I don't have a lot of space in my kitchen and I've been using a Ham B food processor for around $100. The blade does an OK job for most baking tasks, including pizza dough and creaming butter. Am I losing out that much by not using an actual mixer?
I bought a klarstein mixer. It's 2000w (europe) so I've had no problem with dough. It is plasticy and cheap feeling but it does the job. It also came with a bunch of attachments already: blender, meat grinder, pasta extruder.
Bosch MUMS2EW00, while underperforming overall, it did manage to outperform the kitchen aid in kneading bread dough (according to some tests I read). I have no experience with kitchen aid but it's better than other cheap ones I've had.
😂 I have both. I bought myself the cheap one. I love baking but as a single mom I couldn’t get myself to pay for the Kitchen Aid even though I would work OT to get my son every new PlayStation. Well years later, my son bought me the Kitchen Aid (with the glass bowl like I always wanted ) with his 1st paycheck. I value it even more so because of that 😊.
That is such a special gift! Hope you baked him some chocolate chip cookies right away LOL You sure brought him up right, and he sure loves his MOM. Bless him.
Another note on the Kitchen Aid. 1. The bowl height can be adjusted, there are a number of TH-cam vids to show how. 2. My Kitchen Aid finally died after 10 years of hard use. When this happens 95% of the time it's going to be the gearing inside the mixer. The gears (and for that matter all of the internals) are available for any repair. In my case $25 and 30 minutes of my time had it working as good as new. Again tons of vids on how to do any repair.
You can get parts for just about any Kitchen Aid ever made. One of the rare companies that keep supporting their customers long after the warranty expires. That builds deep loyalty you can't get with any amount of marketing. Other manufacturers should take note.
I'd be willing to bet money it was the worm gear that needed replacing in your mixer... That's the gear that interfaces the rotation for the attachment itself with the outer rotation that allows the attachment to scrape the edges of the bowl. I've had to replace the one in our mixer at work three times now; it's plastic- in our model, anyway- and the most flimsy part inside the thing. That said... It's been replaced three times since 2011, and we use it heavily to make cookie dough (like 5 pounds at a time) and pizza dough, and via attachments we make both fresh pasta and grind our own sausage. Our machine gets a lot of very intense use, and the fact it's needed so little work to keep it running is definitely worthy of respect... It was a $130 mid-range machine the boss got on sale at Costco, not the high end models available today.
My moms died after 5 years ish maybe a few more its just the worm gear (The most common part to fair in kitchen aids) also took me about $20 and about an hour in total including going to get the part to fix
About 10 years ago when I was still working at one of big box stores, I found a KitchenAid mixer on a clearance endcap. I slowly watched it drop in price. no one bought it even though it had dropped to around 120 from the original 300, so I scooped it up with my employee discount and a bonus discount. Paid like 100 bucks with taxes best purchase of a kitchen appliance ever. My family loves it.
I have owned mine for 34 years. It is a great mixer. Now that the kids are grown it gets less of a workout. I did have to replace the paddle beater, it got a Nick in the rubber coating.
I’d have to add my perspective: it really also depends on how much you expect to use one and what it is you are using it for. I had a less expensive one for years. During that time I randomly used it and it worked fine for whatever I needed it for and it still works fine. As I got older and more financially sound, I thought I’d treat myself and bought a Kitchen Aid. I have to say it feels more substantial when I do use it but did I really need it? It appears that what I use it for and the usage it gets, my less expensive one works just as well. So think twice and consider your needs and not just marketing’s point of view…do you really need a Mercedes or will a Chevy or Ford do?
I've never owned a stand mixer so getting one probably wouldn't change my life that much, though someday I should compare my standard recipes made by hand (I rarely even use a hand mixer unless it's whipped cream or egg whites) versus one with the air whipped into the butter, you could defintely see the difference in the cookie dough he demonstrated, but he even said there was little difference in taste, so if the taste is the same, why bother getting out a big heavy noisy machine that has parts that need cleaning when a bowl and a spoon fit just fine in my dishwasher?
