A new Stand Mixer?

[Matthew.Taylor]

The engine on my old kitchen-aid stand mixer is starting to make some “struggling” noises. If I have to upgrade, what is a good realiable choice nowadays?

Edited September 4, 2020 by Matthew.Taylor (log)

[Yiannos]

Have you tried removing and then repacking the old grease? I would look into this, especially if yours is an older Hobart-era one, as those should last forever. My newer model started sort of surging and slowing down a few years ago, I cleaned out and repacked the grease around the transmission and that took care of it. I remember I had a little trouble finding the grease, but the job itself is not too difficult outside of being very messy.

 

Edit: I should also add that I have owned a 7qt KitchenAid Pro Line for a few years. It is great for large batches of things or bread doughs, but I find that smaller volume recipes usually need a few stirs by hand to get everything incorporated as the bowl is huge. They make a paddle with a silicone scraper attached and it works pretty well, but I still find myself getting the smaller 4.5qt model out (the one I replaced the grease on) for just a normal batch of cookies or whatever.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Yiannos (log)

[EMichels]

I used this grease that I purchased from Amazon for a repack several years ago and the mixer has been working well:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041S1OUM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

 

[CentralMA]

A quick Google for "Kitchenaid grease" will produce many hits. More than enough grease can be had for $10 - $20.

 

And a quick search on YouTube for "kitchenaid mixer grease replacement" will provide the teardown info needed for getting the job done. 

 

Even if you have light mechanical skills it's very doable. And the end result is gratifying. 

 

My daughter and I recently rehabbed my late mother's 1960 era stand mixer that had not been serviced in the last ~60 years. The grease was like a rock, the mixer motor sounded like it was grinding rocks. A thorough clean and fresh grease should give it another 60 years of use.

 

And they do recommend to spin the mixer up at least once a month, sometimes the grease will "separate", leading to the mixer appearing to leak oil.

[weinoo]

On 9/4/2020 at 4:59 PM, CentralMA said:

 

My daughter and I recently rehabbed my late mother's 1960 era stand mixer that had not been serviced in the last ~60 years. The grease was like a rock, the mixer motor sounded like it was grinding rocks. A thorough clean and fresh grease should give it another 60 years of use.

 

I have my mother's Sunbeam Mixmaster, which I think is late 50s early 60s. She loved that thing and baking a Duncan Hines cake was child's play!  It's in storage, but I refuse to get rid of it. That and a Cuisinart from the following decade.  They really don't make 'em like they used to. What amazes me are the power cords they put on those things.

Edited September 8, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

If anyone is considering a new mixer I recommend Ankarsrum.  I've been quite pleased with mine* over the past year.  I also have two Kitchenaids.  I use mixers mainly for making bread.  For me it is no contest.  But for cookies or a cake I'd go with Kitchenaid.

 

*except for the color.

 

[andiesenji]

4 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

If anyone is considering a new mixer I recommend Ankarsrum.  I've been quite pleased with mine* over the past year.  I also have two Kitchenaids.  I use mixers mainly for making bread.  For me it is no contest.  But for cookies or a cake I'd go with Kitchenaid.

 

*except for the color.

 

I had one for years, when I needed a mixer with greater capacity and strength - KAs did not survive the Struan Bread from Crust and Crumb.

Finally sold it and it is still working just fine after 27 years.

[curls]

9 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

I had one for years, when I needed a mixer with greater capacity and strength - KAs did not survive the Struan Bread from Crust and Crumb.

Finally sold it and it is still working just fine after 27 years.

Indeed! I was the lucky one to buy andiesenji’s Ankarsrum mixer and it is still going strong and I love using it.

[andiesenji]

One of my neighbors, who has begun baking at home, after being "laid off" and then given the boot from her employer of 14 years,  got one of these large capacity San LidA stand mixers  in July after seeing one demonstrated in several You Tube videos.  And it has a 5-year warranty.

The price is extremely reasonable, especially with all the accessories.  The 9.5 quart capacity  means she can prepare the batter for several cakes at the same time.

She also makes a lot of the Mexican "pan dulce" rolls - her recipe is very similar to the Japanese milk bread.

She says her son - about 10 - calls it "The Beast"  

The last time I spoke to her she said she has used the blender once, but has a separate blender so put it away.  she hasn't used the food grinder or the vegetable slicer yet but will probably need the food grinder when she starts baking for Christmas.

I checked out the reviews and except for one disgruntled person, they are all good.   

Apparently they have reduced the price since she got hers because she said it was 185.00

 

[andiesenji]

3 minutes ago, curls said:

Indeed! I was the lucky one to buy andiesenji’s Ankarsrum mixer and it is still going strong and I love using it.

I saw a post from you several months back!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, curls said:

Indeed! I was the lucky one to buy andiesenji’s Ankarsrum mixer and it is still going strong and I love using it.

 

But what color?

 

[curls]

16 hours ago, curls said:

Indeed! I was the lucky one to buy andiesenji’s Ankarsrum mixer and it is still going strong and I love using it.

 

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

But what color?

 

 

A photo for you @JoNorvelleWalker so you can see the colors... lots of metal, silver gray, and dark blue.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I've never had a stand mixer.   Some people bemoan having a deprived childhood.    I have a deprived adulthood.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, curls said:

 

 

A photo for you @JoNorvelleWalker so you can see the colors... lots of metal, silver gray, and dark blue.

 

 

Mine is gold, only because the color was being discontinued and was $70 off.  I still wish I had held out for white.

 

[paulraphael]

I'd echo the idea of fixing the KA. There's very little that can go wrong with one that can't be fixed economically. The bowl-lift models are much, much easier to take apart and get back together, but all of them are serviceable, and every imaginable part is widely available for a reasonable price. Youtube videos and maintenance sheet PDFs are all over the web.

