Stand Mixers 2002 – 2011

[elyse]

Richard, The model at Costco has metal attachments, and I'm afraid my doughs will turn grey.  Know what I mean?

I wouldn't worry about it. All of the larger, higher end machines have metal attachments and doughs come out fine. They've been making these things for a long time, and if bakers were having that issue they'd be out of business pretty quick.

I thought someone had warned me against that somewhere along the lines... But you are probably right. I'll pick it up when I go to Costco again.

[cibatta mondatta]

I'm a latecomer to this thread, but I should mention the name 'Magic Mill' to this group, since all I'm hearing is KitchenAid & Hobart. Magic Mill is a Swedish brand that uses an entirely different approach from the K-A/H: the _bowl_ moves & the mixer is stationary. It can handle intermediate loads & is designed for kneading. See links & reviews at http://www.epinions.com/Magic_Mill_8_qt__D...te___Mixers_300

Edited October 20, 2003 by cibatta mondatta (log)

[IrishCream]

I'm a latecomer to this thread, but I should mention the name 'Magic Mill' to this group, since all I'm hearing is KitchenAid & Hobart. Magic Mill is a Swedish brand that uses an entirely different approach from the K-A/H: the _bowl_ moves & the mixer is stationary. It can handle intermediate loads & is designed for kneading. See links & reviews at http://www.epinions.com/Magic_Mill_8_qt__D...te___Mixers_300

That looks very interesting and not much more than I paid for my KA 20 years ago (they were more expensive then). What is particularly attractive to me is that it can handle 20 cups of flour AND no problem with adding ingredients on the fly, one of the big flaws with the KA. Thanks for the info.

[nightscotsman]

Neil--how are you liking the revised "new" 6 quart Kitchenaids at FPS?  Any opinions yet?

Steve: if you scroll up to the second post from the top of the page you'll see my comments on the 6 quarts we have. We didn't use them much in plated desserts or ice creams, so my opinion hasn't really changed other than the speed switch issue has started to pop up on other units and has become more annoying. I'd still stick with the 5 quart if I were buying one.

[Mottmott]

Oh my God, Mottmott, you are so out of the loop!

I posted about it somewhere forever ago. ...

Wow! I'm playing eG catch up and guess I haven't gotten to that part of the story.

The more time passes, the funnier you'll find it until, one day, you'll try and won't be able to recall the details in the midst of all your successes. (You should keep a journal of your adventures in starting this business venture. It'll make a good story when you write your book.)

[formerly grueldelux]

One interesting option could be the new mixer by Wolfgang Puck. I have no idea about the quality of his applicances, and I think the mixer has just come out so who knows if it has quality/performance kinks. I know his pans are good for what they are - stainless with aluminum disk bottoms - and are quite cheap. The stand mixer is 600 watts, commercially rated, 6 quarts (I think. Maybe 5) and I believe under $200, at least it was when it was on Home Shopping Network the first time. The problem is, HSN seems to be sold out at the moment and it may be the only place they are available.

[JosephB]

I also burned out my mother's hand mixer, and mine's starting to smell.  Time to find that thread on hand mixers....

Elyse,

Check out this month's Fine Cooking. They tested 12 hand mixers and found, in their opinion, that the KitchenAid 7-speed Ultra was the best.

[elyse]

Cool, thanks. Do you have it? Want to bring it on Saturday?

[megaira]

Just a quick fyi for KA mixer shoppers and a question:

If you're buying a standard KA mixer, get yourself on Bed, Bath & Beyond's mailing list. They send out 20% off coupons practically bimonthly. They also price match and they've always been terrific about me returning things ages down the road.

I bought my 5qt KA for 200$. I can't remember if I bought the 350 or 325 (I've since sold it) & I'm not sure if they currently carry the 350w...but it'd be worth it to call and ask if it was what you were looking for.

The 6qt through them would be 296$ after the coupon... if you find the mixer cheaper elsewhere, go to BB&B, have them price match it, then use the coupon. They have the DeLonghi 6qt mixer as well.

Has anyone used the 700 w Bosch 6qt? I had an old Bosch kitchen machine that I never did get to try out for dough. We used the blender a lot, being more into margaritas than bread at the time, and it was a workhorse (it still works, I just gave it back to the MIL. Think "snow white" "apple"). I've been curious about them ever since, but the price seems overdone.

[elyse]

In case anyone's interested, Costco has a $30 coupon of their 5 qt KitchenAid 350 watts', begining today. So it's $249 minus $30. A very good deal.

[pnapoli]

that is a good deal, and in fact, i was planning to get one of these for someone as a christmas gift, so thanks for the tip. do you know how long the sale is going on?

[Flattop]

Go to Sears spend $169.99, Reg. $219.99 and buy a 600 watt Kenmore 16 Speed Stand Mixer with Stainless Steel Bowl or two and take comfort in the fact that if you break it, you can return itKenmore 16 Speed Stand Mixer with Stainless Steel Bowl. OH yeah it'll take all the kithen aid attachments too.

Edited November 29, 2003 by Flattop (log)

[elyse]

that is a good deal, and in fact, i was planning to get one of these for someone as a christmas gift, so thanks for the tip. do you know how long the sale is going on?

