Any Kitchenaid stand mixer owners?

Homebrewtastic said:

Rarely does a day go by that I don't use mine. I freaking love it. The first one I had burned out but kitchenaid has great customer service. They shipped a brand new one for free and free shipping. My favorite attachment is the food grinder (homemade sausage ftw). But more than anything I use it to knead bread. Best kitchen investment I've ever made. Period.

Also I'm a professional chef if that helps validate my opinion of it.

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Which model burned up?

passedpawn said:

Which model burned up?

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It was the basic smaller model. But the one they sent to replace it has lasted five years of very heavy use.

Homebrewtastic said:

It was the basic smaller model. But the one they sent to replace it has lasted five years of very heavy use.

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I think that's the "Artisan" model, 325W motor. It does everything I want it to do (bread, sausage, etc).

A lot of the mixers have a plastic gear in the drivetrain to prevent motor damage. We use our kitchenaid A LOT and we have stripped the gear twice. I can disassemble and reassemble the unit really fast now lol

I bought one for my wife for Christmas this year. Yes I bought it for the wife honestly it was her present. I got mine (hers) from an outlet it was a refurbished model but it works great I need to get more stuff for it but I cannot decide if I want all sorts of attachments or if I want to get the old fashion hand crank models of pasta mill and meat grinder.

I bought a KitchenAid Professional 6, about 12 or 13 years ago. Thought it would help me with making sourdough levan. At the time I was making a lot of bread each week and thnking of opening my own bakery.

The mixer did help very much but I lost interest in bread making. The kneading was very therapeutic, the machine made it a lot easier and for whatever reason that made bread making less of an outlet.

I have used it in the last few years. My wife makes frosting with it, can't remember what it's called, marsmellow, powdered sugar.. Fondunt? She use to make by hand but the KitchenAid mixer is much easier for her.

snccoulter said:

I bought one for my wife for Christmas this year. Yes I bought it for the wife honestly it was her present. I got mine (hers) from an outlet it was a refurbished model but it works great I need to get more stuff for it but I cannot decide if I want all sorts of attachments or if I want to get the old fashion hand crank models of pasta mill and meat grinder.

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Get the meat grinder attachment...

I've used it to grind meats to make sausages as well as grind the beef cuts for things like chili or my pasta sauce. I can't locate my attachment, so I had to use my stand-alone grinder last time. Used the coarse disc (largest holes in it) to grind up to make taco's and then burger patties. Meat from that cooked up so much nicer for taco's (didn't clump up like what you get from the grocery store) and I had a couple of the burgers for dinner tonight.

Just be smart when you're using the meat grinder. Depending on which motor you have, don't send too hard of stuff through it (or for too long). I actually burned out the motor in my first mixer (Artisan 325W I believe) after grinding, and then stuffing, about 30-40# of sausages (over about 6-7 batches). The mixer was still under warranty (had a couple of weeks left) and Kitchenaid simply replaced it with a brand new one, no questions asked. They even issued a pickup for the one I destroyed.

Not sure if I'll use that attachment [often] on my new mixer (pro series, 575W, 6 quart bowl) but it's nice having the option. I suspect my new mixer will have less issue with grinding meat than the first one.

I heartily second the meat grinder. we also have the pasta roller/cutter set and its great too

I have the meat grinder with the food strainer attachment...makes applesauce a breeze!

KA Pro 600 gear repair

http://youtu.be/lsbgUHAGWX4

Bought mine from my aunt on her Garage sale about 5 years ago. At that time it was about 10 yrs old. Like others said..bulletproof. I know its the wrong time of year for garage sales but to save some $$ that's the best way to get one. Just make sure it works before buying.

I would recommend the factory refurbished mixer. I have had mine for 7 years and no problems. Looked like new when I got it. I also recommend the larger mixer. Not sure on the actual size but the one where the bowl lifts to the mixer rather than the head tilt.

Just got a Kitchenaid Artisan a couple days ago.

For years I'd convinced myself I would hold out for a Hobart N-50 ... but at around between 2x (used) to 8x the cost, I finally just got the Kitchenaid.

Years ago I remember how nice the big commercial Hobarts were at the restaurant ... of course a machine like that has always cost as much as a new mid-priced car. Not that a high capacity commercial unit was ever a consideration now.

I figured I would be using it for mostly dough, that was my thinking. But actually, the Kitchenaid will be much more versatile.


fwiw ..
http://mixer-review.toptenreviews.com/

I always wanted a Hobart, too, but only managed to talk my wife into a KA after an extensive sales effort. So, unless someone just gives me a Hobart, or I find one at a yard sale or something, there's pretty much no chance of us getting one.

We've had that one for about 7 years now and it's stood up extremely well. Mostly I make dough in it, although I do other stuff as well. I made cookies last night, in fact.

I've never really had any interest in all the attachments, though. My roommate had a huge set of them years ago, but most of them were pretty awkward to use compared to the "real" device they were meant to replace. Also, they KA attachment isn't usually much of a savings over getting the dedicated device they are meant to replace. That's another thing where maybe if you see a fantastic deal it would be worth it, but not if you're paying retail.

Ours is 15 years old and well used.... Only problem is a vibration it developed after walking off the counter neading dough one day a few years back...one heck of a dent in my 110 year old old-growth wood floor!

A year ago I had a drop of oil appear, where accessories attach, while making bread dough. Wasn't covered in the manual so I emailed KA.

Their response was, that in my case, it was the grease separating from light use. The fix is to run the mixer on high speed for two minutes each week to recombine the grease.

I bought the SWMBO a Professional 6 qt bowl lift a few years ago.

She loves it. I love it. We use it for everything.

Best thing I have bought for it is the scraper blade.

Check Ebay if your going to buy one, seriously tons of remans or even NIB for way less. Definitely want the bigger models too, I'd say 6 quart.

We have two, an artisan that we used for 13 years, it still works fine and we still use it if needed. I bought my wife the professional series back in April, we had to send it back because it was making a terrible noise. Kitchen Aid service was great, they sent her a new one with a shipping label to send back the broken one no questions asked.

For attachments we have the grinder/stuffer, 2 ice cream makers, pasta rollers and cutters, slicer/grater... there is a few I am forgetting but those are the ones we use most often.

If you can afford it go with the professional series.

Just got the Ultra Power 4.5 (225 after MIR) Only used twice but way better than mixing pizza or noodle dough by hand.
Walmart has the Classic for 200 in store.
Gonna pick up the sausage attachment this week (Walmart in store) and give that a whirl next weekend.
Hey supermodels use them so they gotta be good http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you...l-Karlie-Kloss-proving-one-clever-kookie.html

I use the meat grinder and sausage stuffer the most. She uses it to bake. I make Kielbasa, Summer Sausage, Snack Sticks, Brats, etc, etc.


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