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Thoughts on Kitchenaid mixer on sale

JLOCKHART29
JLOCKHART29 Posts: 5,897
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Got our circular from Tuesday Morning yesterday. They have a Kitchenaid Pro 450 (300 watt) mixer on sale for half price at $200. Never had a real mixer before. Certainly not despite for one now BUT wouldn't mind having on. ;) Going to do some review searches but was wondering if some of our bakers had any thoughts on this or would you saves your cash and buy some'en else. Thanks my people.

Comments

  • fire egger
    fire egger Posts: 1,124
    Hey JL A stand mixer is a wonderful thing, I've had one for years,it's a kitchenaid pro series, good mixer, I use it a lot, however mine is a stand lift type, and when I am doing stiff doughs, like pizza, the bowl comes loose at the back,still works, just irritating. I would encourage you to try to get the tilt-head type, the bowl is much more positively mounted.
  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    I don't know which model that is but I can't imagine any KA being bad. I've had mine for 23 years now. Have droppped it twice on cement and it barely got even a dent.

    I received mine as a wedding gift and it was not the largest avail at the time. I can't do huge batches in it but get by just fine. If I was buying a new one, though, I would get one of the larger ones. I also would like to have a second bowl so I don't have to wash up so much in the middle of a recipe.

    If you don't have a good mixer already, and you have the extra cash laying around, I don't think you can go wrong.
  • We use one here JL it's lovely. The pie you will be having in OKC will have had it's crust made in one. I have the grinder attachment and that works well as well.

    Doug
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    It's the Artisan 5 qt. model.
  • jaymag_87
    jaymag_87 Posts: 111
    Kitchenaids are great mixers.

    The Wife recently replaced our first one. She wore out the tilt-head hinge making Christmas Cookie dough. It took about 10 years to do it, but she did it. We went bigger at that position. We upgraded from the Classic to the Professional 600.
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I got a used KA 325 watt WITH the grinder attachment on CraigsList for $140.
  • eenie meenie
    eenie meenie Posts: 4,394
    JL, here are some reviews from Cook's Illustrated:

    High End Stand Mixer reivews:

    Recommended with Reservations
    KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer

    Kneading caused audible strain on the motor, as did adding heavy dry ingredients (oats) to cookie dough. Creamed and whipped like a pro—an economical choice for infrequent breadmakers. Narrow bowl mouth hindered tidy addition of dry ingredients.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ $249.99

    Highly Recommended
    Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer
    In addition to acing its way through heavy tasks like kneading bread and pizza dough and churning cookie batter full of oats, nuts, and dried fruit, this machine offers a host of modern updates—a digital timer with automatic shut-off, a fold function for incorporating ingredients delicately, and a splash guard attachment with a built-in feed tube. It also features a spiral dough hook, which worked more efficiently than most other models to knead dough.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ $299.00

    Recommended
    KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer

    2009 update: Still a true kitchen workhorse, this cookware standard is strong enough for the thickest cookie batter and the tackiest bread dough. Newer models feature a "spiral" dough hook, which is more efficient at kneading than the previous "C-shape" dough hook, bringing this model back on par with the Cuisinart and negating the single gripe we had with the mixer when we last reviewed it in 2008. Please note: the new hook does not work on older models that feature a "C-shape" dough hook because of its vertical kneading motion, which puts a strain on the motor of older models designed to work with the horizontal motion of the C-shape hook.

    Recommended with Reservations
    KitchenAid Accolade 400 Stand Mixer

    More wattage (more money) than the Artisan, but consistently performed at a lower level. This "deluxe" motor sounded weaker, and attachments seemed ill designed for the slightly tweaked bowl shape. Some hated the "delayed start" feature, preferring the KitchenAid Artisan's immediate response.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ $239.99

    Not Recommended
    KitchenAid Classic Series Stand Mixer

    Amid hefty contenders, KitchenAid's smallest model seemed more like a toy. The Classic did a fair job of creaming and whipping, but it wasn't cut out for kneading dough and had a chronic case of the shakes. You're better off opting for the more powerful Artisan, which costs the same.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ $199.99

    For lower end mixers, this Kitchen Aid was ranked #1:

    Highly Recommended
    Kitchenaid Classic Plus Stand Mixer

    This mixer aced every test. Testers praised the "intuitive" controls and "solid" feel. While not as powerful as more expensive KitchenAid models, this mixer is a great value.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ $199.99

    Hope this helps!
  • Braumiester
    Braumiester Posts: 134
    We received a model K45 for a wedding gift in 1966(yeah I'm old) and it is going strong today, it is so old that the meat grinder is metal. We cook at home so it has been given a workout over the years. B)
  • We have the Artesian works great for our needs. For Christmas got each of the kids the professional 600 mainly cause got a good deal on them. Won't go wrong with whatever you get. :)
  • 2Fategghead
    2Fategghead Posts: 9,624
    Deane, I have been scanning Craigslist but fear we may get one from someone who has not taken very good card of it. I want a 600 Pro series so I can eventually get some of the attachments I want. If you get a new one you could pay a price upwards around $450 plus. I have called Kitchen Aid and was told they sell refurbished 600 Pro's for $250 with the standard warranty. I may go this route when ready to pull the trigger. ;)

