I love the old Sunbeam Mixmasters. I had one years ago that I bought at a church rummage sale for $1.25, and she was a workhorse for years until one of my daughters kidnapped her and took her away. Since then I've found one on eBay, and one of my sons found one for me at Goodwill. These two are now my kitchen pals. I don't use them for making bread dough because I'm old school and enjoy the meditative hand-kneading process. For all my other mixing needs they are perfectly adequate. Really don't have any desire for the newer ones. Always enjoy your videos, recipes, reviews, and so on!
When I was in college I bought a mint condition MixMaster from the 1950s with the original bowls, all for $6 at a charity shop that I STILL have and use. I later found the juicer attachment for it that I regularly use, too. It's a winner. I've never made bread with mine though. I use the NY Times no-knead bread recipe instead.
As a staunch Sunbeam user and defender, I have to comment on this video! This is actually a very decent mixer, if used correctly. Unfortunately Sunbeam doesn't provide very good instructions for newbie users and anybody used to working with a planetary type mixer is going to have trouble with this type of mixer if they don't know how they work. First of all, as has been pointed out, the bowl shift lever needs to be in the right position for the large bowl. This makes the bowl spin better and most of the dough goes through the beaters as the bowl spins. A rubber scraper should also be used to help feed the dough through -- this isn't a defect of the design, it's how it is supposed to work. The good part of that is that the user has more control over the process and can get into the bowl easily. The offset beaters allow for much easier addition of ingredients. Depending on the amount and type of food in the bowl, the bowl will spin faster or slower, depending on the mixing speed. Some hand-turning may also be required.For whipping cream, the smaller bowl should be used, and Sunbeam should include the small bowl with the mixers (you have to order that separately). With the small bowl in the correct position, it is easy to whip up cream with the beaters provided. Whisks are not necessary -- I have whipped cream and made angel cakes with these beaters, no problem. The old Sunbeams never had whisks, and they are not necessary. You also need the smaller bowl for one or two egg whites.Creaming butter and sugar should be done with the large bowl in the correct position, on high speed. The dry ingredients (flour, etc.) go in at the end at the slowest speed. Raisins, etc., can be added in at the end, or stirred in manually.This mixer makes very good bread -- one loaf at a time only. I use the regular beaters and mix up about half the flour, then switch to the dough hooks and add the remainder of the flour. You need to hold on to the bowl and help the mixer along a little. Again, this is how the machine works and it is not a defect in the design. The twin dough hooks work the dough better than the C-type dough hook on KitchenAid mixers and make excellent bread. It takes a little practice. Unlike a planetary mixer, you have to be a part of the process and can't just watch the machine work. The Mixmaster bowl can be spun either direction, which gives you additional control over the process. The former Heritage models with the motorized bowl weren't good because you were stuck with one speed and moving in the same direction.Again, mixing with this style of mixer is an interactive process. You can't just dump everything in the bowl and expect it to work. When used properly, and within its limitations, this machine will work well and produce excellent results. It's a good choice for people who can't afford a more expensive mixer, or who do not like the planetary style of mixing. It is just a pity that Sunbeam doesn't give better directions with its mixers, particularly for making bread.
wonderful explanation, today I think most people just want to put everything in the machine as you stated and let it go, not be part of it, with the sunbeam you do have be part of it and you can feel your dough. I have both machines and the ka sometimes can overwork it and I have never made a good bread dough in it, the sunbeam as you say does an excellent job of the dough, this really wasn't a fair presentation. you should do one and really show people how to use a sunbeam, They have been around years and years and for a reason. Thank you for this comment
Thanks for writing this, particularly enlightening for someone like me (who doesn't cook like this as much). I did get a sunbeam for my wife and it did seem to work better than the reviews make it look, here and especially before. While I don't usually make cookies these videos make me want to try it out just to see what happens with our mixer.
As a former owner of a 'Heritage' machine that failed (melted gears!) simply doing mashed potatoes and after having replaced it with a vintage model 12, I can say without the shadow of a doubt that this machine is a piece of cr*ap and is no comparison with the venerable old model 12 that excels at meringue, creaming and cake batter and small portions of heavier stuff. Its just not made to handle large and heavy work. For that we use the KitchenAid that, by the way, doesn't work that well with small portions. So it's all a question of measure, right tool for the job, you know ;-)
I don't think you will be disappointed with the sunbeam if you try it. Alot of people don't know how to use one, thats the issue, they want to do the planetary where they just stand there and the machine does the work. So then they get to this where you have to have interaction and they don't know what to do. I have alot of mixers, Im a collector like Amy I think. I have had one of these heritage mixers since 2011 and its still going strong. I love the way it does bread dough. I also have vintage sunbeams, yes they work the best, but the bowl can be too small sometimes, so then I go for this one and the older ones don't have dough hooks.. I have a kitchenaid I rarely use. It just sits there mostly, have not be able to make a descent loaf of bread in there and I have tried! many different ways time and again.. For cakes, nothing beats the sunbeams the cakes come out lighter in this.. Now I did a side by side with the kitchenaid and sunbeam doing the same cake, the cake was taller and lighter in the sunbeam than the kitchenaid. It tasted ok with the kitchenaid, it was just not as light and fine grained. I think all the machines have their place and depending on what Im making depends on which machine I go for. You are right though, this mixer is alot better than it comes off in reveiws. Also, yes there are some with issues, but look at the issues on the kitchenaids? and the cost difference? I liked this sunbeam so much, I splurged and got another one in a color! I never do that.. so I was brave..plus the new sunbeams have a two year warranty where kitchenaids only have one. The new kitchenaids are so much cheaper made then the old ones, and yet the price doesn't go down? so I wonder what do you pay for.. I would never buy another kitchenaid again, but I do see me getting more sunbeams. its each his own really, whatever works for you.
Indeed each machine has it strengths, it all depends what you do and in what amount. The KitchenAids are great, but they just don't work very well with smaller amounts. As for the newer KitchenAids, I can assure you that the latest Professional Series is a large step beyond the iffy post Hobart era machines with their plastic gearcase. They have all metal planetary gears and a very powerful and quiet DC motor. My Professional 6000 HD breezes through 2 kgs of 70% hydration bread dough where my old Hobart era K5SS would struggle and get hot with two thirds that amount. I agree regarding the Sunbeam regarding cake batter and mousse. It's perfect for making lemon meringue with its two bowls, one for the whites and the other for the yolks and the top mounted juicer :-). But I'm surprised you can make bread with it. I guess they must have significantly improved their mechanical design from the version I had, which was a total disaster with its all plastic gears AND gearcase. I'd be very interested having a look and the insides...
Thanks Sharon. It didn't really help. What is messed up is that we had something "similar" about 20 years ago that Amy LOVED until she bought a refurb KA PRO 5 that she still has until today. This Sunbeam is different. The old one synchronized spinning the bowl with beater speed and just seemed to mix better (or Amy wouldn't have loved it as much). This thing????. I guess I'd rather have hand held beaters or a stand mixer that actually works better. ughhh. Well, that's Amy's department :-)
Eric, that was a fun video. In the days of our mothers and grandmothers, Sunbeam was the gold standard. Homemakers knew their limitations however and used them accordingly. They were also made a lot better. By the 80s KitchenAid had caught on with the masses and was and is light years ahead. I have my mother's old Sunbeam for nostalgic purposes but once you're used to a KitchenAid the old type with the beaters and turntables are very fiddly. I have the equivalent of today's Classic and it's handled everything I've thrown at it brilliantly. Trivia: in the old days, you got two different sizes of bowls. That is why the turntable position adjusts. To the side for the larger bowl as you learned, and to the center for the small, narrow one.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it. I agree with everything you said. Of course, they give us the knob but only one bowl. Doesn't make sense. I hate spinning bowls as they don't do much. I used to like these types, but am used to planetary mixers now. I can do more than make Jello pudding and make pancakes. Whoo-hoo. I'm free!!!
@@talesfromasadlittlecook9760 I had a Sunbeam 20 years ago and loved it. These newer ones are not so good. Their fans are pretty serious, that's for sure. LOL. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you. Yes, KitchenAid is saying YES. The Hamilton Beach in the cheap mixer challenge was a cheap winner that could do all of these, so I'd recommend them if on a budget. Otherwise, the KA, especially the Classic Plus is a nice option. Amy will be doing another mixer review that's going to be interesting, soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
umm...having an inherited sunbeam, I kind of noticed that your beaters were too centered in the bowl. lol, I had to learn that too. On mine, I don't have the adjustment lever, the turntable fits into two pegholes. this was to accommodate the large and small bowls. big bowls for batters, small bowls for icings and whipped creams. it never did bread well, until no knead dough entered my life. keep on!
I have a Sunbeam Mixmaster Heritage series and the bowl spins by itself. I don't know what;s going on here, maybe a different model. But I really like the way my bowl spins because I can have a spatula on the opposite side of the bowl when mixing and be constantly scraping the bowl without having to stop the mixer.
Thanks for watching. We appreciate it. I think ours from the 1990's was like yours. This one doesn't seem right. So if Sunbeam thinks they can save some money by turning off the spinning, then they should think twice because that's an easy way to make people not want to buy this garbage. I wasn't too happy with how this performed.
to really review any machine you really have to know how to use it, as you discovered too late on the switch to move the bowl. it would have worked better. I have had this machine since 2011 I believe and it has worked flawlessly.. when you do have the bowl in the right position, everything gets creamed in much better with the help of a spatula, Same thing with the dough hooks, you don't put all the flour in at once, and you guide it into the hooks, you do have to hold bowl and guide it. I have used sunbeams for over 50 years and you have to know how to use them and sunbeam doesnt provide information for those that don't know. with the bundle of this machine on amazon, it does come with whisks and a smaller bowl, but the whisks are not really needed. I have used just the beaters and made wonderful angel food cake.. the smaller bowl of course which you can buy separately is available to purchase and is good for smaller things. its a hand on machine, not like a planetary one where you mostly stand there, with this you can feel your dough, know when its right, have plenty of room to add in gredients or move the bowl lever as you did when necessary. I have a ka and its very frustrating to me, I like being part of my dough, batter etc.. the ka has actually many times overworked my batters and I have an artisan and have yet to make a successful bread dough in it.. though I have tried after making that purchase of such a huge amount of money lol.. its the same with the ka, someone else was trying to demonstrate it and didn't know what they were doing, had it going on high speed, and poured all this flour into it at once, you can imagine what he looked like along with the bowl, machine and counter.. you guys do a great thing for people in a world where you cant just go to a store any more and see something, feel it before you buy it,, so I thank you for that.. its very nice to watch your videos and I enjoy them.
you should have used the bowl shift lever at the front on the bottom. it would have shifted the bowl from side to side so you wouldn't have to use a spatula to mix the things togther.
Don't waste your money on this , get a planetary mixer or a good hand mixer , what's the point of having a stand mixer if you needed to turn the bowl, look after it every second, it seems awful!! , Ppl are like you're use it wrong, the bowl needs to be put like this , the whisk goes like that. I just want to follow a few instructions and being to mix , I bought a mixer not a toy or a lego set, the inefficiency of this is evident. Nice review Eric!
I’ve had a sunbeam for years and I don’t think this mixer was used properly. The bowl needs to be adjusted and the mixer has a knob where u can put the beaters closer to the edge for a lg or sm bowl. I’ve used it for everything. Also the manual says I shouldn’t exceed speed 3 with dough hooks because it can dmg the mixer .
Doesn't the Sunbeam have a slide switch on the bottom of bowl section that will move the bowl to the side so the beaters are closer to the side of the bowl? Please check!
