Kitchenaid Stand Mixers

[lindag]

If my Hobart-made KA ever dies, I'll go for the 5-qt. Artisan with the glass bowl, it's just so good-looking!!!

[andiesenji]

If my Hobart-made KA ever dies, I'll go for the 5-qt. Artisan with the glass bowl, it's just so good-looking!!!

Did you know that the tilt-head KAs did have glass bowls back in the '50s?  I have a 3-B, 3-C, 4-C all with bowls made by Pyrex that had a "turn and lock" molded bottom. 

Including this somewhat rare copper model:

 

I think KA reintroduced the glass bowls for their 90th anniversary.

[paulraphael]

The new 7qt KA is probably the burliest mixer they've ever made. It has a motor and gear box design that's closer to the non-KA hobarts in many ways. It uses electronic speed control like the other KA mixers, but is otherwise a completely new design. People who had trouble with big batches of low-hydration doughs with the old KAs have an easy time with this one.

 

I've had great luck with my refurbished pro-600 over the last 5 years. I use it for big batches of cookie dough, medium sized batches of bread and pizza dough (high-hydration ... nothing terribly difficult), ice cream churning and meat grinding. It's loud, and the guts are not especially high precision, but it's been completely reliable. I'd recommend the 7qt to anyone doing lots of stiff bread dough.

[lindag]

"... and also when you have to scrape down the sides mid-way through mixing, it is more difficult to work around the beaters. 

(I saw this illustrated recently on America's Test Kitchen, when Bridget had to scrape down the sides of the bowl while using a tilt-head KA and it appeared very awkward.) 

I would think that the optional Side Swipe or Metro beater blades would solve that problem.

I've used both in my mixer and of the two, the Side Swipe is much, much more efficient.

[Edward J]

The new 7qt KA is probably the burliest mixer they've ever made. It has a motor and gear box design that's closer to the non-KA hobarts in many ways. It uses electronic speed control like the other KA mixers....

 

 

I dunno about that.  The n-50 Hobart--well actually ALL Hobarts and clones use a 3 spd gearbox, no electronic speed control.  The only commercial mixer I've seen that didn't have a 3 or a 4 speed gear box is the "Bear vario-mixer" which uses a belt and two pulleys that can be adjusted in diameter to allow speed changes while the mixer is running, all the commercial 3 spds have to be shut down before changing gears. 

 

I've got a "Costco special", a 5 qt "professional HD"  Kitchen aid at work.   Had it for 7 years now, and use it daily for doughs, small bread batches, grinding dried fruit, and the really tough one is Italian nougat, you can hear the motor bog down when the meringue stiffens up, but it has never failed me yet.  But I use the mixer especially for panning chocolate covered nuts.  The nut pan is basically two large (14" dia) bowls that clip together, one bowl has a shaft welded on to the back and is inserted in the shaft drive of the mixer, the other bowl has a hole cut into the bottom.  The two bowls are clipped together, inserted into the mixer, the mixer set on a special tilted stand, run on slow speed, filled 1/4 full with nuts, and layer after layer of chocolate is ladled in.  This procedure goes on for hours at end, and several days per week.

[paulraphael]

Edward, I was trying to say that the 7qt is close to the hobarts except that it has electronic speed control (rather than a multispeed gear box).

 

And by close, I just mean that it has a big motor, good quality gears, and real bearings.

[andiesenji]

In case any EG members might be collecting vintage KA mixers or know someone who does, I will be putting my 1955 Copper  K 3 C up on ebay in a couple of days.

 

I just published a post about it, with several photos, on my blog. 

[lindag]

andie,

Have you tried any of the aftermarket mixer blades?  I bought the one made for my 5-qt. lift model and it almost entirely eliminates the scraping down.  Well worth the price.

[andiesenji]

andie,

Have you tried any of the aftermarket mixer blades?  I bought the one made for my 5-qt. lift model and it almost entirely eliminates the scraping down.  Well worth the price.

???

I don't know which post you are replying to.

I have several of the aftermarket beater blades - I don't think I have missed a single one that fits my 6-quart KA.

[dr_justice]

I almost bought a KA mixer but I started to read about the reliability issues and the fact that the plastic cover kept cracking.

 

But then I've read that KA has been shipping metal covers for free to those who have had a plastic one crack.

