The Forte, which comes in up to seven colors depending on where you buy it, has a Direct Drive motor that offers 10 speeds to switch between, along with a smooth-start setting. With this setting, the attachments are meant to gain momentum to reach the speed you’ve selected rather than jumping into hyperdrive. While I wasn’t expecting the setting to begin at a snail’s pace, I found it more of a half-speed start than a smooth ramp-up. The Forte’s speed settings can be adjusted via a chrome knob on the top of the mixer rather than on the side. I found this was just for looks, not convenience.

With tilt-head mixers, you commonly see the top of the mixer bouncing around with thicker batters—the Forte was not exempt from this. Smeg's team actually let me know it was supposed to do this, and this motion better mimicked “hand-kneading” for doughs. This seemed a bit gimmicky to me, as most tilt-head stand mixers move while kneading. However, with the revamped bread hook attachment, the Forte consistently threw down some solid doughs—more on that in a minute.

What I found most concerning was the mixing bowl jiggling around, even at lower speeds. I constantly double-checked that the bowl was locked into place and the tilt-head was engaged, but it kept happening. This isn't something I’ve experienced with any other stand mixer. Ultimately, what I deduced is this: The Forte's greatest strength, the 750-watt motor, may actually be too powerful for the rest of the mixer, especially given its 5-quart capacity. Perhaps if it offered more output with its mixing bowl and body, like the Ooni Halo Pro with its 650-watt motor and 7.3-quart capacity, it would be evenly matched.

Push to Start

To move a Smeg stand mixer’s head up and down, you press a button at the back of the head rather than move a latch, as with KitchenAid. While maneuvering the head, the button also engages a safety lock that shuts off the mixer and keeps the tilt-head from jostling. The sheer weight of the 28-pound die-cast aluminum body, coupled with anti-slip feet to keep it in place on your countertop, is also meant to promote stability. All mixers have heft, but the Forte had an easy two to three extra pounds compared to my KitchenAid Artisan series mixer and the Artisan Plus.