The leaver is kinda confusing but sunbeam sells smaller bowls that are used just for when it is in the centre and the big bowl is supposed to be used on the side this also took me a while to learn and the instructions aren't very clear also some of the models have on the selector will say what setting to use it on
Thank you for watching. I realized that 1/2 way through and acknowledged that. So I started flipping that lever to see if it would help. I still prefer things with scraper paddles for mixing goop, or an actual whisk.
Oops, I wrote that last comment before you got to the shifting switch for the bowl. I wondered why the beaters were stuck in the middle. But I'm surprised there is only one bowl.
There was also a comment about the Ankarsrum mixer. You can find it here, in Quebec, at Costco. Ankarsrum Original 7 L (7.4 qt.) Stand Mixer, it sells for 799.99$ Canadian dollars. Since I paid 88.00$ for my Sunbeam on sale at Walmart I don't have the same expectations for it as I would have for the other one.
I agree (with the expectations). We were hoping to test a Sunbeam that wouldn't die and see what it could do. Kind of disappointing. The Hamilton Beach did a much better job on the prior battle. Amy will be testing the Ank very soon. Go easy on her please. She's a newbie to them, and they have a learning curve. :-)
I have one of these and made cakes 3 times in two weeks and bread at least 4 times in the last few months. First, the bowl needs to be locked in place, there is a little picture on the mixer showing the lock, unlock direction, secondly, the large bowl is in the incorrect position, it too has a little picture showing where the small vs large bowl needs to be.
Also Eric and Amy, Farberware has released their own stand mixer and it is getting a huge tremendous amount of buzz because their mixer is lower priced than the KitchenAid, it seems to look like plastic but I think it is metal construction and the motor on that Farberware mixer is 600 watts which is claimed to be more powerful than the KitchenAid. You might want to look into reviewing that Farberware because I don’t see any reviews on the Farberware mixer.
Thank you for watching and your comment. Amy really didn't like this mixer. It just was too much work and didn't do a good job. I was being "nice" and she was being honest. Honesty rules!!!
Thanks for the replies Eric :-) My sentiments exactly on this alleged "heritage" series stand mixer which is such a joke. On a more exciting note, have you guys tried the stand mixers whereby the planetary motion seems to have a somewhat 'slanted' rotation? If you have not, do take a look at 'Kenwood Prospero Kitchen Machine ' and also 'Bosch MUM5 CreationLine Universal food processor'. No one has ever done a versus between these two ( *hint, hint to Amy ;-D* Hehe!) I am sure Amy will love the attachments that comes together in the overall package of these 2 mixers.
We have the Bosch Universal Plus. I don't think we have something with that fancy name. Do they sell those in the U.S.? We have the Kenwood Titanium. Not too many choices of those here either. Amy might be able to further elaborate.
They sell the Bosch Compact here in the U.S. It looks interesting because it is smaller which is good because the Universal Plus seems to be better with larger batches. If I can somehow convince Eric to get me one...then I can test it. hint...hint Eric. LOL! Maybe for my birthday??...unless I can get that Kenwood Cooking Chef? LOL! Here is the link amzn.to/2ndSV2F The Kenwood Prospero is available on Amazon for the US but it is 220 volts and says not for the US. They probably don't make this one for our electrical connection. They make the Cooking Chef tho for the U.S....Another hint...hint for Eric! LOL!
When you make bread in these mixers you first use the beaters, right before adding the flour you change it into the dough hooks. Actually you don't need whisks for whipping either because if you see the beaters up front yes they are thicker and have a sort of flat surface for support , however because of the motion they have you to consider looking at it from the sides where it's a bit thicker than a whisk but enough for adding air and please stop saying that the bobbing of the head in a stand mixer is a bad thing, It's actually part of their design to have certain movement because unyielding mechanisms are more prone to break so the bobbing of the head is a way of absorbing the shock. Same reason why stand mixers with bowl lifts their arms move and bob a little bit. The same principle is applied. Think of it this way: Marble is the hardest rock on planet Earth, however if it falls it can easily fracture and that is because it's so hard and unyielding that when it hits the ground nothing absorbs the impact so it fractures. That also applies to cars nowadays, they are not made of metal anymore in the bumpers and the outer part of it. It a sort of Carbon fiber they use, that's the reason why with a minimum collision you get a bump, but thats the way it absorbs part of the impact, because metal is so unyielding that it would cause sever Cervical injuries, when they adopted this new material they were reduced by up to a 40%.
I think I commented in the first mixer review you did of this and the HB and the EasyGo(?), or else it was in another mixer review, that I have the exact same green one that you reviewed in the first video (that quit before the review could continue). Last Christmas, I tried to make my grandmother's butter cookie recipe (which includes SIX cups of flour and a pound of butter, etc). Even on HALF of the recipe (3 cups of flour) this mixer could barely get through the mixing. I tried everything, including slowing the speed down and using the dough hooks, once the dough thickened. It was just a mess. I ended up finishing the recipe by hand. I think there are 2 things going on: this machine, though it LOOKS pretty, was not engineered well. It just can't do the bigger jobs, especially those with thick ingredients. The second thing is that Eric (and Amy) are right - these fixed beater machines just are not cut out for doing heavy-duty kneading, thick cookie doughs, etc. KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Bosch, etc. are better engineered for this type of job. Even though this machine has "the power", it just does not apply it well. Also, the moving of the bowl with the lever does not seem to help. And, I discovered that this mixer leaves an unmixed circle of goo below the beaters. Not only are you constantly scraping the sides of the bowl, you also have to be careful that you scrape UNDER the point where the beaters meet the bowl. Just a very disappointing product from Sunbeam, a company that once led the field in home mixing.
You're 100% correct and would save money too. I suppose if making cake batter and you need to mix it for two minutes, then the stand would help you from getting tired holding the mixer? I'm just mad that it can't mix oatmeal cookies. What else can't it mix? Sugar cookies? Chocolate chip cookies? They need to put a disclaimer: Can only mix cake batter with this mixer. LOL!!! Hope you enjoyed watching.
Lol Eric I loved how you asked Amy if the big ol clump you got was classed as stiff peaks 😂😂 I love the colour of the mixer but hate that you have to spin the bowl 😐
Thanks Angie. Glad you enjoyed it. Amy hates me. It's official. LOL. She bought the pink one knowing she was gonna make me do the review. We let the mixer go on the bread so people could laugh at how bad it was. Not that we'd expect anyone to actually make bread in this. Yeah, Amy was quite helpful off camera with her remarks. LOL!!!
It is obvious that these newer generation Sunbeam mixers are horrid. It will be great if you guys are able to get your hands on the classic (Made in USA, best if reconditioned) model to see if it will stand the test of modern times. And please ban Eric from doing any more mixer reviews, frankly it was a pain to watch this one LOL! Only hail to Amy, the Queen of Stand Mixers that has perfected the art of stand mixer reviews. ;D IMHO, stand mixer manufacturers should give Amy a holler for an honest to goodness review of their mixers.
Thank you for watching. I don't think we're gonna waste anymore time doing mixer reviews unless they are planetary motion. These "spinning" types are best as hand helds where you can move them around. Sorry this was a horrid video to watch. But I will grant your wish (as if I'm a genie) LOL. Amy had me do this review only because I killed the last one. I think it's safe to say she will do the future mixer reviews!
I just noticed that cuisinart has a new-to-me mixer. The precision master...it seems to be a ripoff of KA tilts. Any thoughts on it? I can't find any real reviews on it. Thanks
Thanks for watching. Hope you enjoyed the video. She has a pan room. Most of her mixers fit on mixer carts. Some just sit on shelves. We'll have to do an updated Pan Room video so you can see where all this stuff goes.
Hi Eric, I take it that's the only bowl that came with the mixer. Sunbeam mixers used to have a smaller bowl that came with it, too. It was the one I used for beating cream. And the platform for the bowl used to shift, so that the beaters were next to the side of the bowl instead of being stuck in the middle like yours is. Being next to the bowl side helped all of the ingredients get into the mixer. With the one bowl and beaters in centre as you're showing, a lot of the ingredients against the sides of the bowls don't mix in too well. And how about the Ankarsrum?? I'm sure everybody hopes we'll see that one tested soon, too. Thanks for the review.
I like hand beaters better than these stand mixers. At least you can move the beaters around. Still, I only used mixers for cake batter and pancake batter. Never for tough cookie dough like this, and certainly never on bread dough. But they said I could make bread dough. Well, they didn't, but they said if I did, to use those beaters or hooks. Maybe they need to remove that from the manual. Giving me false hopes and wasting some perfectly good flour. :-( I hope you enjoyed it regardless and weren't frustrated that it didn't turn out that well. We used to love these things 20 years ago.
And how is the Ankarsrum? Any idea when you'll have time to review that one? I'm especially interested in how their whisk beaters work for cakes, cookies. BTW, I've read that butter, shortening, etc. should all be softened, room temperature before being used with the whisk beaters, or else there is a chance the whisk gears will break.
Amy really needs to learn how to use the Ankarsrum. The last thing we want to do is perform an uninformed review on it, and then have the experts come and yell at us for not doing things right. That's what happened on the Bosch video. The KAs, you just add the ingredients and are pretty easy. She did a loaf of bread the other day in the Ankarsrum. It took a while. She liked the quality of the kneading, even if the machine didn't look happy doing it. It was a low hydration dough and the Ankarsrum wasn't very happy with it. So we'll try something else. Plus, as you noted, we'll have to test the different things it can do so you can properly gauge how it's performing.
I had heard of the Bosh has cheap plastic parts that break. I hadn't heard of that with the Ankarsrum, but you could be right. But we do need to practice so we can do it justice.
I've heard there's a bit of a learning curve when using the Ankarsrum for bread making, since flour gets added to water, plus the adjusting of the scraper, roller, etc. If that problem with the gears breaking in the whisks and cookie beaters is true, you'd think they would have switched to metal housing from the plastic housing for those parts. What I really like about the Ankarsrum is the open bowl. There is no overhead motor that is in the way when adding ingredients. Are you having to use your snowblower these days? Did the Nor'Easter hit your area?
My mom has two sets of attachments, and two books, I'm looking to buy the actual machine. One has a manu stating Instructions and Recipes Model No. 2484, 2485, 2486, this is the handheld. The other Manuel states: Sunbeam Deluxe Mixmaster Mixer Recipes, it shows a stainless steel stand mixer. I don't know what years. Can anyone help?
*The sunbeam brand is very good at a considerate cost, but you definitely have to know it and know how to use it. You must use the lever that is at the base where the bowl goes and you do not have to hold or move the bowl, you just have to let it work. The machine will do the work by itself because it does not have a planetary system for the hooks, but the planetary system is inversely what moves the bowl. He has not known how to treat it. This machine is not from the commercial area but personal.*
Tell her to read all the instructions. And go see the manufacturers video. They are quite different and I did see someone trying to do bread dough with the cake roller... But I think Amy as tried the Bosch and they are also quite different. I'll be checking for the test. Thanks again
I realize this is an old video, but I have to say, the dough hooks included in my opinion are really for heavy cookie doughs, not bread. I don't really think this is designed to do breads, batters or cookie doughs yes, but not bread.For cookies you would start out creaming w/ the beaters, then move to the hooks to mix. I don't really think the motor was designed for anything heavier, plus I think you risk burn out or breaking the neck. Just my opinon.
You were not quite set up properly, there is a bowl offset lever on the front base for the large bowl. You had your machine set for the small bowl setting. Instructions are meant to be read 1st.
Funny and entertaining. Love the pink but nothing else of interest. I have the Hamilton Beach - mostly does what I need. For making bread, I am lazy and use two bread machines to mix and knead dough. If I had the Sunbeam, I would mostly make no-knead bread if I had no bread machine.
Do you have the Hamilton Beach like the one we reviewed last year with the planetary action? I agree a bread machine is a great way to make bread. Don't have to worry about breaking a mixer.
