[gfron1]

Credit card in hand I was prepared to buy the Cuisinart since I sell them and would get it at cost. I haven't started stocking them yet, but was planning to for the holidays. After reading the comments here, I'll just back away quietly.

But this all came because for the zillionth time I've cut my finger tip, and I'm tired of kneading 4.5 lbs of dough every morning, and often times with cuts on my hands which means I can't knead my dough bare-handed! What a pain in the ass my friends!

I'm intrigued by the Electrolux and the higher end KA series. Its got to be able to handle that dough - I killed my previous KA be over-tasking it.

And as for service, my nearest KA service provider is 4 hours away in Albuquerque which is not realistic. That's going to be the same for any brand I get. Any commercial, small output bakers want to direct me before I do the deed in the next few days?

[MelissaH]

I recently added a 7 qt Viking stand mixer to my repertoire. I have an old KitchenAid (old enough to actually have words saying "Lock" and "Unlock" on the lever on the side). The bowl (4.5 qt) is not big enough to handle a batch of pita bread dough all at once, and it strains to mix my challah. And it every so often drips a little oil into the bowl.

The Viking is so far holding up its end of the bargain. I love the wheels, but even with the wheels it doesn't creep on the countertop the way the KA did. I'm getting used to the fact that the head locks up. It came with the blender attachment, which makes the whole assembly so tall as to be nearly useless, since I'm not eight feet tall. And it's pretty and red, to boot.

That said, I still use the KA for smaller jobs, where a 7 qt bowl is overkill, or when I need a second bowl. I'm spoiled.

MelissaH
edited to fix the size of the mixer

This post has been edited by MelissaH: 15 September 2008 - 10:18 AM

[andiesenji]

gfron1, on Sep 15 2008, 09:52 AM, said:

Credit card in hand I was prepared to buy the Cuisinart since I sell them and would get it at cost.  I haven't started stocking them yet, but was planning to for the holidays.  After reading the comments here, I'll just back away quietly.

But this all came because for the zillionth time I've cut my finger tip, and I'm tired of kneading 4.5 lbs of dough every morning, and often times with cuts on my hands which means I can't knead my dough bare-handed!  What a pain in the ass my friends!

I'm intrigued by the Electrolux and the higher end KA series.  Its got to be able to handle that dough - I killed my previous KA be over-tasking it. 

And as for service, my nearest KA service provider is 4 hours away in Albuquerque which is not realistic.  That's going to be the same for any brand I get.  Any commercial, small output bakers want to direct me before I do the deed in the next few days?

I've had my Electrolux for several years and use it primarily for dense, heavy doughs (the kind which destroyed two 5-qt KAs, (bowl-lift) which were replaced but I discontinued using them for heavy doughs).
It was Peter Reinhart's Struan bread dough that was the main problem.

The Electrolux works differently from other household mixers and it does take a bit of learning how to use it.
I seldom use the dough hook, generally just the roller/scraper but do use the dough hook for blending ingredients in some recipes (such as fruit cakes, which also strain the KA and my recipes are too large for even the 6-qt KA).
I also use it for cookie doughs that are too stiff for the KAs and for blending the ground dried fruit and nut mixtures I prepare for confections.

A big plus for me is the TIMER - especially with my brioche dough that has to be kneaded for 12-15 minutes while adding flour a tablespoon at a time, and my favorite French bread that also requires longer kneading. Both these doughs had a tendency to climb up the dough hook in the KA - very annoying, having to stop the mixer and push the dough back down into the bowl every couple of minutes.

In earlier posts I have recommended my favorite online vendor of small appliances, Pleasant Hill Grain.
I began purchasing from them when they had an online site but only took phone orders (until online security was fool-proof)
They have never failed to be extraordinarily polite and helpful, even when asked some rather dumb questions. They are more than happy to answer questions, even if one does not purchase the item and their prices are very competitive. They include optional accessories that other vendors charge extra for.
And they ship rapidly and pack securely.
(I have no relation to the vendor, except as a customer.)

[CaliPoutine]

MelissaH, on Sep 15 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

I recently added a 7 qt Viking stand mixer to my repertoire. I have an old KitchenAid (old enough to actually have words saying "Lock" and "Unlock" on the lever on the side). MelissaH
edited to fix the size of the mixer

Mine says Lock and Unlock too. I know its old, but do you know how old?