    I am keeping my eyes open for one myself. I will purchase one when we can but, for now there are a lot of other things we need. :)
  • 'Q Bruddah
    'Q Bruddah Posts: 739
    I am sure I will be the lone dissenting voice here. I own a KA45 and it is a great machine that will do many food prep tasks. I agree it is great for stiff cookie dough and great mashed potatoes, egg whites whipped. It is an okay grinder and yes, you can slice with it but I prefer a food processor. As for bread I never use it! I have been baking for over thirty years and originally bought my stand mixer to make dough. I used to make pizza dough with a gigantic Hobart.

    The dough I now make is so wet I mix it with my hands and let it bulk ferment in the fridge. The dough flavor gets more complex with the longer proof. It also eliminates making "straight bread" starting in the morning and two risings and shaping and baking takes about 5 hours. It is okay if you planned to be around home all day.

    I now bake using starters, Artisan breads made from wetter dough, no knead breads, and "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" requires a fraction of the time, is no where near the mess and produces far superior product. Any questions you might have I am more than willing to be your resource. I am not an expert but I have 18 years in restaurants and bakeries.
  • JLOCKHART29
    JLOCKHART29 Posts: 5,897
    Thanks for all the replys so far and keep them coming. Q Bruddah I understand what you are saying as that is what I have been doing. I love a good no knead. Want the mixer to try some of the forum recipes like Zips and such. Doesn't go on sale till this Tuesday so still lots of research and such. ;)
  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    as you see from rebecca's post reviews vary by model.. in the olden days, kitchen aid had a big one [the bowl went up and down] and a smaller one [tilt top] as with everything these days ,, brand recognition marketing and large retailers have changed the landscape,, large buyers have companies make simailar looking models to sell for less but they always have smaller motors etc..seach amazon,, so many it is confusing. got to read the small print the model you are looking at is reasonably priced but has 300 watt motor,, the artisan serries has a 325 .. and for pizza or bread dough that would make a difference, size of the bowl does not mattter as you will not be making huge amounts of dough,, my artisan does well but it gets hot mixing the pizza dough,, . as far as the sausage stuffer and grinder.. they are fine to use twice a year, more than that you will be pulling your hair out. you can borrow mine,
    for an extra $40 and no shipping costs i can order this and have it shipped to you . some posts above indicated that they like the tilt top better
  • WokOnMedium
    WokOnMedium Posts: 1,376
    I think its the same as the one I have and I love it. I will say that I did some research on adding the grinder attchment and from what I read there was a change in materials that the components are made of, the results being that the attachment was a better product before the changes. The quality of the grinder attchment seems to have gone down.....certainly not the quality of a mixer, that is solid.
  • elzbth
    elzbth Posts: 2,075
    I have the Artisan and love it! I have the meat grinder attachment and haven't used it as much as I thought I would (laziness on my part). Bought the ice cream maker and NEVER use it - more trouble than it's worth (especially if you can buy Blue Bell). I debated on the purchase for over a year - no regrets and would replace it tomorrow if need be. :)
  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    I have an ice cream maker that I got at costco (not a KA) and use it constantly. It's so easy to use, it's laughable. And most ice creams are done and ready to eat with 5 mins work time and then 20 mins mixing in the machine. You simply cannot beat it.
  • We have one of these, and when we bought it the wattage was the primary issue for us. I have a neighbor who bakes a LOT of bread (and we planned on doing the same) and the advice she gave was to buy the highest wattage machine we could afford, because at the end of the day, that's what decided how strong, and in some sense, how durable the machine will likely be. If you're going to do any amount of high resistance mixing (like bread) I'd suggest that her advice might be good for you too. I think we ended up with the 425 watt unit, but it might be 500 watts, I can't recall.
  • eenie meenie
    eenie meenie Posts: 4,394
    alias JL, I go to a tumor board once a month in Greenville, OH where the Kitchen Aids are manufactured and I live 45 minutes from Troy, OH where Hobarts are produced. The KitchenAid store in Greenville sells refurbished models. If you want to take a risk on a refurbished model, let me know what you are looking for and I can check it out. I remember seeing about 30 refurbs when I was there last. I can check to see if they warranty the refurbs. If the model you want is not currently available the hospital staff would probably check weekly and call me if they spied one. You might check to see if KA has the refurbs listed on line.

    I'm thinking of getting a small Hobart just to make my panettone. I used to work in a bakery and those Hobarts could mix cement.

    My sister has a Viking and it can mix a ton of flour. I have a Kitchen Aid and a DeLongi and like both.
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    I have this model and color.
    For some reason the color can make a big price change.
    I watched on Amazon for several months and picked this up for less than $250 a few months ago.Their prices change all the time.
    Strong mixer, 575 wats.
    Made a 4X batch of Zippylip pizza dough last week with no problem.
    No issues at all with the bowl coming loose or heat.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas