My mom got hers in 1975 and still uses it; there isn’t a single thing wrong with it. It looks exactly like the one I got in 2005 (except mine is pink!)
Mine is the tilt-head kind, and kneading bread dough is a bit of a problem because the pin that holds the head on will, every several batches, work itself loose and fall out. Then I have to bang it back in with a rubber mallet. For everything else, it’s stellar.
I’d love to have the pasta extruder. It looks like so much fun, making one’s own macaroni…
I learned how to make fresh pasta a few years before I got my Kitchen Aid, rolling out the sheets with a hand cranked machine. Maybe it’s because I was new at making pasta but it was such a tedious process that I only made fresh pasta on weekends or special dinners.
Then I bought the pasta attachment for my kitchen aid. First of all, the kitchen aid does a great job of bringing the flour and egg together so I spend much less time kneading the dough (and it’s so much cleaner than when I’d make it completely on the counter top). When I flatten my pasta sheets the kitchen aid can handle larger pieces of pasta, and it churns it out far faster than I ever could with the hand crank. Now, fresh pasta is something I can prepare so quickly it’s even an option for a quick weeknight dinner!
He’s going to like it and maybe even kick the evil bread-machine habit. This thing could probably mix concrete, if given the chance. You should get the spatula mixing blade, though. Works pretty good for cookie dough.
I love my Kitchen Aid. I’ve had it for about 10 years. I go in spurts - sometimes I’ll use it a few times a month, sometimes I use it once in a few months. But every time, it’s worth it.
If you every make ice cream (I have a recipe that works without an ice cream maker)…or whipped cream…or butter… things that you have to beat or whip for ~10 minutes… the first time you do it with a stand mixer, you’ll see why they’re so great.
I wish I had the flip top version, so I could get the mechanics out of the way easier when I add flour and such. I know there is a pour shield available, but that’s just one more thing for me to wash.
I have a few of the adapters, but I rarely use it.
I’m old fashioned when it comes to bread - I don’t make it often, but when I do, [del]I prefer Dos Equis[/del] I knead it by hand.
-D/A
