Some mixers stun you with their appearance. Other mixers surprise you with their performance. Other mixers impress with their special features. Few mixers combine all of those pleasant surprises as effectively as the Breville BEM800XL 5-quart stand mixer. Starting with aesthetic appearance and flowing into high-technology features this mixer will delight most people. What may be the most shocking feature of all is the fact Breville does this a price point which is usually reserved for mixers with low performance or lacking features. Are you ready to take a look at what makes the Breville special?
Contents
- Die Cast Construction with Amazing Beauty
- Digital Controls and Timing
- Features for Easy Storage and Movement
- The Hidden Power of the Breville Die-Cast Stand Mixer
- The Breville Bowl and Beaters
- Dimensions, Available Colors, and Other Physical Features
- Additional Information about the Breville Die-Cast BEM800XL
- Included/Optional Accessories
- Pros of the Breville Die-Cast Mixer
- Cons of the Breville Stand Mixer
- Consumer Ratings for the Breville Mixer
- Conclusion
Die Cast Construction with Amazing Beauty
This is the starting point which will get you excited about this Breville mixer. The die cast construction provides a powerful case which will stand up to years of use and keep on working. Many times when we hear mention a mixer is rugged and tough, we expect it to look that way. The Breville BEM800XL has a smooth aerodynamic appearance reminiscent of an airplane body.
This construction provides you with a mixer which will look great in any kitchen and exceptional in kitchens with brushed metal appliances. The metal case gives you fast clean-up and little risk of scratches. Keep in mind a die-cast case means the mixer will be a bit heavy, but as you may already know that is a benefit. A heavy mixer is stable, secure, and stationary on the counter when you are doing harder mixing chores.
Digital Controls and Timing
The Breville 5-Quart die-cast stand mixer departs from the standard following by most other mixers in its class. Most mixers use analog switches for speed control and few of them include any type of timing method. The Breville mixer uses a 12-speed control dial with a digital monitor which gives you precise speed adjustments. The built-in timer allows you setup a mixing job and walk away with confidence the mixer will shut off when you want it. The timer allows you to set a maximum mixing time of 10 minutes.
The controls include a pause feature you can use while adding ingredients or stepping away from the mixer. When you stop the mixer using the pause button it stops the beaters and pauses the timer at the same moment.
Features for Easy Storage and Movement
What do you do with the cord on your current mixer? Most of us wrap them around the mixer or tuck them behind trying to hide them. On the Breville BEM800XL you store the cord inside the mixer out of sight and out of your way. This allows you to reduce countertop clutter and keep your kitchen looking neat.
The mixer includes lift assist handles in three locations to make moving the mixer very simple. You have grips at the front and rear of the base of the mixer and a handle located on the front of the mixing head. Using this combination of handles it is easy to lift, slide, and store the mixer.
The Hidden Power of the Breville Die-Cast Stand Mixer
Hidden inside the die-cast case is the real secret weapon of the Breville mixer. It has a 550 watt motor tucked inside the case. This is compared to 325 watt motors on most stand mixers in the same price range. An extra 225 watts of power can make a tremendous difference when you start mixing heavy batters, bread, or other stiff recipes.
The 550 watt motor can power the beaters through cold margarine or butter without waiting for it to soften on counter. This allows you to keep moving forward with your recipes instead of being delayed. This power comes in handy when you have larger jobs to do, also. 5-quarts of mashed potatoes for a family dinner take some serious oomph. With 550 watts the Breville mixer can handle making the bread dough in the morning and making the mashed potatoes just before it is time to eat.
The Breville Bowl and Beaters
It seems like everyone has a stainless steel bowl, so what makes Breville’s special? It starts off with the best handle on the market. The handle on the bowl is easy to grasp, in the right location, and allows for easier pouring with the bowl than any other handle. The second feature which will get you excited is the pour guard. It is a high-quality design with protects your from splash-outs while allowing you to add ingredients with ease.
Now we need to add in the Breville beaters to complete the picture. Most mixers come with 3 standard beaters the wire whip, bread hook, and a flat beater. Breville includes all of those but adds one more. They include a scraping beater which has rubber edges like a spatula. When using this beater the edges of the bowl are cleaned on every pass.
The scraper beater is not designed to be used for mixing heavy batters, dough, or for whipping. If you attempted to use this beater for chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies with peanuts, or other mixtures with larger chunks you could easily damage the rubber edges of the beater. Breville recommends using this beater for mixing jobs which include:
- Pie Fillings
- Frostings, icings, and decorative pastes.
- Butter mixtures.
- Sticky cookie and cake batters with a creamy texture.
When you have mixing jobs which are a little more stubborn and will require higher strength, you should switch to the standard flat beater.
The combination of the beaters and bowl are a real delight. They are precisely matched to provide clean mixing on a consistent basis. You will not have problems with dry ingredients hiding on the edges or bottom of the bowl. The planetary mixing action makes sure not location of the bowl goes without thorough mixing.
