Kitchen aid mixers

[momcooks]

I bought mine on QVC. Had an artisan, and moved up to the 6qt pro. I'd have to cook a lot to buy a Hobart! They are nice looking tho. I have a slicer shredder attachment that I need to cut a notch in to fit in the hub. It wasn't made for the hinged ones. It takes the blades that the food processors use.

 

[choclatechef]

Everybody take heed! MrCoffee knows what is happening for real.

Take his advice on mixers and baking. The man is baddd!

You can certainly get a Hobart new, but you would have to get the N-50. They usually sell for around $1,600.00. I think they are worth it, because they are made for commercial use. Hobart also markets the N-50 for home use, and for that they are bested by none. You will spend LOTS of money on a new Hobart, but you will also have a legendary machine on your counter, with a history that goes back more then 70 years! That mixer will most likely last for generations.

As for the Whirlpool KitchenAid, those are good only for light to medium HOME use. I would not recommend running a Whirlpool KitchenAid on a constant basis. They are good, however, when you use them 3 to 5 times per week at the most. Used for their intended purpose, and not abused, they will last for many years. Whirlpool makes a light-duty commercial mixer, but I would be hesitant about putting it to any kind of hard use.

On Whirlpool flour capacities: You should not exceed more then 8 cups on a 6 quart machine, and a 5 quart shouldn't be used with more then 6 cups of flour. Dough tends to climb over the edge of a C-style hook on a KitchenAid. With their spiral hooks, an excessively stiff dough will be very hard on the motor and the components, again I would stick to the same capacities as for the C-style hook. The "flour power" capacities indicated on the mixer box is not to be exceeded in these units. Those numbers are only to be used as a guide, and putting a 14 cup bread recipe in a "14 cup flour power" Pro 5 Plus will very likely strain the motor and components.

For cookie dough: I wouldn't do more then a single batch of Nestle Toll House cookies with a 5 or a 6 quart machine. You might get away with doing a double batch on a 6 quart, but I would not recommend it. Oatmeal cookies (for example, Nestle's Oatmeal Scotchie recipe) are harder on a machine then the chocolate chip cookies, due to the increase in volume when you add the oat meal.

MrCoffee

 

[MrCoffee]

Thanks for the welcome, choclatechef. It is certainly nice to be among others who share common interests!

MrCoffee

 

[SpiceUmUp]

I bought my "big" Kitchen Aid, a Professional 6, off the Kitchen Aid web site. It is a refurbished unit. I have been using it for about 6 months now with no issues at all. It runs wonderfully. They have an outlet store on their web site where they sell refurbished units and closeouts. It is a catch as catch can but they usually have a good supply and variety of the stand mixers. I have yet to find anything to beat the price of the refurbished units on the Kitchen Aid site. I paid $238 for mine. It is $369 new on Amazon

www.kitchenaid.com

 

[Corey123]

Everybody take heed! MrCoffee knows what is happening for real.

Take his advice on mixers and baking. The man is baddd!

You're so right, chocolatechef!! Mr. Coffee knows his stuff.

Whirlpool-KitchenAid stand mixers are no good. Trust me on this one. Visit the thread that you started (What kind of mixer do you have in your Kitchen) and read my 1st post there on page 9.

I've provided a website address there for you & others to visit so that you can see the REAL truth behind these ill-fated mixers. You might be stunned to find out the hidden flaw that these machines now have.

K'Aid stand mixers that were made by Hobart are ten times better. My K'Aid mixer is Hobart-made.


~Corey123.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

Gee silly me. I have been using my KA Ultrapower, made by Whirlpool, for about 12 years, mixing heavy doughs, grinding meat, making pasta, all the stuff that is supposed to killa KA and the darned thing keeps on going.

I have an Pro 5 + and a PRo 6, make lots of breads, no problems, ever.

Corey, what is your real agenda?

 

[buckytom]

i miss choc..
if you're out there sweetie, please let us know you are ok, and still cooking up a storm.
many of us, including ronjohn and i who have spoken about this, really admired and loved you, your wealth of experience, and always knowledgeable answers.

does anyone know if she still posts on eG?

thanks for bumping this up corey.

 

[Corey123]

Gee silly me. I have been using my KA Ultrapower, made by Whirlpool, for about 12 years, mixing heavy doughs, grinding meat, making pasta, all the stuff that is supposed to killa KA and the darned thing keeps on going.

I have an Pro 5 + and a PRo 6, make lots of breads, no problems, ever.

Corey, what is your real agenda?

Thank YOU, buckytom, and you're welcome!

And SpiceUmUp, please can the sarcasm. My real agenda is this:

That I've owned my wonderful durable long-lasting hard-working still working-as-good-as-new Hobart-made KitchenAid K45SS Classic Stand Mixer for almost a whopping 20 years, making many, many, many pound cakes pie fillings merangue, whipped cream, making heavy doughs for breads, rolls, tons of cookie dough and meat loaf. I've used that machine practically on a daily basis making and selling baked goods for people in one of my former neighborhoods. And the thing has NEVER ONCE broke down on me at all! Only the rubber feet were replaced, nothing else. I've even made at least five cakes for every wedding reception in my family - five cakes nonstop one right behind the other. And the mixer never once batted an eyelash. I've also, at times, made two consecutive bread dough recipes for people who wanted to try my breads.

I've used this machine for tons & tons of baking. The kids in my neighborhood found out about my cookies and wanted some of them, so every day, I'd make chocolate chip cookie dough to keep in the fridge to make for them. My friends would ask me to make cakes for their dinners and cookouts, which I always did. This machine, literally, as been to **** and back with all of the work that I put it through.
A lesser mixer just wouldn't be able to stand up to that type of hard work.

This type of everyday work would definitely kill lesser brand stand mixers. They are only made for light to medium-duty work.

I was very heavy into cooking and baking. So much so that now, I'm happily changing my career by
having signed up, being accepted & officially approved for a Culinary Arts training coarse that I will start in next month to become a cook in food service.

I've had lesser stand mixers in the past - Hamilton Beach, Oster & Kenwood to name a few, and they've all broken down. Having had enough with inferior-quality mixers, I decided in '86 to get the best there was back then, and that was the K'Aid. But there were made by Hobart back then, and the name Hobart
meant very superior quality. There was no other home stand mixer brand on the market that I thought would ever be better.

So if you really want to know the truth to my madness, it's this; That the Hobart-made kitchenAid Stand mixers are far better than these Whirlpool-made look-alike KitchenAid Stand mixers. Ten-fold! Believe what you want, but I know better. You have not had even one of your KitchenAid mixers as long as I've had mine.

Who is the more expienced between the two of us when it comes to that? I think that I am. Can you say that? Sorry if it seems like I'm trying to put you down, but I'm really not. I know about quality also. More than you might think I do.

Please visit http://groups.msn.com/Kitchenaid/ to see what I'm talking about.

Then visit http://www.epinions.com , go to Home & Garden, then click on Mixers. Once there, please read the latest reviews on KitchenAid Stand mixers. There ARE several reviews there from dissatisfied cutomers who bought the machines and they broke down on them.

And yes, SpiceUmUp, your Pro-5, Pro-6 as well as your Ultrapower models are among the ones that have broken down. Please believe me, I'm not making this up. And I'm not trying to wish any bad luck on you at all, but there IS a very serious design flaw with these machines. Simply because Whirlpool is cutting corners and sacrifising quality in the machinery of these mixers. The quality just isn't there any more like it was when Hobart made the KitchenAid Stand mixers. Trust me. Or better yet, open up each one of yours and you'll see what I mean.

And also, the machines that you have, members over at Epinions.com have stated that they can only be used for light to medium duty work.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

I have been cooking with KA mixers for close to 35 years. First one was in a restaurant in which I worked summers. WE used to KA mixer for making pastry doughs in small batches. Never failed despite daily use. Used several others over the years. Never had a failure.

I am a plastics engineer by trade. I am also trained in quality systems. So I too know a little bit about quality.

My curiosity about your agenda is this: you have managed, despite being a new poster, to attache a negative comment about KA to nearly every thread that mentions KA mixers.
You seem to have made a cruesade of slaming KA. This is why I ask about your agenda.

Your assertion that you are more experiance than I am and thus your opionion more valid is absurd as you have no clue about me or my background. I own and use 7 different KA mixers dating as far back as 1922.

 

[Corey123]

Well. You did not tell me that at first. Your post had implied that that I'm wrong in letting people know what's going on with the company. Or lack thereof. It's none of my business about your personal or professional background other than what you tell me. And you don't know anything about me & my background either other than what I tell you.

You came off at me with a sacrcastic response instead of letting me know about your knowllege in kinder detail, so naturally, I was deffensive. It certainly would have been a little bit more appreciative if you had let me know this on a somewhat friendlier basis the first time around. You seemed to be quite offended or defensive in your first response. I'm very frank & blunt, and I'm not afraid to say what's on my mind.

So if it seems to you that I'm making negative comments in almost every thread that talks about K'Aid mixers, then it's only because I suspected first-hand what has been going on since the company changed hands in the mid '80's. And I would not have known this for sure if it weren't for some of my co-members over at Epinions.con. They'll tell you the same thing. But I sensed that a thing like this would go down. And when a company does change hands, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's going to involve corners being cut in production & quality. Look at Maytag, Frigidaire and others. Maytag used to be the cream of the crop when it came to their washers & dryers. Now, there are so many dissatisfied owners of their major appliances that a class-action lawsuit has been filed against them in court.

Did you not go to those webite addresses that I posted? I never once questioned your professional background. Only your use of the mixers at home. I've got nothing personal against you or anyone else here.

And I, also, have used K'Aid mixers long before I got my own. I've also used the giant monster floor-standing Hobart machines for many, many,
many years in the food service industry.

Sorry to have to say this, and I certainly don't mean any harm in doing so, but you say that you're a plastics engineer by trade and that you've got quality systems experience. Then you should try to know and understand what I'm trying to convey here. You of all people should know that. Please don't turn away from it. It's a serous matter.
But whether you choose to or not, that's your perogative. I'm not going to try to force you to.

Yes, I liked K'Aid and still do. I just don't think that it's right for a company to sell a product that has a hidden design flaw. Any one. And I'm not the only one here who has said that K'Aid makes inferior quality mixers. Why aren't others saying that I'm wrong? I'm only agreeing with chocolatechef & Mr. Coffee on what they stated. Why vent your anger oout on me?

I also never once said that any of your own machines would fail. I merely said that models similar to yours have been known to have breakdowns.


~Corey123.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

Tell ya what; we have gotten off on the wrong foot here.

Let's call a truce.

I like Ka mixers and find them to be rugged and well made. As a plastics engineer, I am not bothered by the cover on the gear box being made of plastic as some plastics, particularly injection molded vs. cast zinc, can be stronger and exhibit greater durability than metal. They are also less expensive to make, more repeatable in quality, and less variable in dimensions

I think that given the fact that KA makes better than a million mixers per year, the number of issues involved is not so significant. If 60,000 units were returned to KA for repair (and I doubt it is that high) that would still account for about 6%.
Even if it only cost KA $10 for every repair, that would be a cost to them of $600,000 and I doubt that Whirlpool Corp would tolerate that sort of loss.

I do know this; the customer that has a problem is more likely to make their issues known than the customer that has no problems.

I also disagree that this is a SERIOUS matter. It is a matter of some concern if you have a mixer that fails, but a serious matter? It does not pose a safety risk. Even if the gear box cover failed explosively (nearly impossible), it would be contained by the outer shell.

KA stands behind their mixers. If it does fail, an unlikely occurrence based on my experience, KA is there to help.

KA sells a million mixers a year. This alone gives an indication that the problems can not be as widespread as some seem to think it is.

I have had other heavy duty mixers including 2 Kenwood’s (now DeLonghi). The first unit was and is great and I still use it from time to time. The second unit burned up the first time it was used.

I saw that someone posted a problem with their Viking Mixer (made by Kenwood). They went to the KA.

Given the much lower sales on those mixers, I would think the failure rate of the Kenwood/DeLonghi/Viking mixers is at best, equal to the KA.

In my experience as a member of this board and the KA forum (the most honestly run company forum I have seen) there is a fairly wide range of reasons for failure. Certainly with the larger machine, there is some concern with the gear noise. Rarely do I see issues concerning the gearbox failing. Not never, just rarely.

I put my mixers under a great deal of stress. I grind meat; I mix large batches of very stiff dough and no failures.

But it is obvious we disagree on this so let's agree to disagree like gentlemen and leave it at that.

 

[Corey123]

Ok, I'm willing to put this issue to rest.

I'm sorry if it sounded to you like I was attacking you personally. I really wasn't. It is a growing concern though when a company makes a product that compromises quality over quantity.

But in all of the restaurants, colleges, universities and corporate catering kitchens that I worked in, I've used just about every K'Aid & Hobart mixer possible, large and small. Much like yourself.


~Corey123.

 

[Mixerman47]

KitchenAid quality

I'll add to this discussion. I work for KitchenAid, and I can attest that we have not "chosen" to cheapen our product. In the past 3 years that I have managed this product line as the Marketing Manager, I have ADDED cost and improved quality to every mixer in our line. I'll take this opportunity to also announce that we will begin manufacturing our Pro 600 model with an all-metal transmission COVER in early 2006. By the end of the year, ALL bowl lift models will exhibit this new metal cover. This will impact very few of our customers (less than 2%), but for those very heavy users, they will see an improvement in durability under heavy loads.

