Stand mixer or bread maker

[gd1972]

Want to start doing some baking of desserts and breads. Going to shop for a stand mixer. Confused on which one to buy. Any help would be great.

 

[Dawgluver]

Want to start doing some baking of desserts and breads. Going to shop for a stand mixer. Confused on which one to buy. Any help would be great.

Check out the previous posts and threads here. I don't have one, but am thinking the ol' Kitchenaid is the gold standard. Expensive, but lasts generations.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I agree with Dawg about the Kitchenaid.

If you have more time than money I would start checking the estate sales in your area. Some of the older workhorses are not pretty but they go for a song and they are almost indestructible.

 

[Oldvine]

I have a Kitchen Aid. It's been a steady work horse for over 30 years probably more.

 

[jennyema]

Count me as a Kitchenaid fan, too

 

[bakechef]

My Kitchenaid is 18 years old and still going strong, I give it a good workout.

 

[gadzooks]

Kitchen Aid...and if you're not sure you're going to fall in love with baking, you might check CraigsList for a used one as a starter. Bowl lift is nicer than tilt head, imo. I started with a used K45 tilt head and horse traded up to a K5, then found a Hobart N50 in a thrift store for $7. It still cost another $200 to really dress it, but the expenditure was gradual. Welcome to DC...I'll be over by the yellow balloons.......

 

[Alix]

I'm the opposite of gadzooks, I hate the bowl lift and wouldn't trade my tilt head for anything. The newer KA's are not as hearty as the old ones. If you can get one that is 20+, do yourself a favor and get that one.

 

[jim262]

The tilt head KitchenAid that makes the most sense to me is the Artisan and the biggest reason why is the comfortable tubular ergonomic handle that comes with the 5 quart Artisan bowl. Some other tilt heads have bowls with either no handle or a thin strap handle that does is difficult to grasp.

The lift bowl with the most comfortable handle is the Professional 600. Handles may not seem like a big deal until you try to work with bowl that does not have one or work with one that cannot be handled comfortably.

If you plan on making two loaf recipes of whole grain or multigrain bread, lift bowls are a more stable under the loads of kneading dough. Lift bowl are easier to handle and the bowl can be removed without removing the beater or the dough hook.

The perfect solution to the KA mixer dilemma is one tilt head and one lift bowl.

 

[MostlyWater]

I have a cheap Sunbean mixer and it does the job for baking and whipping egg whites. Mine is over 25 years old and is going strong !!

 

[Dawgluver]

Chefs Catalog has 3 styles of 6qt KA's on sale, $100 off, free shipping, $50 cash back, and a 2 year free subscription to Food and Wine magazine. The Limited Edition makes me wish I was more of a baker, it's a beauty!

 

[Leolady]

I have 2 KAs, and they are 80 years young.

 

[ChefJune]

Want to start doing some baking of desserts and breads. Going to shop for a stand mixer. Confused on which one to buy. Any help would be great.

No Comparison! Get a KitchenAid stand mixer or another brand that makes a HEAVY machine. [Sunbeam's (for one) is not heavy enough to do breads well.] that's all the "Bread machine" you'll ever need.

 

[Dawgluver]

I have 2 KAs, and they are 80 years young.

I wish I had thought to ask for my grandma's, what a workhorse that was!

 

[Linda123]

I love my KA...i have the 6 qt lift bowl...it's fairly new but I think I'd get rid of my microwave before I'd get rid of it!!

 

[bakechef]

I'm the opposite of gadzooks, I hate the bowl lift and wouldn't trade my tilt head for anything. The newer KA's are not as hearty as the old ones. If you can get one that is 20+, do yourself a favor and get that one.

I've used both and I much prefer the tilt head. I like that I can leave the beater on the mixer and remove the bowl if I need to, put the bowl back and continue mixing. I do this sometimes when mixing big batches of cinnamon sugar cream cheese, I get the bottom scraped well. I don't use my beater blade for this because it is so thick that I'm afraid of breaking the plastic beater.