KitchenAid Professional 600 Mixer

[Shelby]

No more than three years ago my husband bought me this mixer for Christmas.

It was beautiful.

Stainless steel bowl, heavy metal dough-hook, shiny gun-metal color stand. I knew this mixer and I were going to have a long, romantic and productive relationship.

I was wrong.

After reading extensively online, I've come to realize that this mixer has huge design flaws that prohibit one from mixing ANY kind of dough--even the softest--for more than 5 mins. at a time or it overheats and shuts down. I've religiously only used speed 2 for dough mixing because the manual said that anything over that is too much for the machine to handle.

This mixer is currently selling for around $320.00. Frankly, I'm more than a little angry that a mixer of this price is such a piece of junk. After all, I wanted a mixer so that it would do the hard labor of mixing stiff doughs. Of course, it works just fine if I'm whipping cream.

So, I'm stuck with babying this thing by only mixing a few minutes at a time and letting the poor machine rest for about 10 mins. before I turn it on again.

If and when it finally dies, any suggestions for buying a new one?

[thock]

Andie has a mixer that she loves, and after which I lust (grammar?). Link I'm gonna get one, myself, one of these years.

[emannths]

I've got the 450W Pro5 Plus (at least I think that's what it's called--450W 5qt lift bowl, whatever they call it). I've kneaded pizza dough (total about about 28oz flour) in the thing for much longer than 5 minutes without overheating. But I think I usually do it on the slower of the two kneading speeds. Maybe try the slower speed to see if you can get the kneading to finish without overheating, even if it takes a little longer?

[HungryC]

I'm confused...did YOUR machine overheat at higher speeds? I have a KitchenAid Pro of about the same vintage. I use it to knead yeast doughs on at least a weekly (sometimes 2/3 times a week) basis. I usually do the inital mixing on low or 2, and I knead at 4 or 6, depending on the dough's needs. Kneading at 4-6 for 6-10 minutes is routine for me, have never had a problem.

I've used it to knead pizza bianca dough at higher speeds (6-8) for 15+ minutes. I have used it for every kind of dough imaginable, from bagel dough to multi-grain whole wheat. I've never had a moment's trouble with it. Have made marshmallows, mashed potatoes, and so on. Routinely crank out double-batches of heavy cookie dough.

I have the meat grinder attachment, the pasta roller & cutter attachments: both work just fine. My only complaint is sound: the mixer is a bit loud.

[Shelby]

I'm confused...did YOUR machine overheat at higher speeds? I have a KitchenAid Pro of about the same vintage. I use it to knead yeast doughs on at least a weekly (sometimes 2/3 times a week) basis. I usually do the inital mixing on low or 2, and I knead at 4 or 6, depending on the dough's needs. Kneading at 4-6 for 6-10 minutes is routine for me, have never had a problem.

I've used it to knead pizza bianca dough at higher speeds (6-8) for 15+ minutes. I have used it for every kind of dough imaginable, from bagel dough to multi-grain whole wheat. I've never had a moment's trouble with it. Have made marshmallows, mashed potatoes, and so on. Routinely crank out double-batches of heavy cookie dough.

I have the meat grinder attachment, the pasta roller & cutter attachments: both work just fine. My only complaint is sound: the mixer is a bit loud.

Yep. It overheats at the drop of a hat. I could NEVER knead at a speed higher than 2 for more than 3-4 mins.

I've used the pasta maker a couple of times--didn't like it due to it all globbing together as it comes out so I bought a different kind--but anyway, it overheats during that process, too.

[Marlene]

MIne has never overheated. Now, I rarely knead above speed 2 anyway, but I make all kinds of doughs in mine. Keller's brioche for example calls for kneading times of up to 10 minutes each time. I've had the 600 for about 5 years now.

[Shelby]

Andie has a mixer that she loves, and after which I lust (grammar?). Link I'm gonna get one, myself, one of these years.

Thank you for the link. That is a cool looking mixer! I just wish it wasn't so dang expensive....but if it works as well as Andie says, it would be worth it.

[Shelby]

MIne has never overheated. Now, I rarely knead above speed 2 anyway, but I make all kinds of doughs in mine. Keller's brioche for example calls for kneading times of up to 10 minutes each time. I've had the 600 for about 5 years now.

I just must be one of the lucky ones lol.

[Shelby]

I've got the 450W Pro5 Plus (at least I think that's what it's called--450W 5qt lift bowl, whatever they call it). I've kneaded pizza dough (total about about 28oz flour) in the thing for much longer than 5 minutes without overheating. But I think I usually do it on the slower of the two kneading speeds. Maybe try the slower speed to see if you can get the kneading to finish without overheating, even if it takes a little longer?