I only bake or cook often on holidays (e.g., Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) for family gatherings. Therefore, I had used a hand mixer for years, but saw where they made Osmond mixers in Texas. Think it was around $150 and had a 7 quart bowl. I ordered it and love it. Has done great for those holidays. I didn't want to pay $250 or more for something I don't use often. And as far as cars, if it runs and looks okay...I'm happy. (Ford Titanium Edge) 😁
Tip for people with cheaper mixers making fermented dough: start with cold water instead of the recommended room temp water, gives you more mixing time without the dough overheating
@@lilblackduc7312its probably both, because sure, youre machine breaking bc its motor overheated is bad because it is a loss of money. But when a fermented dough overheats its alao an issue, iamgine spending weeks on a a sourgough startet, spending money on a good quality flour and then not being able to use yozr stand mixer because it always overheats the dough and ruins it.
@@user-kd7ch1be6u Sourdoughs are the most sensitive but high hydration pizza doughs can be the same. That is why Italian restaurants use a fork mixer which introduces the least amount of friction but is still able to work the dough.
@@lilblackduc7312 Not it isn't. He clearly spoke of the butter heating up in the bowl after extended processing. He did speak of how 'both' mixers' did well and did not over heat. Well maybe a little smell from the HB, but it was not definitive that the HB did overheat.
My mom got her kitchen aid for a high school graduation present over 30 years ago. Still going strong. Not a huge baking household, but certainly not underused by any means. Really impressed by the thing considering it's been around literally my whole life.
My mom has her mom's kitchen aid and Gma used it in a restaurant. Mom used it to make wedding cakes until she went back to college. The thing is 70 years old and running like a new machine. Astounding engineering.
That's so cool! My gf and I were gifted the ice cream machine her parents got for their wedding (30+ years ago). It's got two buttons, nothing fancy but just does what it's supposed to really well.
I bought my KitchenAid about 30 years ago. As a single mom, it was one of the most expensive and extravagant things I allowed myself to buy. I still have and use that mixer today! Price is definitely a factor, but the build quality and longevity of KitchenAid cannot be underestimated. Great video, Bri!
I've heard the quality isn't AS good as it used to be, some of the gears have been replaced with plastic ones. But they're still extremely reliable and repairable, and KitcnenAid is pretty good about sending replacement parts cheap or free even for old mixers. I bought mine 15 years ago and it's still running. My parents have my grandmother's, it's probably 50 years old and runs like a champ.
@@Platypi007 I've heard from people who owned the old ones and bought the new ones that they aren't anything remotely like the old ones. One woman said she wanted to give her daughter one so she bought a new one for herself and gave the old one to her daughter and was very upset. She said she wished she had given the new one to her daughter. haha
You are lucky to have an old one. They are much more rugged than the ones they sell now. Mine lasted 8 minutes into the slow kneading for my second time making bread then burned out. Made in Asia now rather than America. I then found a refurbished older one and it is great.
I do have to flex, I thrifted my Kitchen Aid for $100, it was brand new and clean but had an issue with the motor, but with a $15 replacement part it’s working perfectly. It’s the item I’m proudest to have in my kitchen.
My SIL got one with the lifter bowl for $100 when a couple got married. They both had one and decided that two full-sized mixers was a bit much, so he sold his very lightly used one to her. And when I say lightly used, he’d only had it for a few months when the wedding happened and he knew she would give it a good home.
@@cjaquilino I got mine free, as well. My sister in laws mother gave me hers. She got it as a wedding present in the early 80s and never used it. She gave it to me a couple years ago. It works great.
You're awesome. Your voice isn't annoying. You speak clearly without "ums" and "likes". You make really good food and you don't have a giant ego. I truly enjoy watching your videos. Great job!
I've binge watched about 4 vids so far. Doesn't talk super fast, isn't smarmy, doesn't try to have annoying hooks and doesn't tell me to SMASH that like button (I am so over that). Only Chef John can have at least 5 different hooks, and I'm hooked on them all, but he's the goat.
