KitchenAid stand mixers

[Twofingerlou]

Who has one and did you end up buying more attachments for the PTO and find quite a bit of uses for it?

I’m just wondering if it might sit more than not for someone that doesn’t really bake.

I saw a YouTube video of a guy shredding his pork butt he smoked to make pulled pork with one and that blade attachment, that’s what kinda peaked my interests. I hate using the meat claws ect.

I see they have a meat grinder and cheese shredder, just didn’t know how well some of these attachments work.

Thoughts?

 

[drumtime]

I use one all the time. We have the grater thing and a grain mill. I want the pasta maker. Ours is the basic model, and IMO it could be a bit more durable. Maybe the next model up would be. Anyway, I use it a lot, but I cook a lot too.

 

[ElJay370]

All I can say is that it’s a very well made piece of hardware. Expensive, but will likely outlast every other appliance in your kitchen.

We’ve only used ours to make cakes and cookies, but I imagine it would be useful for many other things

 

[Harry Styron]

We’ve had one for 30 years. We used it a lot when we had kids at home and made biscuits, bread and cookies. We rarely make or eat baked goods now.

 

[Twofingerlou]

I use one all the time. We have the grater thing and a grain mill. I want the pasta maker. Ours is the basic model, and IMO it could be a bit more durable. Maybe the next model up would be. Anyway, I use it a lot, but I cook a lot too.

I see the classic is about 250$ at Walmart and then the next one the artisan? Is 350$. I think the more pricey one has a bigger motor, wasn’t sure if it would be worth the extra money or not.

 

[Peegoo]

They are less of an appliance and more of a 'shop tool'. Very robust and decently made. They are heavy. The big drawback is their size and the the attachments for it that eat up valuable storage real estate.

If you have off-counter storage for it and all its a-cooter-ments, by all means get one if you will use it at least once a month.

For a small kitchen, however, these sorts of specialized appliances take up a lot of space. If you already have limited counter space and limited cabinet storage, your situation will just get worse with one of these things added to the pile.

 

[Peegoo]

Wanna see how it's made? Look here...this guy usually reviews tools, and he does not mince words when manufacturers cheap out.

But be warned: sometimes the language this Canuckistanian uses might ruffle the feathers of sensitive types.

 

[Twofingerlou]

They are less of an appliance and more of a 'shop tool'. Very robust and decently made. They are heavy. The big drawback is their size and the the attachments for it that eat up valuable storage real estate.

If you have off-counter storage for it and all its a-cooter-ments, by all means get one if you will use it at least once a month.

For a small kitchen, however, these sorts of specialized appliances take up a lot of space. If you already have limited counter space and limited cabinet storage, your situation will just get worse with one of these things added to the pile.

I need to dig deeper and see more of the attachment options. The initial mixer cost isn’t cheap but it’s seems they last unlike most appliances these days. So more than not it’s an investment.

 

[Twofingerlou]

Wanna see how it's made? Look here...this guy usually reviews tools, and he does not mince words when manufacturers cheap out.

But be warned: sometimes the language this Canuckistanian uses might ruffle the feathers of sensitive types.

Thanks I’ll watch that in a bit.

 

[Milspec]

I have had one for the last 30 years with many attachments. I actually went through school to become a Chef in what feels like a lifetime ago so I did use it a lot for a few years. These days, the microwave is used far more...pathetic, yet true.

If you do not bake much, you will likely use it once and never again.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

My partner bakes quite a bit, so she uses hers enough to justify owning one. I do have the meat grinder attachment, and it works well enough. I might use the meat grinder once a year, sometimes more, sometimes less.

We have a hand cranked pasta maker, which we use about as often as I use the meat grinder.

If you bake a lot it is a good investment. They are well made machines. But like @Peegoo said, there is a lot of real estate that is taken up with one.

I do love to bbq, but I have never used the Kitchen Aid to pull my pork. Cripes, even saying that sounds dirty. I'll keep doing it by hand. Somehow that doesn't sound any better.

 

[Engine Swap]

When my dad passed, my wife had the good sense to call “dibs” on his KitchenAid mixer. She uses it quite a bit for baking, especially breads.

 

[Hey_you]

I bought a Pro model a few years back. Was priced where it was hard to pass by. I use it for pizza and cookie dough. Makes it so easy! Never bought attachments, tho I took a look at the pasta one.
Once I thought it was leaking excessive grease. It really wasn't. I called customer service. They sent me a new one and asked that I use the box to send mine in. WHAT? No CC needed or something? Wow. I was impressed. And, I got the color I wanted too.

 

[beep.click]

I got the meat grinder attachment so I can make hamloaf (Google that if unfamiliar).

 

[G&Lplayer]

I have my late mother’s mixer, the one I used at home in the 1970’s. Still running strong. I make Italian and breakfast sausage with the grinder attachment as needed, maybe 6-9 times a year. Use the pasta maker once in a while. My wife and son both bake and we use it to make whipped cream and various other things. So to answer the question, ours is used weekly, this time of year even more.

