OT: seeking recommendations for mixer

I'm afraid my Oster Kitchen Center may have given up the ghost (again). I've been thinking about putting all my marbles in a Viking mixer, but it's very pricey and the online reviews aren't very reassuring. Just noticed Bosch as another name-brand, heavy-duty mixer, and also Cuisinart has a new model (not rated because just released). I do a lot of baking and would like to have the ability for heavy-duty/big batch baking, so I'm looking at 5-qt minimum, maybe even spring for the the

7-qt./1000 watt model.

Anybody else have experience with any of these models? How about the Kitchen-Aid "pro" models? Any good? They sure are ubiquitous in every dept. store and heavily advertised.

Sue

-- Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen The Magazine of Folk and World Music

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Reply to
Susan Hartman
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We've had very good luck with he KitchenAid pro models (the ones where the bowl lifts up and down, not the ones where the top of the mixer tilts back). We don't use them day in and day out, but when we use it, it gets a huge workout. It doesn't seem to cough at heavy doughs at all (several loaves of bread at a time, no problem).

Best wishes, Ericka

Reply to
Ericka Kammerer

I wouldn't be with out my Kitchen Aid. It is the 5qt Pro model 700 watt. I bake a lot of bread and cookies over the holidays as I have adopted several navy ship that care packages go to. These are ships that I have a contact person on, so rest assured my packages get there. DDil Aya has already put in here order for my Christmas cookies. I had 2 Oster Kitchen Centers before I made the switch to the Kitchen Aid. Had to get a separate blender though. Bobbie V.

Reply to
Queen City x-stitcher

I have a Kitchen -Aid and love it.I also do allot of baking of bread. It does a great job. And cake mixes it is a dream.They come out light and fluffy every time. The model I have is below. I would not get a small motor below 300.

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Reply to
Barb

I've had my Kitchen Aid Pro 5-quart for 20 years and it's still going strong. I bake bread, big pound cakes, and I used to do a lot of cake baking and decorating. It handles heavy doughs and icings with ease and whips up cakes as light as you need them for the recipe. I also use it for grinding meat and shredding with the separately purchased attachments. The shredder bit the dust about 8 years ago (heavy plastic case cracked), but the grinder works like a charm.

I wouldn't be without it.

Dianne

Susan Hartman wrote:

Reply to
Dianne Lewandowski

I adore my KitchenAid! It's the 5 quart model -- the one where the bowl goes up and down, and identical to the ones used by Emeril and other chefs on the FoodTV network. I make bread frequently with no problems whatever, and it is wonderful with whipping cream, making merangues, and beating divinity. It sits in a back corner of my counter, and I have it sitting on a thin, flexible plastic cutting mat I can simply pull out to use the mixer, and easily push back. I bought a second bowl, which I recommend, and have a cover to keep everything clean and tidier looking. It is about 12 years old now and looks new and works as well as when new.

Reply to
Mary

I'll echo love for my KitchenAid. I'm a bread baker, too, and mine seems to handle anything I throw in there with ease. Plus it's great at the delicate things like whipping cream and egg whites. Mine is 8 years old and replaced an wonderful old Braun. I just regret that it's white when they come in all those luscious colors now.

Donna in Virginia

Reply to
Donna

hi another vote for the Kitchen Aid. I use it for bread dough and lots of other baking. Just make sure you spend the money and get the one with the higher watt motor...Check out Costco as they seem to have the best prices around here. I have a plain white one but love all the new colors.

Reply to
Anne M

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of a lot of higher end mixers - you must be a member, butmembership is free.

final line of the review:

So is KitchenAid still the mixer to beat? Yes. Three mixers survived the gauntlet of tests without showing fatal flaws: the KitchenAid Professional 600 ($369.99), the 5-quart DeLonghi ($349.95), and the Hobart ($1,503.08). Given that $1,500 is far beyond most test cooks' budgets, the kitchen was split down the middle between the KitchenAid and the DeLonghi, but our test results give a slight edge to the KitchenAid.

Ellen (who should be working) in Denver

Reply to
mommaschell

Give me a day or two to check the back issues of Cooks Illustrated. They did a heavy duty comparison a while back.

C
Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

Another great source is William Sonoma and you can access them on line.

Dianne

Anne M wrote:

Reply to
Dianne Lewandowski

The new Cook's Country (counterpart to Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen) just had a list of not horribly expensive stand mixers. Of them, their pick was the KitchenAid Classic Plus at $200, followed by the Bosch Compact Kitchen Machine at $130 and the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics Stand Mixer at $180.

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

Thank you all for the information.

Yesterday I tried my mixer and....it worked. I don't know whether to be relieved or pissed! Earlier this week, DD had come to us and said, "Is it supposed to Pop and a puff of smoke come out of it?" and DH said, "I think it's dead this time." (He 'resurrected' it with parts from a twin piece we bought on Ebay a couple of years ago.)

So I was kind of hopeful!

But glad now that I have the time to watch sales and do the research, and with the holidays coming up, I can drop some broad hints! Looks like KitchenAid is the way to go, after all your testimonials.

Thanks for sharing the Cooks research.

Now I have to decide on colors...

Sue

Reply to
Susan Hartman

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