You mention that these new Sunbeams aren't as good as the old metal ones, but I have owned two of the older Sunbeams and neither of them could run a batch of oatmeal cookie dough any better than the pink one in this video. Back when the metal ones were produced prior to 1968, about the only things people made with a mixer were cakes, cookies, whipped cream, and meringues. If you made bread in the old Sunbeam, you would start with half the flour and mix it with the beaters. Then, stir the rest of the flour in by hand and knead it by hand. The dough hooks didn't come out until some time around the 1970's, when Sunbeam started making the Mixmasters out of plastic.
My thoughts on the 'new' Sunbeams is like what happened in the cheap mixer showdown, where the green Sunbeam died. Their QA isn't any good. We had a white one from 20 years ago that did a nice job on cake and pancake batters. We used a bread machine to make bread. The problem is their manual says it can do these things, and they lied. This Mixmaster was actually metal. I don't know what the gears are made out of, but the shell was metal. It looked nice. My main point of contention is that if it is only good with light batters, then don't mention bread in the manual. Don't know what the hooks are for. More useful to include a whip for whip cream. I agree that to do some of what I did, was wrong, but if it can't handle a standard bread recipe, then give directions, such as what you brought up. That's a little peeve of mine. Planetary mixers, don't use any special instructions. Bosch and Ankarsrum have special processes that you must know about to make them run. Obviously, I was trying to have some fun with this. Hope you enjoyed it. We'll have more mixer reviews coming up, and they should be able to accomplish what they are meant to do. :-)
Eric: I enjoyed your video, and review of that little Sunbeam. I definitely gave it a "thumbs up" because it so highly illustrates what a typical person would expect when they open up the package. You mention about the Sunbeams from 20 years ago, which brings us to the Sunbeam Heritage I currently have. Like yours, mine does an excellent job on cake and pancake batters. It has the dough hooks, wire beaters, and standard beaters. Those are no longer made, and the one you ran in the video is the best Sunbeam can do currently. And this, of course, is very unfortunate. On the planetary mixers: The primary reason that America's Test Kitchen rates the Bosch Universal as "unacceptable" is because it can't do smaller batches effectively. That, plus what you mention about the special processes required of them. I read one review where a person described "The Bosch System" where a limited number of recipes would work, but other recipes were hard to adapt to the Bosch. And then there's that learning curve required with the Ankarsrum. All of this brings us back to the original planetary design motion that has essentially been unchanged for at least 100 years when the first Hobart KitchenAid Model H came out. It is intuitive and easy to use. The paddle can be used to stir just about anything, often better than a spoon. In fact, I use my KitchenAid to cut fats into flour to make pie crusts, and even make biscuits. Yes, I make biscuits with my KitchenAid, and they turn out better than I can make them with my bare hands. KitchenAid sells more mixers than anybody else, because they are easier to understand and work with. They are light in weight, and easily moved from one counter to another. They have adequate power for most smaller bread recipes. And finally, KitchenAid is very honest about their mixer's limitations. The #1 rated mixer from America's Test Kitchen is, in fact, the KitchenAid Pro-Line 7. But what they listed as second on their list would blow your mind: The little 4 1/2 quart, white, 250 watt KitchenAid Classic tilt-head came in at a close second! So there you have it. KitchenAid is the new Sunbeam!
I agree with everything you just said. It is hard to teach people this. We love our KA Classic Plus. Great for smaller jobs. The KA Pro 5 is good as is the 6. We haven't used the Commercial 8 Quart much. Amy used to use the Sunbeam for the lighter batters and then use a bread machine (she has two or three of them) for bread. Then she started using the bread machines to just mix, knead, and proof the dough and then transfer to a bread pan for baking so we don't get the holes in the bottom. Worked great. But the bread machines take forever. So using the KA greatly speeds things up. But concerned of killing one making bread. So we spread the love. We did the challenge video using the Bosch (older model without suction cups). ATK hated it too because of no suction cups, it would walk all over the counter. Now we have the 'newer' one with suction cups. We also didn't use the 'extender'. Ours didn't have one at the time and didn't know we needed one. Without one, a small dough ball gets bounced around and not kneaded properly. We'll see what happens with the extender. KA's planetary action is efficient, effective, and takes no brain power or recipe modifications. Using these non planetary ones need some modifications. I would never have known you were supposed to add 1/2 the flour at a time and do all the kneading stuff with a Sunbeam. The manual mentions none of this. But then, their "dough hookds" these days are very non-helpful. Once again, appreciate your thoughts and taking the time to respond. Hopefully, our Ank review will be interesting.
I think that's the biggest problem with Sunbeam today. No real instruction manual. It's the same even with my 15 year old Sunbeam Heritage that's long been discontinued. But any Sunbeam made prior to 1970 would come with a complete use and care manual and cook book that would fully describe how to put each recipe together.
Sunbeam survived. Yeah! Still can't knead bread though :-( Wish they'd take that out of the owner's manual. Maybe it will make a quick bread like beer bread and not yeast bread? Hope you enjoyed it. The oatmeal cookies were terrific!
Well, Eric... Sorry, but for quick breads, the KitchenAid planetary mixer and its paddle has the Sunbeam beat on that, too. Use the paddle to cut the butter into your dry ingredients, then add the liquids and beat for another 30 seconds. Then, use your STIFF wooden spoon to stir in the blueberries. What more can I say? :D
That's a wicked knife! Shouldn't you have that bowl swing to the right do it scrapes the bowl, and be using the smaller bowl as is recommended for that particular task ohhhh f whipping cream?
if I was on death row I would ask for my last meal to be made with this mixer as I would dodge death row & live to a very ripe old age, I will stick to my KitchenAid..Your to nice Eric, I will always listen to Amy.she is always right,
Yeah...I agree. I am not sure if my old Sumbeam was this bad or if I just didn't realize it was bad. I've learned a lot doing all these stand mixer tests and I am very surprised how bad the two beater system really is. I haven't tested one yet that was worth a hill of beans. Thanks for watching!
I don't like this mixer at all. It takes me back to the 60's when you had to assist so much you might as well beat the entire mix by hand. I'd be worn out before the recipe finishes. That's not what I'd consider a good mixer. So sorry...I hate to be so negative but I just can't help it.
I agree. A hand mixer would be cheaper and much better (for mixing things it's meant to mix). Don't even put the word bread in the manual. Gave me a false sense of security that I could knead some. I like planetary mixers because they are way more efficient. I hate spinning bowls. That isn't mixing. That's just gonna make you dizzy watching it. Oh well. We do have some more mixer vids coming that should do what they are meant to do. Hope you enjoyed watching this.
I did notice one thing: the little red mixer that only mixed in the middle, had a knob at the base that (I think) adjusted the position of the bowl so the beaters could be at the edge of the bowl...you didn't move or adjust it. I wonder if the outcome would have been better if you had...or...am I wrong about the adjustment knob?
Usually those knobs help them beat closer to the bowl. You are right. I didn't pay attention to that on the pink one until the video was half done, but it still beat like crap. But works way better on liquidy batters. On the cheap mixer battle, the Go (whatever) was kinda crappy. I don't even remember touching it's knob. I still didn't like it. It was very cheap. Could buy four of those for the price of this one. Still better with a hand mixer (if ya gotta be so cheap and avoid the planetary ones at all costs. LOL!!!!)
It works OK for fluffy stuff such as meringue and cake mixes, but will definetely struggle with anything heavier. I killed mine doing mashed potatoes! I replaced it with a vintage model 12 from the 60s, built like a tank, no comparison with this piece of cr*p.
I'm sure Sunbeam makes great products but I don't think this stand mixer is within their realm of expertise. I don't think someone should have to work that hard for a mixer that claims to be able to make dough to actually make the dough. These machines are supposed to make our lives easier and make tasks quicker, not create more work and twice as long.
I think Sunbeam is as good as anyone when it comes to mixing light batters. A handheld would be cheaper and a little better than a spinning bowl. It's sad it can't mix cookie dough. I agree with everything you said. I think planetary mixers are more efficient at mixing doughs (and even batters and usually come with a whip for creaming things). The Hamilton Beach was actually cheaper and did a better job. But at least this Sunbeam didn't die like the last one. LOL!!! I hope you enjoyed it.
This mixer is an absolute piece of junki. A hand held mixer would be much faster and do the job better, because you can work the beaters all around the bowl and get everything mixed. Sorry Sunbeam - I know you make a lot of great products, (I have one of your steam irons from over 15 years ago that still works perfectly) but why resurrect this dinosour from the 50s when it was no good then?
Yeah...the old Sunbeams were a lot better. The whole beater setup isn't that great but at least the machines were good. The first one we had didn't last through one recipe. Thanks for watching!
I use a sunbeam like this to make three loaves lol U have to be a part of the action. Recipe needs to be right , I feed mine with a spatula , Mine will form a dough ball even. Lol sunbeam is terrible on the instructions but they do the job.
Hi, thanks for the new test. I do make bread in mine. A 4 kilo batch to be exact. It's 4.5 pounds. Is is a multi grain bread and the dough is not as dry but really heavy and sticky.. That may be the difference. But I did do a few batches of white bread and I was quite good. I do do other things with mine and I'll admit it's not perfect. For whipping cream or beating egg whites the small bowl would be better for small quantities. But for the price, I'm quite satisfied. If you compare it to mixers that are 2 or 3 times the price you'll be disappointed.
It doesn't work. It has several design flaws. I hand mix a 1 cup pizza dough by hand in about 10 minutes, 5 minutes kneading. The beaters and hook do not reach the 1 cup pizza dough mix. I tried a 3 cup dough mix and the the beaters were maybe an inch into the mix. It took almost 50 minutes to mix and I wound up taking the dough out to knead it by hand. It just doesn't work.
Eric you are so funny :) Sunbeam models in Australia are entirely better, the Sunbeam name is synonymous with quality - the mixer on our mother's benches. Here, the beaters are positioned fixed to the side of the bowl so that when the bowl rotates (reliably) the beaters reach all of the ingredients, and the dough hooks actually 'hook' at the ends, there are also two planetary versions which are high end quality. I thought Eric was generous with his B rating for the cream, Amy is so right, this machine is a piece of junk which they'd never get away with selling here, it would render their name to rubbish.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it. Sunbeams here can mix pancake batter and that's about it. Might as well save a few $$$ and just use a hand mixer. That's funny knowing that they produce better mixers overseas than they do here. Maybe they don't want to compete against the KitchenAids here?
I've seen the planetary version of the Sunbeam. I wonder why they don't sell it in the US? Could it be that our power is only 110? I always thought that it might be the reason. The Kenwood's sold overseas have a lot more power than the ones in the US...probably for the same reason the 110 electricity.
Your guess is as good as mine Am ~ I like how you made Eric do this review ~ it can be viewed as toungue in cheek and your reputation is still intact :D
I give you points for being the only cheerleader of the Mix Master. Amy's right. you're too nice. the MixMaster is just garbage. it doesn't even look nice. now.. where's the video on the Ankarsrum? :)
Yeah, I'm guilty as charged. Just lock me up, throw away the key and leave me to use one of these things in my jail cell. Seriously, it can be useful. I just don't know for what. A hand mixer would do so much of a better job than this (and save $$$). They know it's good for cake mixes and pancake batter. Then just tell us that. Don't mention bread or cookies. Geesh. Got my hopes up for nothing. But those cookies at the end were pretty tasty!!!Thanks for watching. We appreciate it.
Yeah Eric was way too nice. I know I am harsh but I want viewers to know the limitations of a machine before they decide to buy it. If someone wants a Sunbeam...at least the video will show them what they should expect from it performance wise. I agree with you Bret. I would have no use for the Sunbeam especially when there are so many better options available out there. The Ank video is coming up. Hopefully I can get it filmed and uploaded this weekend. Stay tuned!
