Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

[Anonymous]

I was thinking of getting a stand mixer and I just wanted to see how often people actually use it. I know if it is cumbersome to use, I'll end up never using it. Do you use it primarily for baking? Also, any idea on the stores that sell it for the lowest price? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I love to bake so I use it all of the time (bought extra parts too). I have used it for other things as well, but it's primarily used for baking in my kitchen. LOVE it!!

Not sure where to find the best price...sorry!

[Anonymous]

I use mine maybe two dozen times a year, mostly in the winter when I'm baking more, including making sweets for Thanksgiving and cookies for Christmas. I'll sometimes make bread, and will use it for the dough, but mostly use it for cookies, cakes and sweet breads. (I use my food processor for pizza, pie and tart doughs.)

[Anonymous]

As for best price, it's hard to say. There are several levels of KitchenAid stand mixers, and the ads that tout low prices are often for the base model. I would find the model that you like and then start comparison shopping--WS, BBandB, Amazon, various cooking sites on line, etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm a horrible person. Have never used mine, I just feel like it's easier and cleaner to use a hand-held mixer when I need it.

[Anonymous]

Use mine for baking relatively often. Costco sells them at the best price around - but they're usually just in white.

[Anonymous]

LOVE MINE! I have the lowest end one and it was a gift 12 years ago. I use it probably every other week because I bake a lot but also use it for dough. (I also have a fantastic hand-held mixer that I rarely use.) My mom bought a refurbished upper-end model off Amazon a few years ago and doesn't like it as well as mine because the whisk/beater doesn't seem to reach the bottom of the bowl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOVE MINE! I have the lowest end one and it was a gift 12 years ago. I use it probably every other week because I bake a lot but also use it for dough. (I also have a fantastic hand-held mixer that I rarely use.) My mom bought a refurbished upper-end model off Amazon a few years ago and doesn't like it as well as mine because the whisk/beater doesn't seem to reach the bottom of the bowl.

The height (depth?) of this part should be fully adjustable--especially for the high end models! If I recall correctly (though I may have a different model, but one of the higher end ones) there is a screw that takes a flat head screwdriver that you can use to lower and raise the depth of the whisk/beater. I did this on mine. Maybe you can help her look up the manual for her model? It should have instructions for how to do this.

[Anonymous]

Great for cookies or any recipe that involves butter! I found that it is a superb replacement for my hand mixer. Bought mine on sale after watching for some time - found there are sales out there, particularly on unusual colors or special edition models.

[Anonymous]

I use mine all the time.

However, it weighs about a million pounds. I used to have it stashed in a base cabinet and it was hard to get out b/c it's so heavy. When we remodeled our kitchen, I had the guys put in an appliance garage so I can leave it on the counter and there's a little door that slides down to cover it (and the blender). So now that it's right there, I use it all the time. If I had to lug it out of a cabinet, I think I'd use it less often.

[Anonymous]

I have been married for 25 years and finally treated myself to one last fall. I love it. It is heavy, but I use it all the time for baking. I found the breast cancer model on clearance at Target.

[Anonymous]

Got mine from Amazon on a serious sale last winter - it's white and probably one model up from the base model. That said, I love it and am cooking with the kids a lot more. I don't have time to bake every week, but I feel like things have turned out better and I am inspired to try more new things since I got it. I still haven't used the new food processor I bought at the same time.

[Anonymous]

i use it a lot and it is a million pounds but i leave it on the counter. i do a lot of baking though. the one thing the mixer really revolutionized for me was bread kneading. it's awesome!

i have a red one from costco (they only sell in white, red and black? i think) and it was a good price for slightly higher wattage than the lower end ones retailing elsewhere.

they (not kitchen aid but other companies) also sell special attachment beaters that you can buy for i think around $15 that have a silicone scraper edge so that you do get to all the batter around the whole depth and width of the bowl. the beaters that come with the kitchenaid don't reach the sides or the bottoms fully.

[Anonymous]

I love mine too - particularly for very wet doughs (like focaccia) with long mixing times that I would never be able to do by hand. I store it in a rolling cabinet, so it is easier to get in & out. The silicone scraper is a must. I'm always tempted to get an extra bowl or two, particularly when holiday baking season approaches. The only attachment that we have is the ice cream maker - it works well, but is clunky and the reality is that we end up buying ice cream most of the time.

I got mine using AmEx rewards points (we put the bill for a lot of our kitchen renovation on it & had more than enough for the "free" mixer, as well as some all clad sets).

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine has the attachments for making fresh pasta and also meat grinding. I want the pasta one so badly but I think it's pricey!