[gfron1]

Thanks for that info Andiesenji. It looks as if all of North America is out of stock of the Electrolux until 11/15...just in time for the holidays. Nothing on eBay even. :( I don't know if I can wait that long.

[Darienne]

I have done my best to look through this thread and the archives and hope I am not repeating an already dismissed topic.

I heard just a few days ago about a new beater for stand mixers called the "Beater Blade" by New Metro Design LLC. Does anyone know anything about it?

It is supposed to have the same action as a car window wiper blade and scrape the side of the bowl continuously. It is made for KA and Cuisinart and I can't remember what other machines. The information came from About.com.

Thanks

This post has been edited by Darienne: 17 September 2008 - 09:03 AM

[dougal]

Darienne, on Sep 17 2008, 05:00 PM, said:

...
I heard just a few days ago about a new beater for stand mixers called the "Beater Blade" by New Metro Design LLC.  Does anyone know anything about it?

It is supposed to have the same action as a car window wiper blade and scrape the side of the bowl continuously.  It is made for KA and Cuisinart and I can't remember what other machines.  The information came from About.com.

I recalled a specific thread on that type of beater, and, amazingly, managed to locate it!
http://forums.egulle...howtopic=114634

But I don't think that specific one got a mention.

EDIT: Wrong !! BeaterBlade (all one word) is mentioned (and linked) in the very first post on that thread

This post has been edited by dougal: 17 September 2008 - 12:27 PM

[Darienne]

dougal, on Sep 17 2008, 01:19 PM, said:

I recalled a specific thread on that type of beater, and, amazingly, managed to locate it!
http://forums.egulle...howtopic=114634

But I don't think that specific one got a mention.

Thanks so much Dougal. You are amazing!!!

I quote a line from that series of posts:...."Think about it if these paddle attachments were so good don't you think that kitchen-aid would already have them on their mixers. "

Gives one pause....

This post has been edited by Darienne: 17 September 2008 - 11:00 AM

[dougal]

Ah, but did you notice that they are now a standard 'bonus' on the high-end current UK Kenwoods?


The Kenwood 'flexible beaters' are a £30 ($65?) accessory, and not bundled with their basic products.
However, they are included, as an addition - not a replacement for the K-beater paddle, with the 'Titanium' spec machines.

I read this as suggesting that these things do add something - for specific jobs - but at a noticeable additional cost to the manufacturer. (And a retail price I've held off paying!)
Since KA would seem to have recently become more 'cost conscious', they may prefer to wait and see whether there is enough market demand for them to bother changing their familiar ways...
Being good, but at a price, and not recognised as an essential, might explain KA's disinterest!
However, if a buyer was specifically wanting a cake-beater, it might well be worth a pop.

[Darienne]

dougal, on Sep 17 2008, 03:24 PM, said:

Ah, but did you notice that they are now a standard 'bonus' on the high-end current UK Kenwoods?


The Kenwood 'flexible beaters' are a £30 ($65?) accessory, and not bundled with their basic products.

I did not know that. I have a Cuisinart. I phoned the local specialty kitchen place (Ontario, Canada) and they had not even heard of them.

Thanks. They are listed in the About.com article at $39.99 US.

This post has been edited by Darienne: 17 September 2008 - 03:00 PM

[MelissaH]

CaliPoutine, on Sep 15 2008, 03:41 PM, said:

MelissaH, on Sep 15 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

I recently added a 7 qt Viking stand mixer to my repertoire. I have an old KitchenAid (old enough to actually have words saying "Lock" and "Unlock" on the lever on the side). MelissaH
edited to fix the size of the mixer

Mine says Lock and Unlock too. I know its old, but do you know how old?

I don't remember exactly which birthday I got it. I'm pretty sure it happened before I graduated from college but after I moved out of the dorms, which would mean either 1992 or 1993. It's blue because that's the color that was on sale.

MelissaH

[jonnyCinco]

Gfron don't know if it is too late or not, but the Pleasant Hill Grain site mentioned earlier has several returned models of the electrolux mixed on there clearnce page these come with the full warenty as well. They are still outside my current price range, but then again this range is infunced by the fact that my POS (sounds like a lawn mower but has out lived my KA) kenmore stand mixer is functioning no matter how thick of bread I make in it. I can not bring my self to replace it till it dies no matter how much my girlfriend complains when it is running. Not that I can hear her complaining over it anyways.

