My wife has a small KitchenAid mixer she loves but she has talked about getting a bigger one. I would like to get her one for mothers day but I don’t know anything about them and I can’t talk to her about it. Can someone here point me in the right direction to find a good 5 1/2 or 6 qt mixer? It need not be a KitchenAid if a deal is to be had on another quality brand.
Most KitchenAid owners are intensely brand-loyal, so you might be taking your life in your hands by looking at others.
I’d check out Consumer Reports to be sure (your library will have back issues), but I think Kitchen Aid stand mixer is still da bomb, culinarily speaking.
Let me break out my copy of Alton Brown’s Gear For Your Kitchen for a moment. Ah, here we go:
That’s pretty much what I would say, if he hadn’t said it first. I can also add that I own my great-great grandmother’s Kitchen-Aid, the K5-A, sold in 1941. Still works great, although it’s the bowl-lowering style AB isn’t as fond of. I do need to get someone to replace the cord, as it’s developing a crack due to the age of the rubber, but for the moment electrical tape is keeping it safe.
Costco has very attractive prices on KitchenAid mixers, but it looks like they only have the 5 quart one.
I just finished making orange sherbet with my KitchenAid Professional 6. It has a lift bowl rather than a tilt-head, but this is not a serious problem. I suggest you get the largest KitchenAid you can afford and can fit into your kitchen.
The ice cream maker bowl works well, by the way.
I agree wth Fear Itself about Kitchenaid and brand loyalty.
Here is the Kitchenaid mixer page. KA mixers are like belly buttons, they all look alike. Pay attention to the motor wattage, more is better.
For the tilt head model this is the most powerful.
For a lift bowl model, here is the 5 quart.
If you have the Tim Allen urge for more power Here is the uber mixer 6 quarts and 575 watts.
find the model you want and shop around. Prices vary.
Thank you for your thoughtful replies. My wife has said another brand might not be out of the question. Is e-bay a bad idea?
The Costco model is an exclusive model made specifically for Costco. It’s an excellent bargain. It’s far more heavy-duty than the Artisan models, and is almost the same caliber as the professional models. It typically sells for about $150 less than the pro models. Only drawback is that it only comes in red or white.
This may not necessarily be the case - I bought a KitchenAid “Professional HD” at my local Costco in a matte silver, for the same cost as the Artisans in most regular stores. From what I’ve read, the Professionals apparently have all-metal parts inside, while the Artisans have some that are plastic.
Questions about comparison brands usually go in IMHO. But, since this is about cooking, let’s try Cafe Society. Moved.
samclem GQ moderator
I should have looked at mine before I posted. The Costco model is called the “Professional HD,” but it is not the same as the professional models which typically retail for around $380-400+ in the department stores. Mine is red, and now that I think about it, I think the other color is silver, not white as I stated. Or maybe it’s available in three colors—memory is failing me right now. It’s very close to the six-quart pro models, though. They have the all-metal direct-drive gears, which the Artisan models do not have. They are excellent machines.
If I was going to buy something other than Kitchenaid, it would be one of these…Hobart
I would not, no way no how, buy one from Ebay. Just me, but I’ve not had the best of luck with Ebay.
However, that being said, I did buy mine from the Kitchenaid site, but I got it way cheap because it was refurbished. I’ve had it over 7 years with absolutely no problem. Kitchen Appliances to Bring Culinary Inspiration to Life | KitchenAid
If the end of civilization as we know it nears, I’m packing my Kitchenaid.
T
The Hobart looks great but it is quite a bit too large. It looks like the shipping is going to kill me if I order a mixer through the mail. We have no Costco, will Sams Club maybe have one? My wife is not as concerned about size as she is power, she likes to bake a lot of bread.
Thank you sam for the move. My question seemed more “factual” at first.
Besides Hobart($$$), are there any other top brands out there?
KitchenAid has the reputation of being the *sine qua non * of mixers. No matter what your wife says, she will be disappointed with anything else. She’ll probably begin to drift away from the marriage, and will eventually leave you for a man who will buy her a KitchenAid.
I can’t compare it to other brands for you, because I’ve never had a reason to try any other brand. My KitchenAid keeps me tethered to this planet. I’m thinking of getting it tattooed over my heart.
Well, again, maybe she’s just sparing you. Oh wait, was this still about the mixer?
A lot of the ladies on my homeschooling boards bake all their own bread, as do I. Other than the KitchenAid, they seem to really like the Bosch Universal. I have been very happy with my KitchenAid, and I am the brand loyal type. However, several of the ladies on my other board have been converted to the Bosch.
Here is a good comparason of the two.
Board’s acting weird. Double post.
As does Target (with free shipping).
Again from Alton Brown’s Gear for Your Kitchen:
If she’s a baker, the important things for her are going to be wattage (more is better) and a dough hook. You don’t want a wimpy machine that can’t knead for her.
FWIW, I got mine on Amazon for half price, because they had too many blue ones in stock. I don’t like blue, but come on, half price?