Our first mixer - kitchen aid from Costco

[ahains]

My wife has wanted a mixer off and on for a few years, but we always decide against it because they're pricey and we hardly ever bake. We always think - do we really want something that makes it *easier* to make cookies and other tasty/fattening sundries?

But once again I find myself thinking how fun it would be, and once again I find myself with no idea what to get my wife for Christmas. Perusing the hot deals forum over at fatwallet, I found a kitchen aid with a $40 discount sale at costco.com so I popped over to epinion to check them out. Uh-oh, plastic gear box case gives some folks problems. But aha, it seems that some/all of this has now been fixed/changed in the last year?

I was still a bit worried that the machine might not be perfect & painless, but I'm buying at Costco so I know I've got a built-in lifetime money-back guarantee. We'll have to try and utilize it to the toughest scenarios it is rated for to make sure it seems rock solid, hopefully the manual clearly spells out what the limits are.

They sure look beautiful.
This is mine (er.. hers I mean ) - http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11093350&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&s=1
The 475 watt motor sounds somewhat beefy so I'm hoping it can handle anything we throw at it if we follow the directions properly.

So what is the toughest job for a mixer? Is it mixing bread dough?

Thanks!
-Adrian

 

[Andy M.]

I bought my KA mixer from Costco. You should have no issues with the machine in normal use. The 475 Watts is plenty. I have a 350 and it meets all my needs (kneads?).

The toughest may be cookie dough, which is usually thicker than bread dough.

 

[Toots]

I got my kitchen aid about 8 years ago for an xmas present and I use it each and every week. I agree with Andy, cookie dough is alot more stiff and hard on the mixer, but having said that, it is so easy to mix any kind of cookie dough up with, or whip cake batter, bread dough, mashed potatos and making real whipping cream is a snap. I love my KA!

 

[subfuscpersona]

So what is the toughest job for a mixer? Is it mixing bread dough? Thanks!
-Adrian

The toughest may be cookie dough, which is usually thicker than bread dough.

IMHO, the toughest dough is egg pasta dough, assuming you use 1 "large" egg for every 4 OZ (about 2/3 to 3/4 cups) flour. I like to make about a pound of pasta dough at a time. It is the one dough I wouldn't make in my KA

 

[candelbc]

Enjoy your new mixer. If my Kitchen Aid mixer died today, I would go out and buy another one tomorrow...

-Brad

 

[shpj4]

Hi and welcome to DC. I have a Kitchen Aid and it is great. If you saw it at Costco then you are getting a good deal. Costo stands behind all of their products and will replace it is something goes wrong.

 

[Corinne]

Love, love, love my KitchenAid. You won't regret the purchase - you'll only wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

 

[Corey123]

I've had my K'Aid K-45SS for a whopping 20 years, and it's STILL going strong!!!

It's practically been to **** and back, what with all of the daunting tasks it was assigned to! I love it so much that I bought the slighly larger K-5SS bowl-lift machine last winter!!

Then this summer, I got the Electrolux Assistant DLX-2000, also a powerful machine. So I own three stand mixers now!

Yours should last that long as well. Enjoy your new mixer and happy mixing!!

 

[SizzlininIN]

Sometime back....oh gosh like 3 Christmas' ago I was questioning about a mixer and lo and behold there was ChocolateChef to the rescue. She recommended a Hobart Kitchen Aid............is was a former model and explained the great qualities and performance. I went to Ebay and was lucky and found one listed that....if memory serves me right was only used a few times if any. I absolutely love it! She told me the quality of the Hobart was above the quality manufactured today............maybe someone can pull up her old post on Kitchen Aids for you.

 

[Chopstix]

I'm also getting my very fiirst KA mixer! And it won't cost me a cent! American Express credit card is offering it in their Rewards catalogue. I can use our accumulated Rewards points to redeem it. I already ordered it the other day and it will arrive day after Christmas. The specs are: 325w and 5 liters. Is this size/capacity ok? I bake probably four to five times a month.

 

[chilichip]

I'm with you guys on the Kitchen aid LOVE IT !!!! it took me six years to get mine ,Hubby thought that is to much money for a mixer. I nag and nag and one Christmas morning it was under the tree,

 

[Corey123]

Glad that you love it!!

They ARE very good. Which is why I now own two of them!