I grew up using a KitchenAid, my mom went through 2 of them. To put that in perspective she was a depression child so when she was able to purchase the KA she put it through it's paces. We're talking grinding meat, vegetables for canning and sauces, cakes, breads etc. After about 35+ years of hard use it finally gave up the ghost and she replaced it w/another KA. As soon as I could afford one I bought one. It's about 40 years old and still going (Mainly baking and slicing veggies. I love it's torque for bread doughs and homemade cakes are a snap. My med. sized kitchen has a useless corner so it's on a dedicated baking cart so I can wheel it out to use. I love that mixer.
yeah thats the thing. I'm using my parents old one, they upgraded to the pro 600 5-6 years ago, and they have me their kitchen aide from when they got married. Its still a work horse and they just had their 35th anniversary. Ive had to replace the gears, but the fact i was able todo that on a 35 year old mixer is amazing. I use it about 1 week for bread doughs and more often for various other things. I ought to look into the bakers cart idea.
For over a decade, I used a Kitchen Aid mixer in a manufacturing environment, mixing thick heavy pastes. The mixer was used so vigorously, the motor would become almost too hot to touch. It was bullet proof and ran as smoothly as the day it was bought. You rarely find that in appliances these days. There are so few products of this quality these days, buy the best!
This is exactly what I mean. How many times can you perform this test with these two mixers. With KitchenAid - hundreds of times. With the other one I doubt you can pass five times...
Boy, you're not kidding. I am very disappointed with how much quality has plummeted over the past several years. I have kitchen items from 20+ years ago that are still going strong, and it's nearly impossible to find machinery and tools that are built the same way. Kitchen-Aid is one of the few exceptions. Expensive, but hell, it seems like everything is expensive nowadays, regardless of the quality. I like supporting companies that haven't downgraded their products.
Even KitchenAid had their run of terrible quality. There was a time about a decade ago where they used nylon gears and mounting hardware. Of course that garbage broke down all the time and they switched back to metal innards. That's why you shouldn't buy used from that year range unless you know they were retrofitted.
@Mallory G Planned Obsolescence. Manufacturers need to guarantee continued sales of their products so devices and appliances are designed to have weaknesses that give after a designated amount of time from standard wear & tear & break in a way that repair either cannot be done or costs too much to be worth it. It's why Apple nukes the battery & CPU speed on their devices after 2 years, why headphone cables, guitar cables, charger cables etc all break after 6-8 months of normal use instead of being reinforced against bending & breaking, and many other dumb things like printer ink "running out" so quickly when it's really not even half empty & your printer being coded to deny use of offbrand cartridges to avoid the ink level detection
A few years back I was given my grandmother's KitchenAid mixer. 50+ years and still going strong; and thats the beauty of them. Also it should be noted that KitchenAid still supports the older models with replacement parts and repair services should anything go wrong. Name any other company that continues to do that these days!!
They used to be made by Hobart oh, now they are made by Whirlpool, that is why the quality plummeted. They're still unique, functional items, but they're not going to last 40 years anymore nor can you use them in the heavier-duty applications like the vintage models
The reason I have not bought a new stand mixer is that my Oster in harvest gold, bought in the 70s still works just fine. Way back then, it was $150. It came with a food processor, blender and grinder. The glass blender broke years ago but everything else is still good. I would love a Kitchen Aid but can not justify the expense as long as my Oster ID still going strong.
I was given my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Christmas 2002. It is the professional model with a 6 quart lift bowl and 525 watts. 20+ years later it is still going strong. I always recommend this to friends who are serious cooks.
Have the same version and probably bought it around the same time. I got mine refurbished for $180. The only thing I've had to do was clean the contacts on the board that controls the speed.
Just a tip to up your kitchen aid game a LOT: Look at the Kitty Professional dough hook, it's made in Germany and it's super sturdy. Also it kneads the dough WAY more than the one kitchen aid makes because of its form. So it only needs speed 1 to 2 and less time, the dough gets kneaded instead of spun around :)
i service a cheap mixer like that before, the gearbox are made of plastic nylon, and if the motherboard are fried or broken you can just buy cheap $2 motor speed controller to replace it, it works, while for expensive mixer its used different motherboard and hard/cost alot to replace
Do they make one for all KA sizes? I own the Ankarsrum and the KA and the Ankarsrum roller is so gentle and yet kneeds so well with such ease. I love it. I will look up the Kitty dough hook. I hope they make one for the mini KA.
Shout OUT to Lauren for her hard work. After looking at mixers for a full day, pretty sure she doesn't want to see another one for some time. Thanks Lauren.
