help me invest in a food processor/mixer combo: KA, Bosch, Braun?

[yitlan]

My tiny fp died. As much as I cook, dh says we should invest in something that will last forever. I think a mixer/fp combo would be great.
The Bosch intrigues me, but I won't use this for bread all that much. I do no-knead bread and can't see using a mixer for that.
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/Bos...MUM6N10UC.aspx

For those with Kitchen Aid systems, do the veggie choppers/slicers/graters work well and are they easy to set up? I do a lot of veggie ferments, salsas, purees. This is what I'd use it for most.
Are Vikings comparable? http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/vik...rt_mixers.aspx

This one interests me, but I'm not sure it will be big enough:
http://www.amazon.com/Braun-K650-Com...sr=8-1-catcorr

We have a blender, but I can see adding a blender attachment to the Bosch in the future. Appreciate any and all advice!

[yitlan]

Any experience with a MagiMix: http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/...teme-5150.aspx

[Owen'nZoe]

I have the Bosch kitchen machine with the mixer, blender and shredder/slicer attachment. I do not have the food processor attachment.

I love it as a blender and mixer. Once you get used to the orbital mixer, it works wonderfully. I use it for whipping cream, making butter, baking cakes and cookies, and kneading bread. It does well with any of these. And the blender has worked great for everything I've used it for (mostly for making soups, hummus, smoothies, and bread crumbs). I love how much less space it takes than an individual mixer, blender, and shredder/slicer would. I also love that, unlike a KA, I can put the whole thing in one of my kitchen cabinets, and I don't have to have it out on the counter all the time.

I am less thrilled with the shredder/slicer. It works fine, I guess, and if I need to grate a huge amount of stuff, I'll use it, but it is kind of a pain to set it up and clean it - I'd rather just pull out my food mill, manual grater, or knife.

[NaturallyKait]

I don't have any fancy attachments yet, but I love my KitchenAid mixer. I just got it for Christmas and I swear it's my favourite thing in the world still.

[cristeen]

Do you want a mixer that chops or a chopper that mixes? The Viking is beautiful, and you can add a blender attachment at a later date. I have the 5 qt, but I really recommend you get the 7 if you have or plan to have a family. And get a spare mixing bowl, too.

It also has attachments available for a food mill, a grinder/stuffer and a pasta maker in addition to the blender and chopper.

Personally I like the Viking better than the KAs that I've used. It has a lower profile, and seems more sturdy/hefty. It is a little more difficult to add ingredients to than the KA, but IMO it does a more thorough job of mixing, and the pour shield resolves the ingredient problem.

[yitlan]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Do you want a mixer that chops or a chopper that mixes? The Viking is beautiful, and you can add a blender attachment at a later date.

I guess I want a chopper that mixes, since I do more chopping and pureeing but would like to do some mixing/beating/whipping now and then. The Braun is appealing to me more and more, esp. with it's great reviews. Just wish it held more. Actually, I'd LOVE their multisystem, but it's not available in the US:
http://www.braun.com/global/househol...ltisystem.html

I'll look into the viking and accessories. Thanks!

[redvlagrl]

I love my Braun FP, but it's not a mixer. I'd quite like to get a KA mixer as a compliment.

The Braun FP is WONDERFUL, though and you almost never have to scrape down the sides. It shreds/grates/slices really well too and my first batch of Sauerkraut turned out really well - it does it quite finely and doesn't bruise stuff too much.

[allnaturalmom]

I know this is an older post from a few months back, but I am curious to know what you ended up getting! And are you happy w/it? Do you like it? I'm in the same boat!

[yitlan]

I decided that I did, in fact, need a processor that does some mixing. I decided on the Magimix, thanks to a large subsidy from my MIL! Instead of getting it from Chefs, we used NapaStyle b/c there were a few freebies thrown in:
http://www.napastyle.com/catalog/pro...productId=3434
But it's backordered til next month! So I'll try to post a review after I get it. There is one similar from Cuisinart at Chefs, too, that I considered.

[allnaturalmom]

Did you get it? Do you like it?

[yitlan]

Yes and yes! It's great as a FP and great as a mixer, too. But remember, I've never had a mixer so am not comparing it to a KA. I've made biscuit and bread dough, cookie dough and more. Pesto, salsa, too. Really enjoying it!