Morphy Richards MixStar compact stand mixer review

First impressions

The MixStar arrives fully assembled, so you know how each attachment can be stored. There are little instruction flash cards included, which match icons of the attachments with the ingredients they would suit best. This makes choosing functions very easy.

The caddy lifts out of the bowl smoothly. Within it are bowl scraper attachments, a twin-assembly mount, dual action whisk, dual action beaters and a dough hook. Each is non-stick plastic or metal with a non-stick coating.

The four-litre mixing bowl has a clear plastic lid with a lift-out lid section that offers full coverage without obstruction (so you can see what's going on inside), plus an inlet for adding liquid ingredients. This combined with its height means it's easy to peer into from above – a particularly nice feature if using with kids.

The cord is a good length – although there's no cord storage function – and four non-slip feet secure it firmly to the countertop.

How easy is the Morphy Richards MixStar to use?

The open-top design makes this stand mixer easy to work with at almost every stage.

There's no power button. Once you plug it in, the dial is live – so load your attachments into the bowl before turning it on at the plug. This is easy to do, because the stainless steel bowl is a simple lift on and off affair. There's no twist-to-lock mechanism and each attachment is loaded in the same way.

Its four-litre working capacity is more than practical for batch baking, although it could benefit from a lip for grip or a pouring spout. The stem for attachments is in the middle, so the mixer's doughnut-shaped bowl can't be used separately as a stand-alone mixing bowl.

The single speed dial is intuitive to use and controlled with six settings, supported by a count-up timer with reset option. Unlike other stand mixers, there's no built-in scale and the bowl is quite wide. We had to pre-weigh ingredients in separate bowls.

The dough hook doesn't reach all the flour on the bowl's walls, but does work well in tandem with the scrapers. Neither scratch the base, which is a positive. The dough paddle lifts out and has a non-stick coating, so sticky dough slides off easily without mess.

The dual whisks with optional scraper proved best for whisking egg whites, although it wasn't particularly quick – the whole process took four and a half minutes. According to the recipe section of the MixStar manual, the minimum number of egg whites the machine can handle is four – but we successfully whipped three for our chocolate and peanut pavlova recipe. The removable lid section worked a treat for feeding in the sugar.

It's possible to whisk egg whites without the scraper addition, but larger quantities would work best. If you don't use the scraper attachments, you'll need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Results of using the Morphy Richards MixStar

Despite requiring initial assistance to combine the dry ingredients with the wet, the MixStar successfully produced light, doughy Chelsea buns with a good rise.

Our meringue was glossy and, although it took a while to combine the egg whites and sugar, the result was chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

Its performance really shone when making a lemon and orange cake. It creamed the butter and sugar into a soft, light consistency and produced a batter that brimmed with zest. The resulting cake rose well and had a lovely soft crumb – a perfect bake.

Conclusion

Morphy Richards has put considerable effort into designing a compact yet effective stand mixer. It's versatile, simple to use and comes with an adequate selection of attachments, plus a two-year guarantee.

Thanks to its height, it would be a safe and fun machine to use with children. Although the beaters are made of plastic, each attachment feels robust enough to last. Plus they're all dishwasher-safe.

There are no additional attachments included (for example, a mincer or pasta machine) so if versatility is important to you, perhaps pick another stand mixer from our round-up. But for a reliable and easy-to-store stand mixer, the MixStar won't disappoint.

• Available from Argos (£159.99)

Morphy Richards MixStar specifications

Serial number: MixStar 400520
Wattage: 650W
Speed settings/pulse functions: six
Functions: mix, knead, whisk functions
Capacity of bowl: 4-litre
Warranty: two years

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This review was last updated in March 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.