Stand Mixers 2002 – 2011

[snowangel]

Quick update on the KA commercial mixer I discuss above. I'm home with a sick kid so I'm making ragu bolognese with tagliatelle, giving me a great opportunity to put the KA to the test.

It did fantastically well. I ground over two pounds of meat and two cans of tomatoes in a flash, and -- more impressively -- the mixer kneaded 1 1/2 pounds of pasta dough with tremendous ease and power: 6 minutes of kneading with the new dough hook and that dough was in better shape than 15 with any KA I've ever had before. It's clearly built with more careful engineering than the other  models; while the motor is clearly working hard, especially when the hook meets the thickest part of the dough, it never slips or grinds or pops out the bowl, all of which were problems with older machines, even out of the box.

In short, I'm thrilled.

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Thanks for the report, Chris. Do you attribute the better and faster kneading solely to the power, or do you think that the spiral dough blade helped, too?

[Chris Amirault]

Both, I'd say. Remarkable improvement.

[HKDave]

I can't compare them, but I've had a couple of Kenwoods in the kitchen for years and I love them.  They handle a full bowl of stiff cookie batter, a yeast dough and lots and lots of whipped cream.  If I had to buy a new machine now, I'd probably go with the DeLonghi DSM-7.  I know there was a merge or a buyout or something with Kenwood - anybody have one?

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DeLonghi bought Kenwood in 2001, and they now sell the Kenwood stand mixers in North America under the DeLonghi name. The mixers are still sold under the Kenwood name in the UK, Australia and Hong Kong.

I've used KitchenAids (regular and so-called 'commercial' models) and Kenwoods, and vastly prefer the latter. They just seem a heck of a lot more durable. Only noticeable downside is that they are noisier.

Fun fact: Kenwood was founded in 1947 by a guy named... Ken Wood.

[brucedelta]

I recently bought a Kitchenaid 600 mixer, which is the 6 qt bowl lift model.

Using it for the first time yesterday I noticed that if I lowered the bowl while the paddle attachment was still spining then it hits the side of the bowl. Is this normal?

I kind of assumed I lower the bowl whil it is still running to clean the beater. Is this true, as there seems to be no explicit instruction on this issue in the manual.

Additionally I should note that I think the bowl has a very slight forward tilt, is this normal? It seems to hit the back, so maybe this tilt is the root of the problem.

Thanks on advance for any guidance anyone may have.

[alanamoana]

are you sure you're putting the bowl in properly? there's a nipple on the back of the bowl that should fit under a little metal tab and hold the bowl in place in back while the two side tabs pop onto the arms.

if your bowl is tilting forward, then this might be your problem. just give a little pressure on the top edge of your bowl toward the back and you should feel the nipple pop under the metal tab and it will be seated properly.

let us know if this works...i could be wrong.

[baroness]

Be sure to go to kitchenaid.com and find the outlet store. The prices on factory refurb units are phenomenal (you can get their biggest, baddest mixer for under $250). There don't seem to be any special quality control issues with the refurbs, but they don't guarantee them to be cosmetically perfect.

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The KA outlet sometimes has 'refurbished' bowls for a great price; I ordered 2 and they look pristine.

[paulraphael]

Only noticeable downside is that they are noisier.

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THe major downside in the U.S. is the almost complete lack of customer service available here.

Delonghi seem to have similar quality control issues to K.A. ... I've heard of them dying early deaths for no known reason. The difference is that K.A. has a quick, no-hassle replacement policy (for warranty repairs) and a wide network of service centers for out of warranty repairs. These things aren't cheap, so I think that's a serious consideration.

A blurb from consumersearch.com"

"Reviewers say the DeLonghi DSM5 (*est. $350) is on par with the KitchenAid Professional 600. Cook's Illustrated says, "Watching this compact mixer expertly cream butter and sugar into a uniform consistency was a thing of beauty." Like the wide-width bowl of the KitchenAid Professional 600, the DeLonghi's bowl helps keep ingredients "low in the bowl" which cuts down on the need to scrape, say editors. The KitchenAid Professional scores a notch higher because the DeLonghi shimmied and made loud noises while mixing heavy ingredients. Customer reviews at Amazon.com are mixed. A few reviews say the DeLonghi mixer is better than a KitchenAid but others complained that the machine is simply average in overall quality. The DeLonghi DSM5 also has a streamlined modern look which is in contrast to the more traditional-looking KitchenAid machines."

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/kitchen/mixers/review.html

[brucedelta]

are you sure you're putting the bowl in properly?  there's a nipple on the back of the bowl that should fit under a little metal tab and hold the bowl in place in back while the two side tabs pop onto the arms.

if your bowl is tilting forward, then this might be your problem.  just give a little pressure on the top edge of your bowl toward the back and you should feel the nipple pop under the metal tab and it will be seated properly.

let us know if this works...i could be wrong.

