OT- Kitchen-aid mixer accessories

Thatgrimguy

My incredible wife bought me a kitchen aid pro-600 design series mixer!!!  I now need accessories! I know I want pasta press things and a meat grinder (which one?)  What other accessories do you recommend?  We will use it primarily for bread, and deserts right away. But I really want to make the most of this investment and use it for all it's worth. So, what do you have and what do you use for your KA pro mixer?

fishlessman

when you get the grinder go to ebay and get the bigger grinding plates for chunkier sausage making and for the coarser chili grind sized plates

buzd504

I'm putting one of these in my new kitchen.

http://www.amazon.com/Rev-A-Shelf-RAS-ML-HDCR-Heavy-Duty-Mixer/dp/B001B0QFOI

Thatgrimguy

Do all kitchen aid accessories fit all models?

badinfluence

Thatgrimguy said:

Do all kitchen aid accessories fit all models?

No

Capt7383

You have three choices in grinders.
1, the kitchenaid plastic grinder, it does ok but they will break over time plus the feed tray is tiny
2, there is an after market metal one that is a #5 and is made primarily of aluminum and as such not dishwasher safe
3 smokehouse chef makes an all stainless #5 grinder. I bought mine on ebay last week for $149.00 from a plAce called butcher-baker. I have used it once and am pleased with it. The feed tray is large, the knife is quality and there are many plates available I think mine came with three plates and one stuffing tube

I also have the pasta roller, its ok

Botch

You mentioned the two I have and use constantly, the pasta rollers and the grinder.  I have the plastic grinder, it might wear out eventually but not in my lifetime.  

RRP

This may sound like a strange accessory for your new mixer, but as you will find that is a beast to lift and move around - especially if the footprint takes up too much counter space. I installed one of these spring assisted lifts to store mine away when not in use.

Capt7383

Ditto on the lift its awesome

SGH

badinfluence said:

Do all kitchen aid accessories fit all models?

No

I learned this the hard way.

twlangan

I own the plastic meat grinder. It has not broken on me and does a good job. However, I would consider another option unless your plan is to keep meat grinding down to 5 lbs or less. I bought mine while doing sausage on a small scale and it worked great. Then I went big and ground a 20 lb batch that took over two hours. My wife's mixer got so hot that steam rolled off of it when she wiped it down. I have since put together and industrial sized mixer that will do that job in less than 10 minutes.

jtcBoynton

Since you make bread, consider the grain mill attachment so you can make your own flour.