Stand Mixers 2002 – 2011

[Katie Nell]

I don't think I mashed too long, but I have to say, it just wasn't looking right from the get go.  Oh, and not only was the result very gooey, it was very lumpy too.

I think I'll try once more with a different potato, as Shalmanese suggested, and if I get glue again, it's back to the food mill for mashed potatoes.

Thanks for the feedback!

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Also, use the whisk attachment instead of the paddle if you didn't already.

[gourmande]

...

Also, use the whisk attachment instead of the paddle if you didn't already.

Yup... did that too, as the booklet suggested

I won't be making any machine-mashed potatoes again until I return from holidays.

I did however try the mixer for pastry crust yesterday and it worked fine, but I find the processor faster and more efficient.

[Katie Nell]

...

Also, use the whisk attachment instead of the paddle if you didn't already.

Yup... did that too, as the booklet suggested

I won't be making any machine-mashed potatoes again until I return from holidays.

I did however try the mixer for pastry crust yesterday and it worked fine, but I find the processor faster and more efficient.

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I think it's probably just what a person is used to or what they adapt to. For instance, my future mother-in-law loves to cook but as never owned a food processor or a whisk. I gave her a whisk and there it sits in her junk drawer! I could not live without a whisk or a processor, but she's done just fine without them.

I hope that you don't regret your decision to buy the mixer though!

[gourmande]

...

I think it's probably just what a person is used to or what they adapt to.  For instance, my future mother-in-law loves to cook but as never owned a food processor or a whisk.  I gave her a whisk and there it sits in her junk drawer!  I could not live without a whisk or a processor, but she's done just fine without them...

I couldn't agree more!

...I hope that you don't regret your decision to buy the mixer though!

Absolutely not! I've used it almost everyday and will likely use it more as I become more familiar with it and learn to adapt recipes I used to work by hand, like cake and cookie doughs, quick breads and yeast breads, and eventually... successfully mashed potatoes!

[Arianna]

Hey all you wonderful people! I have not posted much in the baking forum, as I have never really been a baker. But- I made a New Years Resolution to have something in the oven at least twice a week, since I work from home and need to have reasons to get up from my desk. My resolution was heard by my family, who presented me with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

I already made a batch of Orange Marmalade Cookies from the Joy of Cooking. They were good, and everything is so much easier with the mixer!

What I am asking for are good, simple recipes for me to begin baking with. I desire tutelage, basically.

May I ask what you made?

p.s. I also poached my first egg ever this weekend. I am on a roll!

[fiftydollars]

Meringue is a good time and definitely something I wouldn't try without a stand mixer.

[srhcb]

If it's still in the recipe book that comes from KitchenAid, try the English Muffin Bread.

SB (makes great toast)

[Arianna]

If it's still in the recipe book that comes from KitchenAid, try the English Muffin Bread. 

SB (makes great toast)

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bread is scary! i think i want to start with something simpler than that!

[Marlene]

I can actually now make a reasonably decent pie crust using my KA. Cakes, cookies, frostings are all much easier

[srhcb]

If it's still in the recipe book that comes from KitchenAid, try the English Muffin Bread. 

SB (makes great toast)

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bread is scary! i think i want to start with something simpler than that!

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The English Muffin Bread is a good one to start with. It's like a batter bread in that it only has one rise in the bread pan.

SB (all you have to do is read and measure!)

[Arianna]

If it's still in the recipe book that comes from KitchenAid, try the English Muffin Bread. 

SB (makes great toast)

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bread is scary! i think i want to start with something simpler than that!

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The English Muffin Bread is a good one to start with. It's like a batter bread in that it only has one rise in the bread pan.

SB (all you have to do is read and measure!)

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hmm, that sounds easy. when i get home from work, i'll have to check to see if it's in the book that came with the mixer. if not, would you mind sending it to me?

[jsolomon]

bread is scary!  i think i want to start with something simpler than that!

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Oh my, stand mixers shine when it comes to mixing breads. You really ought to try it. It shan't be nearly as daunting as you think.

The best part about bread is that every time measurement is about an hour, so you can mix it, and go get lost for an hour, knead, get lost, bake, get not-so-lost.

Simple as pie, and oh how your domicile will smell lovely.

