Anyone use a Sunbeam Stand Mixer?

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Bangbang

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Does anyone own a Sunbeam Stand Mixer. How do ya like it? I want it primarily for bread and pizza dough.
 
I don't know about a sunbeam, but I wouldn't take anything for my kitchenaid.
 
Um...geez Bang...I don't pay attention to that stuff. I got the thing for a wedding gift. It is a mixer/food processor/gadget thing. I use it for everything from making pizza to baking cheesecake to coleslaw.

I like it because the dough hooks don't get jammed up in stuff. The last mixer I had was worse than useless. It is not designed for heavy duty use, would not stand up to a commercial kitchen, but it is wonderful for me. I never serve more than 30 in our house so it is perfect for me.

What did you have in mind? Are you looking to buy or just for info?
 
Alix said:
Um...geez Bang...I don't pay attention to that stuff. I got the thing for a wedding gift. It is a mixer/food processor/gadget thing. I use it for everything from making pizza to baking cheesecake to coleslaw.

I like it because the dough hooks don't get jammed up in stuff. The last mixer I had was worse than useless. It is not designed for heavy duty use, would not stand up to a commercial kitchen, but it is wonderful for me. I never serve more than 30 in our house so it is perfect for me.

What did you have in mind? Are you looking to buy or just for info?

I want to buy one primarily for making pizza dough. I have been reading reviews. Some like or hate the Kitchen Aid Mixers and the same goes for the Sunbeams. I was checking out the Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer too.
 
I really like mine for pizza. The dough hooks are great. I make a lot of bread and these never let me down. Pizza dough, cinnamon buns, regular bread...it is all good with this. I have used a Kitchen Aid too, and prefer mine for dough. If you are getting one, get one with all the attachments too, makes pizza very quick. You got the dough hooks, the grater for the cheese...the chopper for the other stuff. No time at all for awesome pizza. Of course then you have to talk to MJ and the rest of the crew about cooking that pizza. I just do mine in the regular oven. On a cookie sheet no less...my pizza stone is toast. Good luck Bangbang, hope you find a good one. May I recommend eBay as good starting point?
 
Thanks Alix. I am going to visit my daughter. She has the Kitchen Aid. I will run it through a pizza dough workout and see what I think. I use a pizza screen for my pizzas. I am looking for a piece of quarry tile to use as a stone.
 
Here I go telling my age again...I have a GE that I bought when I was in the 11th grade..1951 and it still works. It came with a juicer that sits on top so we did the lemons on my son's tree.
Marge
 
Thanks Bangbang. What is the advantage to using a screen vs a stone? Would you use them together? I am still looking for a good stone myself. I am wondering if this would be a better idea for me.
 
my experience and in discussions with other folks is that the sunbeam is underpowered in comparison to the KA...especially if you are going to make dough. go with the kitchenaid...always.
 
Hey Andy...why do you prefer the KA? I don't like the dough beater's shape...it tends toward overdoing the dough I thought. Are there regular dough HOOKS you can get for the KA?
 
The reason anybody doesn't like the KA for mixing doughs is they don't understand how the dough hook works. They don't realize that when the dough pulls up onto the hook, it's still being kneaded. If you want, you can push the dough off and start the machine again, but you don't have to.

My biggest gripe with the new generation of Sunbeam mixers is that they're made in China. I don't know about you, but I much prefer to keep Americans working in American factories instead of sending the money overseas and the American worker to the unemployment line. Aside from the global economic issue, I have gathered from reading other boards, that Chinese made kitchen appliance quality and reliability is spotty at best. If you're lucky, you'll get a good one. If not, your appliance will break soon after the warranty has expired.

My KA is pretty close to, if not more than, 30 years old.
 
stand mixer

I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I use it all the time for break dough and it is great!
 
Thanks for the input on the dough paddle/hook issue. I am well aware of how it works...but that doesn't convince me that it is any better than what I currently use. To be honest, I have no idea whether my Sunbeam is new generation or not...it is about 13 years old and sees hard use daily. As to keeping it in America...well...I'm Canadian.
 
I will say this much about the KA. I find that cakes made with my KA come out better than cakes made with conventional mixers. The paddle just seems to do a better job of mixing cakes.

A whole generation or two have baked excellent cakes and other items with Sunbeam and other similar mixers. All I'm saying is I find that the KA does a superior job and much quicker. The other advantage with the KA that has nothing to do with it's mixing virtues or lack, there of, are the accessories you can purchase.

I find the food (meat) grinder the most used accessory I have. I use it often and I also use it to stuff sausages. If I made a lot of pasta, I'd certainly buy the pasta rollers. As it is, I don't make pasta all that often and my manual roller/cutter is just fine.

If you do a lot of jam or jelly making, the vegetable/fruit strainer works well. Pulp goes one place and seeds go another. I don't own this addition which works with the food grinder.

For some people the versatility of the KA is enough of a reason to go in that direction.
 
TO be honest, the only things that I plan on will to my kids is my cast Iron skillits, and my knives. My KA is going to be burried with me :D
 
Alix said:
Hey Andy...why do you prefer the KA? I don't like the dough beater's shape...it tends toward overdoing the dough I thought. Are there regular dough HOOKS you can get for the KA?

it's got plenty of power and it always works...and it always will.
 
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