I love my Kitchen Aid. I got a refurbished model (luckily all the refurbished models you can buy from retail are done by Kitchen Aid themselves) and it was about $200. I've had it five years now and I've never had any issues with it. I love its versatility, I love the color, and it has inspired me to try far more difficult bakes than I would have ever tried without it such as croissants and brioche.
I chose to buy a Cuisinart about 4 years ago (it was about half the price of the top of the line Kitchen Aid), and I've used it several times a week since I got it. It can do anything I need it to do (cookies and bread and pizza and so on) , including ice cream with the ice cream bowl attachment.
I too went Cuisinart as was able to get very large bowl for $200.00 instead of Kitchen Aid at $700.00 for comparable bowl size. I've never found anything it can't handle. Attachments are also available for it as well.
Great review. I think for 85 bucks, someone would be better off buying either a $60 or $90 kitchen aide hand mixer. I've had mine for 15 years and it never complains. It's great for creaming butter and making cookies and whipping cream. And will probably last longer than the Hamilton beach mixer. Then save up for the stand mixer.
I agree with you, although that hand mixer definitely has a lot of limitations. It's great for people who are first starting out with baking, but if you want to make various breads, you really need a standing mixer. Also, I'm lazy and want to let the machinery do the work! LOL
@@malloryg4251 The hand mixer is amazing. I used to go through one hand mixer a year until I finally got a Kitchenaid. That was many years ago and it’s still going strong. If you can’t afford the big mixer, you could get the Kitchenaid hand mixer and a bread machine. Let the bread machine do all the work, then take it out and bake it in your oven.
You can buy a full sized refurbished Kitchen Aid for around $200. Also look for a broken one and 9/10 times it’s a $25 gear replacement that takes 20 minutes. Before I had a stand mixer I used the mixing function on a bread machine for years, and that worked great as well.
Got my white KA for $5.00 at a thrift store while visiting my best friend in Florida. The cord had issues so her dad replaced it for me & gave it a good cleaning. Her parents drove it up to me on their yearly visit so I had to wait 6 months to get it as I had flown to Florida. I bought red ladybug decals for it and it looks great! I did buy a beater attachment and the slicer/shredder attachment which I use all the time to make shredded cheese. Best $5.00 I ever spent!!!
Had a Kitchen Aid for years and then I upgraded to a Bosch and I love it! More power, bigger capacity, easier to add ingredients and has attachments that work well. And it doesn’t shake like a Kitchen Aid.
My m.i.l. bought me an Oster Kitchen Center probably 35 years ago. It came with a blender, the mixer, and attachments to slice, shred, and grate. I've used it a lot. The past year is the first time I've had any problems with it. Right now I'm making 12-18 loaves of bread a week. It needs a bit of tending at first but it does just fine.
@@IMACTEDI bought a second hand Ankarsrum so now I can make up to 5 kilo dough. The original was from my town in Sweden but it was only for professional s cuz it was so big and then Electrolux bought the right to the mixer and the name and they made it smaller in size.
This is a cool video concept! I think buying a stand mixer is a "buy it right or buy it twice" kind of situation. And if you're patient, you can find a screaming deal on a Kitchenaid mixer. I got one for $220 on a Black Friday sale that's normally $450. I also think good gear more than pays for itself because it compels you to cook for yourself more. Especially when it has such a no fuss operation (and thus a lot more fun!) like Kitchenaid. If a stand mixer motivates me to make just ~10-20 meals in place of ordering out during its lifetime, I'll be out ahead.
Yeah, I see this. I mean- the way the thing shook even when doing the butter-creaming test does not inspire confidence about longevity, IMO. 85$ Might be cheap for a Stand-Mixer, but it's awfully pricey for a future pile of E-Waste.
I found a 7-quart KitchenAid (I bought for a friend) at an estate sale for $190 about 7 or 8 years ago. Sometimes you just have to scout it out for a while before you make a good find.
My mom recently downsized to assisted living and gave her Kitchen Aid to my daughter. It was originally purchased circa 1977, and it's still going strong. I got mine 30 years ago brand new and will always have one, regardless of the price (should it need to be replaced). I don't do bread, but it does get used frequently for other things. Fantastic product!