[srhcb]

Here's the recipe for English Muffin Bread, along with some tips based on my experience using it:

Ingredients :

2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

5 cup all-purpose flour

2 pkt active dry yeast

1 tbl sugar

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

cornmeal

Instructions:

Combine milk, water, salt and sugar in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120-130).

Combine 4 cups flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and baking soda in mixer bowl.

Attach bowl and dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 15 seconds. Gradually add warm liquids to flour mixture. Mix 1 minute longer. Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead on Speed 2 for 2 minutes longer. Dough will be very sticky.

Spread dough into two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, for 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, remove loaves from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Note : You don't want to use too much flour! I suggest measuring by weight, 1 cup = 4 oz.

SB (also great for grilled cheese sandwiches!)

Edited December 28, 2005 by srhcb (log)

[Teri Everitt]

If it's still in the recipe book that comes from KitchenAid, try the English Muffin Bread. 

SB (makes great toast)

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bread is scary! i think i want to start with something simpler than that!

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Bread is not scary...and once you get used to mixing and handling dough you can make almost any kind......go for it. If bread scares you, here's a pizza dough recipe even a child could make.

Pizza dough

500 g flour (bread flour or all purpose)

20 g instant dry yeast

20 g salt

40 g oil (olive is nice, but corn or veg works fine too)

325 g water (cool but not cold)

Weigh out dry ingredients and put in your mixer bowl, pour in oil and water.

Start mixing with dough hook on first speed until ingredients start to come together, once dough begins to mass boot mixer up to second speed and mix until dough begins to look smooth and leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

Put a little bit of oil in the bowl and turn the dough around to coat with oil....this will prevent the dough from crusting. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap ( I use an bread/milk bag cut up one side and tie it tightly over the bowl).

At this point you can:

Let rise 40 to 45 minutes and use immediately OR

put it immediately into the fridge and let it proof cold all day when you are at work (I do this ALL the time)

Divide your dough in half, round it into a ball.........let it rest about 10 minutes, shape and top, bake at 400F for about 10 minutes or so. Makes 2 medium pizzas. You can add herbs/garlic whatever to the dough as well.

I bake mine on pizza pans sprinkled with a small handful of cormeal or semolina.

Really easy, and when I mix a batch of dough in the morning I can come home from work and have dinner ready for the kids in 30 minutes or so.

[McAuliflower]

I too got a stand mixer for Christmas- joy!

I recommend making marshmallows! I made nightscotsman's strawberry marshmallows, right after making some egg nog that is.

I really enjoyed them and being a marshmallow pusher...

[Arianna]

I too got a stand mixer for Christmas- joy!

I recommend making marshmallows!  I made nightscotsman's strawberry marshmallows, right after making some egg nog that is.

I really enjoyed them and being a marshmallow pusher...

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Marshmallows would be cool, but I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat gelatin. A vegetarian recipe for marshmallows would be really cool, though!

How did you make egg nog, though? Is that a vegetarian recipe?

[chefcyn]

Marshmallows would be cool, but I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat gelatin. A vegetarian recipe for marshmallows would be really cool, though!

How did you make egg nog, though? Is that a vegetarian recipe?

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Edited December 28, 2005 by chefcyn (log)

[armchairchef]

Hello, folks--

I am considering buying myself a stand mixer, but I find the choices a bit overwhelming. I mostly bake cookies and cakes, and am considering learning how to decorate cakes and to bake bread. Years ago, I borrowed a friend's KitchenAid stand mixer (don't recall which model, but it had the bowl that goes up in, rather than the tilting head feature). I really enjoyed using it, as the hands-free feature made my life a lot easier at the time! My only complaint was, it seemed to "walk" across the counter a bit.

Anyway...I don't have a big budget, so much as I'd like to spring for something really special, I just can't. I'm a little leary of buying reconditioned appliances, also.

I don't need it for a food processor, as I already have one, plus a hand mixer.

Is it true that the more watts the motor, the better the appliance will perform, and perhaps not burn out?

I look forward to getting your opinions!

[srhcb]

You can't go wrong with a KitchenAid. Some like the lift-bowl, which comes with the most powerful motors, and some the tilt-head.

Watch EBay, Amazon etc for sales. There's always a good deal somewhere.

