Avoid these 4 food mixers if you like to bake

But as our test of 18 benchtop mixers found, some aren’t up to the task – including one that costs nearly $1,000.

We test food mixers on a range of tasks – beating egg whites, mixing cake batter and kneading dough.

Here’s the four benchtop mixers that scored the lowest in our mixing cake batter test. For all of them, the batter wasn’t mixed properly, and you needed to manually scrape the sides of the bowl or push the ingredients to the beater.

Worst benchtop food mixers for mixing cake batter

Sunbeam MixMaster Combo Mixer Pro MXP1000WH

Score: 60
Price: $122

One of the smaller food mixers in our test, it’s the worst at mixing cake batter. It also deserves the wooden spoon for kneading dough. While it can usefully detach from the stand to be used as a hand mixer, it isn’t suitable for large quantities.

Anko Bench Mixer FP9071F-SA 42939702

Score: 61
Price: $95

This Kmart benchtop mixer was only average at mixing cake batter. It also has some ease-of-use issues. Its attachments can’t be cleaned in the dishwasher and there’s no eject button for removing the beaters. Anko mixers also get the lowest rating in our brand satisfaction survey.

Kensington 5L Stand Mixer KM5005B-SA

Score: 65
Price: $109

This Kensington benchtop mixer (only available from The Warehouse) was mediocre at mixing cake batter. It has a maximum operating time of 6 minutes when mixing heavier ingredients. That means it’s best for lighter jobs like beating egg whites.

Smeg SMF03

Score: 69
Price: $999

This benchtop mixer from Smeg doesn’t live up to its expensive price tag. It was only average at mixing cake batter – we expected more for a model this pricey.

What about hand-held food mixers?

If you're an occasional baker, a hand mixer that's compact and easy to use might be all you need. We’ve tested six models, including four models that score 100% in our mixing cake batter test.