Dimensions, Available Colors, and Other Physical Features
The Breville BEM800XL packs all of the power and features into a very reasonably sized package. The mixer, complete with bowl, has the following dimensions:
- Height: 14 Inches
- Width: 8.5 Inches
- Depth: 13.5 Inches
The weight of the Breville 5-quart die-cast stand mixer is very interesting. It is weighs a sturdy 16 pounds, but this is well below the weight of many competitive mixers in the same category with similar power. Many competing mixers weight over 20 pounds, making the Breville one of the easiest to move around in your kitchen.
The standard BEM800XL comes in just one color, the brushed metal silver. Before you jump to the conclusion this limits your options for matching your kitchen make sure to check the accessory section below.
Additional Information about the Breville Die-Cast BEM800XL
The built-in timer on the mixer is a really pleasant addition. It serves two interesting purposes. The most commonly used one is to set the mixer to keep mixing for up to 10 minutes and then automatically shut off. This allows you to work on other tasks around the kitchen without worrying about the mixer. This is especially handy on recipes that spell out exact lengths of time to mix the ingredients.
What about those recipes which do not spell out how long they need to be mixed? This is where the secondary feature of the time comes to your aid. Turn on the count-up timer when you start the longer mixing processes and document the time it takes to thoroughly mix the ingredients. The timer will pause when you stop the mixer to check on the mixing process. Once you know the time it takes, jot it down on your recipe card or in your recipe book. The next time you make the same recipe you can just set the time and walk away while the mixer works. It is this detail to tiny features which makes this a very appealing mixer.
Included/Optional Accessories
We have mentioned most of the included accessories already, but let us list them here in one place for you. The parts included are:
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
- Pouring-Mixing Shield
- Scraper Beater
- Flat Beater
- Dough Hook
- Wire Whip
- Spatula (Yes, Breville includes a hand spatula to use with their mixer.)
The optional accessories listed by Breville are very brief, but also very interesting. The first two items could be categorized as replacement parts, except you may want to have extras. This includes extra scraper beaters and mixing bowls. The one other option offered by Breville is where the fun begins.
This last accessory does not help mix anything better. It does not improve your recipes, but it may improve your mood. Breville offers a wide variety of replacement case tops for the Breville BEM800XL mixer. You can choose from bright reds, subdued blues, startling greens, and a wide array of other colors. As we mentioned previously, do not let the fact the mixer is only available in metallic silver stop you from getting a Breville. They have created a unique way to add color to your mixer at a very low cost.
Pros of the Breville Die-Cast Mixer
The BEM800XL mixer is impressive. The 550 watt motor provides you with the power to mix any recipe. The 4 included beaters give you more options than most mixers. You will enjoy the scraper beater which nearly eliminates the need to scrape the bowl. The built-in timer, LCD display, and 12-speed control give you complete control of your mixing jobs.
Breville includes a full one year warranty on the mixer. They have a strong reputation for standing behind their products, which is reflected in the many online reviews for this mixer.
Cons of the Breville Stand Mixer
What are the negative aspects of this mixer? There are amazingly very few. At first glance you might suspect the lower weight is going to cause the mixer to scoot on the counter or to have excess vibration, but the mixer runs smoothly and stays stationary.
The other two negatives commonly mentioned are really annoyances and not major issues. The first is the included splash/pouring guard is not as easy to install as the guards on other mixers. It takes a little practice to get used to the guard. The second annoyance some people mention is the lift handle on the front of the mixing head. This feature has both raving fans and grumbling complaints. The concern is the handle extends out over the mixing bowl making pouring ingredients a little harder. Keep in mind, Breville intends you should either be using the pour guard or lifting the head. In both of those situations the handle is not in the way.
Consumer Ratings for the Breville Mixer
The consumer ranking from top retail sites ranks the mixer as a favorite of buyers. It receives consistent high rankings with very few low rankings. Most low rankings are caused by faulty mixers out of the box and are a very small percentage of units sold.
In many online reviews the buyers of this Breville 5-quart die cast stand mixer are former owners of other highly rated mixers. They report their high levels of satisfaction with the mixer from Breville and point out they purchased this mixer due to the lower entry cost. The one factor commonly mentioned in comparisons with other mixers is the lack of food processing attachments. This is a mixer which is focused on one job, not attempted to be the answer to all of your kitchen needs.
Conclusion
When looking at a total overview of the Breville BEM800XL it ranks very highly in overall value, quality, and performance. If you want to find a mixer which is focused on that one task and performs it exceedingly well this is an excellent choice. It does not have the flexibility that many other brands have with add-on accessories, but most of us are not buying a mixer for all of those other purposes. We want a mixer which can knead bread, mix pancake batter, make meringue, and whip up our sugar cookies for Christmas with ease. Breville has created a high-quality mixer which you would be happy to own.
