I think I want a Kitchen-Aid

[Catshrink]

I've been thinking about getting one for a while. Right now I have a small and very old hand held mixer. To mix anything heavy or knead dough, I need to use some serious elbow grease. Amazon has the 575W version on its Friday sale for $299. Is it worth it?

Here's the photo and link:



http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KP26M1XBS-Professional-6-Quart-Stand/dp/B0002Y5X88/ref=br_lf_m_548166_4_46_ttl?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&pf_rd_p=384076601&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=548166&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=16SHG2ABDR4ZNKSQHZMR

[NashVegas]

1. I Love Mine

Go for it!

[Warpy]

2. You DO need a Kitchen Aid

you just don't know it yet. I got mine when my hands and wrists wouldn't handle kneading bread dough. I've used it for so much more than that. It was something I'd needed for years but hadn't realized it.

I have the smallest, cheapest tilt head model and it's taken abuse for 12 years now without a whimper, and I'm talking about bread every week abuse. I wouldn't go for the larger model unless I had a large family to feed.

You'll be amazed by how versatile it is, especially if you start getting some of the attachments that fit on the head.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. "Is it worth it?"

Yup!

In spades.

You will not regret buying it.

[sazemisery]

4. Great buy, but remember don't put the beaters in the dishwasher.

This is the only reason I haven't replaced my 4.5 qt tilt head. I can put all the beaters in the dishwasher and they don't discolor.

You will wonder why you have cooked all these years with out it.

[housewolf]

5. You'll love it once you get it

and find more uses for it than you can imagine now.

Plus there are many helpful attachments that you can add to it over time to make it even more helpful.

Really... you'll love it!

[Tab]

6. I bought one years ago

And although my ex-wife claimed it for her own in our divorce, I ended up with it anyway (!) :)

Buy it - you won't regret it. You can add accessories later.

I don't do as much mixing anymore, just because of circumstances, but I wouldn't dream of using a handheld for the stuff I put my KitchenAid through. I have a little handheld for small stuff, but for anything serious - particularly dough - you'd be nuts to try it with anything other than one of these.

[spinbaby]

7. Oh, yes, definitely

I couldn't live without mine.

[wryter2000]

8. Think you want a Kitchen Aid?

You need a Kitchen Aid. I love mine. I pat it on the head as I walk by.

http://home.listings.ebay.com/Small-Kitchen-Appliances_Mixers_W0QQfclZ3QQfromZR11QQsacatZ20679QQsocmdZListingItemList

Get it on Ebay. I got a refurbished one, and it works great!

[Richard Steele]

9. They're great. You'll love it. It's just that simple. And you can save a lot of $$$ on one...

...at the Kitchenaid website in their "factory refurb" dept.:
http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/product_list.asp?SKW=KTAFACTSTAND&HDR=outlet

I'm leery of "factory refurbished" items most of the time,
but not with KitchenAid mixers.

Why? Because I took mine apart to see how it works, and it's
such a SIMPLE design, that there's hardly anything to go wrong.

There are a lot fewer parts inside that thing than you might imagine,
and they are all about 3 times as strong as they need to be.

Their refurbs come with a 6 month warranty, and that's about 5 months
more than you need with a design like this. It's so simple and robust,
it's kinda "all or nothing":
If there's anything WRONG with it, you'll know immediately.
And if it runs OK for six months, then it's gonna run OK for ten years.

Of course, the downside is that they get so FEW mixers returned to be rebuilt,
there's very little SELECTION on their Refurb page.
You have to bookmark it and check it every day until the model you want
pops up, and then jump on it immediately!

They have a Licorice-black 575watt model like the one in your photo for $239,
but it's already marked as "sold". Ya gotta be quick!

[MagickMuffin]

10. I LOVE mine, tilt head model, You won't be disappointed I assure you

I got mine because I too had a handheld. I like making Divinity and with a handheld that just took too long to stand there and mix. Now, that I have my KitchenAid, after I add my liquid to the egg whites I can leave it mixing and check back after 10 minutes or more.

I've never had a bad batch of Divinity since I bought it.

