Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Kitchen Aid mixer questions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Kitchen Aid mixer questions

    Hey y’all. I’ve been mulling over getting a stand alone mixer. From what I’ve read here Kitchen Aid is the way to go.
    So my questions are:

    Who here has one? And what do you use it for?

    I already have a food processor, blender and stand alone grinder. The grinder rarely gets used cause it’s a pain to clean.

    My plan, if I pull the trigger on one, will be to get a grinder attachment, probably the plastic one, for occasional use. And I would like to get back into making my own pizza dough. Also maybe try my hand at making some types of bread.
    So again what do you guys and gals use yours for?

    Thanks, SteveB.

    #2
    Bread, pizza dough, cookies and other treats, it has a citrus juicer attachment I like. I recommend the pro series bowl-lift

    Comment


    • Steve B
      Steve B commented
      Editing a comment
      That’s the one, 5qt, I was looking at. And it’s on sale $249. Down from $449.

    • jhapka
      jhapka commented
      Editing a comment
      Steve B that’s a good deal that’s what I paid at Sam’s Club three years ago

    • Bogy
      Bogy commented
      Editing a comment
      Never pay "full price" for one. They are on sale all the time.

    #3
    Bought my daughter one when she started culinary school.
    Been used 2-3 times a week for 2.5 years. Cookies, cakes, candies, pastries, bread…

    I’ve never heard her say anything but positive things.

    Comment


      #4
      My wife uses it for baking (mainly at this time of year), and I use it for pizza dough. I’ll either get the plastic meat grinder for Christmas or buy it soon after… This is a small sample of what she’ll make in the next week.
      Click image for larger version

Name:	0C67B2BF-D765-460F-A661-D2AB2084E474.jpg
Views:	270
Size:	131.5 KB
ID:	1344699

      Comment


      • Steve B
        Steve B commented
        Editing a comment
        Sweet.

      • tamidw
        tamidw commented
        Editing a comment
        Did you need my address?! 🤣 Just asking.

      #5
      One thing to consider is getting the metal grinder attachment. Allows you to put it in the freezer before grinding to reduce “meat melt “, ie fat in the meat sticking up the works.

      Comment


      • Steve B
        Steve B commented
        Editing a comment
        HouseHomey put up a post a couple of years ago and he was using the plastic one which he seemed to like. I was thinking the plastic one because it should be easier to clean.

      • Sid P
        Sid P commented
        Editing a comment
        I’ll probably only grind a couple pounds at a time, and Kenji says the plastic one is fine for that.

      • Waster
        Waster commented
        Editing a comment
        I use an old English butchers trick and toss in a few ice cubes occasionally when things get warm. Disclaimer - I have a stand alone LEM grinder and not the attachment although we do have a Kitchen Aid Pro version.

      #6
      We got one as a wedding gift 20 years ago. For the first 15 years, it was used sparingly.....about once every two years to make cookies, but now I seem to be using it at least every other week!

      These things are relatively expensive, but they are tanks. I enjoy making pizza dough and sandwich bread with it. Compared to kneading by hand, it is a dream. Let the robot do all the work!

      I also have been looking at getting the grinder attachment. I would like to start grinding some of my own meat.

      The only drawback I've encountered is my own fault. There is food-grade grease/oil in it that will separate and leak unless the mixer is used. Now, it took nearly two decades for this to happen to mine! What KitchenAid has you do is just run the mixer a few times on high in two-minute spurts (to prevent overheating) to mix the grease/oil back up again. It works decently well, but I will probably take mine to a service center -- assuming there is one around here -- and have them service it get rid of the oil problem for me.

      Comment


      • Steve B
        Steve B commented
        Editing a comment
        Good to know about the grease/oil deal. Thanks.

      • Sdell
        Sdell commented
        Editing a comment
        I had the grease/oil problem once and was able to fix it myself with a YouTube video and some food grade grease from Amazon. The grease was about $10 bucks, and it was not hard to do, just a bit messy.

      • Michael_in_TX
        Michael_in_TX commented
        Editing a comment
        Sdell That's a good idea. After all, this thing is long since out of warranty.

      #7
      I gave the Artisan model and it's fine. I think you need to consider it in two buckets:

      1) Would you use the basic stand mixer as a mixer?

      and

      2) would you use the attachments and if so, which?

      KA attachments can get pricey. For example, the past attachment is $100 or so. That's not bad if you like and make fresh pasta often but if you don't care... it's a waste. Same for all of the attachments.

      I make bread weekly so I do use the basic mixer. But again, if you don't make bread and rarely make cookies... eh.