 

So for 2014 models -- does anyone know if KA have finally sorted out the problem with the gear housing cover that kept breaking?   I know they were problematic a few years ago, but surely they've sorted it out if the replacement parts are now made of metal?

[lindag]

???

I don't know which post you are replying to.

I have several of the aftermarket beater blades - I don't think I have missed a single one that fits my 6-quart KA.

Sorry for not being more specific; it was an older post of yours that I was reading.

I am using the Sideswipe blade which is made for most every size of Kitchenaid. Do they not make one to fit your machine?

[andiesenji]

Sorry for not being more specific; it was an older post of yours that I was reading.

I am using the Sideswipe blade which is made for most every size of Kitchenaid. Do they not make one to fit your machine?

Yes.  I have a Sideswipe, a Beater Blade, a Metro and the KA Flex Edge, all for the 6 qt pro.

 

I also have a Pourfect Whisk-a-Bowl, which seems to have been discontinued for the 6-qt but it works great for me.

[paulraphael]

Yes.  I have a Sideswipe, a Beater Blade, a Metro and the KA Flex Edge, all for the 6 qt pro.

 

Preference?

 

I like the beater blade so much I haven't used the original attachment in years, except for abusive things like crushing little rocks of brown sugar. But I haven't tried the others.

[Mottmott]

I still have (and use) my 1961 tilt top wedding present KA. It' went across the country with my son when he was in college and came back sans glass bowl, so now has a stainless bowl. (I took the KA back: - he didn't deserve it, having treated it so carelessly. ) --and I did have some minor repair done on the motor.

 

In the 70's, I added the larger handlle/bowl model (5-6 qt?) which is IMO a better bet to use if you do much bread making. Luckily, this, too, is Hobart made and not plastic.

 

Over the years I've used them both for the usual cake, cookies, bread.  Fortunately I got a grinder back in the day they were metal. I no longer buy store ground meats and this makes it a snap to grind my own.  I also got the pasta extruder disks which is supposed to work with the grinder, but I did not find them satisfactory. The pasta rollers however, is superb.

 

I must say for those who are just now outfitting their kitchens, it might be worthwhile seeking out the old Hobart made KA's and KA grinders. Mine are over 50 and 40 years old. While it might be nice to have one in cheery pink or fire engine red instead of boring old white, I wouldn't trade my oh so dependable antiques for the new pretty plastic ones.

 

 

[lindag]

I still have (and use) my 1961 tilt top wedding present KA. It' went across the country with my son when he was in college and came back sans glass bowl, so now has a stainless bowl. (I took the KA back: - he didn't deserve it, having treated it so carelessly. ) --and I did have some minor repair done on the motor.

 

Interesting. I got a Hobart-made Kitchenaid 4.5 qt. mixer as a wedding present in 1968. I was disappointed that it wasn't suitable for making bread, however. So, in the mid 70's I purchased their 5-qt. model that I still own and use today. What a wonderful machine! Such a shame that those mixers are no longer made by Hobart. I wouldn't trade mine for anything. I've been using it all these years and it's never needed service. For bread-making these days, though I tend to use my Zojirushi Bread Maker to do all my kneading, it's just so convenient to do it that way. So my mixer gets a rest from that.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Does anyone have experience with the KSM8990?  I'm interested in a larger mixer to replace my KSM50P.  The KSM50P is too small to work with my KSM1CBL bowl.  The KSM1CBL is stated to work with the 7 quart home mixers ("KSM75XX").  However KitchenAid support was unable to tell me anything about the KitchenAid commercial mixers.

 

The 8 quart uses the same accessories as the 7 quart commercial mixer (which apparently is no longer manufactured).  I suspect it is the same mixer with a different bowl.

 

I have written the commercial division of KitchenAid with my question but so far no answer and the phone line gives only a recorded message.

 

One reviewer stated the bowl from her older KitchenAid 6 quart mixer was the same diameter as the KSM8990 8 quart bowl.

 

Before anyone asks, the reason I would be willing to spend a bit extra for the KSM8990 rather than one of the 7 quart KitchenAid home mixers is because of the stackable bowl design and the stainless steel accessories.  The orange cord is nice but I am not running a business.

 

Speaking of bowls, I can't find one of my KitchenAid 5 quart bowls that do not stack.  This is a one bedroom apartment and there are only so many places it can hide.

 

I was amused that kitchenaidcommercial offers only two products:  the KSM8990 and an immersion blender.

 

[radtek]

Looks like a solid mixer. I have the 600 Professional and a 6qt bowl. The 8qt looks the same but taller, I guess to accommodate the extra 2 quarts.

 

Sometimes in a situation like this I like to find an example locally to research and get an up close view first before pulling the trigger online. Saved myself some costly mistakes.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I don't have a vehicle and there are no known KitchenAid stores in walking distance, or I would.  Even so, I doubt any of the shops I know of would carry the KSM8990.

 

Still no word back from KitchenAid on my question.

[paulraphael]

According to KA specs, it looks like the same motor/transmission as the 7 quart "pro line" consumer mixer. Which makes it radically different from previous KA designs. I've had a pro-600 for years and like it very much, but these newer mixers have a much larger, heavier duty motor that runs very quietly. The interior design of the pro-line and the commercial 8-qt is more like what you'd see in a Hobart mixer (minus the multispeed transmission). I'd expect these mixers to be able to handle the kinds of heavy, low-hydration bread dough tasks that cause problems for the older designs.

 

Edited to add: KA refurbs are a great value. If you use the mixer a lot you'll uncover any problems well within the 6-month warranty period.

 

Annoying that the consumer versions don't come with the stackable bowl. The consumer bowl also has a rolled lip at the rim, which I'm betting disqualifies it from NSF approval (harder to clean). 

Edited June 16, 2015 by paulraphael (log)

[Franci]

I have the KSM8990, bought from the webstaurant store. So far so good. I also bought a 5 QT bowl to go with it for when I need to mix a small quantity. I stack the 8Qt and 5 Qt bowl but if you ask me to compare it to another kitchen aid, I cannot answer, I never owned a KA before (Delonghi, Bosch).

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Webstaurant has the KSM8990 on sale at the moment for $545.99.  But they do not stock the KSM8990 and they are not sure when it would ship, plus it might not be cancelable or returnable.  Since I am not at all sure the KSM8990 will work with my bowl, this could be an issue.

 

Amazon has the KSM8990 for about $100 more than webstaurant, but it would get here in two days -- including amazon's 30 day A-Z guarantee.  What to do?

[radtek]

I love the way they can have something on sale yet not stock it...

 

Sounds problematic from the start, and what will $100 buy these days anyway? Perhaps peace of mind and better service.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Well, I ordered from the amazon vendor.  The mixer arrived this evening.  First the good news:  the KSM1CB Precise Heat Mixing Bowl actually fits on the KSM8990 mixer!  I was so worried that it might not be the right size.  No one at KitchenAid had been able to tell me.

 

But the bad news:  the bowl clearance adjustment on the KSM8990 does not have enough range to keep the beaters from hitting the bowl.  I tried the bowl that came with the KSM8990 as well as the KSM1CB bowl.  KitchenAid was willing to replace the unit under warrantee but they quoted 7 to 10 day delivery.  In the end I used the amazon return because I can get a replacement in a couple days.  I also saw a white unit is a few dollars less expensive.

 

Other than the fact my KSM8990 was defective, I was rather pleased with it.  The bowl and the attachments seem very well made.  I prefer the J handle to the U shaped handle on the home mixers.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Update:  the new KSM8990 mixer arrived, and the old one left tonight.  So far so good, as Franci might say.  I'm not sure I can quite imagine a use for an 8 quart bowl, but I have a 5 quart on its way to arrive tomorrow.  The question now is where to store the bowls.  I have a spare bowl for my older KitchenAid, and wherever that bowl is is probably a good spot.  But I have to find it first.

 

Almost makes me want to actually mix something.

[donk79]

If you ever wanted to see a new KitchenAid given a thorough going through of its innards, check out this video.  This guy is as full of malapropisms as he is of experience in teardowns, and manufacturing knowledge.  He also is not always g-rated in the language, but never in a way that I personally have found offensive.  But if you are easily offended, warned.  Anyway, the video is about 45 minutes, and I am not all the way through yet, but I suspect many others here will appreciate  some deeper knowledge about the what is inside these machines.