This post has been edited by jonnyCinco: 24 September 2008 - 08:06 AM

[fooey]

carlux, on May 8 2008, 08:45 AM, said:

Well, I've now made up my mind to go with Kenwood...
So now it's down to the Premier 560 Chef, 4.6 litre bowl and 1000w, at 300 euros, or the Titanium KM010 Chef, again with 4.6L bowl, but 1400W, and  420 euros.

The more I look at the Titanium Chef, the more I'm convinced that it's the same machine as the Viking stand mixer in different garb. It has different specs, but it looks so very similar, down to the shape of the bowl. For your sake, I hope it isn't. The Viking has gotten just terrible reviews.

[sygyzy]

My roomate moved out and took her stand mixer!!! :( Is the KA 5 Pro still the standard here? My counter is empty without one.

[Richard Kilgore]

Anyone yet have the New Bosch Universal Plus Mixer? I have seen it in a local shop, but have not seen it in operation. They are really light weight, but the shop owner says it doesn't walk.

[LaMiaCucina]

Well, my KA Professional 600 refuses to make pizza dough any longer. It still runs for "easy" things, but forget any doughs. I am furious that KA did not deal with this when I first purchased it a few years ago. All I kept getting is that someone there was going to duplicate my pizza dough recipe and get back to me. After so many inquires of "what happened," I gave up on hearing from them.

I've read these reviews, and I think it won't be worth putting more money into this monster. I can either fix my old Hobart-made KA 4.5 quart, or buy another machine. My hesitation in the 4.5 quart is that it just isn't big enough to handle the batches I make now.

I use my mixer for everything, so whatever I do get would have to be able to do a decent job on things from dough to egg whites. I would like something w/a decent warranty. Any suggestions?

Edited to add: How do the Electrolux and Bosch compare?

This post has been edited by LaMiaCucina: 01 November 2008 - 11:48 AM

[dougal]

LaMiaCucina, on Nov 1 2008, 07:24 PM, said:

...  Any suggestions?

Electrolux DLX.




If you don't know about it... http://www.everythin...roluxvideo.html
Big (domestic) dough batches.
Whipper for fast and light stuff.
Optional: one serious grinder (and its attachments).

The machine is built like a train. (But the whipper bits are plastic.)
Search around and you'll find out that once people figure out how to use the thing, they love it.
Even on this same thread, you'll find ... http://forums.egulle...dpost&p=1602054

[andiesenji]

I agree with Dougal. I also loooove the timer which allows me to set the machine for kneading dough and go off and do something else knowing it will stop the process when I set it.

The company is coming out with a newer, more powerful mixer (more expensive though) in a month and I am seriously considering getting one.

In the past I have written extensively about the Electrolux, aka (AEG, Magic Mill DLX 2000, Assistant, etc.) both here and on the Bread-Bakers email forum.

In my 50 years of baking, I have owned both Hobart KAs and bigger Hobart mixers and never had a problem with them. Only after KA was no longer Hobart, did I have problems, burning out the motors on two of the 5-qt bowl lifts and have the replacement but never use it for dough.
I have the 6-qt Pro and can do "light" or slack dough small batches in it but the bigger batches go into the Electrolux (8 quart) and I seldom use the dough hook for kneading - the roller/scraper combo does a good job for my purposes.
I do use the dough hook for mixing the ground fruit and nut mixtures I make up for "candies" as it is easier than doing it by hand.

I can't speak for other vendors but I depend on Pleasant Hill Grain and if you have any specific questions, you can call them toll-free and they will answer all your questions.
A few years ago King Arthur Flour sold the Electrolux but I think the machines were too big for many of their pre-packaged bread mixes and they discontinued it, however, I understand from people who have visited their store, that they still use them in their test kitchen.

Interestingly, America's Test Kitchen tested the Electrolux and didn't like it because it was "too big to be practical." Several readers, including me, wrote into say that they didn't give it a fair test.

[LaMiaCucina]

I have definitely decided to purchase either the Bosch and Electrolux mixer. I have a couple of questions for those of you who one one, the other, or both. :)

1. How do you find the noise level? (My KA Pro was so noisy that when beating egg whites or marshmallows, I had to wear ear plugs.)