Hi again, my experience with the Sunbeam Mixmaster for making bread was awful. That's why I bought a KitchenAid K5 mixer. The Sunbeam went too fast and it jumped all over the place. Plus in those days, the head did not lock in place, so it bobbed up and down. A real mess. Yours is a huge improvement over the one I had, but I agree with Amy when she says, "you call that fabulous??"
Well, I was sarcastic on this video for a reason. You watched the first one, right? I was amazed this didn't die, so it gets some points. The oatmeal cookies were fabulous. I never made one that size before. KA's do a nice job kneading dough. Amy always talks about how gorgeous the ball of dough is. This wasn't gorgeous at all.
Basically, I found the Sunbeam mixer was good for light batters, such as cakes. Cookie batter was OK if it was not a really heavy dough. Bread dough was out of the question. Will you keep the Sunbeam mixer? They're getting cheap by skimping with only one bowl. The small one is terrific for egg whites and cream. I still own my Sunbeam mixer (from 1983) but I usually use the KA or even my Betty Crocker hand mixer instead. But your pink Sunbeam is better than the 80s Mixmaster I have, if only because the head locks in place.
Hi Amanda! Thanks for watching. Here are links: Ank/Electrolux: amzn.to/2n2Q0JC Ank/Electrolux Deluxe Package: amzn.to/2mMVINj Bosch Universal Plus: amzn.to/2nIGg4q
I agree. You can't think they are seriously thinking people will buy this for anything other than mixing pancake or cake batters. I have no idea what the hooks were for. Not to knead bread. Would have been nice to put a warning to mix half the flour first and then knead by hand. You know, not to waste all those ingredients. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for watching. :-)
I have issues with this review. It’s expected a reviewer will use the mixer competently. The bowl shift lever was not in the correct position for the large bowl. The small bowl should be included with that mixer, apparently, it’s an option on that model. The mixer did not come with a whisk but the regular beaters are meant to perform that task, which they did in this video. As for making bread, both beaters are not required. The NY Times no-knead bead recipe is a total winner.
Thank you for watching and your comment. I agree that an additional bowl would have been nice along with better instructions so that anyone new to using this would know to use the smaller bowl for whipping things and using the larger bowl for batters and cookie dough (and perhaps bread if using a "no-knead" recipe). That all said, using this is not too obvious out of the box with little to no instructions. We used one 20 years ago (our first mixer). My mom even owned one back in the day. Loved it. Had two holes for you to move the base for different size bowls. So you can say this wasn't a fair review, but for a new person, you must watch other videos to figure out how this works. As for the NY Times, I had NO idea they have a no-knead bread recipe, and that you're supposed to use it. Would have been nice for them to mention that somewhere. I appreciate you watching this. Obviously, you did not enjoy it, and I'm sorry for that. I hope you watch some of our other videos. Thank you.
I thought I would save money (compared to spending much more on a Kitchen Aid) by buying a Sunbeam Heritage mixer about 20 years ago. It was $100, beautiful shiny red. I used it to make cookies, and cakes, and after a while I just had to admit...I hated it! It wouldn’t mix well by itself, there was a button on the side you had to push to get it to tilt back and it was so difficult to do. The eject button was difficult to use. I thought anyone without strength in their hands would never be able to use this thing. Plus the base where the bowl sat was made of plastic and I thought one day that would break and the whole thing would be useless. I kept it for a long time and never used it then finally I donated it to Goodwill. I now have a Kitchen Aid mixer and there’s no comparison.
We bought one for $70 refurbished around 20 years ago. Even bought one for my mom. We used a bread machine to deal with bread dough, so we only needed this thing to do the other stuff. Playing with this one these days wasn't much fun for many reasons. Lots of quality issues, poor instructions, only one bowl, etc. Glad you like your KA. I actually like Amy's Farberware (Scrappy Doo!). Cheap and does everything you can ask for.
Scary!!! Do NOT make bread on this ... those beaters are bucking the bowl and the sumbeam everywhere.... keeps kids away from this machine... Sunbeam killed this model, I remember and still have my mom's, and the nice glass bowl, the feel of it, is completely different. So sad for the new model.
As much as I think this machine is no good, you didn't put the bowl stand on the right setting, therefore the cream was whipped in the middle and not at the edges.
Thanks for watching. yeah, bowl position would help. I noticed that since this model doesn't spin the bowl like synchronized with the motor speed, unlike the older one we had 20 years ago that did that, shows me one more reason to hate this thing. This particular mixer did work. The previous one we tested failed pretty miserably. I can't recommend this model at all.
This thing is a glorified hand mixer, but a bigger pain in the ass. Planetary mixers are so much better. We had an older Sun beam which worked minimally better than this one, but my god that thing is terrible.
Sunbeams are hit and miss these days. The older ones are much better (quality and just how they work). Nice to have the right bowls to do the job and instructions on how to figure them out. We had one that sort of spun by itself. This one not so great. But they have their fans though.
I have my Grandmother's 1969 Sunbeam Mixmastrer and it still works great. I also have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but I like my Grandmother's Sunbeam Mixmaster much better. It is much easier to add ingredients to the Mixmaster while the mixer is running than it is for the Kitchen Aid.
Sunbeam don't make Mixmaster mixers like they used to the new models in Australia are rubbish which is such a shame the one's made back in the 70's were the best!!
Comical... Looks to me Sunbeam is preying on the less fortunate. This type of design begs for a free arm to do the maneuvering. Now if you added it to the link provided you might have a hit going on... www.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/easybake I do think what is missing here is guidance to a refurbished unit of a quality design that will over come all the drawbacks of this unit. Guidance is key here as people are looking for what it will cost to get to a model that will work at without going to much over budget. You need to put this against the next level up that will complete the tasks normally and for what cost difference. With all the units draw backs I also feel you missed an opportunity here. Just being honest.
Yeah, predatory mixing. They do target the less fortunate. LOL! To not go over budget, I recommend the winner from our cheap mixer battle. That worked well and actually kneaded bread (and was cheaper than this thing). Glad you enjoyed it. It's hard to give any guidance, in my opionion, on this thing. It would have mixed cake batter and pancake batter, as we had one of these years ago and that's all we used it for. But it was sad it didn't do well on cookies and making whip cream. Saving $5 by not including a whip cost them in my review. Charging $20 to go from apple green to a pink was not really worth it. Hamilton Beach was much cheaper, and if anyone watched that video, they would have seen it in action. KA's do cost more. I don't think anyone needs to spend that kind of money to mix cake batter. Any hand mixer would do. Any planetary mixer would seem more efficient. These "spinning bowl" mixers from the '70s are just crazy. I appreciate your watching and your comments.
I'm guessing this review is completely tongue in cheek but the Sunbeam mixer has been around for years and it was popular for many of those years. Reading the manual certainly does help with regard to operational functionality such as how to use the the bowl offset. Actually, the offset is adjustable because of the different bowl sizes. Anyway, the model you show here does not have the bowl drive motor nor does it appear to have the regulated mixing motor because of the slowing we see. Our Sunbeam is the Heritage Limited model and I don't believe they make it anymore but it worked much nicer than what you have shown in this review. I have made much less stiff bread and it worked well using the bread hooks but those hooks are much more aggressive than a planetary design and the bread requires much less kneading time with resting periods between. If this machine is used as designed then you won't see what is portrayed here. Sorry.
I agree, but I think they changed some things. I don't think this is the same mixer as was around. Not that I expected it to mix like a planetary mixer would. But the quality these days is really horrid. I really don't know why they want you to whip cream with the standard beaters. What took 5 minutes on this mixer took 90 seconds on an Ankarsrum yesterday with real whip beater. You're right about the bowl sizes and that knob, but they didn't give me any other bowls. If I don't use that knob to try something, then the bowl scraping is really horrid. You're right. I remember back in the day having a syn'd spin and motor speed thing. The faster the beaters the faster the spinning. This thing was not good at all. The problem is they don't tell you how to make bread or mix anything, other than they provide some recipes. Back in the day, we never used our Sunbeam for bread making. We used it for cake & pancake batters only and used a bread machine. If they want us to make bread, then they need to tell us to use half the flour and how to use things. The Hamilton Beach did not have those issues. Just add the ingredients and it did the rest. I guess that's my biggest peeve with many tools is they tell you what it's capable of and then don't document how to make it work with their product. So you use a standard recipe and wonder why it fails.
All Kitchen Aid fans are welcome to have oil run out into your food. Not me. My Kitchen Aid is going out the door. For what they cost oil leaks are unacceptable.
I love the old Sunbeam Mixmasters. I had one years ago that I bought at a church rummage sale for $1.25, and she was a workhorse for years until one of my daughters kidnapped her and took her away. Since then I've found one on eBay, and one of my sons found one for me at Goodwill. These two are now my kitchen pals. I don't use them for making bread dough because I'm old school and enjoy the meditative hand-kneading process. For all my other mixing needs they are perfectly adequate.
Really don't have any desire for the newer ones.
Always enjoy your videos, recipes, reviews, and so on!
My Mom got a Mixmaster as a wedding gift in 1951. She did everything in it except bread. It's still going strong!
When I was in college I bought a mint condition MixMaster from the 1950s with the original bowls, all for $6 at a charity shop that I STILL have and use. I later found the juicer attachment for it that I regularly use, too. It's a winner. I've never made bread with mine though. I use the NY Times no-knead bread recipe instead.
As a staunch Sunbeam user and defender, I have to comment on this video! This is actually a very decent mixer, if used correctly. Unfortunately Sunbeam doesn't provide very good instructions for newbie users and anybody used to working with a planetary type mixer is going to have trouble with this type of mixer if they don't know how they work. First of all, as has been pointed out, the bowl shift lever needs to be in the right position for the large bowl. This makes the bowl spin better and most of the dough goes through the beaters as the bowl spins. A rubber scraper should also be used to help feed the dough through -- this isn't a defect of the design, it's how it is supposed to work. The good part of that is that the user has more control over the process and can get into the bowl easily. The offset beaters allow for much easier addition of ingredients. Depending on the amount and type of food in the bowl, the bowl will spin faster or slower, depending on the mixing speed. Some hand-turning may also be required.For whipping cream, the smaller bowl should be used, and Sunbeam should include the small bowl with the mixers (you have to order that separately). With the small bowl in the correct position, it is easy to whip up cream with the beaters provided. Whisks are not necessary -- I have whipped cream and made angel cakes with these beaters, no problem. The old Sunbeams never had whisks, and they are not necessary. You also need the smaller bowl for one or two egg whites.Creaming butter and sugar should be done with the large bowl in the correct position, on high speed. The dry ingredients (flour, etc.) go in at the end at the slowest speed. Raisins, etc., can be added in at the end, or stirred in manually.This mixer makes very good bread -- one loaf at a time only. I use the regular beaters and mix up about half the flour, then switch to the dough hooks and add the remainder of the flour. You need to hold on to the bowl and help the mixer along a little. Again, this is how the machine works and it is not a defect in the design. The twin dough hooks work the dough better than the C-type dough hook on KitchenAid mixers and make excellent bread. It takes a little practice. Unlike a planetary mixer, you have to be a part of the process and can't just watch the machine work. The Mixmaster bowl can be spun either direction, which gives you additional control over the process. The former Heritage models with the motorized bowl weren't good because you were stuck with one speed and moving in the same direction.Again, mixing with this style of mixer is an interactive process. You can't just dump everything in the bowl and expect it to work. When used properly, and within its limitations, this machine will work well and produce excellent results. It's a good choice for people who can't afford a more expensive mixer, or who do not like the planetary style of mixing. It is just a pity that Sunbeam doesn't give better directions with its mixers, particularly for making bread.
wonderful explanation, today I think most people just want to put everything in the machine as you stated and let it go, not be part of it, with the sunbeam you do have be part of it and you can feel your dough. I have both machines and the ka sometimes can overwork it and I have never made a good bread dough in it, the sunbeam as you say does an excellent job of the dough, this really wasn't a fair presentation. you should do one and really show people how to use a sunbeam, They have been around years and years and for a reason. Thank you for this comment
Thanks for writing this, particularly enlightening for someone like me (who doesn't cook like this as much). I did get a sunbeam for my wife and it did seem to work better than the reviews make it look, here and especially before. While I don't usually make cookies these videos make me want to try it out just to see what happens with our mixer.
