New KA mixer experience

[pepperhead212]

I got that new KA mixer back in summer, but hadn't used it for anything that used the paddle, until I started making cookies. Turns out, that the paddle that came with the mixer, with the rubber scraper on one side, simply didn't work! The old one, that I bought from Amazon, worked great, like it did on my old mixer. The old one would scrape the sides completely, and to the bottom. That new one, with no ribs in it, did not totally mix the eggs and sugar after 5 min. - did not clean the sides, like the old one, and there was about 2 tb of barely mixed sugar and eggs in the bottom of the bowl; got mixed in quickly when I switched to the old one. I'm going to throw that new one out!

Anybody else have this problem with that new paddle? You can see that it is shorter than the old one (and the one without the rubber was like the old one, just no rubber).
The paddle on left is the add-on for my old KA, the one on the right came with the new KA, and does not work. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[WhateverYouWant]

The Artisan 5 qt I bought a couple of years ago did not come with a scraper paddle so I just recently purchased the KitchenAid one designed for that mixer. It looks different than yours...

It works fine with my cheesecake filling (which is the main reason I got it), but since the single sided ones take more revs to reach all of the bowl, there are always some areas that are not scraped down at any given point in time. Did you adjust your paddle clearance using KitchenAids's dime test?

 

[msmofet]

The Artisan 5 qt I bought a couple of years ago did not come with a scraper paddle so I just recently purchased the KitchenAid one designed for that mixer. It looks different than yours...

It works fine with my cheesecake filling (which is the main reason I got it), but since the single sided ones take more revs to reach all of the bowl, there are always some areas that are not scraped down at any given point in time. Did you adjust your paddle clearance using KitchenAids's dime test?

KitchenAids's dime test? Never heard of this please explain. TIA

I was planning on getting this one.

Original Beater Blade for 5-Quart KitchenAid Bowl Lift Mixer, KA-5L, White, Made in the USA

 

[pepperhead212]

SP , I didn't adjust the mixer, since if I had adjusted it for that new paddle, it probably would have needed to be re-adjusted for the others. The old scraper paddle worked perfectly, with the cookie doughs and the cheesecakes. That new one just looks smaller than it should be, plus the lack of the "ribs" just seems to be less effective in mixing several ingredients together.

msmofet Not sure how all of the models adjust, but the dime method mentioned is for the regular paddle - adjusting it so that it is that far away from the bowl, at its closest point. The rubber scraper ones should be touching. That one in the photo looks almost like my old one, as you can see, and should work well.

 

[WhateverYouWant]

KitchenAids's dime test? Never heard of this please explain. TIA

Have a look here. My Artisan is a tilt head, so it is not surprising the beaters look different. The video I posted is for a tilt head, but the process is the same for a bowl lift model, except for the location of the screw for setting bowl height, which is on the interior riser of the mixer...

 

[Rocklobster]

Never heard of the dime test..great tip..thanks

 

[jessicataylor99]

Should I go for this? Because I am looking for one mixer for regular use.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

As some of you may know, all of my possessions were stolen by an unscrupulous moving company, who took my stuff to New Jersey and held it for ransom, which I refused to pay. So, now I have had to replace everything, including my kitchen toys. Instead of that big, clunky KA mixer I decided to go with the Wolfgang Puck 5 Quart 600 Watt Programmable Universal Mixer. Wolfgang Puck 5 Quart 600 Watt Programmable Universal Mixer I bought it over 2 years ago and I simply love it. It is so much more powerful than the KA mixers, it's much easier to use and to clean up, and it is really light weight.

 

[WhateverYouWant]

Should I go for this? Because I am looking for one mixer for regular use.

I did a lot of research before buying my KitchenAid Artisan mixer. Yeah... it is decidedly an old school analog design, with no timer, and no electronically controlled DC brushless motor. It is heavy and loud, and some attention to detail is missing in certain areas. For instance, mine (bought from Everything Kitchens) had a poorly calibrated speed control, improper paddle height, and some sloppy spot welds on the bowl.

But there is something to be said for that simple, old school design. First off is serviceability. A quick YouTube search had me step by step instructions for perfectly recalibrating my speed control (all in about 10 minutes), as well as adjusting the paddle to the correct height. Most other brands simply don't have this serviceability.

In fact, just about every part of this mixer can be ordered online, with practically every repair (from speed control, grease repacking, even replacing a stripped gear) well documented on YouTube. If you have a problem down the road with practically any other brand you're stuck with a warranty repair, or if out of warranty... a new mixer. My last mixer had a bearing seize... it was out of warranty and manufacturer repair or parts were not available.

Something else about the old school design... with so much experience, the thing just works well. Every test I researched (from firms like ATK and CR, who actually do extensive comparison testing in a kitchen) always came away with the KitchenAid doing a better job of mixing, beating, and kneading (with both large and small quantities - the latter being really important to me) due to maintaining better contact with the ingredients, and having higher rotational torque than even models with higher wattage motors.

Add to that the number of accessories available from both KitchenAid "and" third parties (bowls, beaters, meat grinder, juicer, pasta roller - "love the pasta roller!") and it was a no brainer for me. Plus they go on sale big time several times a year (I got my 5qt Artisan for $199 shipped).

 

[pepperhead212]

Should I go for this? Because I am looking for one mixer for regular use.

I would recommend KA, too. I got my first one in '76 - I remember my parents got it for me for Christmas, since I had an accident, preventing me from kneading bread (this is how I remember the last year I bought bread! lol). It is a tilt head 4 1/2 qt, which I guess is where the name Artisan came from, and in 2002 or 2003 I gave it to a friend, since he was setting up his kitchen with his newlywed, and it gave me an excuse to get the 6 qt for myself! It is still running well for him; unfortunately, they don't make those old motors any more, only electronic, no matter what the brand, and mine died after 19 years, but they have improved them, with a safety cutoff, to prevent overheat damage - it is supposed to shut off for 15 min., to cool, before coming back on. If they hadn't done this, I wouldn't have gone back to KA, though I didn't know if others had done this. I also checked out some of the reviews on Consumer Reports, and similar places, and KA is usually at or near the top.

 

[speedyaid]

I would recommend KA, too. I got my first one in '76 - I remember my parents got it for me for Christmas, since I had an accident, preventing me from kneading bread (this is how I remember the last year I bought bread! lol). It is a tilt head 4 1/2 qt, which I guess is where the name Artisan came from, and in 2002 or 2003 I gave it to a friend, since he was setting up his kitchen with his newlywed, and it gave me an excuse to get the 6 qt for myself! It is still running well for him; unfortunately, they don't make those old motors any more, only electronic, no matter what the brand, and mine died after 19 years, but they have improved them, with a safety cutoff, to prevent overheat damage - it is supposed to shut off for 15 min., to cool, before coming back on. If they hadn't done this, I wouldn't have gone back to KA, though I didn't know if others had done this. I also checked out some of the reviews on Consumer Reports, and similar places, and KA is usually at or near the top.

Do you like the mixer with or without the RESET button? As far as I know, there is only 1 mixer available that has manual reset option.

 

[FFSXKT]

HELLO FRIENDS i think you are talking about mixer but in it some motor is heavy and loud, and some attention to detail is missing in certain areas. For more check below
what is agriculture?

 

[GotGarlic]

HELLO FRIENDS i think you are talking about mixer but in it some motor is heavy and loud, and some attention to detail is missing in certain areas. For more check below
what is agriculture?

What does a mixer have to do with agriculture?