Opinions on KitchenAid stand mixer

[BarrieCov]

I am seriously considering purchasing a 4 1/2 qt. stand mixer, thinking it will make my baking/cooking chores easier.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone use this regularly? I'm afraid that if I get it, it will take up lots of space and gather dust on the counter.

I've seen it several places for a variety of prices - it was actually on QVC for $189, with extra bowl and splatter guard.

[Carolina68]

This is probably like a lot of other things we have....some of us use them all the time, while others seldom do. I recieved a Kitchen Aid stand mixer a couple of years ago from my Mom at Christmas and while I don't use it that frequently, (I'm not that big into baking) I love it and I am so glad that I have it. It's an awesome mixer and it works great with bread dough too. If you do a good bit of baking and breadmaking......then you certainly want to get it. Good luck with your purchasing decision.

[Chefzhat]

If you can, get the 5 qt. bowl - the 4 1/2 qt. is pretty small. I love mine but I can't get used to trying to dump my ingredients in and they kind of spray all over the place. Of course, maybe I'm doing it wrong!! Perhaps get the shield that allows you to add ingredients through a chute.

Otherwise I couldn't live without mine, I make cakes, cookies, bread dough, mix meatloaf ingredients, etc. It's especially handy for recipes that call for whipping until stiff peaks (eggs and angel food cake). I have a KitchenAid 4 1/2 qt. with no additional tools and I paid $119. at WalMart last year for it. It was on a special deal.

Debie

[GayeC]

I have a 4.5 quart and I love it! The shield does make it easier to add ingredients. I would not be a bread baker if I didn't have this mixer!

Gaye

[BarrieCov]

Thanks folks!

I think this is a must have - with Passover coming up, there will be lots of egg whites happening!

I like the price at Walmart better though.... :)

[funnybone]

I have the 6 qt Epicurious, which I LOVE! If you decide to go with the 4 1/2 qt, make sure you get the one with the higher watts. I believe there are 2 models at that size. Check out the website for more info. The stronger the motor, the stronger the mixing.

I saw that offer on QVC on the weekend, but I think it was that one day only at that price. It was a great deal, as it came with another bowl (about $40 value), plus the pouring shield and the dough hook, paddle and whisk attachments.

[NancyR]

I have been on the fence about which model KA to buy for a long time and have been so paralyzed with indecision that I haven't done ANYTHING! But I have discovered one thing in my armchair shopping............beware of how many watts the motor is rated. There is a model they sell for cheap (I suspect the Wal-Mart is one of these) that is cheaper because it is a less watt motor. Just a thought...........in the end I think you almost always get what you pay for. If you go to www.kitchenaid.com you can see all the models available.

[AD]

I was rather surprised when I saw Alton Brown on Food TV making an angel food cake with a hand-held mixer. He said that the beaters on stand mixers often do not beat the egg white in the very bottom and sides of the bowl. Thus, you are left with unbeaten whites hidden under the foam from the fully-beaten whites. I've also noticed this when beating other mixtures. Part of it will not get thoroughly mixed on the bottom or sides.

It is great for bread, but I would caution against too much gluten in the flour. Regular bread flour should be okay, but anything like King Arthur's "Sir Lancelot" or other super high gluten bread flour may break the dough hook. The Sir Lancelot broke mine in half! However, this is only my personal experience.

There are still great benefits of the mixer, and overall, most people should be pleased. The main thing I've heard from others and noticed myself is speed. In fact, the only difference between this mixer and most others is that it gets the beating done a lot faster.

[LaraW]

I have a KA 5 quart model that I got as a wedding gift 3 1/2 years ago. I don't use it every week, sometimes not even every month, but there are some things that nothing else would work for.

I was on the fence for a long time about whether or not to get one, but once I thought about it, the thing that convinced me in the end is that my mother has the same model that I have, and she got hers in 1980. It is still going strong. I figured that even if it is not something that I use on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis, that over time it will pay for itself.

One thing is that I do not have kids and so I probalby do not do as much baking as some people who have kids do. If you make a lot of cookies or breads, it is a must!!

I like the 5 quart model because it can stay in the same place. I think with the 4 1/2 quart model, the top of it tips up and down and you would have to move it away from the wall to be able to use it. With the 5 quart model (and larger ones, I'd suspect) the bowl moves up and down. This enables you to leave the mixer in one spot when using it. That was important to me, as my counter space in both kitchens it has been in has been somewhat limited.

[sushibones]

I have a 4-1/2 qt with the tilt-head. I generally have to pull it away from the wall, but only so I can reach the mixer to add stuff. When tilted up, the head clears the cabinets. I can even open the cabinet doors.

I just got mine at Xmas. I leave it sitting on the counter because that sucker is too heavy to be moving in and out of cabinets. I don't bake much, but I am really glad I finally got the mixer.

I also discovered the other day that with a few extra seconds of mixing time, your biscotti dough will come right together and not be crumbly. That's with the paddle, not the hook.

