Kitchen

[chickenbutt]

On 12/11/2014 ThinkOutsideTheBox said:

I am a very, very new cook, although I am 48. I have seen the stand mixers and wondered if they were something that I should have in my beginner cook kitchen. My husband loves baked goods, and I would like to bake about three times a week for him. But, I have a food processor already, so would I really need the stand mixer at all? I also have a Vitamix BTW and my food processor has dough hooks.

My opinion would be no. But that's probably because I've never needed one and I've done plenty of baking over the decades. I've never needed more than a hand mixer, a food processor, the Vitamix, or utensils to make anything. I haven't made bread lately (I try to not consume too much bread and there are some very fine store breads anyway), but you have dough hooks with your food processor so that s/b enough, IMO.

Short of making huge batches of bread, there is nothing you probably would need a stand mixer for. IIRC, my mother always had one but I seldom saw her use it. She used it to make mashed potatoes, which I thought was gross. It pretty much makes baby food out of the potatoes - you can't beat hand-mashing.

For general mixing any other tools work just as well and you don't have as much bulk or clean up as with a stand mixer.

Anyway, those are JMHO, FWIW.

[Sooner]

On 12/11/2014 ThinkOutsideTheBox said:

I am a very, very new cook, although I am 48. I have seen the stand mixers and wondered if they were something that I should have in my beginner cook kitchen. My husband loves baked goods, and I would like to bake about three times a week for him. But, I have a food processor already, so would I really need the stand mixer at all? I also have a Vitamix BTW and my food processor has dough hooks.

A stand mixer makes baking a lot more fun, and is useful for a lot of other mixing as well. I didn't get one until I was 40 and I can't imagine being without it now! I had a food processor for 20 years before the mixer, and wouldn't want to be without either now.

[homedecor1]

I used mine for the 1st time today in almost a year mainly because I had an older kitchen (just got it remodeled) and couldn't really place it anywhere except in this one corner while I was using it. Other than holiday or larger baking/cooking I use my KA hand mixer. Although I love mine and I want to downsize it to Artisan from my pro model. I laugh my sister is a excellent baker & still uses her old Hamilton Beach hand mixer & we've offered to buy her a KA and she doesn't want it! Guess it's all a matter of how much you would use but just know once you do you'll be in love!

[betteb]

On 12/11/2014 granny me said:

I think they are pretty counter jewelry. I have no doubt they are quite useful, but in my kitchen, wooden spoons, whisks, hand potato masher, and knives work just fine.

Me too. I am particularly hooked on hand mashed potatoes.

[candys mine]

I guess it's up to how you learned to bake. I have never used a hand mixer as we had a stand mixer when I was a kid. I would have to adjust to standing still, beating the batter instead of letting the mixer run while I did other things in the kitchen. If you are having second thoughts then hold off on the purchase. They take up a lot of space and cost a pretty penny, not worth it if you won't use it BUT a joy to have if you will.

[Q4u]

Oh my gosh, your Kohl's end price is fantastic~! I wouldn't hesitate one second on that one!

You'd be surprised how much you'll use this magnificent machine and not just for baking!

[Daysdee]

Anyone that questions if they need one, I would say if you do get one be sure to leave it on your counter. They are quite heavy and if you have to dig it out of a cabinet, you will probably seldom use it. In addition to baked goods, I use mine for mixing meat loaf, meat balls, etc. They show it used to shred pork for pulled pork sandwiches, etc., but I haven't tried it for that.

[WSfan]

Many years ago, when my mom was a new bride, the brand of mixer to own was Sunbeam. I received a Sunbeam for my bridal shower 39 years ago. Didn't use mine every week, but burned it out more than 12 years ago, so my husband bought me a KitchenAid that Christmas. It is not your super deluxe model, with 5-6 qt. capacity, but serves the purpose when I need it, which is mostly around the holidays. I do own a KitchenAid hand mixer, that I use when I am mixing a box cake and smaller amount of foods, but would not want to be mixing scratch cookies or cakes with a hand mixer. So much easier with a stand mixer. So, my suggestion would be if you would like a KitchenAid stand mixer but will use it only occasionally, go for a less expensive model. Doesn't pay to spend $350+ for something that will sit on your counter unused most of the time.

[taquito]

I didn't know how much I would use mine until I got one. I can whip up a batch of homemade cookies before you could go to the store and bring cookies home. You can take a stick of butter from the fridge and have it creamed and ready to go in no time. My KA mixer has even helped me get in good with my mother-in-law. I'm told she raves to anyone who'll listen about how fast I can make her some cookies. :-)

I gave a friend a recipe when she liked a cheesecake I made. She told me how hard it was, and how long it took her to mix the cream cheese in with other ingredients, which I never thought about because it's so easy to do with the stand mixer. Would you like to bake more if it was easier?

The non-sweets I use it for would be meatloaf, kneading bread (I hate kneading by hand), and pizza dough. Also savory muffins, just don't over mix. It does a lot.

I also like my hand mixer and use it for certain things, but the KA stand mixer made me a more adventurous cook because when things are easier to accomplish, you want to try more.

If you can't keep it where you can easily use it, then I wouldn't recommend it. It's too heavy to lug around.