2. How well does it cream?

3. Same as #2 but for whipping?

4. Does any particular recipe seem to bog it down?

5. Is there anything in particular that you find as a negative to the machine?

6. Does anyone know of any sites that I can view to compare?

7. Would you buy it again if the one you have now broke, or would you try another brand, and why?

Thank you!

[Jmahl]

CaliPoutine, on Sep 15 2008, 02:41 PM, said:

MelissaH, on Sep 15 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

I recently added a 7 qt Viking stand mixer to my repertoire. I have an old KitchenAid (old enough to actually have words saying "Lock" and "Unlock" on the lever on the side). MelissaH
edited to fix the size of the mixer

Mine says Lock and Unlock too. I know its old, but do you know how old?

We have a 4.5 quart KA that says Lock and Unlock - I turned it over and there is a paper tag in the stand casting that says 11878. We purchased the KA in 1978 when it was only available at professional restaurant supply outlets. Does this help?

Jmahl

This post has been edited by Jmahl: 15 November 2008 - 07:46 AM

[dougal]

LaMiaCucina, on Nov 15 2008, 01:48 PM, said:

I have definitely decided to purchase either the Bosch and Electrolux mixer.  I have a couple of questions for those of you who one one, the other, or both. :)
...

I have the DLX.
I'd say its quieter than an old Kenwood KM 210, which I believe to be quieter than KA's.
I don't have the double beater whipper, so I can't speak for its performance.
It handles normal dough (and lots of it) easily, but Reinhart's epoxy method (combining two stiff 'doughs' + more liquid) isn't easy because the liquid firstly lubricates the lumps of stiff dough, preventing the mixer 'getting a proper grip' on them. But it's probably just that I need to work on my DLX technique!
Accessories seem generally high quality (the mega grinder makes the KA look like a plastic toy) but expensive. However there's a wider range of 'bits' for the Kenwood, and they seem to be getting better - I'm interested in the bronze die pasta extruder for example. The DLX just offers plastic pasta extruding disks to fit that grinder...
I don't think there's an equally rugged, and equally capacious, dough mixer at anything near the DLX's price.

[paulraphael]

LaMiaCucina, on Nov 1 2008, 01:24 PM, said:

  Well, my KA Professional 600 refuses to make pizza dough any longer.  It still runs for "easy" things, but forget any doughs.

Do you know what year it was made?

Could you post your dough recipe?

I'm curious. I've had two pro 600s, both newer models with the cast metal gear case. I replaced the first one because of minor problems, but both could handle any dough I threw at them. The only task that even makes them warm is grinding piles of meat with the grinder attachment.

KA has definitely had its share of quality control problems (just like all the makers of home mixers). I suspect that if a pro 600 fails at making dough that it used to be able to make, or dough that you could make no problem in a 4 or 5 qt mixer, then there's something actually wrong with that particular mixer.

[LaMiaCucina]

Dougal - I've not seen Kenwoods, although they aren't widely available here in the U.S. I won't need the pasta attachment since I have a pro machine.

PaulRaphael - I purchased the Pro 600 in the fall of '05, and I had to wait for delivery since they were OOS. So, I'm guessing it was made either late summer or early fall '05.

My dough recipe is pretty standard for pizza - 100% flour, 50 - 60% water by weight. My old Hobart made went though it easily, and the same for my 10 qt. Hobart. I called customer service many times, and someone was suppose to test the recipe, but that never happened. I know one thing... I'll never buy another!

[paulraphael]

LaMiaCucina, on Nov 16 2008, 02:53 PM, said:

Dougal - I've not seen Kenwoods, although they are
PaulRaphael - I purchased the Pro 600 in the fall of '05, and I had to wait for delivery since they were OOS.  So, I'm guessing it was made either late summer or early fall '05. 

My dough recipe is pretty standard for pizza - 100% flour, 50 - 60% water by weight.  My old Hobart made went though it easily, and the same for my 10 qt. Hobart.  I called customer service many times, and someone was suppose to test the recipe, but that never happened.  I know one thing... I'll never buy another!

was your old hobart a hobart kitchenaid or a commercial hobart?

how much dough are you making?

if ka is giving you the runaround, i'd suggest going to the forums at their website. there are some world class goofballs over there, but some really helpful people too, including ka reps.

[HKDave]

LaMiaCucina, on Nov 17 2008, 03:53 AM, said:

Dougal - I've not seen Kenwoods, although they aren't widely available here in the U.S.

