posted by Jaden on December 27, 2016
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We are reviewing the Cuisinart Precision Master SM-50 Stand Mixer – after 12 hours of testing by kneading bread dough, whipping egg whites, and making fresh pasta with the attachment, here our both PROs and CONs of the mixer.
The Cuisinart Stand Mixer is a 5.5 quart, 500-watt machine with 12 speed setting. It comes in 3 colors: brushed chrome, red and white.
This model of stand mixer resembles the KitchenAid so much that I had to look twice!
A few years ago, we owned the Cuisinart SM-55 stand mixer, which looked more squat, square and modern. But it looked out of place in more traditional-designed kitchens.
But design was the least of its problems – the older SM-55 model just never performed well, with a funky designed paddle, hard to grip handle on bowl, a bowl that looked more like an ice bucket than mixing bowl, and a heavy tilt head that always threatened to tip the machine over.
Fortunately, Cuisinart’s SM-50 Precision Master seemed to have solved most of those problems.
The Design
The DesignPRO: As I mentioned, it resembles the KitchenAid’s timeless design. It’s a handsome machine, with just enough curves.
CON: Only comes in 3 colors (vs. KitchenAid’s endless palette of colors – I think there are 33 different colors).
The Bowl
PRO: The re-designed bowl of is wide, giving you plenty of room to peek in and add ingredients. Its big, fat handle allows you to hold on securely to scoop ingredients out.
CON: The bowl secures to the machine at the very bottom, with a twisty motion. That means you have to keep that bottom area very clean.
Power
PRO: 500 watts (vs. KitchenAid’s 5 quart 325 watt). It’s powerful – kneading a batch of bread dough was a breeze, no effort at all. We also made a double-batch of pasta dough (I’ll show you in a sec) and the machine handled it easily.
Bonus – the machine is shhhh….quiet….It doesn’t sound like an airplane landing in my kitchen anymore.
Tilt Head
PRO: The tilt-head moves easily, the machine is balanced (no tipping over or wobbling when head is tilted), and the head won’t accidentally fall forward. I actually really like tilt-heads, it just makes it easier to insert/remove the bowl.
CON: You need 2 hands to tilt head back, which is a pain if one of your hands is dough-y and holding a spatula.
The Controls
CON: The speed dial is round, which makes it hard to operate if your hands are sticky and batter-y. (The KitchenAid has a lever, which I can operate with my palm or even my arm). Plus, the little tiny grooves in the dial is really hard to clean well. My batter and flour always wanted to settle into these little grooves.
Paddle, Whisk and Hook
PRO: The paddle is now designed similarly to KitchenAid’s (no more zig-zag paddle of the SM-55), but with a big difference. See how rounded the end of the paddle is? It mimics the shape of the bowl (vs. KitchenAid’s pointy end). This paddle worked so well mixing and incorporating all of the ingredients. I didn’t have to scrape the bowl as much. Very efficient and effective.
The dough hook and whisk both worked well. No complaints here.
Power Port for Attachments
Cuisinart makes the following attachments: pasta roller & cutter, a pasta extruder to make shaped pasta, and meat grinder.
PRO: This is one of my favorite features! The cover is magnetic, making it easy to put on/take off. It’s big, so you won’t lose it.
The screw to secure and attach the attachment is BUILT IN!! (I’ve lost my KitchenAid attachment screw, and in an older KitchenAid, I lost the little round removable and lose-able cover)
Pasta Extruder
Wow, we had fun with this one! My husband, Scott, made pasta. I felt I needed to tell you that those man-hands are not mine.
Just turn the knob to cut the pasta.
Sorry this food photo isn’t drool-worthy. I was hungry. The pasta was hot. The bacon was calling my name. No time for making this photo pretty.
PRO: So. much. fun! Everything about this pasta extruder attachment was perfect.
There are different shaped discs so that you can make spaghetti, small macaroni, rigatoni, fusilli, large macaroni, and bucatini.
It comes in a little storage compartment to keep the discs all tidy.
Cleanup was easy, just threw everything in the dishwasher.
The Price
The Cuisinart Precision Master SM-50 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer is currently ~$220 on Amazon, slightly cheaper than a KitchenAid 5-quart Artisan Stand Mixer. But it’s more powerful (500 watts vs 325 watts) and larger capacity (5.5 quarts vs 5 quarts).
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