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You were of corse 100% correct. I thought the metal tab just pushed the nipple to hold it in place, but you got to get the nipple in the hole. It is a little tougher to do then expected, but I guess the tab will start bending to match the bowl and it will become easier.

For those looking for a mixer review I guess I can say the KA 600 seems nice, I like it so far. We had a Oster Kitchen Center that did allot of things poorly. While the Food processor and blender were probably passable the mixer on the Oster sucked and I just seemed to have a hate of this machine that I will never get over. I say this because I doubt I am a critical shopper for a mixer as I do not make bread without a bread machine (so far, that may change now) or anything that would be taxing on a mixer.

Bottom line is this unit is well reviewed and it seems very well put together, it mixes nicely and most importantly it is not the stupid Oster. It is noticebly heavier when I go to put it in the cabinet, that is what I see as the big downside.

So far I have made almond macaroons, cornbread pudding, and a triffle with it and am very happy. It cleans up easy, and is user friendly once you know to put the nipple in the hole, so I like it thus far.

[andiesenji]

If anyone is interested, there is a Hobart N-50 on ebay and it includes a lot of accessories/attachments, extra beaters.

Hobart N-50

It still has 3+ days to go and the price is still very reasonable.

Although it is a 5-quart, it is the heavy duty motor and 3-speed transmission, much tougher than the consumer models.

It is located in Vancouver, WA so if you are local and can pick it up, you would save a bunch on shipping.

These mixers sell new (discounted) for 1650. or there abouts. I don't remember the list price.

If seriously interested, contact the seller and make an offer, especially if you are local. I have found that sellers often are thrilled that they do not have to pack and ship heavy items such as this.

[andiesenji]

Another Hobart on eBay.

A 12-Qt that looks to be in pretty good condition, compared to others I have seen which came out of commerical use and were very beat up.

Even the Buy-It-Now price is very reasonable. It's in the Denver area so freight costs to the Atlantic states will be a bit stiff, but not bad if one is closer.

The best way to use one of these is with it bolted to a cart or heavy cabinet at a lower height than a regular counter. The old 10-qt I had was bolted to a butcher-block topped cart that was 30" tall (after I removed the wheels).12-Quart Hobart on ebay

[etherdog]

My 350 Watt KA is a real workhorse in my kitchen. I use it for whisking egg whites into meringue, kneading bread and pasta dough, and making sausage. For the price, it is very versatile. I think I have all of the attachments and they all work as advertised. So, I have about $500 total invested in it, I use it 3 days a week, I have had it for 10 years, so so far it has cost me about $0.40 per day (and sometimes I use it for multiple tasks per day.) It shows no sign of diminshment and the most common problem is replacing the carbon "brushes" in the motor (which is trivial, yet I have not needed to do it). I rate it as a very good value.

[prasantrin]

Has anyone tried the Cusinart stand mixers, yet? I'm thinking up a stand mixer this summer, and Fine Cooking seemed to like the one they tested (I think it was Fine Cooking, but I could be wrong). Since they're fairly new, though, I wonder if anyone has used one on a regular basis, and can comment on his/her experiences with one.

Advantages of Cuisinart over Kitchenaid (based on 5.5 qt vs 6 qt pro600):

800W motor vs. 575W

3-year product, 5-yr motor warranty vs. 1-year product warranty (from what I can tell from Kitchenaid's website)

Tilt-head vs bowl lift

$349 vs $499 MSRP

[andiesenji]

For those who might have a fascination with the "vintage" Sunbeam mixmasters, this might be interesting,

[SusanGiff]

Has anyone tried the Cusinart stand mixers, yet?  I'm thinking up a stand mixer this summer, and Fine Cooking seemed to like the one they tested (I think it was Fine Cooking, but I could be wrong).  Since they're fairly new, though, I wonder if anyone has used one on a regular basis, and can comment on his/her experiences with one.

Advantages of Cuisinart over Kitchenaid (based on 5.5 qt vs 6 qt pro600):

800W motor vs. 575W

3-year product, 5-yr motor warranty vs. 1-year product warranty (from what I can tell from Kitchenaid's website)

Tilt-head vs bowl lift

$349 vs $499 MSRP

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I'm very interested as well. I've only used the Kitchenaid bowl lift model once and didn't like it (I have a tilt-head), so I was intrigued by the Cuisinart. I've looked at it in stores, and honestly, it looks kind of crummy--lots of cheap plastic casing. But if someone can tell me the performance is spectacular, I'd be tempted.

[paulraphael]

I'm very interested as well. I've only used the Kitchenaid bowl lift model once and didn't like it (I have a tilt-head), so I was intrigued by the Cuisinart. I've looked at it in stores, and honestly, it looks kind of crummy--lots of cheap plastic casing. But if someone can tell me the performance is spectacular, I'd be tempted.