I haven't tried it on speed 1 for a longer time. I'll see if that works.

[Paul Kierstead]

My KA Classic never overheated, it just broke a gear if it didn't like what you were doing. When I replaced it, I didn't buy KA.

[MollyB]

KitchenAid mixers really do not seem to be designed to handle a lot of kneading. In my house, we bake bread and bagels regularly, and we ended up with stripped gears on 4 KitchenAid mixers over a number of years, the last 3 of which were the Professional 600 model. (2 of those were warranty-covered replacements.) The stripping for the last 2 times happened at the recommended low speed that KA recommends, kneading bagels. I can't remember what was being mixed on the other 2.

We gave up on KitchenAid and gave away our attachments after the last mixer died, and purchased the Electrolux Assistent mixer, largely due to the good recommendations we found here on eGullet. It's a great mixer, and works beautifully for kneading any kind of bread dough, no matter how stiff. The mixer is pretty quiet, it doesn't creep across the counter like the KitchenAid, and is a real pleasure to use. The timer setting plus the lack of creep means that you can set it to knead for x number of minutes, and can then safely go off to do other tasks while it kneads. It's also really nice that the bowl comes with a lid, so you can use the lid to cover your dough in the bowl while you let it rest or rise.

[Moopheus]

If you go back a few years into the archives, you will see a number of discussions about an apparent dropoff in quality of Kitchenaid mixers, after Whirlpool moved to a new factory, and especially the Pro 6-quart model, which was then a relatively new model and was originally made with some plastic gearing that did not hold up well. I don't remember if it was determined if those could be refurbed or not.

[andiesenji]

I've been using the DLX for quite a few years. I wrote the message that is in the link in 2004. It's still going strong and handles even the stiffest dough. I originally got it for Peter Reinhart's Struan bread dough: Crust & Crumb, 1998.

I bought mine from Pleasant Hill Grain They include the dough hook, which some vendors only sell as an extra and shipping is free.

They also carry the Bosch Universal which, without the blender, is only $429.00

Friends who do a lot of bread-baking have the earlier version of this mixer which in essentials, has not changed, and the motor is tough.

It handles more dough than an KA but has a lower profile than the bowl-lift models.

A few years ago this was sold by King Arthur Flour, as was the DLX Magic Mill/Electrolux Assistant.

I recommend this vendor because I have purchased several appliances from them (my Nutrimill, for instance) and their customer services is excellent. I purchased the DLX before they had online ordering and their telephone response impressed me.

One of the wire beaters was slightly bent and they immediately sent me a replacement and a shipping label so I could return the original in that box and not have to pay any postage.

Edited March 29, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[gastronaut]

I own a 600w, and I use it 4-5 times a week, half of those kneading dough. Sounds like you got a defective machine. It happens.

And most people only knead on speed two. if you are overheating, there is a problem.

[Will]

We have a Pro 600 and use it for kneading doughs (both stiffer and wetter) without problem.

[rotuts]

Indeed you must be the lucky one

that being said I no longer use the dough hook on the KA.

years ago I got a new at the time 11 cup cuisinart with the redesigned metal dough hook.

in the box was a DVD with the usual slice slice slice stuff. ( this is not the current cuisinart model. there was a 14 cup also at the time.)

at the end of the DVD for the final segment was Charles can Over making dough. his book is Best Bread Ever ( probably is out of print - my library still has one) he premiss is that bread becomes stale due to the incorporation of oxygen in the dough, through prolonged kneeding. oxygen is the worlds great oxidizer.

he developed a system where you accurately measured the temp. of your flour, added water at a particular temp. (based on food processor brand) to get to a fixed number: 150 for my machine. you kneeded for 45 seconds only in the food processor then did what ever you usually do with the dough. you keep at 70 for a few hours, then retard in the refig.

I routinely make sour dough bread this way with a starter I maintain. it has a very thick crust and wonderful flavor after being in the retard-refig for 5 - 6 days.

the point being is that after you slice it ( with a very sturdy knife) you keep the cut bread cut side down on some plastic wrap ( you do not wrap the bread) in a starndard heavy paper grocery shopping bag. the spare loafs you either freeze or keep the same way in that heavy paper bag. my bread this way stays "fresh' for over a week. I give loafs away so that I bake (in baking season !) once a week.

that being said, America's test kitchen recommends the cuisinart 5.5 stand mixer. they use the smaller KA on the show as I think they take $$$ from KA.

try to find this book if you love baking bread. good luck!