Woah, you give nice Christmas gifts! I really don't know how long, sorry. It's a coupon, remember, so get one on the way in. I'd call my local to find out.

[Scotty O]

I have been looking at KA mixers for a while now, and I have found it to be very confusing with all the different models. I've searched threads high and low, and found some good bits of knowledge, but nothing definitive...hopefully this thread can help out.

What I want to do with a mixer...the regular stuff (batters, foams, etc.) as well as kneading various bread doughs.

I have found this comparison chart to be helpful, but I'd like some confirmation that there really are different transmissions in different mixers. I have heard that the Pro 6qt. has a heavier transmission, but none of the documentation I have found elsewhere seems to say anything about the transmission/gear systems in other mixers.

I have pretty much decided on a 5qt. size, but there are 3 different models of 5qt.'s, so here is my impressions of the three:

Professional 5:

Pros: 350Watts--highest of the three. heavy duty transmission. bowl lift.

Cons: metal dough hook and flat beater--have heard that they can discolor food, and are not dishwasher safe like the nylon counterparts

Heavy Duty:

I think this is the modern version of the standard K5A that everyone's grandmother seems to have. This one seems like the frontrunner right now for its bowl lift, 325 watts, and nylon coated attachments as well as being a bit less in price than the Pro 5.

Artisan:

Pros: Lots of really cool colors

Cons: tilt head & screw bowl--have heard it can strip, and no possibility of water jacket. non-heavy nuty transmission

So there is my recap. Does everyone agree with the 5qt. Heavy Duty as the best choice for a general purpose stand mixer?

Edited December 4, 2003 by Scotty O (log)

[elyse]

I think most people will go with the pro 5. I had a thread on stand mixers if you want to read it. Plus Costco has a $30 coupon now, on a $249 machine.

[EdS]

There's a fair amount of negative opinion about the Pro 6 which you can find by doing a Search. The Pro 5 is favored. Given Costco's price with rebate, I think you're looking at about a $20-30 price difference between that and the Heavy Duty.

[tryska]

the hot pink one.

[hannahcooks]

I just got the Professional 5. I cannot recommend the bowl-lift enough- I would definitely go for a model with that feature. My mother bought mine at Kohl's and the dough hook and flat paddle attachment are not the metal ones in the chart you linked to. They are the regular,dishwasher safe, coated ones. Only the wire whisk is metal/hand-wash only.

Edited December 4, 2003 by hannahcooks (log)

[Scotty O]

There's a fair amount of negative opinion about the Pro 6

Yeah, I've heard some bad things about the 6qt. I assume these don't carry over to the 5qt. Pro? If thats the case the Pro sounds like the one to get.

Costco has a $30 coupon now, on a $249 machine.

Yeah, I saw this deal the other weekend and almost snapped it up right there...although it looks like the $30 coupon was just for thanksgiving weekend. Now the coupon is $20, but its still a great deal at $230, maybe even the cheapest of the three.

[Cusina]

my two cents.

I have to differ. I like the tilt head. My best girlfriend has the heavy duty model and I find it to be futsy getting the bowl and paddle in and out of their seatings. (Pinched my fingers, ow). No really smooth way to do it. Maybe I'm just all thumbs, but that is my preference. I've had mine four years of weekly (more during baking season) home use without problems.

One more thing, buy the extra bowl, comes in very handy.

[chezcherie]

my two cents coincide with cusina's, making 4 cents...

i love the tilt head, hate the lifty, hook-on mechanism. when i was purchasing mine (eons ago--still going strong), i spent some time standing at the kitchenaid counter, trying to acclimate myself to the lift-bowl technique...and decided that the tilt head was so intuitive to me,that i would save time and precious brain cells every time i tilted rather than lifted...i stil have a few brain cells left, so there's empirical proof!

the extra bowl is key to kitchne happiness---has saved my sanity a number of times!

[Scotty O]

As per the old threads in the other sense, a search through them did not contain some of the specific info I was looking for--specifically a comparison between the heavy duty and pro 5qt.

Sorry if I confused anyone.

[lorea]

I think the choice of mixers really depends on what you want to use it for. The tilt head is great for mixing up batter, cookie doughs, mashed potatoes, etc.....but it's horrible for bread kneading. With a tilt head, the bowl gets locked tight into the screwing mechanism so it's almost impossible to take off.

Also, the ones with a tilt head actually have a SMALLER capacity than the lift-bowl models because the head of the mixer is actually lower into the bowl....if you look at the attachments, they're all much shorter than the lift-bowl models. There's an additional few inches of unusable space at the top of the bowl. This makes for less capacity for batters, and this is horrible for doughs.

[Comfort Me]

If I might say a word in support of the KA 6 qt. Pro. It is not ideal for many pastry applications -- especially whipping a small amount of cream or beating two egg whites. Large volumes of cake batters and cookie doughs do well, however, and it does a wonderful, wonderful job with bread doughs. My work is breads or large cake jobs. I knew when I bought the machine that it would not be appropriate for small volume jobs -- so if I need two egg whites beaten to stiff peaks or one cup of cream whipped, I do it by hand or with a hand-help beater.

[MsRamsey]

I bought an old K5-A from eBay recently, and I really love it. From what I understand, the motor is superior to the machines made today. I have to think that some of the K5-As and K45s being sold were probably not used very often.