ISO comments/feedback on KitchenAid mixer attachments

[KathyJ]

Starting a new thread for attachments only.

Which ones do you like? and which ones do you hate? Are any worth getting?

Problems I've heard: (though I don't have personal experience as I've yet to purchase my KA 600!)

Pasta attachment - you need three hands to use it as the strands of pasta stick to each other. else you have to flour the heck out of them as they come out.

Grain Grinder - have to grind it three times - coarse first, then finer on subsequent grinds. or you can burn up your machine. (what's the point of getting it then as it costs $130 and I can get a quality grain grinder at Lehmans.com for $190 with cast iron burrs.)

 

[Corey123]

Food grinder attachment.

I didn't like it at all. It leaked liquid into the mixer and the transmission had almost seized!

 

[KathyJ]

Food grinder attachment.

I didn't like it at all. It leaked liquid into the mixer and the transmission had almost seized!

Corey-
is that the one that will grind meat into hamburger?
just double-checking.

if it is, darn! that was one of the first attachments I was going to get!!

 

[Corey123]

Yes it is, I'm afraid.

I had it on the K-5SS first. Then when I heard the motor begin to labor, I immediately turned the machine off.

I still was only halfway done, so I put the thing onto the smaller K-45SS to finish the job.
That mixer didn't bog down. It held up nicely. Nevertheless, I returned it anyway. Didn't want to take any more chances with it.

Luckily though, the K5SS has since rebounded back from certain death and works beautifully now! It would have cost me $125.00 to have it fixed, but it fixed itself, so I didn't send it out for repairs at all.

Electric grinders now have a reverse feature to keep them from getting bogged down and into trouble. Sorry to have bursted your bubble.

 

[KathyJ]

figures!
thanks for the feedback, Corey.

well, the attachments were one of the reasons why I wanted a KA in the first place. I know they're still a better mixer according to quite a few on here, on a homesteading forum, by CI,.....so, I still plan on getting one. It's just irritating to find all this out about the attachments also.

Shredder/Slicer Attachment - have not heard any problems with this - but don't see the point if you already own a food processor. which I do.

Which doesn't leave that many more attachments to pick from....
Pasta rollers
Ice Cream Maker
Juicer

Am I missing any?

 

[Corey123]

You're welcome!

How about the mixer covers? Though they don't perform any mechanical functions, they DO help protect the machine from dirt, dust and grease. I got one for each mixer. One size fits all.

And believe it or not, that's why I wanted a K'Aid stand mixer in the first place! Not to mention its proven track record, quality and reputation.

I think that K'Aid Stand Mixers are wonderful!

However, I just don't think that they are putting as much care, quality and workmanship into their attachments, as I think they leave much to be desired, to say the least.

 

[Corey123]

We also forgot about the can opener. I had that once, but it got stolen.

And then there's the water jacket. But that accessory is for bowl-lift models only. And the fruit strainer.

 

[justplainbill]

I think you''l find more than a few people do not think too highly of the RVSA attachment. Bout the only luck I've had with it is for grating large quantities of hard Italian cheese. I've seen KA staff on the KA forum saying it doen't slice cucumbers well, which is interesting since they have a picture of a cuc on the RVSA box. The chrome plating on mine is poor and the cutters are not very sharp.

 

[Corey123]

If you have a food processor, you'll find that it can do most the things that those ill-fated attachments can do, and better.

So I've decided to use the food processor to do the work of those items. It also helps save you money in the long run, because why bother with all those attachments and have no place to put them?

About the only things a processor can't do is mill grain, open cans and strain fruits. But everything else possibly conceivable can be done with it, such as chop and grind meat for burgers, slice veggies and fruit, shred carrots and cheese, even whip egg white and heavy cream. It can even crush ice to make slush, a cool refreshing fruit-flavored treat for the kids in the summer!

Your processor will work hand-in-hand with your K'Aid Stand Mixer, regardless of the mixer model that you have, and it will pay for itself in time. It only cost pennies to operate, since you are not running the motor for long periods.

Because it helps you save tremendous prep time in the kitchen!

 

[bigrhino2]

The ice cream maker is a waste of money.
I love the meat grinder for pates. I wish the hole were bigger though.

 

[Corey123]

The meat grinder also is a waste of money.

As I said in my post above, it's better to get a Food Processor to handle most of the work of those attachments.

About the only accessories that I would trust are the extra work bowls, the water jacket and mixer covers, all of which I have.

 

[Jeekinz]

Pasta attachment - you need three hands to use it as the strands of pasta stick to each other. else you have to flour the heck out of them as they come out.

If they stick together, the dough isn't right.

I looked at those when I bought my manual pasta machine. For one, the manual one is cheaper and you don't need to lug out the whole mixer first. It's also nice not having to hear the motor whine while your making it. No matter what contraption you use, the method of feeding the dough and rolling it out is the same.

With the manual one, I can crank out fettuchini like nobodys business.

 

[Jeekinz]

The meat grinder also is a waste of money.

As I said in my post above, it's better to get a Food Processor to handle most of the work of those attachments.

About the only accessories that I would trust are extra work bowls, the water jacket and mixer covers, all of which I have.

Ground meat and food processed meat are pretty different. I read the meat grinder attachment can ruin a mixer. Again, I would opt for a manual one.

 

[Corey123]

Ground meat and food processed meat are pretty different. I read the meat grinder attachment can ruin a mixer. Again, I would opt for a manual one.

Thus why I said that it's a piece of junk. I was a victim of it.

 

[xmascarol1]

meat grinder attachment

Well, my KA meat grinder has worked pretty well for me. I've made 3 batches of sausages, grinding 15 # of meat and then stuffing the sausages and the machine worked beautifully. I am one vote positive for this attachment.

 

[Hungry]

Appliances

No matter which appliance you buy. To get the most use out of it, it has to be accessable! On the counter with in easy reach.
Close to a electrical outlet.
Store an appliance in a cabnet, under the counter, overhead cabnet, in a drawer and it will fall into disuse.
Want to buy a pasta maker?

Hungry

 

[Michael in FtW]

My best suggestion is to read the manual for any attachment before you buy it - and see if it will do what you want it to do.

If you use the Food Grinder Attachment (FGA) according to the instructions I don't see how there would be any liquid leaking into the mixer. I've used mine for about 7 years ... ground probably more than 200-lbs of meat, and made more than 50-lbs sausages using the sausage stuffer accessory (SSA) with no problems. But, I followed the instructions.

I have the Pasta Roller Set (KPRA) and haven't had a problem with it - but I follow the rules I learned from Italian cooks on TV - after you mix, knead, and roll your dough let it rest and dry a bit before you try to cut it with the pasta cutter attachments (otherwise it doesn't cut clean and will stick like crazy). FWIW - Those are also the instructions you'll find with most hand-cranked pasta makers like the Atlas or Imperia/VillaWare.

I got the Mixer Attachment Pack FPPA (food grinder FGA - see above, Roto Slicer/Shredder RVSA, and the Fruit and Vegetable Strainer Parts FVSP that work with the FGA food grinder). I've used the RVSA for grating cheese, carrotts, onions - grating cabbage, slicing vegetables, etc. with no problems. Although I will admit I've never tried to use it as a mandoline to slice cucumbers. I wanted to use the fruit/vegetable strainer for something a few years ago but it thrued out that what I was wanting to do was a no-no according to the instructions ... bummer ... so that has never been used.

I also have the Pasta Maker Plates (SNPA) which, after reading the instructions, I've never used. Maybe someday I'll try it ... but since it stresses the mixer to extrude the pasta ("NOTE: Mixer must rest at least 1 hour after extruding 2 consecutive pasta dough recipes") - I've never been that eager to try it. But, it should also be noted that dedicated extruder machines have similar restrictions/limitations.

If I lived in Southern California, South Texas or Florida where fresh oranges were cheaper than bottled/frozen concentrate juice - I would seriously consider the Citrus Juicer (JE) - but for the limited number of times I need to juice fresh citrus each year it's not a financially feasible option.

I can not for the life of me think of why I would need to buy the Can Opener (CO)!

IMHO - there is nothing wrong with the KA attachments - as long as you read the manuals and understand their uses/limitations before you buy them. Are there better options? Yeah - maybe.

 

[wysiwyg]

I am with Michael in FtW on this,
I own a KA mixer (lift-bowl type, I think is the 600 series) and I have a Food Grinder.
I used this accessory several times without any problems, I have not experienced the leakage mentioned previously.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I have an old KSM103 model (whatever that means) Before buying a big stand alone grinder, I almost wore out the grinder attachment from grinding so much meat. No major problems to report. The mixer itself is as good as ever.


Fun!

 

[CharlieD]

I use FGA all the time and I love it. I could not have survived in the kitchen without one.
I've had it for some 12-13 years now never had any problem with either the mixer or the grinder.