      Comment


        #8
        We have had a KA Tilt Mixer since getting married in 1981. Never any trouble. Ours has Hobart on the name plate. I think they were built heavier back then?? I'm not knocking today's models at all. If I were getting a new one today I would probably get the Professional 600 model. It will handle a Spiral Dough Hook for bread and pizza. I wish ours had that feature but it's not absolutely necessary. Do your homework as there are several models and prices. Good luck with your decision.

        PS: I have the metal grinder and works good for me as I only grind a minimal amount of meat. The sausage stuffer is not very good IMO.

        Comment


        • rickgregory
          rickgregory commented
          Editing a comment
          It will handle a Spiral Dough Hook for bread and pizza
          There are aftermarket versions of this that you can buy. Make sure you get one that matches your machine but take a look here https://www.amazon.com/s?k=spiral+do..._sb_ss_sc_3_17

        • Steve B
          Steve B commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks Skip. From reading past posts most everyone says the stuffer kinda bites. So that part I’m not concerned with and probably won’t use.

        #9
        We have a couple that my wife mostly uses. I bought her the Artisan and it was underpowered so then I bought her the Professional 5 model. The Artisan stays at the cabin now. She uses it for pizza dough and various desserts and other doughs. I've used our meat grinder several times. I would not say it's super powerful when it comes to that but it gets the job done and stuffs sausages.

        Comment


          #10
          I’ve had a KA Pro for years and love it. I’ve been making most of my doughs by hand lately though so it doesn’t get as much use for that purpose. I recently bought the all metal meat grinding attachment and it works great. As a kitchen appliance, it’s hard to beat, pun intended, but I avoided mixer metaphors.

          Comment


          • rickgregory
            rickgregory commented
            Editing a comment
            WAYNE....

          #11
          I have been using the Pro model from a number of years without any problems. I make breads, candy, icing, cakes, cheesecake, and sausage balls. It also does a decent job of pulling pork or beef. I was also making pie dough with it until I found Kenji's food processor pie dough.

          Comment


          • Sid P
            Sid P commented
            Editing a comment
            Which attachment do you use for pulling pork?

          • Attjack
            Attjack commented
            Editing a comment
            Sid P The dough hook just be careful not to overwork it.

          • RonB
            RonB commented
            Editing a comment
            I agree with Attjack . If ya have a large butt, (not you ), place small hunks in the bowl and let it work it's magic.

          #12
          FYI. I believe the Pro has metal gears and the other plastic.

          Comment


          • Steve B
            Steve B commented
            Editing a comment
            Another reason why I’m looking at the pro model.

          #13
          I have had one for years. Can't imagine being with out it. Both me and my wife use it. Me, baking and grinding. I do a mix of beef for burgers or just chuck. If you do get it you want the grinding attachment, get the metal one. It also has a sausage stuffer but I've never used it. The MCS is strong do not resist.

          Comment


            #14
            I have the pro and use it for mixing/baking and dough. But the best use and most use for my KA are the two pasta attachments! Roller and cutter for sheets, fettuccine and spaghetti noodles. And the best of the two - the pasta extruder, which gives you 5 different shapes based on the extruder head you use. This to me, is why the KA is worth the price of admission!

            i also have a vegetable attachment that slices and shreds and also makes zoodles if I remember correctly. I don’t know if I’ve used it more than a few times. I also have the grinder/stuffer attachment and don’t care for it. I prefer my standalone grinder and stuffer - it is just so much easier using the standalone items for that stuff.

            I’ve had it for probably 15 years and had to have it serviced once. Other than that it is a workhorse and I love everything about it!!!

            Comment


            • WayneT
              WayneT commented
              Editing a comment
              I definitely need to look into the pasta attachments for my KA. The old manual machine is getting some age on it.

            • Attjack
              Attjack commented
              Editing a comment
              We have pasta attachments but haven't even used them. We have the veggie spiral thing too that we have used, and an ice cream maker we never use.

            • barelfly
              barelfly commented
              Editing a comment
              WayneT I use it for both regular and GF pasta. The GF pasta is a little harder to get perfect, but it’s doable. For regular pasta, man is it dynamite!

              Attjack - I have wavered about the ice cream maker. Love me some ice cream, but I don’t see us using it

            #15
            I use to use mine quite a bit but since i went to no knead bread and pizza dough not so much now. The batter beater attachment is great for shredding pork butt. I could live without it. I do have the pasta sheeting and pasta attachments which i do use quite a bit. Those could be purchased as a separate system not requiring the mixer.

            Comment

            Announcement

            Collapse
            No announcement yet.
            Working...
            X
            false
            0
            Guest
            Guest
            500
            ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
            false
            false
            {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
            Yes
            ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
            /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here