They're sold under the DeLonghi name in the US. DeLonghi owns Kenwood.

[LaMiaCucina]

paulraphael, on Nov 16 2008, 06:03 PM, said:

was your  old hobart a hobart kitchenaid or a commercial hobart?

how much dough are you making?

if ka is giving you the runaround, i'd suggest going  to the forums at their website. there are some world class goofballs over there, but some really helpful people too, including ka reps.

It is an old Hobart-made KA. I'm thinking that it may be worth getting repaired, regardless of what I decide about the Bosch vs. DLX. Only because it is a Hobart made machine would I do this.

I usually make about nine cups of flour when I make pizza dough in the 600.

I did visit the KA forum, and I had one mod early on who refused to accept that I had a lemon. In fact, in the early stages, she wouldn't approve my posts. I finally complained, and she apologized and the posts went through. Someone named Vern was supposed to hand the recipe off to an engineer, but they never got back to me either via post, email, or phone. I've given up on KA.

From the time I got the 600, I had to wear earplugs when making marshmallows because the noise was so high-pitched and loud. How silly!! Despite numerous requests for help, I never got it. I won't buy another. I work too hard for my money to waste it on a produce that the company refuses to admit could be defective.

Again, this is only my experience. I know that for every lemon, there are hundreds of machines that have no problems. I just wasn't that lucky and had hoped that the company would stand behind the product rather than blaming the user, who had been using a KA for 20 years and had no problems with the old machine.

[KitchenQueen]

Darienne, on Sep 17 2008, 11:00 AM, said:

I have done my best to look through this thread and the archives and hope I am not repeating an already dismissed topic.

I heard just a few days ago about a new beater for stand mixers called the "Beater Blade" by New Metro Design LLC.  Does anyone know anything about it?

It is supposed to have the same action as a car window wiper blade and scrape the side of the bowl continuously.  It is made for KA and Cuisinart and I can't remember what other machines.  The information came from About.com.

Thanks

I just bought one. See beaterblade.com. I got mine on Amazon. 29.95 is the top price, varies according to your mixer size/brand, lowest is 24.95.

I notice they are recently making them available for other mixers too.

According to some reviews on several sites, owners love them.

I haven't even tried mine yet.

[JohnRichardson]

I'm eying a stand mixer some time soon. I had a delonghi/kenwood 7 qt. a few years ago and sold it. It strained on heavy doughs, and had a hard time with small quantities of egg whites, etc., and I just didn't have room for it. I think the only thing I made in it that it truly seemed suited for was marshmallows, and cake/cookie recipes with the paddle.

The electrolux sounds prety awesome for bread, but one big drawback to it would be the plastic bowl for whipping egg whites. i'm guessing that means an italian meringue (made with 235 degree sugar syrup) is out of the question with such a setup, and I use that as the base for a lot of things (it's my standard meringue, or for buttercream, or for macrons, and don't marshmallows also involve soft ball temp syrup?)... Plastic and hot syrup wouldn't seem to mix.

I'm thinking that if the whipper setup used all metal, it would be just about perfect.

[JohnRichardson]

Not to reply to my own post, but I think I've ruled out the electrolux and the currently available bosch machines, a plastic bowl for whipping whites just isn't going to cut it for marshmallows or italian meringue...

Next question: Is the kitchen aid "commercial" machine so expensive just becuase of NSF and commercial UL certifications, or is it actually beefed up over the "professional" 5 or 6? I'm not crazy about the white, but everything else in the kitchen is stainless except the countertop which is black so I think I could live with it, and I doubt it'd be stored on the coutertop anyway. The power rating is worse than the commercial, but that doesn't really mean anything. I notice it has the non-dishwasher safe hook, paddle, and whisk.

[andiesenji]

I don't know how you prepare your Italian meringue but I have prepared hundreds of batches in my DLX and have never noticed a problem. I know a caterer who uses it for similar purposes and she has never mentioned any problem and she uses hers a lot more than I do.
It is much easier to pour the hot syrup in a fine thread into the egg whites with this machine than with any others I have used. There is no motor head in the way and the top edge of the bowl is lower than my KAs.

If you want more detailed information about the specs on the composition of the bowl and beaters you can send an email query to Electrolux or even call them.

This post has been edited by andiesenji: 04 December 2008 - 12:22 PM