The GE Profile Stand mixer is one of the many products introduced this year Holiday Gift Guide. Check out the complete guide to everything you need this gift-giving season, from stockings to sprinkles.
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Growing up, no one in my immediate family baked. My mother was more likely to be found lecturing in her classroom than bending over an oven, my father didn't even know what a measuring spoon was, and my grandmother was so burned out from raising four children that she once declared that her kitchen days were over. in her mid-seventies.
So when, as a teenager, I had a sweet tooth and then a passion for baking, I really could have used GE Appliances' new appliance Profile mixer in my kitchen. That's because this smart mixer does what most others can't: it actually teaches you how to bake better, in addition to the classic functions of beating, kneading and creaming.
Courtesy of GE
Basic characteristics
First and foremost, this mixer covers the basics: It's packed with small, thoughtful features, including an easy-to-use release function for whipping attachments so they can be turned on and off quickly (mixer comes with a beater, dough hook and beater attachment, similar to most stand mixers), a timer that lets you set-it-and-forget-it while mixing, and a pause button so you can stop mid-mixing, then resume working slowly back to original speed. There is also a reverse mix function that rotates the attachment in the opposite direction to ensure thorough mixing and no traces or lost ingredients. And finally, it has voice control activation compatible with Alexa or Google Home – especially handy if your hands are sticky or busy with other baking tasks.
A particularly cool feature? It has a built-in scale, so you can measure ingredients directly into the bowl while it's in the mixer. The scale also works for any bowl you place on the stand or top of the mixer, so you don't need a separate scale to measure other parts of the recipe.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
A smarter mixer for better baking
Notably, this mixer also comes with its own app. That app is programmed with recipes (including over 40 King Arthur recipes, such as Chocolate mousse cake, Oatmeal bread with honey, Holiday Butter Cookies, and much more) that appear both in the app itself and on a small digital display on the mixer. The instructions walk you through the recipe step by step, with the right speed settings for mixing or kneading. But these instructions go beyond basic directions like “Blend all ingredients until smooth.” The recipes are literally step-by-step, including a reminder to remove the ingredients from the refrigerator an hour before baking so they come to room temperature. The recipes are designed to be clear, informative and extremely thorough – exactly how a teacher might guide you in a cookery class.
Ultimately, though, this mixer's coolest, most innovative feature is “AutoSense Technology,” a fancy-sounding phrase that means it can monitor texture changes in doughs, batters, creams, and whipped cream. and alert you when they are perfectly blended.
Say, for example, you were decorating holiday cookies and making Royal cremation for the first time. The key to Royal Icing is sticking to the consistency; as the recipe instructs, by the end of the mixture it should be a “firm, glossy mass that holds a high peak.” But if you've never made it before and don't have an experienced baker in the kitchen to show you around, how are you supposed to know exactly what that means? That's where the mixer comes in: It can measure the consistency of the cream while you're whipping it, and then notify you once it's reached the right viscosity. Pretty wild, huh?
(It's worth noting that this particular feature is only available for specific recipes available through the blender's companion app, including Confectionery slush, Royal cremationAND Meringas well as the usual recipe steps like creaming the butter and beating the egg whites.)
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
This mixer is for seasoned bakers and novices alike: It's recently become a favorite in King Arthur's R&D kitchen, where our baking experts have been playing with its many functions and capabilities. “I love timer!” says R&D Specialist Frank Tegethoff. “I'm also a fan of the bowl lift system, which doesn't rely on arm strength, and the slow start feature, in which the mixer slowly increases the mixing speed.” Fellow R&D specialist Jonathan Brasil calls the built-in scale, which makes it easier for people to measure by weight; for R&D baker Melanie Wanders, the reverse mix function—a small but extremely useful feature to ensure thorough mixing—is a personal favorite.
At $799.95 (though it ships for free!), GE profile stand mixer it's an investment, for sure. If you only bake a few times a year, it's probably not what you need. But whether you're a regular baker interested in streamlining your process or a budding baker looking to grow and evolve your skills, this all-in-one mixer is for you. Just, you know, make sure you still find time to bake with your grandma if she asks you too.
Looking for more baked goods this gift season? See our full Holiday Gift Guide.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
