# Do I need a kitchenaid stand mixer if I don't bake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746 "2010-05-08T15:18:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/41 "2010-05-10T19:16:53Z")
Pasta and the attachments have been mentioned several times, but I don’t think anyone linked the [rollers/cutters](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=kitchenaid+pasta&cid=10993215681455844237&ei=rlroS4ymBI2i2ATq1vDdDw&sa=title&ved=0CCEQ8wIwBTgA#p). That’s the big set, there are smaller onces with only two or three heads. And there’s a not insubstantial percentage of people that discover they really like baking once they get the stand mixers. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/42 "2010-05-10T20:03:32Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > I think I really would use a pasta maker, though. That’s the kind of cook I am. The other day I made my own ricotta cheese for lasagna, and it was SO awesome that I’ll never make it any other way again. I don’t have kids, and cooking is my hobby, so making pasta seems like a good idea to me. Making pasta is fun and relatively easy but it is time consuming. Kneading the dough takes time, and I’m happy my very cheap second hand [Kenwood stand mixer](http://www.kenwoodchefrestore.co.uk/Kenwood%20Chef%20Models1_files/A901x.jpg) - comparable to Kitchenaid in build quality and new price - takes that off my hands but you still need to roll it out repeatedly to get the pasta sturdy enough. I’ve got a cheap hand cranked pasta roller to make it a bit easier, but it’s still a chore (especially if you want spaghetti strands that don’t fall apart) and I don’t do it often. For bread and pizza dough (and everything that’s less dense), it’s very good. Just dump the ingredients in and let the machine do the work. I second the idea of getting a food processor first if you don’t already have one; it’s more versatile, much cheaper and makes all kinds of stuff much easier - I regularly make pestos, salsa and pizza sauce using the chopping bowl of [a cheap variation of this sort of thing](http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/125871.do?mr:referralID=a38f24ac-5c6d-11df-9198-0026b958ace7). The blender is great for making purees and thick soups, and the whisk attachment is something I just don’t use. It just doesn’t do any kind of heavy mixing or kneading 🙂 ETA: if your pizza or bread comes out too dense, the dough’s not wet enough. IME, you need it wet enough that it’s _just_ “too sticky”, and then knead it a few more tuns on a floured board. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/43 "2010-05-11T13:42:47Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Since you mentioned no-knead bread, I have lately been making recipes from Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day. Yummmm… I do use the Kitchenaid for that however; about 2 minutes with the dough hook and it’s ready to rise. Much easier than trying to mix it by hand especially with a bum shoulder. Please post it Mama !I made my second no knead loaf this morning and it came out flat. I don’t get it I’m following the recipe? I let it rest 12 hours. I preheated the oven and the dish and cover??? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/44 "2010-05-11T15:04:06Z")
My friend in Japan was getting flat loaves when she tried the no-knead bread, and it turned out her strange little Japanese oven wasn’t getting hot enough. I usually bake mine at 500 degrees. The only time I got a bad loaf was when my house was too cold to get a good rise. It really needs to get to that gross looking bubbly stage. Also, I usually rise it for more like 18 hours, sometimes longer. The artisan bread recipe calls for a whole packet of non-rapid-rise yeast plus some honey. The larger amount of yeast allows for a shorter initial rise, 2 hours, and then you can stick it in the fridge to use whenever over the next couple of weeks. [Here is a recipe for their olive oil bread](http://steamykitchen.com/274-no-knead-pizza-dough-pear-and-gorgonzola-flatbread-with-baby-arugula-and-shaved-parmesan.html). I make it this way if I need the bread quickly, and it tastes the same to me. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/45 "2010-05-11T18:47:46Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > My friend in Japan was getting flat loaves when she tried the no-knead bread, and it turned out her strange little Japanese oven wasn’t getting hot enough. I usually bake mine at 500 degrees. > > The only time I got a bad loaf was when my house was too cold to get a good rise. It really needs to get to that gross looking bubbly stage. Also, I usually rise it for more like 18 hours, sometimes longer. > > The artisan bread recipe calls for a whole packet of non-rapid-rise yeast plus some honey. The larger amount of yeast allows for a shorter initial rise, 2 hours, and then you can stick it in the fridge to use whenever over the next couple of weeks. [Here is a recipe for their olive oil bread](http://steamykitchen.com/274-no-knead-pizza-dough-pear-and-gorgonzola-flatbread-with-baby-arugula-and-shaved-parmesan.html). I make it this way if I need the bread quickly, and it tastes the same to me. Renee, I think you found the problem. It is too cool in my house right now for it to rise. I put the AC’s in last week and we have had a cold snap. I brought the bread over to my clients and she said it tasted fine but it was just not as plump as I would like it. I’ll try the olive oil bread and see how I do with that. It is still fun and the house smelled so good when I came in from work 🙂 I am not giving up until I get it right! Thanks for the recipe! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/46 "2010-05-11T20:16:09Z")
I have friends who use their Kitchenaid mostly to make whipped cream, which they make using Grand Marnier. To heck with the dessert… the whipped cream is divine all by itself! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/47 "2010-05-12T03:05:28Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Renee, I think you found the problem. It is too cool in my house right now for it to rise. I put the AC’s in last week and we have had a cold snap. I brought the bread over to my clients and she said it tasted fine but it was just not as plump as I would like it. I’ll try the olive oil bread and see how I do with that. It is still fun and the house smelled so good when I came in from work 🙂 I am not giving up until I get it right! Thanks for the recipe! I sometimes oven-proof my bread (ie put the bowl of newly mixed dough in the oven on the lowest possible ‘warm’ setting, which is about 90-100 degrees F) if it’s too cool in the house. That said, if you’re patient, it’ll rise on your countertop eventually. The famed Bittman-Lahey no-knead bread [recipe](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=no%20knead%20bread&st=cse) calls for a tiny amount of yeast, but when you let it rise at room temperature for 12-24 hours, it ‘plumps up’ very nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/48 "2010-05-12T05:22:28Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Please post it Mama !I made my second no knead loaf this morning and it came out flat. I don’t get it I’m following the recipe? I let it rest 12 hours. I preheated the oven and the dish and cover??? 😕 > **[Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Recipe – Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/five-minutes-a-day-for-fresh-baked-bread-zmaz08djzgoe/)** > > With this Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day recipe, you can make deliciously crusty-on-the-outside, moist-and-chewy-on-the-inside, fresh-baked bread. - this has a couple of recipes from the book including the basic one. The book obviously has a lot more. I’ve made the basic loaf, and a number of others from the book including some whole wheat ones, some raisin bread, etc. I have a batch of dough with white flour and added wheat bran in the fridge right now. The one quibble I have is when you make a _loaf_ (vs. the freeform rounder stuff), the pan size their recipe fits is much smaller than the standard loaf pan we find here. I had to special-order a smaller loaf pan from Amazon and the resulting bread is too small to make a sandwich. I wish they’d included instructions on how to use a larger amount of dough in a standard loaf pan - adjustments to baking time / temp that is. I’ve had to guess at it when I’ve made raisin bread. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746/49 "2010-05-12T12:13:02Z")
I’ve done dozens of batches of both no knead and the 5 minute a day. My standard is: 1. Mix 6 cups flour, 7 cc yeast, 17 cc refined salt, 2 cups beer or water until kinda wet with a fork 2. Can be up to 3 cups of non-wheat flour like rye, oats, groats, etc 3. Leave overnight, punch down 4. Knead a few minutes before the 2nd rise 5. Cast iron/Clay pot baking is great but use parchment paper 6. bake covered around 500 F for 30 minutes (I usually start from a cold or almost cold gas oven) 7. uncover, turn off gas and bake another 10 minutes I usually just mix it up and sit overnight. doesn’t really seem to make a difference if it is summer or winter. In the morning I punch it down. Then usually take half and form it into a ball and into the covered baking dish (lined with parchment paper). The other half goes into the fridge where it can sit for days (I’ve never gone past 2 weeks). It takes 6-8 hours to rise again and then bake it. with more yeast, it rises faster. For the second batch, I often take it out at night. Leave it all night in the covered baking pot and it’s ready to bake anywhere from 8-12 hours later It takes a couple of batches to get a feel for it. But this stuff is so forgiving, easy and tasty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-if-i-dont-bake/538746.md?page=2)