 

Replacing the grease is the first order of busines. If there are no obviously worn parts it may be all you need to do. KA's grease is TERRIBLE quality. They use an ancient formula called Shell Darina #2 that separates and drips oil into your food, has poor resistance to oxidation and high temperatures, and gets too thick when it's cold and too thin when it's hot. To make up for these faults they pack cubic meters of it into each mixer, and pretend that quantity will magically make up for quality and make the thing run without maintenance forever. It's not a great plan. At least not for people who actually use the things. 

 

I really like Super Lube, which I found out is popular with people who rebuild these mixers. Make sure you get the #2 weight, to match the original grease. It's fully synthetic, it never separates, it's resistant to extreme heat and to oxidation, and it lubes well over a wider temperature range than you'll ever need unless you're crazy. 

 

You'll also want a good non-toxic degreaser, like an automotive product made with citrous oil. The biggest part of the project will be cleaning out the old gunk. If you have a bowl-lift model, pop off the lid to see if you have one of the older plastic gear housings. If you do, this is an opportunity to replace with the newer zinc model. It's a big upgrade. Whether you replace the housing or not, you'll need to replace the gasket. For some repairs on the bowl-lift model, you'll need a snap ring plier in the right size. 

 

If you have a filp-top model, I don't have any helpful experience, but the internet is full of instruction.

 

I have a whole new relationship with my mixer now that I've rebuilt it a couple of times. We trust each other with our deepest secrets. 

[paulraphael]

On 9/5/2020 at 1:53 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

If anyone is considering a new mixer I recommend Ankarsrum.  I've been quite pleased with mine* over the past year.  I also have two Kitchenaids.  I use mixers mainly for making bread.  For me it is no contest.  But for cookies or a cake I'd go with Kitchenaid.

 

*except for the color.

 

 

People who make lots of bread love those. I find the bigger KA mixers do great with up to a couple KG of high-hydration bread dough. But if your priority is bigger batches, or really tough doughs like pasta or pretzels, spiral mixers like the Ankarsrum are monsters.

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by paulraphael (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

33 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

 

People who make lots of bread love those. I find the bigger KA mixers do great with up to a couple KG of high-hydration bread dough. But if your priority is bigger batches, or really tough doughs like pasta or pretzels, spiral mixers like the Ankarsrum are monsters.

 

 

Actually the problem with the KitchenAid is it won't mix my approximately 1 kg amount of dough.  I think it would do better with larger batches.

 

[andiesenji]

On 9/6/2020 at 11:32 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

 

Mine is gold, only because the color was being discontinued and was $70 off.  I still wish I had held out for white.

 

I don't recall ever thinking about color for this mixer.  There were no other choices back then.

I got a copper 6-quart KA because that was the only color they had at Costco when I bought it.  

I did buy some vintage mixers that were colors I wanted and I did get a copper KA, a Green KA that were early '50s models with the glass "beehive" bowls.  I've still got several old Sunbeams from the 1930s.  And a Hamilton Beach from the same era.

I had two Magic Maid mixers - sold both last year.  Both were pristine, one never used, one used only a few times - both came from my aunts. 

[andiesenji]

This is one of my very early Sunbeams from the '30s.

This one was also rarely used, is in very good original condition

I also have the malt mixer attachment and the glass.

[paulraphael]

17 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Actually the problem with the KitchenAid is it won't mix my approximately 1 kg amount of dough.  I think it would do better with larger batches.

 

 

Really? Does yours have the spiral dough hook? 

 

I can make as little as 450g with the spiral hook in the 6qt bowl. That's what I do when making pasta dough ... it can't properly mix less than that, but more risks breaking the machine.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

Really? Does yours have the spiral dough hook? 

 

I can make as little as 450g with the spiral hook in the 6qt bowl. That's what I do when making pasta dough ... it can't properly mix less than that, but more risks breaking the machine.

 

I have a spiral dough hook.  It goes around and around leaving the dough in the bottom of the bowl.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@paulraphael I wonder if the difference is in the diameter of our bowls?  My bowls are 9 1/2 inches.

 

[paulraphael]

18 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@paulraphael I wonder if the difference is in the diameter of our bowls?  My bowls are 9 1/2 inches.

 

 

Mine's 9-1/2" too. Probably a difference in the consistency of doughs. They all behave differently.

[andiesenji]

On 9/13/2020 at 12:18 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I have a spiral dough hook.  It goes around and around leaving the dough in the bottom of the bowl.

 

Have you adjusted the height of the beater?  When I first got the 6-quart KA  there was too much space between the bottom of the bowl and the end of the dough  hook - didn't matter so much with the "flat" beater  but it did with the dough hook and small batches.  INSTRUCTIONS: For bowl-lift models, remove the flat beater and bowl. Lay the mixer down backwards on a towel so it doesn’t slip. Locate the screw right where the top and body of the mixer meet. Again, take only quarter turns at a time – right for increasing contact, left for creating more space. Perform the dime test and re-adjust as needed. Watch this video for bowl-lift models.

[andiesenji]

Here is another old mixer, since sold.  The KitchenAid  3 C Copper with the glass "beehive" bowl.  It was in good working order when I sold it on ebay a couple of years ago.

I still have a green one, same model  and a white 3 B.  I also have a white K4-B, the Kitchenaid with a front loop and tail fin. I bought it at Fedco in 1965, used it only a couple of years and then bought my first "bowl-life" model in 1968.  It was used a few times over the years but mostly just occupied space in a cupboard.

I began "collecting" mainly because I received some old mixers and other things from my family members who got the idea that since I wanted some old stuff from my childhood home in Kentucky (mostly cast iron and crockery) that they could send me any of the "old stuff" they had kept from decades earlier.

I don't think anyone in my family ever threw anything away.