I hardly used it when I first received one as a wedding present. I have been using it more in recent years. I have the KitchenAid 5 qt and use the pasta attachement to make homemade pasta. I started making breads recently and it helps a lot with that. I actually like the bread bowl accessory too. Of course, cakes and stuff.
I actually don't keep mine on the counter. I don't like having my countertops full and I don't use it daily. I don't find it it a pain bring in and out but can understand why others would.
I haven't owned a hand mixer in a long time but not sure that it would be a suitable replacement if you were planning on using it to knead bread dough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP do you have a hand mixer? How often do you use it?

Not a good comparison. I rarely used my hand mixer but use my kitchen aid all the time.

Desserts
Breads
Shredding meat

Shredding Meats! Omg I feel dumb for not knowing this. Which attachment

DP but the paddle is great for shredding chicken. Miraculous, really.

I'm a grandmother and had no idea! Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP do you have a hand mixer? How often do you use it?

Not a good comparison. I rarely used my hand mixer but use my kitchen aid all the time.

Desserts
Breads
Shredding meat

Shredding Meats! Omg I feel dumb for not knowing this. Which attachment

DP but the paddle is great for shredding chicken. Miraculous, really.

Don’t get a stand mixer you don’t plan to keep out unless you’re willing to dedicate a lower cabinet to a lifting platform for it. They’re heavy and a pain to move around. A waist high shelf in a pantry would be better than a lower cabinet but it would still suck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP do you have a hand mixer? How often do you use it?

Not a good comparison. I rarely used my hand mixer but use my kitchen aid all the time.

Desserts
Breads
Shredding meat

Shredding Meats! Omg I feel dumb for not knowing this. Which attachment

You definitely can’t make nearly any bread or cookie recipe without a stand mixer. If you can’t keep it on the counter I wouldn’t get one. They are too big and heavy to be moving around much

(Oops my dough hook addendum had to do with the kitchen aid hand mixer)

^^^It also comes with dough hooks.

Anonymous wrote:OP, if there's any way at all you can squeeze some space for the stand mixer, I will say it's one of the most attractive kitchen appliances, that can look nice left out. You can choose from so many colors! Once you have it, you can use it... a lot.

OP here - what do you use it for? Is there a special attachment for stuff like mixing ground meats with spices for meatballs or the like? I have never owned one or known anyone who has (my family are not big cooks except for me) so I don't even know all the possibilities!

The kitchen aid hand mixer can do it all; it’s very powerful. Given your constraints I’d get that instead.

OP, if there's any way at all you can squeeze some space for the stand mixer, I will say it's one of the most attractive kitchen appliances, that can look nice left out. You can choose from so many colors! Once you have it, you can use it... a lot.

Anonymous wrote:OP do you have a hand mixer? How often do you use it?

Not a good comparison. I rarely used my hand mixer but use my kitchen aid all the time.

Desserts
Breads
Shredding meat

Anonymous wrote:OP do you have a hand mixer? How often do you use it?

I do, and I use it only for whipped cream and cake or cookie frostings/icings. Never occurred to me to use it for anything else - seems too fragile for doughs?

OP do you have a hand mixer? How often do you use it?

I have never had a stand mixer, although I have plenty of other kitchen gadgets. I don't have enough counter space to keep anything except the toaster and keurig (which both get daily use) out permanently. So I'd want something small and light enough to stow away.

I am not a huge baker, but I do like to make bread, pizza dough, cookies etc several times a year, and I frequently come across recipes for cakes and such that I pass on because they call for a stand mixer and insist the texture won't be right without it.

Does anyone have one they particularly like, or hate? Any features to look for or avoid?

TIA!