S/o KA Mixers

[Deleted User]

What size do I need?  I will mostly use it for baking cakes. 

hmonkey

standard artisan will do.

Cant_wait!

I have the classic, 4.5 quart and it works just fine. I've heard complaints that it can't mix bread very well, but I use my breadmaker for bread anyways. But if you're just using it for cake, the classic would be perfect for you.

HisEarth.

H has one & I know nothing about it, except it's black & heavy & I think he named it Loubertha.

DG1

Save yourself $200 and a backache and get a hand mixer.  Those things are SO overrated.

PMeg819

Hell no they aren't DG. I use my KA just about every week. Mashed potatoes, desserts, doughs, etc. I don't even cook all that often. I hate my hand mixer. It doesn't have the oomph that my stand mixer does.

[Deleted User]

DG, I do have a handmixer but I am really into this cake making thing now.  I make one almost every weekend. 

VarunaTT

I think it just depends how you cook in the kitchen.  If you're making a lot of stuff from scratch and often, the mixers are invaluable.  If it's only going to be pulled out on holidays, just use your hand mixer to muddy through.

TheDuckis

Just make sure you scrape the bowl really well while you mix. None of the blades hit the bottom of the bowl so you get a lot of unmixed goop at the bottom. I like my cuisinart ice cream maker WAY more than my KA mixer. But I'm the one who started the war with Larissa, so I may not be the best judge.

hmonkey

speaking as someone who is sadly separated from a stand mixer, i miss it a lot.  there's a lot of stuff i do that takes a lot longer and doesn't come out as consistently because i have to do it by hand.

baconsmom

I have the big-ass 6-quart, pro series, with the bowl-lift. I prefer the bowl-lift, but I don't think it comes on the small ones, which is how I ended up with the biggun. That said, I do mainly breads and cookies. It's invaluable for bread - I don't know that a smaller mixer would be able to handle the dough-kneading as well, frankly. And I can do a double or triple batch of cookies with no troubles, as well.If you're going to do a lot of high-volume stuff, fairly often, I'd spring for a bigger bowl at least. But from what I understand, most people do very well with the Artisan mixers.

hmonkey

as for the scraping, you can get a beater blade or a sideswipe.  it's handy, but not necessary.

jojobrn

*sits with Bmom*I have a big mamajama KA with the bowl lift as well. I love it. Good for bread, and I love how well it creams my butter and sugar for cookies.

VarunaTT

The reason why I'm going with the Cuisinart is b/c it has an 800 watt motor as opposed to the 300 watt motor on the KA.  I do lots of bread, so I don't want to burn out the KA motor, which I've had friends do.  Also, it has the tilt back head BM is talking about (I think she was).  I think the bowl is a bit bigger too, 5.5 quarts, but I could be wrong.

VarunaTT

Oh that was the other thing.  People who compared the Cuisinart to the KA, said the Cuisinart didn't have the problem with the tings not reaching all the way down to the bowl like KA did.  That they almost never had to scrape.

alikatt17

I have the huge one with the bowl lift as well.  I don't use it for small things, I usually just bust out the hand held mixer.

baconsmom

I don't have an issue with unmixed things on the bottom of the bowl. I have to scrape sides, as one does with every mixer I've ever seen, but the bottom gets mixed. I also have a collar with a spout so I can add things right to the bowl without lowering it or turning the mixer off. V, I have the bowl-lift, not the head-tilt. I like that the bowl gets lower to me, and that I can remove the beater and keep it with the bowl, and not have to leave it dangling and dripping. Making things higher is not really a priority for a midget like me.

hmonkey

actually, dg, there's a screw right at the tilt head/bowl lift which will lower it so you don't need to scrape.and most people just leave the mixer on the counter, and store the extra attachments in the bowl.but i know you're not interested in having your opinion changed, so just read the above as "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH."

PMeg819

1. I made a double batch of cookies in my mixer on Sunday night. I had to scrape maybe twice. It's not like you can walk away and come back to a perfectly mixed bowl of batter. I have to scrape with a hand mixer too. I have to scrape with other brands of stand mixers. This isn't some unique KA problem. And like hmo said, you can get a side swipe. 2. I put all my hooks/whisks/blades in the bowl. 3. The weight thing is a retarded argument. It's heavy to carry in groceries, but that doesn't mean I've decided to stop eating homemade food because I hate carrying in groceries. Mine sits in a cupboard underneath the counter. It's not like it's in an attic in a guest house that's not attached to the house. And, I think most KA appliances are nice enough to keep on a counter. So STFU DG.

VarunaTT

Hahahaha @ Bmom.  I didn't really consider that.For me though, it's really about the motor.  I probably make bread 2-3 times a week and need to up it so I can have some in the freezer for over summer when it's too hot to bake much.  Hand kneading is just a biatch and I wanted the bigger motor for less price.

baconsmom

I get that, V. Mine was a mother's day gift - H knew I really wanted the bowl-lift, so he sprang for the big one. He actually broke the motor on the first one he got, too, by grinding oatmeal or something - but it was within warranty, so they just sent a new one, and he's not allowed to use it anymore.

TheDuckis

there's a screw right at the tilt head/bowl lift which will lower it so you don't need to scrape. I need to locate this on mine.

**O-Face**

Same here, TD.  Same here.

hmonkey

about halfway down.http://www.sideswipeblade.com/tech.html

6fsn

1. I do double batches in my KA.  2. I do not have to scrape the sides. 3. I have burned up more than one hand mixer making peanut butter cookies. 4. I love my KA, but am jealous of the cuisinart having more power. 

DG1

Yeah, my mind is pretty much made up about the KA mixer.  I hate having appliances on my counters.  And at the old house, there was no room for it - so yeah, it lived in the basement. No way was I hauling that beast up and down stairs just to make a damn batch of cookies.    In this house, it's in the pantry just off the kitchen, so it's not as big of a deal. Still annoying though.We also store the attachments in the bowl, but if you get any more (which you basically have to), then there's not enough room in the bowl.  We're also very lucky that the 2 bowls we have nest and fit on the mixer itself for storage. If we had 2 same-size bowls, or one of the bowls with a handle, we'd have to find a separate place to store that, too.  I've never had luck with adding ingredients while it's on. It just flings ingredients everywhere. I tried to use it to crush oreos once, too, which it's supposed to be amazing for - no dice.  And yeah, you have to scrape the sides with a hand mixer and a bowl, too, but at least you don't have to stop mixing to do it. It's a one-step process, not "stop motor, unlock arm, lift arm, scrape, mix some by hand, lower arm, lock arm, restart motor."  Believe me, I would love to love this thing, since DH would never get rid of it, but I just have not had great success with it.