Stand Mixers - help please!

I’ve never owned a stand mixer and now that I’ve been getting into baking it’s become a necessity.

I was originally looking at the KitchenAid Pro 600 and the Cuisinart 7qt. models, but the more I think about it, I think those models might be overkill for me. I’ll be using the mixer for pizza dough, cookies, pastry dough, and bread. I would like to get into whole grain bread making, so that is my only concern of going with a “lesser” model.

I found this a refurbished KA 5qt Pro model for $169.99:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/KitchenAid+-+Factory-Refurbished+Stand+Mixer+-+White/9632165.p?id=1218135723857&skuId=9632165" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Considering that I also have a gift card at Best Buy which would mean this will cost me nothing, is there any reason I shouldn’t pull the trigger on this machine?

Free is a VERY good price for that mixer. Were you actually paying for it, I’d suggest you seriously consider the Cuisinart because of the processor attachment (so it’s a two-fer almost) but you just can’t beat that deal.

I can’t comment on the Cuisinart because I’ve never used one of their stand mixers. My 5qt KA is close to 15 yrs old, and even though I completely neglect any form of maintenance other than basic cleaning, it’s going strong.

That said, I’d give the KA Pro 600 serious consideration if you want to make bread. The 5qt is great for cookies, cakes, pastry, and even occasional candy-making, but I find that it struggles with hardcore bread dough and actually shuffles across the counter. Kind of scary when you consider it’s a 25 lb appliance. I don’t make a ton of bread, but if I did, I’d probably upgrade to a stand mixer with a more powerful motor than the one in the 5qt.

I have a Kitchen Aid K5SS I bought in 1986. It still works great, even for bread & pizza doughs.

Whatever mixer you buy, I recommend getting a second bowl.

Thanks everyone!

Melissa - is your 5qt a Pro line or Artisan Series?

Poppy, if bread is your thing, and that certainly is what gives the machines a workout - do some research on the gears.

KA moved to nylon gears on some of their lines from metal gears. It’s an issue under hard continual labor like bread making.

I’d likely consider buying from Costco due to the implicit lifetime guarantee.

I would trust The Freak on all things concerning Nylon and Latex. neener

Thanks, Chris! I have done the research and the gears for the Pro lines are all metal. I hadn’t thought about the guarantee with Costco. They do have a very similar model to what I was looking at and it currently has a rebate offer, along with a free food grinder or slicer attachment. I’m going to have to really mull this over. The big question then becomes, “What do I get at Best Buy with my gift card?” Their prices suck and everything I keep thinking of that I need is ridiculously cheaper elsewhere. Sigh.

I use the food grinder for hamburger, which obviously won’t be of any use to you. For other out there, it works like a charm turning various cuts into really freakin’ good burgers.

Love my KA stand mixer have all the attachment and even though i had a cubby built especially for the storage of the mixer I always seem to have it out making pasta, bread or grinding meat. Very very good machine and I think I got the last year they used the metal gears. I can say this may be the best machine I own. Go for it

+1 – go for the Pro 600, you won’t be sorry. You will need a smaller bowl that you can buy separately if you want to mix small amounts.

Always been happy with my KitchenAid. Big pro’s are the wide assortment of attachments available because of their market share. No chance of buying an orphan product and you can find attachments at a variety of outlets from outlets to garage sales.

I would agree about getting the larger model for big time bread making but my strategy because of your situation would be:

Get the free mixer. Use it abuse it learn it. If you really really get into large volumes of bread, it has an intrinsic value and you could sell it on craig’s list and use that money towards the big mixer, knowing any attachment you bought would still be useful. Or keep it and make it easy to do a couple of different batches of bread at the same time.

Thanks for all the advice! I ordered the refurbished model from Best Buy. I thought long and hard about getting the one at Costco, but I couldn’t find anything else to get at Best Buy with my gift card and couldn’t justify not using it.

Right now, we are merely a household of two. We don’t plan on having a large family, so I don’t see myself making huge quantities of bread. We do host pizza parties and can make 5-6 pies at a time, but I’ll just make two batches as I always have. I just hope that this “Pro” model can stand up to the occasional whole-grain loaf I make.


Another question though: Are the pasta attachments any good?

I’m single and LOVE my KitchenAid. I do use my meat grinder, sausage-stuffer, dough hook, and ice cream attachment.

But I’m not that thrilled with the pasta attachments – I like the cheaper hand-crank versions because you can have more control over the speed at which you run the dough through it.

That’s the only issue with the pasta attachment. It works too well. Trying to keep up if you’re making pasta by yourself will remind you of Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory.

Love the pasta rollers. Perhaps the key to using them efficiently is to have plenty of workspace clear and ready to receive the sheets of dough. Gave our hand-cranked Atlas away…

And yes, the meat grinder rocks for making fresh hamburg.

Great analogy. That was why I didn’t care for it; I like to take things like that a little more slowly. When I had that much pasta coming through, I had too much breakage because I couldn’t control it and was dealing with more pasta than I could handle.

Caveat: I was doing this alone. I am sure having an extra set of hands would make all this easier.

This aftermarket blade for the KA is a great addition. It does a much better job than the stock blade. It does put more of a load on the motor, but used in moderation the load is not a problem. Once you use this, you will never go back.

http://www.sideswipeblade.com/solution.html

When I try to make dough with more than 500g of flour, my KA tries to eject the dough from the bowl. I’d like to make larger batches for pizza dough. Does anyone here have one of the larger KA models? I see they have an 8 quart model.

Hi Tim,

I have this one. I love it. I never have issues with dough making.

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Professional-Stand-Mixer-Red/dp/B0026C8J9Y/ref=asc_df_B0026C8J9Y/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343238601593&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7608094707160035135&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023038&hvtargid=pla-772468018942&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=68535637629&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343238601593&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7608094707160035135&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023038&hvtargid=pla-772468018942