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Kitchenaid Mixer Experts

DianeScraps

DianeScraps

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Ok - I know they are awesome - I know they are more sturdy, etc, etc

What I don't understand is how to decide which would be the most appropriate to buy. Is there some resource that breaks it down? Is it only the size?

We are not HUGE mixer users (I have the hand mixer I got when I got married 18 yrs ago and my grandmother's Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer (from the 70's??)

But we need something that can handle a 'harder' load - DD loves to bake and even the icing can bog down our current mixers.

Thanks!
 
I have the "cheap" Kitchenaid. (Around $269.99 retail, I did not pay that much for it).

Anyway, I make all of our bread that we eat. 3-4 loaves per week plus buns & rolls. It is 3 years old and still kneading like a champ. I also grind our own burger & sausage with it and do other lighter baking with it. I have no complaints at all about power, and it shows no signs of stopping under heavy use.
 
I have the lift kind. I bought it off of Amazon with gcs a few years ago - was $399ish ...not that I paid that much :lol: I've made a whole lot of cookie dough with it over the years - the same kind of dough where I've burnt out the motor on a few of the cheap handheld type of mixers.
 
I have the cheap ish one too ;)
Hubby bought it for me 6 years ago. I use it in spurts ( furiously and then it sits for a few months )
Although i love it! I wish I would have bought the bigger one for larger capacity. But if you get the smaller one, get an extra bowl.
 
I have had mine for @ 9 years and it's still going strong. I think it's the Artisan one. When I chose it, I wanted one that I could just twist and pull the bowl out when I wanted. My Mom and sister have a bigger version and they have to manually lift the bowl up and down. I hated that, so I went with the Artisan. Mine does everything theirs does, but I have the twist and pull bowl! I guess you'd take into account the power, size and features? Oh- and color!
 
MUM also has this Kohl's deal posted:

KitchenAid Artisan 5 quart stand mixer, $399.99. Get 15% off with code BLACKFRI = $339.99. Get $90 back in Kohl’s cash (or add another item into your order to get the $115) = net $249.99. Shipping surcharge of $7.50 = $257.49. Send in for the $30 mail-in rebate here = $227.49. Also get a free magazine subscription with purchase, but if you would rather have $12 cash back, see the bottom right of the rebate form: “If you do not wish to receive the magazine and would like to request a refund of the subscription ($12 introductory value), please mail a copy of this rebate submission by 01/15/13 with your name and address to: Time Customer Service, Inc., P.O. Box 62160, Tampa, FL 33662-2160.” That brings you down to net $215.49.

http://www.mashupmom.com/

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I only have a little hand mixer, too, so I basically drool over these mixer deals.
 
hsmomof6 said:
MUM also has this Kohl's deal posted:

KitchenAid Artisan 5 quart stand mixer, $399.99. Get 15% off with code BLACKFRI = $339.99. Get $90 back in Kohl’s cash (or add another item into your order to get the $115) = net $249.99. Shipping surcharge of $7.50 = $257.49. Send in for the $30 mail-in rebate here = $227.49. Also get a free magazine subscription with purchase, but if you would rather have $12 cash back, see the bottom right of the rebate form: “If you do not wish to receive the magazine and would like to request a refund of the subscription ($12 introductory value), please mail a copy of this rebate submission by 01/15/13 with your name and address to: Time Customer Service, Inc., P.O. Box 62160, Tampa, FL 33662-2160.†That brings you down to net $215.49.

http://www.mashupmom.com/

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I only have a little hand mixer, too, so I basically drool over these mixer deals.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to go through ebates and get another 6 percent off....
 
Unless you do a lot of heavy duty stuff, I'd suggest getting one of the lower models to start.

If you later decide you want a bigger motor or a larger bowl, you can always upgrade later. I found I wanted a bigger motor for bread dough and a larger bowl for the big quantities of things I was making. I had the very cheapest model, and unlike SCK, it sounded like my Kitchenaid was hesitating so much that I was afraid of burning out the motor when it kneaded bread dough. I re-sold my basic used model on CraigsList for ~$100 and bought the professional 600. It has been able to handle everything I want it to.
 
I'm with focadima, start with the artisan. I've had mine for 10+ years & use it almost daily. It's fine for day to day use, unless you are going to be a hardcore baker. I want the bigger one now, but it's because I need more power & capacity. (I don't even know if the lift up bowls are bigger, though, hopefully they are.)
 
Has anyone had a problem with their mixers leaking oil? Mine and my daughter's have started leaking oil. We only use them sparingly. I don't know if that's the problem or not.
 
Before you buy, go and look at some in the store and measure their height.

I have the 5Qt lift model and it doesn't fit under my kitchen cabinets. So it is always right at the edge of the counter.

Also keep in mind if you get the tilt model it may fit under your cabinets, but then you won't be able to tilt it to get the bowl out.

Of course if you have a counter that doesn't have cabinets above it then you don't have to worry about either of these problems.

Personally I love the lift, rather than the tilt. My mom has one of the tilts from the 70s (still going strong), but it would always decide to drop when you had something liquidy in there and it would splatter. I've never encountered that problem with the lift.

So just some silly things to consider.
 
if I didnt start making cookies--lots of cookies for others I would have NEVER needed the larger one

I currently and always have stored the artisian under my sink--easy to lift and put on the counter to use--sadly my large one has to stay put--its heavy
 
Posted this somewhere else, but I got the promodel after borrowing my brothers and love it. I didn't want to be dissatisfied with the artisan for those activities. And I was considering it a one time purchase and didn't want to trade up at some point. I use it for heavy kneading and meat grinding and it doesn't even flinch. That said,I routinely use it for some small batch things, and the larger capacity does fine. I do not have a hand mixer. When I remodel my kitchen I will be getting a mixer lift cupboard tho, it is heavy.
 
DH has been jonesing to get one for years. I keep telling him I don't want one but this deal is hard to pass up....he wants to grind meat. I doubt he would ever do it himself and dump the task on me but he would love to have fresh ground beef all the time. Hey, it's that what Costco is for?
 
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