 

[imwjl]

My wife has worn out at least 5 in 33 years and switched to Breville, and a different machine for grinding. It sounds crazy to some but this house always has a whole lot of baking and cooking going on.

Hobart has been suggested but is physically bigger than Kitchen Aid an Breville machines.

 

[Bob Womack]

I bought my lovely wife her KitchenAid as an anniversary present way back in 1985. My mother-in-law gave me wicked looks for an entire day over that present. She lived by the motto, "Never give a lady kitchen tools as a gift." What she didn't know was that her daughter loves to bake and cook more than anything in the world, except dogs and perhaps me. She has cherished that big old mixer for thirty-five years at this point and it is doing fine. In fact, I've bought her accessories such as specialty bowls and dough hooks for birthdays and Christmases ever since. I do the maintenance myself because I am mechanically skilled. There has been very little maintenance, mostly adjustment and new rubber feet. My wife LOVES that mixer. She gives it a little pat and tells me how much she loves it just about every time she bakes.

Oh, and my mother-in-law? After seeing how much my wife loved her KitchenAid, a couple of years later the MIL treated herself to one. She has since passed and the mixer went to my lovely daughter-in-law. Both of them have worked that mixer pretty hard so I've had to do more maintenance for it.

We have never bought anything for the power take off. I've offered, she's declined. Apparently she loves it too much to give it extra work. Strange but true.

Free advice:
1. They were built heavier back when and they've since created a cheaper line that isn't nearly as robust, so don't cheap out on whatever version you buy. However, though more expensive, the type where the bowl is cranked up to the mixer by a lift rather than the having mixer tip back also has a cheap version, so find the more expensive one of each model.
2. The transmission between the motor and the blade mount and PTO is intentionally designed in nylon as a sacrificial element. If you overload the sucker, the transmission will typically strip out and fail, saving the motor from overheating. You can fairly easily replace it.
3. Virtually EVERY part for the mixers is available. The brand was originally started by Hobart Commercial Restaurant Products as their home version of their famous heavy-duty mixers. The brand has since been sold to Whirlpool, but Whirlpool has wisely continued the tradition of supplying parts, allowing these mixers to be maintained virtually forever.
4. There are service people out there who will gladly repair your KitchenAid. There's also a guy called Mr. Mixer who runs a YouTube Channel about repairing them HERE and a repair service and parts shop HERE as well.



Bob

 

[Twofingerlou]

I bought my lovely wife her KitchenAid as an anniversary present way back in 1985. My mother-in-law gave me wicked looks for an entire day over that present. She lived by the motto, "Never give a lady kitchen tools as a gift." What she didn't know was that her daughter loves to bake and cook more than anything in the world, except dogs and perhaps me. She has cherished that big old mixer for thirty-five years at this point and it is doing fine. In fact, I've bought her accessories such as specialty bowls and dough hooks for birthdays and Christmases ever since. I do the maintenance myself because I am mechanically skilled. There has been very little maintenance, mostly adjustment and new rubber feet. My wife LOVES that mixer. She gives it a little pat and tells me how much she loves it just about every time she bakes.

Oh, and my mother-in-law? After seeing how much my wife loved her KitchenAid, a couple of years later the MIL treated herself to one. She has since passed and the mixer went to my lovely daughter-in-law. Both of them have worked that mixer pretty hard so I've had to do more maintenance for it.

We have never bought anything for the power take off. I've offered, she's declined. Apparently she loves it too much to give it extra work. Strange but true.

Free advice:
1. They were built heavier back when and they've since created a cheaper line that isn't nearly as robust, so don't cheap out on whatever version you buy. However, though more expensive, the type where the bowl is cranked up to the mixer by a lift rather than the having mixer tip back also has a cheap version, so find the more expensive one of each model.
2. The transmission between the motor and the blade mount and PTO is intentionally designed in nylon as a sacrificial element. If you overload the sucker, the transmission will typically strip out and fail, saving the motor from overheating. You can fairly easily replace it.
3. Virtually EVERY part for the mixers is available. The brand was originally started by Hobart Commercial Restaurant Products as their home version of their famous heavy-duty mixers. The brand has since been sold to Whirlpool, but Whirlpool has wisely continued the tradition of supplying parts, allowing these mixers to be maintained virtually forever.
4. There are service people out there who will gladly repair your KitchenAid. There's also a guy called Mr. Mixer who runs a YouTube Channel about repairing them HERE and a repair service and parts shop HERE as well.



Bob

Thanks for all the advice!!

 

[DougieLove]

We've had ours for close to 20 years now. The thing is a tank. We don't use it that often, maybe once a week, but it's comforting to know we have it and it will work when we need it to.

 

[Marc Morfei]

My wife uses it all the time. She loves it.