[bicentennial_baby]

11. I'd love one, but can't afford it...

Well, technically I could, but it's not fiscally responsible of me to do so. x(

[NMDemDist2]

12. there's always next Christmas

which will be here before we know it

:pals:

[bicentennial_baby]

13. And if I knew anyone who would buy it for me...

I'd be set! :rofl:

I might just break down in the next few weeks and buy a refurbished one...I can afford it, I'm just hesitant. Even though I spend plenty of dough on Econ books on a weekly basis. :rofl:

[Tektonik]

14. Sell the cat or return an ipod or something

Getting a KitchenAid mixer is imperative :P

I'm glad I was able to get a new 4.5 qt for $110 back when I had extra dough. :D

[Lugnut]

15. You need one.

Getting a Kitchen Aid was one of the best small appliance purchse decisions I ever made. The other half had a blast making homemade sausage after he bought a grinder attachment for it. I love to make cookies but the dough was more than my arthritic hands could handle. It's a breeze with the Kitchen Aid.

[hippywife]

16. Everytime I think I want one

I remind myself that I really don't. It's a tempting little trinket and I could probably make space for it but do I need it? No.

[BarbaRosa]

17. Yep, you want one

I got a 6qt. for Christmas and love it.

If I may offer a suggestion, if you can swing it, get the ice cream maker, we made our first batch last weekend and it was absolutely great! We waited until our birthday to get it, but wow the ice cream.

Here's a link to the KitchenAid Forums KitchenAid Conversations

enjoy:)

[noamnety]

19. Cheaper:

I bought an icecream maker at salvation army for about 3 dollars, and it's the easiest thing ever - I just keep the outer sleeve in the freezer, the recipes can be made by hand in 2 minutes, and I just pour the ingredients into it before we sit down to eat dinner. I have to hand spin it for a few seconds every few minutes while we eat dinner, the crank is easy to spin (nothing that requires elbow grease), and since I'm sitting there anyway it's not keeping me from doing anything. By the end of dinner we have a soft sludge, or I can put it in the freezer to firm up more.

I have a cheap bread machine that mixes up doughs - which seems like the main use for a kitchenaid. You can get them for $25 off craigslist.

[TygrBright]

18. Thry can take my Kitchen Aid when...

...they pry it loose from my cold, dead body curled protectively around it.

I'd dump every other electric gadget in the kitchen before I'd give it up.

Just sayin'...

passionately,
Bright

[Warpy]

20. I feel the same way about mine

Things like the blender, food processor and mandoline are nice, but if I only had one gadget, it would be the Kitchen Aid mixer.

When I got robbed last October, it was the first thing I checked. Yep, still there, I'm safe.

[kcass1954]

25. It drives my extended family crazy that I don't have an electric can opener,

but I do have "an outrageously expensive mixer".

We buy very little food in cans, and I use the KitchenAid more frequently than I would use a can opener.

[Tracer]

21. Rotten Kitchen-Aid Company!

I HAVE a Kitchen-Aid mixer. It belonged to my mother and is at least 50 years old.

Works like a charm.

BUT ....... I broke the glass mixing bowl.

Went to the store to get a new bowl (and paid damn near $50 for it). Got home only to discover that the Kitchen-Aid company had CHANGED THE SIZE OF THE BOWL RING and the new bowl doesn't fit.

Emailed the KA company and was told that, basically, I'm s**t out of luck.

[MagickMuffin]

22. So, return your the bowl you purchase and look online for a replacement

That seems to be your only alternative at this point. Ebay, antique dealers might have something along what you need, just be sure to have the model number so you get what you need.

Companies make new products and usually won't continue making parts for their older products. I have a KA that has been discontinued (not very old either) but I can still get most parts for it.

Sorry about your misfortunes. Good luck with your searches.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-KITCHEN-AID-Mixer-4C-Large-Glass-Mixing-Bowl_W0QQitemZ370051450361QQihZ024QQcategoryZ11653QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Stinky The Clown]

24. ebay

I know what you mean.

I hope you were able to return the bowl.

I just looked on ebay. There is one bowl for sale - 65 bux with Buy It Now.

There are four or so whole mixers, with the bowl, for between 15 and 25 bux.

Go figure!

[NJCher]

23. watch craigslist

That's how I got mine--for $75. It was only 10 months old and had only been used about a dozen times, the woman said, when someone in her family bought her one for Christmas, not knowing she already had one. Since the new one was a color that suited her kitchen better, she put her white one up for sale.

Just check craigslist about once a day and I'll bet you turn one up sometime in the next three months or so. That's assuming you live in a large metropolitan area, though.

The refurb also sounds like a good way to go for those on a budget.



Cher

[fortyfeetunder]

26. Yes you can!

I bought mine about 7 years ago and it is great. I use it regularly. Making meat loaf and hamburger, mixing batter, and a whole bunch of other things...

Once you have it, you will wonder how you got along without one!