As a former owner of a 'Heritage' machine that failed (melted gears!) simply doing mashed potatoes and after having replaced it with a vintage model 12, I can say without the shadow of a doubt that this machine is a piece of cr*ap and is no comparison with the venerable old model 12 that excels at meringue, creaming and cake batter and small portions of heavier stuff. Its just not made to handle large and heavy work. For that we use the KitchenAid that, by the way, doesn't work that well with small portions. So it's all a question of measure, right tool for the job, you know ;-)
I don't think you will be disappointed with the sunbeam if you try it. Alot of people don't know how to use one, thats the issue, they want to do the planetary where they just stand there and the machine does the work. So then they get to this where you have to have interaction and they don't know what to do. I have alot of mixers, Im a collector like Amy I think. I have had one of these heritage mixers since 2011 and its still going strong. I love the way it does bread dough. I also have vintage sunbeams, yes they work the best, but the bowl can be too small sometimes, so then I go for this one and the older ones don't have dough hooks.. I have a kitchenaid I rarely use. It just sits there mostly, have not be able to make a descent loaf of bread in there and I have tried! many different ways time and again.. For cakes, nothing beats the sunbeams the cakes come out lighter in this.. Now I did a side by side with the kitchenaid and sunbeam doing the same cake, the cake was taller and lighter in the sunbeam than the kitchenaid. It tasted ok with the kitchenaid, it was just not as light and fine grained. I think all the machines have their place and depending on what Im making depends on which machine I go for. You are right though, this mixer is alot better than it comes off in reveiws. Also, yes there are some with issues, but look at the issues on the kitchenaids? and the cost difference? I liked this sunbeam so much, I splurged and got another one in a color! I never do that.. so I was brave..plus the new sunbeams have a two year warranty where kitchenaids only have one. The new kitchenaids are so much cheaper made then the old ones, and yet the price doesn't go down? so I wonder what do you pay for.. I would never buy another kitchenaid again, but I do see me getting more sunbeams. its each his own really, whatever works for you.
Indeed each machine has it strengths, it all depends what you do and in what amount. The KitchenAids are great, but they just don't work very well with smaller amounts.
As for the newer KitchenAids, I can assure you that the latest Professional Series is a large step beyond the iffy post Hobart era machines with their plastic gearcase. They have all metal planetary gears and a very powerful and quiet DC motor. My Professional 6000 HD breezes through 2 kgs of 70% hydration bread dough where my old Hobart era K5SS would struggle and get hot with two thirds that amount.
I agree regarding the Sunbeam regarding cake batter and mousse. It's perfect for making lemon meringue with its two bowls, one for the whites and the other for the yolks and the top mounted juicer :-). But I'm surprised you can make bread with it. I guess they must have significantly improved their mechanical design from the version I had, which was a total disaster with its all plastic gears AND gearcase. I'd be very interested having a look and the insides...
Eric, there is a lever at the front of the bowl to move it to where the beaters will be more to the side of the bowl. That may help you.
Thanks Sharon. It didn't really help. What is messed up is that we had something "similar" about 20 years ago that Amy LOVED until she bought a refurb KA PRO 5 that she still has until today. This Sunbeam is different. The old one synchronized spinning the bowl with beater speed and just seemed to mix better (or Amy wouldn't have loved it as much). This thing????. I guess I'd rather have hand held beaters or a stand mixer that actually works better. ughhh. Well, that's Amy's department :-)
Eric, that was a fun video. In the days of our mothers and grandmothers, Sunbeam was the gold standard. Homemakers knew their limitations however and used them accordingly. They were also made a lot better. By the 80s KitchenAid had caught on with the masses and was and is light years ahead. I have my mother's old Sunbeam for nostalgic purposes but once you're used to a KitchenAid the old type with the beaters and turntables are very fiddly. I have the equivalent of today's Classic and it's handled everything I've thrown at it brilliantly.
Trivia: in the old days, you got two different sizes of bowls. That is why the turntable position adjusts. To the side for the larger bowl as you learned, and to the center for the small, narrow one.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it. I agree with everything you said. Of course, they give us the knob but only one bowl. Doesn't make sense. I hate spinning bowls as they don't do much. I used to like these types, but am used to planetary mixers now. I can do more than make Jello pudding and make pancakes. Whoo-hoo. I'm free!!!
Does the classic handle bread dough. Is yours an older one? They say the newer ones are being made really cheap now
Oh my gosh the protective gear had me dying!! I love you two.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed the humor. Some people take their cooking a bit too serious. LOL!!!
Eric Learns to Cook I see that! The sunbeam fans are hardcore!
@@talesfromasadlittlecook9760 I had a Sunbeam 20 years ago and loved it. These newer ones are not so good. Their fans are pretty serious, that's for sure. LOL. Glad you enjoyed it.
If the bowl lever was in the correct position it would have worked the way it was meant to.
Great review Eric!! You helped me show my hubby why getting a Kitchen Aid stand mixer is a good idea...😀
Thank you. Yes, KitchenAid is saying YES. The Hamilton Beach in the cheap mixer challenge was a cheap winner that could do all of these, so I'd recommend them if on a budget. Otherwise, the KA, especially the Classic Plus is a nice option. Amy will be doing another mixer review that's going to be interesting, soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
Awesome thanks I'll do that!! 😃
It is a very good mixer, but the guy did everything wrong…
You never put any spatula in the bowl mixer
Unfortunately, the KitchenAid mixers built after 1986(when Hobart sold KitchenAid to Whirlpool) are a faint shadow of their former selves.
umm...having an inherited sunbeam, I kind of noticed that your beaters were too centered in the bowl. lol, I had to learn that too. On mine, I don't have the adjustment lever, the turntable fits into two pegholes. this was to accommodate the large and small bowls. big bowls for batters, small bowls for icings and whipped creams. it never did bread well, until no knead dough entered my life.
keep on!
That's funny, but true. Thanks for watching!!!!
I've had the same machine for about four years. But I only make cakes. I don't do bread or cookies with mine. It's worked beautifully for me.
I have a Sunbeam Mixmaster Heritage series and the bowl spins by itself. I don't know what;s going on here, maybe a different model. But I really like the way my bowl spins because I can have a spatula on the opposite side of the bowl when mixing and be constantly scraping the bowl without having to stop the mixer.
Thanks for watching. We appreciate it. I think ours from the 1990's was like yours. This one doesn't seem right. So if Sunbeam thinks they can save some money by turning off the spinning, then they should think twice because that's an easy way to make people not want to buy this garbage. I wasn't too happy with how this performed.
to really review any machine you really have to know how to use it, as you discovered too late on the switch to move the bowl. it would have worked better. I have had this machine since 2011 I believe and it has worked flawlessly.. when you do have the bowl in the right position, everything gets creamed in much better with the help of a spatula, Same thing with the dough hooks, you don't put all the flour in at once, and you guide it into the hooks, you do have to hold bowl and guide it. I have used sunbeams for over 50 years and you have to know how to use them and sunbeam doesnt provide information for those that don't know. with the bundle of this machine on amazon, it does come with whisks and a smaller bowl, but the whisks are not really needed. I have used just the beaters and made wonderful angel food cake.. the smaller bowl of course which you can buy separately is available to purchase and is good for smaller things. its a hand on machine, not like a planetary one where you mostly stand there, with this you can feel your dough, know when its right, have plenty of room to add in gredients or move the bowl lever as you did when necessary. I have a ka and its very frustrating to me, I like being part of my dough, batter etc.. the ka has actually many times overworked my batters and I have an artisan and have yet to make a successful bread dough in it.. though I have tried after making that purchase of such a huge amount of money lol.. its the same with the ka, someone else was trying to demonstrate it and didn't know what they were doing, had it going on high speed, and poured all this flour into it at once, you can imagine what he looked like along with the bowl, machine and counter.. you guys do a great thing for people in a world where you cant just go to a store any more and see something, feel it before you buy it,, so I thank you for that.. its very nice to watch your videos and I enjoy them.
Thanks you for share with us your experience. 👍🌹💯
I would love to get one just to use it for cake mixes and light duties of course I have a kitchenaid for tough jobs
I think the Kenmore might qualify for "light duty". LOL. The Hamilton Beach and the Farberware both do nice jobs doing everything.
26:32 Quote of The Year
Eric This is another reason for me to consider a KitchenAid Stand Mixer in the future.
you should have used the bowl shift lever at the front on the bottom. it would have shifted the bowl from side to side so you wouldn't have to use a spatula to mix the things togther.
Thanks for the review. I really like your sense of humor! You made me laugh. :)
Thanks for watching Athena!
Don't waste your money on this , get a planetary mixer or a good hand mixer , what's the point of having a stand mixer if you needed to turn the bowl, look after it every second, it seems awful!! , Ppl are like you're use it wrong, the bowl needs to be put like this , the whisk goes like that. I just want to follow a few instructions and being to mix , I bought a mixer not a toy or a lego set, the inefficiency of this is evident. Nice review Eric!
love you guys for being so straightforward and down to earth :-)
Thanks for watching!
I’ve had a sunbeam for years and I don’t think this mixer was used properly. The bowl needs to be adjusted and the mixer has a knob where u can put the beaters closer to the edge for a lg or sm bowl. I’ve used it for everything. Also the manual says I shouldn’t exceed speed 3 with dough hooks because it can dmg the mixer .
Doesn't the Sunbeam have a slide switch on the bottom of bowl section that will move the bowl to the side so the beaters are closer to the side of the bowl? Please check!
The leaver is kinda confusing but sunbeam sells smaller bowls that are used just for when it is in the centre and the big bowl is supposed to be used on the side this also took me a while to learn and the instructions aren't very clear also some of the models have on the selector will say what setting to use it on
can you make a vid on old sunbeam mixer hand or stand plus nice colour
Hey Eric, you didn't have the bowl size set correctly.
Thank you for watching. I realized that 1/2 way through and acknowledged that. So I started flipping that lever to see if it would help. I still prefer things with scraper paddles for mixing goop, or an actual whisk.
Oops, I wrote that last comment before you got to the shifting switch for the bowl. I wondered why the beaters were stuck in the middle. But I'm surprised there is only one bowl.
Only one bowl. No whip for meringues and whip cream. Maybe they don't expect their customers to make those?
Sunbeam is no longer making the MixMaster mixer---The era has ended!
There was also a comment about the Ankarsrum mixer.
You can find it here, in Quebec, at Costco.
Ankarsrum Original 7 L (7.4 qt.) Stand Mixer, it sells for 799.99$ Canadian dollars.
Since I paid 88.00$ for my Sunbeam on sale at Walmart I don't have the same expectations for it as I would have for the other one.
I agree (with the expectations). We were hoping to test a Sunbeam that wouldn't die and see what it could do. Kind of disappointing. The Hamilton Beach did a much better job on the prior battle. Amy will be testing the Ank very soon. Go easy on her please. She's a newbie to them, and they have a learning curve. :-)
I have one of these and made cakes 3 times in two weeks and bread at least 4 times in the last few months. First, the bowl needs to be locked in place, there is a little picture on the mixer showing the lock, unlock direction, secondly, the large bowl is in the incorrect position, it too has a little picture showing where the small vs large bowl needs to be.