SB (bought a factory re-con 15 years ago with no problems)

[Darcie B]

I'm not so wild about Kitchen Aid, especially if you are going to do stiff doughs. A lot of it depends on what you plan to use it for.

I am fond of the DeLonghi (made by Kenwood) mixers. I have both a KitchenAid and a DeLonghi. The DeLonghi does a much better job at kneading stiff bread doughs and large batches of cookie dough. The KitchenAid does a better job whipping egg whites and loose cake batters because it incorporates the ingredients from the sides of the bowl better. If I had to choose just one, I would pick the DeLonghi because of its power and durability. The Kitchen Aid actually stopped when I put bagel dough in it and I was afraid I had killed it, but luckily it has an overload feature.

Watt ratings can be misleading. The ratings refer to the number of watts going into the appliance. Gear reduction and other factors can influence the actual amount of power coming out. It's fine to use the watt rating as a guide but it is by no means the only thing to consider.

Edit to add:

I have an older KitchenAid, and I have heard from many that the newer models are not the same quality. If you lean toward KA, I would try to get a pre-1986 model on eBay. (1986 is when Hobart sold KA to Whirlpool).

Edited October 26, 2006 by Darcie B (log)

[xdrixn]

funny you should ask. After 8 years in the business I had all I could take with kitchen aids breaking down. I've been pretty competent in taking them apart and fixing them myself but it never ceases to amaze why a commercial machine would have composite plastic parts. Anyway, I just got a new hamilton beach cpm700 mixer made by delonghi just the pther day.

http://www.activeshopper.com/product/compa.../linkid/3068242

double the power, double the warranty, and a whisk that meets at 4 different depths thus giving me the most fluffy pate a bombe I've ever seen.

it's a thing of beauty, quiet and obviously built to last.

[Patrick S]

Watt ratings can be misleading. The ratings refer to the number of watts going into the appliance. Gear reduction and other factors can influence the actual amount of power coming out.

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Makes you wonder, why do manufacturers list only power input and not power output? Obviously it is the power that the motor produces that is important, not the power it consumes. Well, I guess the input rating is important if you want to calculate how much energy you're going to use.

[Darcie B]

Watt ratings can be misleading. The ratings refer to the number of watts going into the appliance. Gear reduction and other factors can influence the actual amount of power coming out.

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Makes you wonder, why do manufacturers list only power input and not power output? Obviously it is the power that the motor produces that is important, not the power it consumes. Well, I guess the input rating is important if you want to calculate how much energy you're going to use.

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I think they do it because the numbers look better and because the output measurement varies upon how hard the mixer is being used. It's kind of like the power ratings for cars. All you ever hear, "this car has 350 Horsepower." Torque is much more important to the actual performance of the vehicle but is hardly ever mentioned because it is more complex to explain. Same with the torque (output) of the mixer.

Edited October 26, 2006 by Darcie B (log)

[jende]

I've been happy with the Kitchen Aid I bought in 1998. It's the larger, more expensive tilt-back model. I'm just a home baker so it doesn't get heavy use, but I have used it for big batches of bread and other heavy doughs without a problem.

[Patrick S]

Watt ratings can be misleading. The ratings refer to the number of watts going into the appliance. Gear reduction and other factors can influence the actual amount of power coming out.

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Makes you wonder, why do manufacturers list only power input and not power output? Obviously it is the power that the motor produces that is important, not the power it consumes. Well, I guess the input rating is important if you want to calculate how much energy you're going to use.

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I think they do it because the numbers look better and because the output measurement varies upon how hard the mixer is being used. It's kind of like the power ratings for cars. All you ever hear, "this car has 350 Horsepower."

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Of course the output measurement varies depending on the setting -- I'll be more specific by saying that I think that manufactuers should include a maximum power output for their mixers, just as they do for cars -- Im sure most people understand that horespower ratings for car engines refer to maximum outputs (car engine is not producing 350 horsepower at idle). And it doesn't really matter to me whether the mixer output is expressed in terms of horsepower or torque (they are directly related by the equation HP = Torque * RPM / 5,252), or in watts (1HP=746 watts) so long as manufacturers do it consistently.

Edited October 26, 2006 by Patrick S (log)