The way to a woman’s heart is through the appliance garage. Especially if you indulge her yearning for a coveted stand mixer, the must-have gadget in any stylish kitchen.

This Valentine’s Day, consider a Sunbeam Heritage Series Stand Mixer, a pretty powerhouse constructed of die-cast metal in a sleek retro design in bold, trendy colors. I like the cobalt blue best.  It looks like something that might have been on grandmother’s counter, at the ready to whip the cream for the rice pudding.

Sunbeam also serves up an appetizing price point, with an MSRP of $129.99, easily $100 less than Kitchen Aid.

Features include a 350-watt motor for effortless mixing at any of 12 variable-speed settings. Heavy-duty accessories are color-coded to make it easy to figure out which attachment goes where when you set up to make bread or cookie dough or whatever else is on the menu.

The mixer has a free-spinning bowl aligned slightly off-center to allow the cook to add ingredients while the mixer is working with minimal scrapping. A slow start feature prevents unfortunate splatter.  The mixer includes stainless steel beaters, dough hooks, and 4.6-quart bowl. In addition to cobalt, new colors include pink frosting, sea foam green, and tangerine tango.

You can buy Sunbeam at Target, Walmart, Sears and other retailers. And if you really want to wow your sweetheart, start a new tradition and volunteer to use the Heritage to mix her favorite dessert.