1-8 is sort of a joke. The minimum is 1, which is really pretty fast. There is nothing like a stir setting. Range 1-6 is almost the same with very little difference. From 6 on to 8 it speeds up a lot, but even top speed 8 isn't really that much faster than 1. A little less than twice as fast by my measure.

We tried to whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. At maximum speed, the whisk barely reaches the cream at all. Eventually after minutes we started getting some whipped cream. Results of functions: A machine that efficiently mixed all the ingredients at the same time was a staple requirement. We looked for pavlova mixes that were glossy and well-whisked, cake mixes that were light with evenly distributed zest and finally, well-risen dough that was soft and light when baked. Value for money: there’s no point splashing out on a gadget-y machine with various accessories if you’re only going to use it to occasionally make basic cakes. Overall quality of materials: Well-made stand mixers with quality components should last. We looked for those that were robust. The blade mixer doesn't get anywhere near the bottom or the sides, so lots of material is left on the bottom and sides. It makes it impractical to mix smaller quantities. It also means that you need to stop and scrape down the sides and mix up the bottom.The Frigidaire is incredibly loud. Even on 1 its earth shattering and sounds like its going to break something. It gets hot after a few minutes. On its max setting 8 its much much louder.

Versatility: stand mixers can work hard with the right attachments, which include everything from pasta rollers to sausage makers. Study the number of bolt-on accessories available if you want to use your machine frequently for lots of kitchen tasks.The slowest speed is pretty fast, so any sort of stirring or gentle folding is out of the question. The slowest speed on the mixer is pretty fast and is the speed you're supposed to use to make dough. While we were eventually able to whip some cream with the Frigidaire, the experience with the Kitchenaid was radically different to the point of saying the Frigidaire doesn't really work.

I should also mention that the unit doesn't seem very strong or stable. Its plastic and the hinged top part doesn't sit tight against the bottom, there's a good bit of play. When working dough, the top part is moving around in all sorts of scary ways as if its going to break. The Kitchenaid is pretty quiet on stir, still quiet on 2. Maxed out to 10 its pretty loud but much quieter than the Frigidaire. And it doesn't sound like its going to break apart.When mixing dough... with the Frigidaire, the dough rises up the dough hook and keeps going up so that it ends up in the spring mechanism to hold the hook and still keeps going up into the axle and spinning plate under the mixer. I thought this was normal, but was a mess to clean up, so its clearly not what you're supposed to let happen. It could be that we overloaded the mixer. It was 5 cups of flour. Ease of use and cleaning: Modern stand mixers can offer sophisticated features but being easy to use is incredibly important. Washing your stand mixer’s attachments by hand can also be a pain, so we looked for dishwasher-safe accessories to make cleaning less of a headache.