Edited March 29, 2011 by rotuts (log)

[CaliPoutine]

I blew out my 15yr old KA making bagel dough so when I replaced it, I went with the Cuisnart. I wanted something with more watts and a better warranty. No complaints so far.

[andiesenji]

America's Test Kitchen rated the DLX very low, they really did not put it through its paces and simply said it was "too large" for most kitchen applications.

I don't think they are always objective about some things they test.

My first KA was made by Hobart - I got it in 1968 and it would handle dough just fine, although with only 5 quarts, it really was not adequate so I usually kneaded by hand but I was much young, a lot stronger and it wasn't a problem.

I gave the KA/Hobart to my stepdaughter in 1980.

For several years I also had a Hobart 10-quart mixer, when I was catering &etc but it was very heavy and awkward to lift and I looked for a substitute.

I got one of the newer KAs and it died while mixing dough - motor burnt out. Got a replacement, same thing happened so I did get the replacement (still under warranty) but did not use it for bread or cookie dough.

That's when I got the DLX & have never regretted it. It did cost more but when you pro-rate it over the number of years I have owned it, it has been a real bargain.

A year ago they were selling for $100. less and I posted about it at the time. The manufacturer gave notice that the price would be going up. As I recall, an eG member bought one at that time and sent me a PM about it.

Edited March 29, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[cbread]

America's Test Kitchen's methods and ratings vary from wonderfully helpful to irrational. I now pay no attention to their commentary on cookware and appliances. Egullet is a far better place to sort out those things. Witness this thread.

America's Test Kitchen rated the DLX very low, they really did not put it through its paces and simply said it was "too large" for most kitchen applications. I don't think they are always objective about some things they test ...

[chezcherie]

America's Test Kitchen rated the DLX very low, they really did not put it through its paces and simply said it was "too large" for most kitchen applications.

I don't think they are always objective about some things they test.

gasp! andiesenjie says the (CI/ATK) emperor has no clothes!

i agree.

while it's usually interesting reading, i frequently disagree with their conclusions, both on the "best way" to make a dish, and on equipment. i know there are a lot of ardent fans out there, but i really take what they proclaim with a (hand-harvested) grain of (sea)salt.

to stay on topic, i use KAs in my cooking school. one was purchased about 25 years ago, and i'm pretty sure it has metal guts. i use that one for dough kneading. the other is of more recent vintage, and i use it for the lighter stuff. i also love the charles van over book, and use my cuisinart for that.

[Shelby]

I blew out my 15yr old KA making bagel dough so when I replaced it, I went with the Cuisnart. I wanted something with more watts and a better warranty. No complaints so far.

Bagel dough must be the downfall of the KA

[JadeShing]

The Cuisinart seems like a pretty good mixer from what I have read online. Of course, I am still waiting to get my hands on one of them

[andiesenji]

I haven't used the Cuisinart so can't comment on them.

I've a friend who has a Viking 7 quart stand mixer and likes it but doesn't knead heavy or stiff doughs in it, she kneads these by hand. I phoned and asked if she had tried stiff dough in it and said she didn't by choice but had mixed some fairly stiff cookie dough in it during her holiday baking sessions. No problems.

Another friend replaced a 25-year-old Kenwood Chef with a new one (made by DeLonghi) and is very unhappy with it. He says it does not have the power of the old one, in spite of supposedly having a higher wattage (1000 watt).

He says it stalls when kneading danish dough, which is fairly stiff and was a bust at mixing thick cookie doughs.

He does have a commercial mixer that has more capacity than he usually needs but has had to use it for cookie doughs.

He is currently looking for a refurbished Kenwood Chef made prior to 1995.

[rickster]

I killed my 600 watt mixer, which was made before the hook redesign and warnings about kneading at speeds above 2. I've had a replacement now for about 15 months and have not had any problems, but am extremely careful about kneading, which is ironic since bread is the only reason for me to get such a large capacity mixer.

Edited March 29, 2011 by rickster (log)

[paulraphael]

Can you post your dough recipe? KA's guidelines for flour capacity are completely useless. Your mixer should be able to handle much more than 11 cups of flour at high hydrations, but it might choke on half that much with certain stiff doughs.

I'm suspecting the problem is either very difficult doughs, or else there's something wrong with the thermal shutoff mechanism. It could be a defective 50 cent part. Does the mixer sound like it's staining? Does the back of the chasis feel hot to the touch? The mixer is designed to get uncomfortably hot for short stretches of time.

I've hammered on my Pro 600 mixer with bread dough and pizza dough for years and the thing has never gotten more than warm to the touch. But my dough recipes tend to be pretty high hydration and therefore loose.