Verne Myers

 

[Corey123]

Great!

I'm happy for that.


~Corey123.

 

[Lyn221]

Question...since we are talking about KitchenAid mixers...while doing my Christmas baking I had an unusual occurrence with my mixer. The shaft to which the attachments are placed developed some black grease on it. This I discovered after whatever it was dripped into my pumpkin pie filling. My husband doesn't think it was grease...but, I cleaned it off the shaft and it was black and grease like. I haven't used it since it ruined my filling. Any opinions? Any advice??

 

[Corey123]

So sorry to hear that your pumpkin pie filling got ruined.

But I've never had that problem.


~Corey123.

 

[jasonr]

Ok, having just spent what I consider to be a load of money on a brand new Pro 600 (575 watt) model to replace my smaller 325 watt entry level model (the one beneath artisan) I am a little disturbed by some of these comments.

Just a question: like my previous mixer, my new mixer says that I should not mix with the dough hook at greater than level 2 speed. But I cannot be limited to such a slow speed, as I need a very high speed to make brioche, which must be mixed with the hook at high speed until it is silky and cleans the bowl, (as Pierre Herme demands) which usually takes up to 15 minutes, even at top speed. That ain't gonna happen with level 2 speed! (at least, it doesn't seem likely, although perhaps someone more experienced can correct me if I'm wrong).

I used to ignore the rules with my weaker stand mixer, and always felt I was taking a big risk, even though it never failed (but **** did it heat up and start moving around on the counter). But I thought those days were over, now that I had a high end powerhouse. Does this mean that I am risking failure with my pro 600 if I do this? If the top of the line model can't do this safely, then what the **** can? (don't tell me a Hobarts can; those are off the market, so clearly not an option for most people)

I haven't used my pro 600 once yet, but since I bake every weekend, its maiden voyage is soon upon me. I was hoping to start with a tarte tropizienne. And that takes brioche. Lots of brioche.

 

[Corey123]

Keep your older K'Aid mixer for that. I hope you didn't get rid of it or give it away. Since you said that mixer didn't bat an eyelash with the high-speed mixing of the brioche dough.

I wouldn't be so tempted to try it with the Pro 600 yet. You might want to just do normal mixing for a while to see how it holds up first. An undue strain like that may break the machine!

Are you starting off with the dough as a batter first and then adding the flour as you go along? I've never made brioche before, so I'm trying to find out the mixing details.

And yes, ALL K'Aid mixers' instructions suggest using Speed 2 for dough, including mine. I've successfully made dough with mine, but I've never gone above Speed 2 with it for that.

The mixer needs at least 8 to 10 minutes of mixing to get the dough silky-smooth and elastic. I'm afraid that if I turn it up higther than that, it might burn out the motor, something that I can't afford to have happen. Even though it IS almost 20 years old.


~Corey123.

 

[matermark]

Verne/Mixerman47,

Is there a way to tell by the serial # if the Pro 600 has the metal cover? I have 1 coming in (hopefully) and was wondering if there is a way to tell. Also, since this is a known problem, what's KitchenAid's policy on this? Do I have to use it & have something go wrong first to have it replaced with the updated 600 w/metal cover or can it be replaced immediately?

Also, is this the 620 model? I saw a 620 advertised on someone's site.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

FYI:

Delonghi, Viking, Kenwood, etc: all limit yeast dough to the number 2 setting on the mixer and warn against using any speed higher as it may damage the mixer. In my search of mixers today I did not find a single mixer for the home that recomends anything over speed 2 for mixing doughs

All KA mixers as far back as I can search have limited yeast dough to the number 2 setting.

The older KA mixers had a nylon gear designed to fail if the mixer was over loaded.

The KA/Hobart mixers had the same gear.

Hobart used some sort of composite or plastic gears going back to the 1930's.

The newer mixers, like the KA Pro 600 have a thermal overload that will stop the motor if it begins to overheat. This protects the gears and the user.

I have never made brioche so I can not say if the number 2 setting will do the trick, but the number 2 setting is roughly equivlent to the speed the professional hobarts use to mixe yeast dough.

I bake breads very nearly every single weekend. I get a wonderful smooth dough in 4-5 minutes at the number two setting.

I have kneaded doughs for as long as ten minutes without once overheating the mixer. It is not recomended but with small batches, not more than 6 cups of flour and two cups of water, it does not seem to strain the mixer one iota.