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Contributor
Posts: 62
Registered: ‎05-27-2015

Re: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I need help!

I bought a Ultra model, 275w tilt head about 5 years ago and love it.  I see all the larger watt ones on QVC and told my husband if mine ever burns out, I'll get a bigger one.  Hasn't happened yet!  This model came with a 4qt steel bowl, and I purchased seperately a 3qt, and also the glass 5qt.  So I have quite a pick of bowl sizes to use.  I find the glass 5qt., although nice with a pouring spout, is quite heavy especially when you would want to pour out batter and scrape the bowl at the same time.  It does come in handy when I need a larger size though.  I have the dicer/slicer attachment and use quite a bit.  I also have the old style grater/slice attachment, and save that exclusively for when I grate Fels-Naptha for my home made laundry soap.  That way I don't need to worry about cleaning it.  I just put it in a large plastic bag until next use.  It really saves time grating that soap with the kitchenaid!

 

I bought my mother in law a bowl lift model one year for her birthday.  I got her that one because she makes a lot of bread, and I figured the extra wattage would be good for all the kneading.  I don't bake bread, so I see that as overkill for myself.  Mine works just great for general mixing, whipping, meatloaf mixing, and my attachement use.

 

Hope this helps you when you are trying to decide!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,955
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I need help!


@Sooner wrote:

The spiral dough hooks are wonderful!  I know the bigger mixers use them, but I don't know about the smaller ones.  They are super because the dough doesn't climb up the hook and the kneading action is better too.

 

A splatter guard?  I have one I use every time I use my mixer!  ME!!!!!Woman LOL


My 20 year old KA hand held has spiral dough hooks but I've never used them. I'll have to give them a try! Don't know how the super hand held is now, but mine is wonderful, and still going strong.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 32,483
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I need help!


@violann wrote:

@Sooner wrote:

The spiral dough hooks are wonderful!  I know the bigger mixers use them, but I don't know about the smaller ones.  They are super because the dough doesn't climb up the hook and the kneading action is better too.

 

A splatter guard?  I have one I use every time I use my mixer!  ME!!!!!Woman LOL


My 20 year old KA hand held has spiral dough hooks but I've never used them. I'll have to give them a try! Don't know how the super hand held is now, but mine is wonderful, and still going strong.


Your older model probably has the older dough hook.  They work great but you do have to sometimes stop and push the dough back down into th  e bowl as it "climbs" the hook.  The newer spiral model dough hooks (I THINK they might be available only on the 6 qt models) are shaped differently and do a good job of keeping the dough down in the bowl and being kneaded rather than cimbing up the hook.

 

The old ones still work great but with a lot of doughs you have to stop and push it back down the hook.  I'm not sure when the spiral hooks came out--maybe 8 or 10 years ago?  Anyone know?

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,506
Registered: ‎03-20-2012

Re: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I need help!

We're a Kitchenaid family and I swear by these mixers. We also love to bake. I prefer the tilt back head because it makes it so much easier to remove theaters or do "whatever". I also like any wattage above the 325. (450 or 525)  Most of them come with the standard beaters, meat/bread hooks and whisk/whip. The flat edge is a nice additon and very useful. It is nice to start with multiple bowls so you don't have to stop to wash a bowl before you prepare something else. I have two sizes of the stainless steel bowls and one glass bowl that has a pour spout.  I'm very pleased  with mine and have been for years and years.  

Super Contributor
Posts: 407
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I need help!

My suggestion is to buy ner the biggest mixer you can comfortabley afford. I have had a kitchen aid lift model most of my adult life, 40 some years, and have no complaints. When I bought it I bought the biggest I could afford which was a 6 quart, stainless bowl, lift model. I think that one was the biggest and most powerful at the time. I can make small batches in it and large batches in it. You say she bakes for little league, etc, so a large mixer makes sense. Why make 2 or 3 batches when you could just make one big batch and be done with it. If she wants to make a small batch, she will still get great results. Hope this helps???

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,491
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I need help!


@poppinfresh wrote:

My suggestion is to buy ner the biggest mixer you can comfortabley afford. I have had a kitchen aid lift model most of my adult life, 40 some years, and have no complaints. When I bought it I bought the biggest I could afford which was a 6 quart, stainless bowl, lift model. I think that one was the biggest and most powerful at the time. I can make small batches in it and large batches in it. You say she bakes for little league, etc, so a large mixer makes sense. Why make 2 or 3 batches when you could just make one big batch and be done with it. If she wants to make a small batch, she will still get great results. Hope this helps???


 

I was going to post this exact same thing.  I have my original KA stand mixer (tilt head) that I got as a TSV probably in the early 2000s.  I SHOULD have bought the bigger one to begin with, but I didn't know that at the time.  I have since purchased a second, larger, bowl lift model and use both regularly (am about to bake some muffins right now and will use the larger one for that).

 

If you can afford it, get the biggest one.  You can always do smaller batches in it, but if you start with the smaller one, you can't do larger batches.  

 

Also you want the most powerful motor if you are going to buy the accessories.  I make pasta and almost burned out the motor on my smaller model as it takes a lot of power to run pasta.

 

 

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QVC Shopper - 1993

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