Also Eric and Amy,
Farberware has released their own stand mixer and it is getting a huge tremendous amount of buzz because their mixer is lower priced than the KitchenAid, it seems to look like plastic but I think it is metal construction and the motor on that Farberware mixer is 600 watts which is claimed to be more powerful than the KitchenAid.
You might want to look into reviewing that Farberware because I don’t see any reviews on the Farberware mixer.
Love the Farberware.
BTW whatever that was mentioned by Amy that was *Bleeped*, I 100% agree to it. Your honesty rulez Amy! LMAO!
Thank you for watching and your comment. Amy really didn't like this mixer. It just was too much work and didn't do a good job. I was being "nice" and she was being honest. Honesty rules!!!
Thanks for the replies Eric :-) My sentiments exactly on this alleged "heritage" series stand mixer which is such a joke. On a more exciting note, have you guys tried the stand mixers whereby the planetary motion seems to have a somewhat 'slanted' rotation? If you have not, do take a look at 'Kenwood Prospero Kitchen Machine ' and also 'Bosch MUM5 CreationLine Universal food processor'. No one has ever done a versus between these two ( *hint, hint to Amy ;-D* Hehe!) I am sure Amy will love the attachments that comes together in the overall package of these 2 mixers.
We have the Bosch Universal Plus. I don't think we have something with that fancy name. Do they sell those in the U.S.? We have the Kenwood Titanium. Not too many choices of those here either. Amy might be able to further elaborate.
I figured I should bleep that out because I was cussing and complaining the whole time! LOL!!!
They sell the Bosch Compact here in the U.S. It looks interesting because it is smaller which is good because the Universal Plus seems to be better with larger batches. If I can somehow convince Eric to get me one...then I can test it. hint...hint Eric. LOL! Maybe for my birthday??...unless I can get that Kenwood Cooking Chef? LOL! Here is the link amzn.to/2ndSV2F
The Kenwood Prospero is available on Amazon for the US but it is 220 volts and says not for the US. They probably don't make this one for our electrical connection. They make the Cooking Chef tho for the U.S....Another hint...hint for Eric! LOL!
OK, so I have two Model 10s which run rings around this. How the mighty have fallen! That said, great review.
Thanks very much I wanted mine for mixing Brad and now I know it can’t handle it you just save me 89 but thank you
Hi Eric, thanks for the review. It's an ok mixer, but I think I'll stick to my Kitchen Aid or invest in the one Amy was reviewing.
Thanks Ann. I'd stick with my KA mixers too!
When you make bread in these mixers you first use the beaters, right before adding the flour you change it into the dough hooks. Actually you don't need whisks for whipping either because if you see the beaters up front yes they are thicker and have a sort of flat surface for support , however because of the motion they have you to consider looking at it from the sides where it's a bit thicker than a whisk but enough for adding air and please stop saying that the bobbing of the head in a stand mixer is a bad thing, It's actually part of their design to have certain movement because unyielding mechanisms are more prone to break so the bobbing of the head is a way of absorbing the shock. Same reason why stand mixers with bowl lifts their arms move and bob a little bit. The same principle is applied. Think of it this way: Marble is the hardest rock on planet Earth, however if it falls it can easily fracture and that is because it's so hard and unyielding that when it hits the ground nothing absorbs the impact so it fractures. That also applies to cars nowadays, they are not made of metal anymore in the bumpers and the outer part of it. It a sort of Carbon fiber they use, that's the reason why with a minimum collision you get a bump, but thats the way it absorbs part of the impact, because metal is so unyielding that it would cause sever Cervical injuries, when they adopted this new material they were reduced by up to a 40%.
Either that or go buy aftermarket Dough beaters they work much better. Or better yet Shell out the cash for a KitchenAid
I think I commented in the first mixer review you did of this and the HB and the EasyGo(?), or else it was in another mixer review, that I have the exact same green one that you reviewed in the first video (that quit before the review could continue). Last Christmas, I tried to make my grandmother's butter cookie recipe (which includes SIX cups of flour and a pound of butter, etc). Even on HALF of the recipe (3 cups of flour) this mixer could barely get through the mixing. I tried everything, including slowing the speed down and using the dough hooks, once the dough thickened. It was just a mess. I ended up finishing the recipe by hand.
I think there are 2 things going on: this machine, though it LOOKS pretty, was not engineered well. It just can't do the bigger jobs, especially those with thick ingredients. The second thing is that Eric (and Amy) are right - these fixed beater machines just are not cut out for doing heavy-duty kneading, thick cookie doughs, etc. KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Bosch, etc. are better engineered for this type of job. Even though this machine has "the power", it just does not apply it well. Also, the moving of the bowl with the lever does not seem to help. And, I discovered that this mixer leaves an unmixed circle of goo below the beaters. Not only are you constantly scraping the sides of the bowl, you also have to be careful that you scrape UNDER the point where the beaters meet the bowl. Just a very disappointing product from Sunbeam, a company that once led the field in home mixing.
The black tray that the bowl sits on is not in the correct position. The mixer turns the bowl when it's in the right position.
I guess I don't get the point of that machine I feel like a hand mixer would do a better job
You're 100% correct and would save money too. I suppose if making cake batter and you need to mix it for two minutes, then the stand would help you from getting tired holding the mixer? I'm just mad that it can't mix oatmeal cookies. What else can't it mix? Sugar cookies? Chocolate chip cookies? They need to put a disclaimer: Can only mix cake batter with this mixer. LOL!!! Hope you enjoyed watching.
He's not using it right!
You are absolutely right
It doesn't make sense
Lol Eric I loved how you asked Amy if the big ol clump you got was classed as stiff peaks 😂😂 I love the colour of the mixer but hate that you have to spin the bowl 😐
Thanks Angie. Glad you enjoyed it. Amy hates me. It's official. LOL. She bought the pink one knowing she was gonna make me do the review. We let the mixer go on the bread so people could laugh at how bad it was. Not that we'd expect anyone to actually make bread in this. Yeah, Amy was quite helpful off camera with her remarks. LOL!!!
It is obvious that these newer generation Sunbeam mixers are horrid. It will be great if you guys are able to get your hands on the classic (Made in USA, best if reconditioned) model to see if it will stand the test of modern times. And please ban Eric from doing any more mixer reviews, frankly it was a pain to watch this one LOL! Only hail to Amy, the Queen of Stand Mixers that has perfected the art of stand mixer reviews. ;D IMHO, stand mixer manufacturers should give Amy a holler for an honest to goodness review of their mixers.
Thank you for watching. I don't think we're gonna waste anymore time doing mixer reviews unless they are planetary motion. These "spinning" types are best as hand helds where you can move them around.
Sorry this was a horrid video to watch. But I will grant your wish (as if I'm a genie) LOL. Amy had me do this review only because I killed the last one. I think it's safe to say she will do the future mixer reviews!
Still using it wrong. Why did you not use the bowl lever?
I just noticed that cuisinart has a new-to-me mixer. The precision master...it seems to be a ripoff of KA tilts. Any thoughts on it? I can't find any real reviews on it. Thanks
I've seen the new Cuisinart mixer. It is kinda weird looking with with big circle on the side. The white one reminds me of a stormtrooper.
Where do you put all these mixers??
Thanks for watching. Hope you enjoyed the video. She has a pan room. Most of her mixers fit on mixer carts. Some just sit on shelves. We'll have to do an updated Pan Room video so you can see where all this stuff goes.
Eric Learns to Cook If your ever sent one for free by a company, you should do a giveaway:)
:-)
Hi Eric, I take it that's the only bowl that came with the mixer. Sunbeam mixers used to have a smaller bowl that came with it, too. It was the one I used for beating cream. And the platform for the bowl used to shift, so that the beaters were next to the side of the bowl instead of being stuck in the middle like yours is. Being next to the bowl side helped all of the ingredients get into the mixer. With the one bowl and beaters in centre as you're showing, a lot of the ingredients against the sides of the bowls don't mix in too well. And how about the Ankarsrum?? I'm sure everybody hopes we'll see that one tested soon, too. Thanks for the review.
I like hand beaters better than these stand mixers. At least you can move the beaters around. Still, I only used mixers for cake batter and pancake batter. Never for tough cookie dough like this, and certainly never on bread dough. But they said I could make bread dough. Well, they didn't, but they said if I did, to use those beaters or hooks. Maybe they need to remove that from the manual. Giving me false hopes and wasting some perfectly good flour. :-( I hope you enjoyed it regardless and weren't frustrated that it didn't turn out that well. We used to love these things 20 years ago.
And how is the Ankarsrum? Any idea when you'll have time to review that one? I'm especially interested in how their whisk beaters work for cakes, cookies. BTW, I've read that butter, shortening, etc. should all be softened, room temperature before being used with the whisk beaters, or else there is a chance the whisk gears will break.
Amy really needs to learn how to use the Ankarsrum. The last thing we want to do is perform an uninformed review on it, and then have the experts come and yell at us for not doing things right. That's what happened on the Bosch video. The KAs, you just add the ingredients and are pretty easy. She did a loaf of bread the other day in the Ankarsrum. It took a while. She liked the quality of the kneading, even if the machine didn't look happy doing it. It was a low hydration dough and the Ankarsrum wasn't very happy with it. So we'll try something else. Plus, as you noted, we'll have to test the different things it can do so you can properly gauge how it's performing.
I had heard of the Bosh has cheap plastic parts that break. I hadn't heard of that with the Ankarsrum, but you could be right. But we do need to practice so we can do it justice.
I've heard there's a bit of a learning curve when using the Ankarsrum for bread making, since flour gets added to water, plus the adjusting of the scraper, roller, etc. If that problem with the gears breaking in the whisks and cookie beaters is true, you'd think they would have switched to metal housing from the plastic housing for those parts. What I really like about the Ankarsrum is the open bowl. There is no overhead motor that is in the way when adding ingredients. Are you having to use your snowblower these days? Did the Nor'Easter hit your area?
I love sunbeam and kitchenaid I own both.
Amy and I both could have made bread faster than that by hand but great job Eric especially on patients
My mom has two sets of attachments, and two books, I'm looking to buy the actual machine. One has a manu stating Instructions and Recipes Model No. 2484, 2485, 2486, this is the handheld.
The other Manuel states: Sunbeam Deluxe Mixmaster Mixer Recipes, it shows a stainless steel stand mixer. I don't know what years.
Can anyone help?
*The sunbeam brand is very good at a considerate cost, but you definitely have to know it and know how to use it. You must use the lever that is at the base where the bowl goes and you do not have to hold or move the bowl, you just have to let it work. The machine will do the work by itself because it does not have a planetary system for the hooks, but the planetary system is inversely what moves the bowl. He has not known how to treat it. This machine is not from the commercial area but personal.*
Tell her to read all the instructions. And go see the manufacturers video.
They are quite different and I did see someone trying to do bread dough with the cake roller...
But I think Amy as tried the Bosch and they are also quite different.
I'll be checking for the test. Thanks again
Hola amiguitos quiero saber donde se consigui este producto en sur America republica de Colombia
Ok
thank you 😀
This was hilarious!
I realize this is an old video, but I have to say, the dough hooks included in my opinion are really for heavy cookie doughs, not bread. I don't really think this is designed to do breads, batters or cookie doughs yes, but not bread.For cookies you would start out creaming w/ the beaters, then move to the hooks to mix. I don't really think the motor was designed for anything heavier, plus I think you risk burn out or breaking the neck. Just my opinon.
Let’s face it it’s not a bad mixer if you don’t have the cash for a KitchenAid.
I have 6 KitchenAid mixers
You were not quite set up properly, there is a bowl offset lever on the front base for the large bowl. You had your machine set for the small bowl setting. Instructions are meant to be read 1st.
Yes! That was driving me nuts watching it.
