So, who's the #2 home food mixer?

Names that spring to my mind would be Sunbeam, Oscar, or Black & Decker. These are all discounted brands that would capture the "I want a stand mixer but I don't want to spend $200 on it" demographic.

Having said that, if you're looking for quality don't assume that #2 is going to be better than #1 or any of the others out there.

For most of the stuff that I use a stand mixer for, my Sunbeam MixMaster was as good as (or better than) the KitchenAid I currently have. I don't make bread using the mixer, nor do I grind grain or meat. My MixMaster is still going fine at a friend's house....

MixMasters are fine mixers, they just don't have the capacity that a KitchenAid does (which is why I got the KitchenAid). We refurbished an old (1960s) MixMaster as a wedding gift for friends, and they are really happy with it...(both of their moms had one...).

ymmv jenn

-- Jenn Ridley snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net

Indeed - I've got a Sunbeam Mixmaster stand unit. Does reasonably well but I'll eventually swap it out for a KitchenAid or like unit.

Speaking of which...

How do folks feel about the Kitchenaid Artisan series vs the Professional series? Is the Pro 'that' much better?

We were thinking about just getting the Pro version - but it is exactly 0.5" too tall to fit under the cabinetry when not in use. So unless I can figure something out, will probably have to settle for the Artisan.

Walt

-...- Walt Spector (w6ws at earthlink dot net)

I really don't know - but I sure would like to own one of these model AR5 varimixers in the smallest (5 liter) size:

're made in Denmark and look like they're built for small commercial or institutional kitchens. The fact that they're "Bears" is also a plus. :)

I just can't seem to find out if they're sold in the U.S.

Even if they're only available for 220v, I already have a European- style 220v outlet in my kitchen to use with some appliances which my wife had when she lived in Switzerland. Of course, it is 60Hz rather than the 50Hz common in the UK and Europe.

Cheers, The Old Bear

It looks like Mixer World in Orlando, Fl carries the Varimixer line:

might call them to see if they have the specific model you want. Itlooks like they have the very large ones.

You could skip the high-end in-home and go for a Hobart. You can tell people that you pulled it from a WWII battleship.

I think the name "Varimixer" must belong to two separate companies:

A/S Wodschow & Co. in Denmark

Varimixer in Louisiana Louisiana company used to be part of Welbilt, I believe. You can still reach their website using might explain why one cannot find the Danish-made product in the U.S. -- the name is trademarked by a different company. Possibly Wodschow's machine is sold under a different trademark in the U.S. I believe the Varimixer company in Louisiana makes nothing smaller than 20-quart -- which is much too large for even serious home baking. :)

BTW, the specs on the Danish 5-liter machine are:

Model AR5

Dimensions (LxWxH): 415mm x 280mm x 475mm approx. 16-1/4" x 11" x 18-3/4"

Bowl capacity: 5 Litres (5-1/4 quarts) Gross weight: 17Kg (37-1/2 lbs.) Power: 0.45 HP 0.33KW

Infinitely varaible speed: 30 - 200 RPM

Which seems pretty reasonable for a serious home mixer. This would be comparable to the KitchenAid KSM150PS Artisan Series Stand Mixer which has a 5-quart bowl, 10 speed settings, a 325-watt motor, is

14" x 8-3/4" x 14" and weighs 25 lbs.

I believe there is a kitchen appliance usenet newsgroup. I will seek that out when I am getting more serious about acquiring a new mixer.

Regards, Will The Old Bear

(Please NOTE: My correct e-mail address is in my Signature) On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 19:14:00 GMT, during the rec.food.baking Community News Flash shipwreck reported:

In Europe it might be Braun or Morphy Richards.

(Please NOTE: My correct e-mail address is in my Signature) On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 19:14:00 GMT, during the rec.food.baking Community News Flash shipwreck reported:

Sorry - its probably Kenwood!

Kenwood

to take this in a slightly different direction (or maybe not), i just read a very interesting book called "trading up". it is all about how the concept of luxury has changed in America. a quick synopsis might be that it used to be that there were low-priced goods which sold in high volumes, and as prices raised volumes decreased ... until you ended at true luxury goods which sold to very few rich people.

the new thing (perhaps because we have more disposable income) is that there can be inversions. things that cost more, can sell more, than the lower priced options. kitchenaid having 75% of the market seems a perfect example. the authors note that it is sometimes the middle of the new price curve that disappears. there might still be low priced mixers (etc.), and high-priced mixers ... but fewer mid-priced mixers.

their observation is that we don't uniformly choose luxuries for everything, but decide which are important and "trade up" for those. i know i'm frugal/cheap in a lot of ways, but i did "trade up" to a kitchenaid professional (old 350w) at one point.

somewhat in the same vein, "Panera Bread" is named as a success in this "new luxury" category ... selling high quality bread and sandwitches to masses of people for higher cost than typical fast food.

book link:

book also makes the shocking statement that 75% of all viking rangesinstalled are never used)

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 19:14:00 GMT, shipwreck had to open a new box of zerones to say:

Who said Kitchen Aid is the #1 home mixer with 75% of the market...? They may be the most desired mixer, but I don't think the actual market penetration is anywhere near that number of American households... Further, I daresay 75% of the subscribers to this discussion group don't have a KA sitting on their kitchen counters...

zenit

I was at Williams-Sonoma yesterday and noticed that they were carrying the Hobart 5 qt. stand mixer for $1999. A friendly clerk (unusual in my experience) came over. She said that they had sold only two of them and the one she sold was purely a status purchase. Apparently the couple who bought asked no questions about the mixer but had a lengthy discussion on how impressive it would look on their kitchen counter. You can get it for less elsewhere