Smeg stand mixer SMF03

• Read the full olive best stand mixers review.

How easy is the Smeg stand mixer SMF03 to use?

There wasn’t too much to set up when we first removed this stand mixer from its box. This is a straightforwardly designed model that, if you’ve used a stand mixer before, you’ll have no problem working your way around; if you haven’t, a clear and informative manual is provided. The bowl locks into place with a twist, the speed dial can be found on the top of the tilt head and the tilt head release mechanism sits at the back of the head.

There are 10 speeds to choose between. The speed dial moves smoothly up and down with no aggressive jolting, increasing and decreasing in speed in a controlled and gentle manner.

This stand mixer is distinctly high quality. It’s sleek, sturdy and finished to a high standard. We found the tilt head button a little stiff: it requires a good amount of force to release, though this may well loosen up with use. But the tilt head locks into place when fully extended, meaning you’re able to scrape down the bowl with ease.

We found we needed to scrape the bowl often, particularly on our meringue and cake tests. Unfortunately, we also felt that this model – despite its 800W motor – lacked some much needed oomph. Our meringue took a long time to come together, as did our enriched dough.

A good selection of attachments come with the SMF03; they’re hardy and built to last. However we were left a little perplexed by the anchor-shaped flex edge beater. Despite its sturdy construction, it really didn’t perform as we expected. Rather than hugging the sides of the bowl, bringing the mix into the centre, it just pushed everything to the side. We swapped this out for the flat beater, which brought our cake mix together in a matter of seconds.

Results

We put this stand mixer to the test using three olive recipes. Once we’d swapped out the anchor-shaped beater for the flat beater, we managed to make a beautifully smooth and fudgy batter for our easy chocolate cake. Once baked, this cake was light, evenly risen and delicious.

We were a little let down by the results of our skølebrod and pavlova. Although the respective mixes came together, they did so very slowly. Our enriched dough took twice as long to form a smooth ball, compared to other stand mixers we’ve tested. And even when running at full speed, egg whites for pavlova took a long time to form stiff peaks. Whilst the slower machine didn’t have much effect on the final bake of the pavlova, our skølebrod were noticeably tough and overworked.

olive’s take: should you buy the Smeg stand mixer SMF03?

This is an undeniably attractive stand mixer. Not only is the colour range varied and appealing, but every element of this model is finished to a high standard.

Equipped with everything you need to get started, this model is a good choice for cake bakers in particular. If you’re into bread and enriched doughs, however, there are better options out there.

Smeg stand mixer SMG03 specifications:

Wattage: 800W
Product weight: 8.8kg
Size (cm): H 37.8 X W 40.5 X D 22.1
Speed settings: 10
Capacity of bowl(s): 4.8L
Attachments included: balloon whisk, flat beater, dough hook, flex edge beater

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