Funny and entertaining. Love the pink but nothing else of interest. I have the Hamilton Beach - mostly does what I need. For making bread, I am lazy and use two bread machines to mix and knead dough. If I had the Sunbeam, I would mostly make no-knead bread if I had no bread machine.
Do you have the Hamilton Beach like the one we reviewed last year with the planetary action? I agree a bread machine is a great way to make bread. Don't have to worry about breaking a mixer.
Thank you for watching. Glad you enjoyed it. I think we are done making Sunbeam mixer reviews. :-)
You mention that these new Sunbeams aren't as good as the old metal ones, but I have owned two of the older Sunbeams and neither of them could run a batch of oatmeal cookie dough any better than the pink one in this video. Back when the metal ones were produced prior to 1968, about the only things people made with a mixer were cakes, cookies, whipped cream, and meringues. If you made bread in the old Sunbeam, you would start with half the flour and mix it with the beaters. Then, stir the rest of the flour in by hand and knead it by hand. The dough hooks didn't come out until some time around the 1970's, when Sunbeam started making the Mixmasters out of plastic.
My thoughts on the 'new' Sunbeams is like what happened in the cheap mixer showdown, where the green Sunbeam died. Their QA isn't any good. We had a white one from 20 years ago that did a nice job on cake and pancake batters. We used a bread machine to make bread. The problem is their manual says it can do these things, and they lied. This Mixmaster was actually metal. I don't know what the gears are made out of, but the shell was metal. It looked nice. My main point of contention is that if it is only good with light batters, then don't mention bread in the manual. Don't know what the hooks are for. More useful to include a whip for whip cream. I agree that to do some of what I did, was wrong, but if it can't handle a standard bread recipe, then give directions, such as what you brought up. That's a little peeve of mine. Planetary mixers, don't use any special instructions. Bosch and Ankarsrum have special processes that you must know about to make them run. Obviously, I was trying to have some fun with this. Hope you enjoyed it. We'll have more mixer reviews coming up, and they should be able to accomplish what they are meant to do. :-)
Eric: I enjoyed your video, and review of that little Sunbeam. I definitely gave it a "thumbs up" because it so highly illustrates what a typical person would expect when they open up the package. You mention about the Sunbeams from 20 years ago, which brings us to the Sunbeam Heritage I currently have. Like yours, mine does an excellent job on cake and pancake batters. It has the dough hooks, wire beaters, and standard beaters. Those are no longer made, and the one you ran in the video is the best Sunbeam can do currently. And this, of course, is very unfortunate.
On the planetary mixers: The primary reason that America's Test Kitchen rates the Bosch Universal as "unacceptable" is because it can't do smaller batches effectively. That, plus what you mention about the special processes required of them. I read one review where a person described "The Bosch System" where a limited number of recipes would work, but other recipes were hard to adapt to the Bosch. And then there's that learning curve required with the Ankarsrum. All of this brings us back to the original planetary design motion that has essentially been unchanged for at least 100 years when the first Hobart KitchenAid Model H came out. It is intuitive and easy to use. The paddle can be used to stir just about anything, often better than a spoon. In fact, I use my KitchenAid to cut fats into flour to make pie crusts, and even make biscuits. Yes, I make biscuits with my KitchenAid, and they turn out better than I can make them with my bare hands.
KitchenAid sells more mixers than anybody else, because they are easier to understand and work with. They are light in weight, and easily moved from one counter to another. They have adequate power for most smaller bread recipes. And finally, KitchenAid is very honest about their mixer's limitations. The #1 rated mixer from America's Test Kitchen is, in fact, the KitchenAid Pro-Line 7. But what they listed as second on their list would blow your mind: The little 4 1/2 quart, white, 250 watt KitchenAid Classic tilt-head came in at a close second!
So there you have it. KitchenAid is the new Sunbeam!
I agree with everything you just said. It is hard to teach people this. We love our KA Classic Plus. Great for smaller jobs. The KA Pro 5 is good as is the 6. We haven't used the Commercial 8 Quart much. Amy used to use the Sunbeam for the lighter batters and then use a bread machine (she has two or three of them) for bread. Then she started using the bread machines to just mix, knead, and proof the dough and then transfer to a bread pan for baking so we don't get the holes in the bottom. Worked great. But the bread machines take forever. So using the KA greatly speeds things up. But concerned of killing one making bread. So we spread the love. We did the challenge video using the Bosch (older model without suction cups). ATK hated it too because of no suction cups, it would walk all over the counter. Now we have the 'newer' one with suction cups. We also didn't use the 'extender'. Ours didn't have one at the time and didn't know we needed one. Without one, a small dough ball gets bounced around and not kneaded properly. We'll see what happens with the extender. KA's planetary action is efficient, effective, and takes no brain power or recipe modifications. Using these non planetary ones need some modifications. I would never have known you were supposed to add 1/2 the flour at a time and do all the kneading stuff with a Sunbeam. The manual mentions none of this. But then, their "dough hookds" these days are very non-helpful. Once again, appreciate your thoughts and taking the time to respond. Hopefully, our Ank review will be interesting.
I think that's the biggest problem with Sunbeam today. No real instruction manual. It's the same even with my 15 year old Sunbeam Heritage that's long been discontinued. But any Sunbeam made prior to 1970 would come with a complete use and care manual and cook book that would fully describe how to put each recipe together.
Hi Eric, i think Amy needs to make another confession. Lol!
Thanks for watching. Not sure what confession you are speaking of. As in she bought another mixer? Or her "honest" opinion of this crappy mixer?
Nice to see that the Sunbeam makes a comeback. Plus, Eric reviews it!
Sunbeam survived. Yeah! Still can't knead bread though :-( Wish they'd take that out of the owner's manual. Maybe it will make a quick bread like beer bread and not yeast bread? Hope you enjoyed it. The oatmeal cookies were terrific!
Eric Learns to Cook Good thing it survived. Always enjoy your videos...Your channel intro is awesome!!
Yes, good it survived so we had a show to do. Would get boring if they kept smoking. Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy our videos. That's appreciated.
Well, Eric... Sorry, but for quick breads, the KitchenAid planetary mixer and its paddle has the Sunbeam beat on that, too. Use the paddle to cut the butter into your dry ingredients, then add the liquids and beat for another 30 seconds. Then, use your STIFF wooden spoon to stir in the blueberries. What more can I say? :D
That's a wicked knife!
Shouldn't you have that bowl swing to the right do it scrapes the bowl, and be using the smaller bowl as is recommended for that particular task ohhhh f whipping cream?
if I was on death row I would ask for my last meal to be made with this mixer as I would dodge death row & live to a very ripe old age, I will stick to my KitchenAid..Your to nice Eric, I will always listen to Amy.she is always right,
Yeah...I agree. I am not sure if my old Sumbeam was this bad or if I just didn't realize it was bad. I've learned a lot doing all these stand mixer tests and I am very surprised how bad the two beater system really is. I haven't tested one yet that was worth a hill of beans. Thanks for watching!
I don't like this mixer at all. It takes me back to the 60's when you had to assist so much you might as well beat the entire mix by hand. I'd be worn out before the recipe finishes. That's not what I'd consider a good mixer. So sorry...I hate to be so negative but I just can't help it.
I agree. A hand mixer would be cheaper and much better (for mixing things it's meant to mix). Don't even put the word bread in the manual. Gave me a false sense of security that I could knead some. I like planetary mixers because they are way more efficient. I hate spinning bowls. That isn't mixing. That's just gonna make you dizzy watching it. Oh well. We do have some more mixer vids coming that should do what they are meant to do. Hope you enjoyed watching this.
I did notice one thing: the little red mixer that only mixed in the middle, had a knob at the base that (I think) adjusted the position of the bowl so the beaters could be at the edge of the bowl...you didn't move or adjust it. I wonder if the outcome would have been better if you had...or...am I wrong about the adjustment knob?
Usually those knobs help them beat closer to the bowl. You are right. I didn't pay attention to that on the pink one until the video was half done, but it still beat like crap. But works way better on liquidy batters. On the cheap mixer battle, the Go (whatever) was kinda crappy. I don't even remember touching it's knob. I still didn't like it. It was very cheap. Could buy four of those for the price of this one. Still better with a hand mixer (if ya gotta be so cheap and avoid the planetary ones at all costs. LOL!!!!)
It works OK for fluffy stuff such as meringue and cake mixes, but will definetely struggle with anything heavier. I killed mine doing mashed potatoes! I replaced it with a vintage model 12 from the 60s, built like a tank, no comparison with this piece of cr*p.
That sounds like a great idea - the beaters need to be offset from the middle an inch or two.
I'm sure Sunbeam makes great products but I don't think this stand mixer is within their realm of expertise. I don't think someone should have to work that hard for a mixer that claims to be able to make dough to actually make the dough. These machines are supposed to make our lives easier and make tasks quicker, not create more work and twice as long.
I think Sunbeam is as good as anyone when it comes to mixing light batters. A handheld would be cheaper and a little better than a spinning bowl. It's sad it can't mix cookie dough. I agree with everything you said. I think planetary mixers are more efficient at mixing doughs (and even batters and usually come with a whip for creaming things). The Hamilton Beach was actually cheaper and did a better job. But at least this Sunbeam didn't die like the last one. LOL!!! I hope you enjoyed it.
Why are you hand turning wrong way
This mixer is an absolute piece of junki. A hand held mixer would be much faster and do the job better, because you can work the beaters all around the bowl and get everything mixed. Sorry Sunbeam - I know you make a lot of great products, (I have one of your steam irons from over 15 years ago that still works perfectly) but why resurrect this dinosour from the 50s when it was no good then?
Yeah...the old Sunbeams were a lot better. The whole beater setup isn't that great but at least the machines were good. The first one we had didn't last through one recipe. Thanks for watching!
I use a sunbeam like this to make three loaves lol
U have to be a part of the action.
Recipe needs to be right , I feed mine with a spatula ,
Mine will form a dough ball even. Lol
sunbeam is terrible on the instructions but they do the job.
I have to say that I use the bread maker to make oatmeal cookies.
Hi, thanks for the new test.
I do make bread in mine. A 4 kilo batch to be exact. It's 4.5 pounds.
Is is a multi grain bread and the dough is not as dry but really heavy and sticky.. That may be the difference. But I did do a few batches of white bread and I was quite good.
I do do other things with mine and I'll admit it's not perfect. For whipping cream or beating egg whites the small bowl would be better for small quantities.
But for the price, I'm quite satisfied.
If you compare it to mixers that are 2 or 3 times the price you'll be disappointed.
It doesn't work. It has several design flaws. I hand mix a 1 cup pizza dough by hand in about 10 minutes, 5 minutes kneading. The beaters and hook do not reach the 1 cup pizza dough mix. I tried a 3 cup dough mix and the the beaters were maybe an inch into the mix. It took almost 50 minutes to mix and I wound up taking the dough out to knead it by hand. It just doesn't work.
Eric you are so funny :)
Sunbeam models in Australia are entirely better, the Sunbeam name is synonymous with quality - the mixer on our mother's benches.
Here, the beaters are positioned fixed to the side of the bowl so that when the bowl rotates (reliably) the beaters reach all of the ingredients, and the dough hooks actually 'hook' at the ends, there are also two planetary versions which are high end quality.
I thought Eric was generous with his B rating for the cream, Amy is so right, this machine is a piece of junk which they'd never get away with selling here, it would render their name to rubbish.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it. Sunbeams here can mix pancake batter and that's about it. Might as well save a few $$$ and just use a hand mixer. That's funny knowing that they produce better mixers overseas than they do here. Maybe they don't want to compete against the KitchenAids here?
I've seen the planetary version of the Sunbeam. I wonder why they don't sell it in the US? Could it be that our power is only 110? I always thought that it might be the reason. The Kenwood's sold overseas have a lot more power than the ones in the US...probably for the same reason the 110 electricity.
