Urgent! I need a stand mixer... but which one?

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post #1 of 11

8/31/12 at 6:19pm

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119 Posts. Joined 7/2008
Location: Sacramento, CA
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After much agonizing I decided to not replace my dead bread machine and instead would like a stand mixer. They are very expensive though and after a week of reading reviews on various sites I'm more confused than ever. I want it primarily to knead different types of bread dough... which brand and model is strong enough for this without spending a lot if possible? I've read a lot of conflicting opinions.

And of course I'd like to take advantage of any labor day sales which is why I titled the post urgent :)

I was able to use mine daily to make 'heavy' dough. (Right now my 'baby' is in storage while my life is in limbo). The bread hook is a blessing and really made things come together. I never heard the motor strain, the bowl was excellent sized for the largest recipes. I LOVE THIS MACHINE and it was worth every penny! Keep in mind its super heavy so don't plan on moving it once you plant it on the counter.

The cherry red color is an extra bonus IMO - of course they have a billion colors to choose from - tangerine was my second choice.

post #5 of 11

8/31/12 at 9:39pm

2,892 Posts. Joined 4/2009
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Ooh, tangerine!

Ahem, back to the question. We love our KitchenAid artisan mixer as well. I don't make bread every week, although I hope to start soon. But I have made bread in it with no problems. In fact I have a double batch (8 cups of flour) of dough for bagels rising as I type. It's a fairly stiff dough and the mixer had no problems. Im pretty sure 8 cups of flour is its maximum capacity for kneading though.

P.S. Ours is Boysenberry but I would have had a hard time going past Raspberry if it had been available when we bought it :-)

post #6 of 11

9/1/12 at 4:04am

3,130 Posts. Joined 10/2006
Location: Boston, MA
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I killed an Artisan with bagel dough. I didn't even use it as often as some of you seem to. I have th 6 qt. "Professional" model now, and I am convinced it would die in an actual commercial kitchen. It does okay for me as long as I stay under max capacity and keep an eye on how hot the motor is getting. I suspect that if i'd known to do that with my Artisan, it would have held up better.

post #7 of 11

9/1/12 at 5:26am

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Kitchen Aide Artisan Mixer- my grandma had one for 28 years and made bread every week. My stepmom has had hers for 20 years. I've had mine for 8 years and make bread about once a week.

They are amazing.

post #8 of 11

9/1/12 at 9:05am

3,130 Posts. Joined 10/2006
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One important thing to know about KitchenAids is that they switched motors in the late 80s or early 90s. So your grandma's KitchenAid is likely to be considerably sturdier then yours. If you have (or can get your hands on) a vintage one from before the switch, hold onto it!

I can't recall who made the motors before, but the current ones are not as good.

post #9 of 11

9/1/12 at 10:21am

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Thank you all. I wish I could get one of the older ones but I haven't had any luck and I really need a mixer so....I'm going to go with the artisan, apple red! :) Kohl is having a sale by the way, add a 20% coupon, the rebate from Kitchenaid (ending today!) and free shipping and I can get it for under $300. I probably can't get it much cheeper than that. I'm ridiculously excited!

post #10 of 11

9/1/12 at 12:43pm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MeepyCat

One important thing to know about KitchenAids is that they switched motors in the late 80s or early 90s. So your grandma's KitchenAid is likely to be considerably sturdier then yours. If you have (or can get your hands on) a vintage one from before the switch, hold onto it!
I can't recall who made the motors before, but the current ones are not as good.

According to the research I did a few years ago, they started using plastic in the smaller models. The plastic wasn't as sturdy. The larger (Professional series) are still all-metal. I bought one and I'm happy with it. I use it for bread making and haven't had any trouble (knock on wood). I am careful about it if I'm kneading a stiff dough. I keep an eye on it and even slow it down or stop it if I think it's been working too hard.

I'd love a pretty coloured mixer on my kitchen bench but I have boring black. Costco only gave a choice of white or black. Oh, well, it's still pretty handy to have.

post #11 of 11

9/2/12 at 4:24pm