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Yeah, same impression. Appears to be designed to look great in photos.

I'm also really wary of all these manufacturers advertising higher and higher wattages to make you think the things are powerful. It's like trying to sell you a car because it gets worse mileage.

Delonghi sells a 1000 watt mixer ... I looked up some specs and found 40 quart Hobart floorstanding mixers with lower watt motors than this. The hardcore mixers advertise horsepower, which is the actual output of the thing, and consider lower wattage, not higher, a design goal. These are mixers that could probably hold three or four Delonghi and Cuisinart mixers in their bowl, and turn them into merengue!

Unfortunately the consumer mixers don't seem to advertise power output, so you have to trust word of mouth to know how burley they really are.

[Chris Amirault]

Problem: lost the blade to my KA grinder attachment. Can't find replacements anywhere. Start coveting this grinder instead. Wonder where I'll get the money.

Solution: Contact Ian at KA's customer service chat. He's sending me a new one for free!

Yet another good KA customer service story.

[Pam R]

Has anyone tried the Cusinart stand mixers, yet? 

It's been a couple of months -- has anybody tried the Cuisinart?

I'm trying to decide which mixer to buy this week, and I'm a little confused. I like the Kenwoods we have at work - so I'm interested in reports/opinions on the Cuisinart or the DeLonghi 5 quart. I've never been all that fond of the KAs, and some of the reports in this topic scare me, though I wouldn't rule them out completely, if I could figure out which one to get.

[prasantrin]

It's been a couple of months -- has anybody tried the Cuisinart?

I'm trying to decide which mixer to buy this week, and I'm a little confused.  I like the Kenwoods we have at work - so I'm interested in reports/opinions on the Cuisinart or the DeLonghi 5 quart.  I've never been all that fond of the KAs, and some of  the reports in this topic scare me, though I wouldn't rule them out completely, if I could figure out which one to get.

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I don't have one, but I check the Cuisinart Stand Mixer Forum fairly often. People over there seem to be happy with their purchases (but it is a Cuisinart website, so I don't know if they're all unbiased consumers).

I posted a couple of questions for the moderators over there (whom I assume are Cuisinart employees) and never got replies. That was a bit off-putting from a service stand-point.

[alexthecook]

I have a Cuisinart Stand Mixer. I've only used it to make rillettes, so I didn't put it through a lot, but I love it. The tilting head is very convenient and it feels very solid to me.

Here is a pretty detailed review of the Cuisinart Stand Mixer:

http://forums.cooking.com/showthread.php?t=1632

The bottom line, is this:

"The Cuisinart stand mixer is a very fine machine. It does everything a Kitchenaid does and more. It is compact enough to fit under your upper cupboards. It has an attractive assortment of extra attachments and can handle just about everything you want it to do. It is perfect for the person who wants to mix up a batch of cookies, make cakes, knead a loaf of bread. For those of you who are serious bread makers or if you make multiple batches of food at a time, I would suggest purchasing the Cuisinart 7 quart mixer. I think it would suit your needs better. The 5 quart machine is plenty big and strong enough for the average cook."

[Pam R]

Thanks for the comments. I'm completely torn. I'm leaning toward the DeLonghi or Cuisinart, but the KA sure are pretty.

On the other hand, has anybody used the Hamilton Beach 'All Metal' stand mixer? I called my restaurant supply store, and was told that the Kenwoods that I have at work have been replaced by a Hamilton Beach version (for $788). I'm sure the one they're selling isn't the same one selling for under $200 in the stores in the US, but they look interesting.

[Chris Amirault]

That KA commercial I got ain't just purty; it's also a workhorse. Had another sausage session and it plowed through everything with ease.

[Pam R]

But where can I get one of those, for the price you paid?

[Chris Amirault]

Sadly, the place where I got mine went out of business, so I can't help you there -- especially not in Winnipeg!

[alanamoana]

we got a cuisinart at work to test out. while we'd be using them under completely different circumstances (culinary school), here's my opinion:

don't get a cuisinart.

it just seemed flimsy to me. everything was plasticky, especially the attachments. the paddle felt like it would snap in two the minute you tried to make cookie dough. the whisk seemed very delicate as well.

where you put the attachments has a little door that flips out in front, sort of stupid looking.

the knobs, everything just seemed sub-par. just doesn't seem like a machine that even a very serious hobbyist at home would put up with for long, much less a professional.

[Pam R]

The Cuisinart wasn't the one for me. The DeLonghi wasn't an option. I had a limited time to purchase and it wasn't available where I was. So I had a few KA mixers and the Cuisinart to choose from, and I went with the KA 600 Pro+. It lists for $699 here, and I was able to get one for $300. So I think I'm happy, but only time will tell.