Your guess is as good as mine Am ~ I like how you made Eric do this review ~ it can be viewed as toungue in cheek and your reputation is still intact :D
I did enjoy watching Eric, you have dead pan sarcasm down pat :D
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed. Can you tell Amy did the editing on it? She actually has a sense of humor once in a while. LOL!!!!
I give you points for being the only cheerleader of the Mix Master. Amy's right. you're too nice. the MixMaster is just garbage. it doesn't even look nice. now.. where's the video on the Ankarsrum? :)
Yeah, I'm guilty as charged. Just lock me up, throw away the key and leave me to use one of these things in my jail cell. Seriously, it can be useful. I just don't know for what. A hand mixer would do so much of a better job than this (and save $$$). They know it's good for cake mixes and pancake batter. Then just tell us that. Don't mention bread or cookies. Geesh. Got my hopes up for nothing. But those cookies at the end were pretty tasty!!!Thanks for watching. We appreciate it.
Yeah Eric was way too nice. I know I am harsh but I want viewers to know the limitations of a machine before they decide to buy it. If someone wants a Sunbeam...at least the video will show them what they should expect from it performance wise. I agree with you Bret. I would have no use for the Sunbeam especially when there are so many better options available out there.
The Ank video is coming up. Hopefully I can get it filmed and uploaded this weekend. Stay tuned!
Seriously LOL on this comment. You are one funny guy. :o)
on the bright side.. you know how to make Pla-Doh now..
Yeah, for Play-Doh!!!! $120 mixer can do Bisquick and Play-doh. Got my vote. LOL!!!! Thanks for the comment!
4:21!!! I am in touch with my sexuality!!!! I cracked up at this moment!!!!
LOL! Eric is crazy!
You should me to go out and buy aftermarket dough beaters they’re much better than the factory ones.
Hi again, my experience with the Sunbeam Mixmaster for making bread was awful. That's why I bought a KitchenAid K5 mixer. The Sunbeam went too fast and it jumped all over the place. Plus in those days, the head did not lock in place, so it bobbed up and down. A real mess. Yours is a huge improvement over the one I had, but I agree with Amy when she says, "you call that fabulous??"
Well, I was sarcastic on this video for a reason. You watched the first one, right? I was amazed this didn't die, so it gets some points. The oatmeal cookies were fabulous. I never made one that size before. KA's do a nice job kneading dough. Amy always talks about how gorgeous the ball of dough is. This wasn't gorgeous at all.
Basically, I found the Sunbeam mixer was good for light batters, such as cakes. Cookie batter was OK if it was not a really heavy dough. Bread dough was out of the question. Will you keep the Sunbeam mixer? They're getting cheap by skimping with only one bowl. The small one is terrific for egg whites and cream. I still own my Sunbeam mixer (from 1983) but I usually use the KA or even my Betty Crocker hand mixer instead. But your pink Sunbeam is better than the 80s Mixmaster I have, if only because the head locks in place.
Nice you trying to redeem the sunbeam. LOL.
Where is the video of Ankarsrum?
+J VON J Archie The Ank should be up tomorrow. I shot the video today and I just have to edit it.
Cool..!!!!!!
Thanks.
love your mixer reviews. can u send me link to bosch and Electrolux? I saw on Santa haul.😀
Hi Amanda! Thanks for watching. Here are links:
Ank/Electrolux:
amzn.to/2n2Q0JC
Ank/Electrolux Deluxe Package:
amzn.to/2mMVINj
Bosch Universal Plus:
amzn.to/2nIGg4q
Thanks for the Amazon links!
Had you only moved the turntable to the large bowl position, you would have had a much better and more efficient experience.
Well you have the bowl setting wrong. You should have bowl set to large.
A musk stick pink Mixmaster!!!
Rear the manual and set the lever to a large bowl.
Your an idiot
there are no recipes because they know it sucks at bread making
I agree. You can't think they are seriously thinking people will buy this for anything other than mixing pancake or cake batters. I have no idea what the hooks were for. Not to knead bread. Would have been nice to put a warning to mix half the flour first and then knead by hand. You know, not to waste all those ingredients. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for watching. :-)
The reason it’s not mixing is because you don’t have the bowl off center.
You. Are. Hilarious. Great review!
I have issues with this review. It’s expected a reviewer will use the mixer competently. The bowl shift lever was not in the correct position for the large bowl. The small bowl should be included with that mixer, apparently, it’s an option on that model. The mixer did not come with a whisk but the regular beaters are meant to perform that task, which they did in this video. As for making bread, both beaters are not required. The NY Times no-knead bead recipe is a total winner.
Thank you for watching and your comment. I agree that an additional bowl would have been nice along with better instructions so that anyone new to using this would know to use the smaller bowl for whipping things and using the larger bowl for batters and cookie dough (and perhaps bread if using a "no-knead" recipe). That all said, using this is not too obvious out of the box with little to no instructions. We used one 20 years ago (our first mixer). My mom even owned one back in the day. Loved it. Had two holes for you to move the base for different size bowls. So you can say this wasn't a fair review, but for a new person, you must watch other videos to figure out how this works. As for the NY Times, I had NO idea they have a no-knead bread recipe, and that you're supposed to use it. Would have been nice for them to mention that somewhere. I appreciate you watching this. Obviously, you did not enjoy it, and I'm sorry for that. I hope you watch some of our other videos. Thank you.
That is the first mixer I have ever seen in my life I would give a F to. I will not ever be buying that one
I thought I would save money (compared to spending much more on a Kitchen Aid) by buying a Sunbeam Heritage mixer about 20 years ago. It was $100, beautiful shiny red. I used it to make cookies, and cakes, and after a while I just had to admit...I hated it! It wouldn’t mix well by itself, there was a button on the side you had to push to get it to tilt back and it was so difficult to do. The eject button was difficult to use. I thought anyone without strength in their hands would never be able to use this thing. Plus the base where the bowl sat was made of plastic and I thought one day that would break and the whole thing would be useless. I kept it for a long time and never used it then finally I donated it to Goodwill. I now have a Kitchen Aid mixer and there’s no comparison.
We bought one for $70 refurbished around 20 years ago. Even bought one for my mom. We used a bread machine to deal with bread dough, so we only needed this thing to do the other stuff. Playing with this one these days wasn't much fun for many reasons. Lots of quality issues, poor instructions, only one bowl, etc. Glad you like your KA. I actually like Amy's Farberware (Scrappy Doo!). Cheap and does everything you can ask for.
Scary!!! Do NOT make bread on this ... those beaters are bucking the bowl and the sumbeam everywhere.... keeps kids away from this machine... Sunbeam killed this model, I remember and still have my mom's, and the nice glass bowl, the feel of it, is completely different. So sad for the new model.
This guy is funny.
He is crazy!!! Thanks for watching and thanks for the nice comment! I really appreciate it!
I wouldn't buy it if they gave it for free so I'm giving an F !!!!!.
As much as I think this machine is no good, you didn't put the bowl stand on the right setting, therefore the cream was whipped in the middle and not at the edges.
Thanks for watching. yeah, bowl position would help. I noticed that since this model doesn't spin the bowl like synchronized with the motor speed, unlike the older one we had 20 years ago that did that, shows me one more reason to hate this thing. This particular mixer did work. The previous one we tested failed pretty miserably. I can't recommend this model at all.
I understand and agree completely. Buy a 2nd hand Kitchenaid any day over this.
This thing is a glorified hand mixer, but a bigger pain in the ass. Planetary mixers are so much better. We had an older Sun beam which worked minimally better than this one, but my god that thing is terrible.
Yep. I couldn't believe how bad it performed.
I have a Sunbeam, it sucks.
Sunbeams are hit and miss these days. The older ones are much better (quality and just how they work). Nice to have the right bowls to do the job and instructions on how to figure them out. We had one that sort of spun by itself. This one not so great. But they have their fans though.
I have my Grandmother's 1969 Sunbeam Mixmastrer and it still works great. I also have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but I like my Grandmother's Sunbeam Mixmaster much better. It is much easier to add ingredients to the Mixmaster while the mixer is running than it is for the Kitchen Aid.
I feel sorry for Eric and the mixer
Didn't even use the appropriate beaters to do the whipped cream
Sorry but it didnt come with any other beaters
Sunbeam don't make Mixmaster mixers like they used to the new models in Australia are rubbish which is such a shame the one's made back in the 70's were the best!!
sigh :/ eric oh eric !!!!
I feel your pain, but I had to do it. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Comical... Looks to me Sunbeam is preying on the less fortunate. This type of design begs for a free arm to do the maneuvering. Now if you added it to the link provided you might have a hit going on... www.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/easybake I do think what is missing here is guidance to a refurbished unit of a quality design that will over come all the drawbacks of this unit. Guidance is key here as people are looking for what it will cost to get to a model that will work at without going to much over budget. You need to put this against the next level up that will complete the tasks normally and for what cost difference. With all the units draw backs I also feel you missed an opportunity here. Just being honest.
Yeah, predatory mixing. They do target the less fortunate. LOL! To not go over budget, I recommend the winner from our cheap mixer battle. That worked well and actually kneaded bread (and was cheaper than this thing). Glad you enjoyed it. It's hard to give any guidance, in my opionion, on this thing. It would have mixed cake batter and pancake batter, as we had one of these years ago and that's all we used it for. But it was sad it didn't do well on cookies and making whip cream. Saving $5 by not including a whip cost them in my review. Charging $20 to go from apple green to a pink was not really worth it. Hamilton Beach was much cheaper, and if anyone watched that video, they would have seen it in action. KA's do cost more. I don't think anyone needs to spend that kind of money to mix cake batter. Any hand mixer would do. Any planetary mixer would seem more efficient. These "spinning bowl" mixers from the '70s are just crazy. I appreciate your watching and your comments.
I'm guessing this review is completely tongue in cheek but the Sunbeam mixer has been around for years and it was popular for many of those years. Reading the manual certainly does help with regard to operational functionality such as how to use the the bowl offset. Actually, the offset is adjustable because of the different bowl sizes. Anyway, the model you show here does not have the bowl drive motor nor does it appear to have the regulated mixing motor because of the slowing we see. Our Sunbeam is the Heritage Limited model and I don't believe they make it anymore but it worked much nicer than what you have shown in this review. I have made much less stiff bread and it worked well using the bread hooks but those hooks are much more aggressive than a planetary design and the bread requires much less kneading time with resting periods between. If this machine is used as designed then you won't see what is portrayed here. Sorry.
I agree, but I think they changed some things. I don't think this is the same mixer as was around. Not that I expected it to mix like a planetary mixer would. But the quality these days is really horrid. I really don't know why they want you to whip cream with the standard beaters. What took 5 minutes on this mixer took 90 seconds on an Ankarsrum yesterday with real whip beater. You're right about the bowl sizes and that knob, but they didn't give me any other bowls. If I don't use that knob to try something, then the bowl scraping is really horrid. You're right. I remember back in the day having a syn'd spin and motor speed thing. The faster the beaters the faster the spinning. This thing was not good at all. The problem is they don't tell you how to make bread or mix anything, other than they provide some recipes. Back in the day, we never used our Sunbeam for bread making. We used it for cake & pancake batters only and used a bread machine. If they want us to make bread, then they need to tell us to use half the flour and how to use things. The Hamilton Beach did not have those issues. Just add the ingredients and it did the rest. I guess that's my biggest peeve with many tools is they tell you what it's capable of and then don't document how to make it work with their product. So you use a standard recipe and wonder why it fails.
And I'm 56 years old
Far too much work, might as well just stick to the handheld..... Which I have. Glad I just ordered the planetery standard Mixer. 850 Watts.
All Kitchen Aid fans are welcome to have oil run out into your food.
Not me.
My Kitchen Aid is going out the door.
For what they cost oil leaks are unacceptable.