[Safari Girl]

I have the 4.5 quart tilt-top as well and I haven't had any problems with it not mixing right at the bottom (the bowl is raised in the centre so nothing can stick there). Mine sits on the counter too because, well, I like to look at it and we have a good amount of counter space anyways. I've made bread in mine and cookies, both came out great. I only use it maybe every other month but I'm really glad I have it when I need it.

[Gail]

Will it gather dust on your countertop? Dunno. Of course, you can always buy a dust cover... :p

I have a circa-1980's 5-quart, which I decided I preferred to the tilt-back model. And yes, it resides under a dust cover because I don't use it as much as some of the others.

But-- it is a godsend when I do use it. So nice not having to stand there, moving that little hand mixer around. I can turn it on with the dough hook, and go off to do something else for the ten minutes while my dough is kneading. Or get the next ingredient ready while the whisk is whipping my egg whites into a froth. The bowl turns itself cutting down (but not eliminating) the need for frequent scrapings. And it's so nice and powerful.

Only YOU can answer whether or not buying a stand mixer will be something frivilous or something you really need. I'm not much of a year-round baker (though baking used to be my specialty). Nowadays, it's an occasional cheesecake or pie crust, and pizza crusts (which I sometimes just hand-knead) in the winter. The rest of the time, admittedly it spends a lot of time gathering dust. Christmastime is when the KitchenAid really gets its workout, helping me out with all the cookie doughs, pie crusts and what-nots.

I think I spent years grappling with the notion of investing in the KitchenAid before my husband finally had enough of it and gave me one for Christmas. Turned out to be a good longterm investment in my case.

[ccooney]

I have the Kitchen Aid Heavy Duty stand mixer with the crank up (not the tilt-head) bowl. I absolutely love it. My mom had one when I was growing up and I saved $ for several years to be able to afford one. I find things actually go quicker and smoother when I'm baking with it instead of a hand-held mixer. And it's easier to scrape the beater and generally clean up, too.

[Barrie]

I just had to post on this thread because I wanted to say HI BARRIE from another (Jewish) Barrie! I've never met another woman who spelled her name the same as me and couldn't resist posting. I'd love to hear the origin of the spelling of your name.

While I'm here, I'll comment on the KA stand mixer. :D I have the 4-1/2 quart and love it. I don't do a ton of baking but when I do, it's just the right size for me. I got mine 12 years ago and it has never given me any problems. I have a KA hand mixer too and use that for certain things, but when I have a big job I pull out the stand mixer and I'm always so glad I have it. It is such a workhorse.

[DeShaune]

Currently the company I work for carries only KitchenAid mixers we feel that they are the best quality for stand mixers. Especially if you cook alot of bread doughs. You may also want to consider the brand new 5 qt Artisan Mixer by KitchenAid the motor is 325 watts/10 speeds and it comes with a 5 qt bowl, the head tilts back which allows easy access to mixture and it also comes in a variety of colors. :p

[susangibbs]

I'll be honest. I have a love/ hate relationship with my 5 qt. KA. I feel like I should love it and probably would love it if I baked bread. I tend to use mine most at holidays for double batches of cookies, cakes, etc and I have had the problem posted above that Alton Brown spoke of where the beater doesn't get all the way to the bottom edges of the bowl. This problem can be solved with the larger KA though, because you can just lift the bowl up off the stanchion, holding it closer to the beater, while the mixer is going for a minute or two. (I think I saw this on Martha.)

The hate comes in because I think the KA is difficult to clean, has a big "footprint" on my counter, is far too big to store under the cabinets, and is heavy as all get out. I sort of see it as a necessary evil and still use a hand mixer for small jobs, like single batches.

[emily]

Mine is in Dallas while I reside and do most of my cooking in Denver.

Going from my KA 4 1/2 qt stand back to a hand mixer is painful! It so much easier and more consistent in the stand mixer. As for the problems with it not reaching all of the ingredients, you can adjust the level of the hook/whisk/blending attachment so it is just flush with the bottom of the bowl which should eliminate the not getting everything problems. At least I've never had those problems.

And yeah, mine sit's on the counter (i'm sure gathering dust since I'm not there) because it's too heavy to move.

I've also noticed that mine leaks some sort of oily looking substance. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm not sure where the leak is coming from, I just always notice it when I move my mixer.

em

[Kjente2]

Hi DeShaune, Welcome..I'm curious to know if your company carries the Kenwood. I've read amazing things about it Had I not gotten my KA as a gift, I would of checked it out as the other possibility. I've heard that reliability with KA is not the greatest, plastic parts, yaetta, yaetta, yaetta since Whirlpool purchased it from Hobart. In fact, is it true that Hobart is still making the models that have the lift on them for the bowl? Whats your experience with this? I'm set for now, but there are a lot of peope that are shopping for these and I think your input incredible help for them. Thanks!!

[KelLeg]

I don't know what model I have, but this is my FAVORITE thing in my kitchen. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am a big baker, though!

Good luck.

[Chefzhat]

The model I got at Walmart is the higher wattage model - they were having a 1-day sale. Since I use it for dough and high pressure mixing I was careful to get the higher wattage motor. So don't get put off by the store, if you can get a deal at Walmart why not??