I’ve had my Kitchenaid stand mixer for 35 years now. I have never had it serviced and it still works like new. It has been abused and I also used it when I owned a small bakery. It even fell from the kitchen counter while I was making bread once. The floor tile broke and the mixer was still running on the floor… I’ve made butter with it, lots of chocolate chip cookies, hundreds of cakes and a zillion pounds of buttercream frosting. I also have several attachments like the ice cream maker which is used at least once a week as I don’t buy commercial ice cream anymore. One bit of advice: do not buy the cheap attachments, be sure it is made by Kitchenaid. I had to throw out the vegetable chopper I had bought because it broke on me. Since I bought the Kitchenaid brand, it works just fine and is 100 times more sturdy. Same with the meat grinder.
Great video for those shopping around. I was given a Sunbeam mixer years ago and burnt up the motor first time making oatmeal cookies. Then I bought a KitchenAid and have put it through the ringer ever since. It shows no sign of wearing out. The only thing that might be a consideration is the weight. I keep mine on the garage shelving and yes, my wife has issues so I keep it on the lowest shelf where I'm the one who normally retrieves it. Well worth the money, a lifetime investment and all those attachments are wonderful.
Agreed about both weight and reliability. Mom used to run through hand (and cheap stand) mixers every 2-5 years. My house at uni had a bowl-lift KitchenAid which held up through all the use and abuse 30 college kids with big appetites cooking for the house could throw at it. I don't know how long we had the mixer before I entered uni, but it was still going strong when I graduated... which sold me on the brand/style. It took some years before Mom could afford to invest in one (despite my constant remarks that it would be more cost effective than buying a new mixer every four years), but we still have it, more than a decade after she passed.
That's what I've been saying about Kitchen Aid and weight. I have pain issues and they very heavy. So I opted for the cheaper mid range, but not a crap one under $100. I'd be needing a man to lift a KA as well. My sister got a Ktichen Aid w/ the bowl lift function and I could barely move the darn lever. That decided me to get a knock off.
I don't know whether they are always available, but I got my Artisan direct from Kitchenaid as a refurbished item. It was right around 50% of the normal price. I'm a relatively light user, but it has given me no problems (aside from weight, since I have to store it on top of the refrigerator).
All the problems you ran in with the ham beach I also encounter with my kitchen aid from time to time. Got my ex a (phillips?) budget stand mixer and was extremely surprised how well it performed. I think it's perfect to get into cooking and baking at home. If it breaks, it'll be at a time you'd be able to decide on your own if you want to spend some real money on a high end mixer.
That's kind of my thinking. I finally ordered a stand mixer after giving myself tennis elbow doing everything by hand. (Seemed like a good workout at the time...) But I don't cook nearly enough to justify a $400 KitchenAid. So I got a cheap one for $119. We'll see how it goes. If it proves indispensable and the existing one either dies or I need an upgrade (maybe rehome the old one), then I'll see if I can snipe a good deal on the KitchenAid.
I also got a budget one, though didn't go bottom dollar like that terrible Hamilton Beach. It was sitting there w/ the housing obviously crooked and seams not even meeting, which is a terrible sign to not bother. It's been alright and my needs are modest.
Also, if you want to convert your Kitchen Aid to one that doesn’t run on electricity, it can be done, as Amish cooks know! For off-grid use, a hand crank is installed on the mixer. It still works beautifully!
@@andreeacat7071.... The question you ask shows the absolute ignorance of being able to complete the task. The handle would go where the motor is.... Because that's what turns the damn thing. Fucking hell lol
I own a Hamilton Beach stand & hand held mixers. I'm happybwith both. My stand mixer has 2 motors: 1 turns the beaters, the other the turntable. It also has 2 paddle, whisks, & the beaters. The design resembles the ones that my mom & granny owned. I like it & prefer it to KitchenAide. Oh, & my mixer also has a large & small metal bowl, as well as a mix/speed guide on the handle (on/off power guide switch).
I had a "Test Kitchen Recommended" mixer for years and it was fine - but the timer thing got all kinds of wonky and it started making screaming noises like the bearings were going bad or whatever, so I got a KitchenAid on sale last holiday season and it's so nice. Effortless - quiet (ish) - powerful. The 5Q professional (non tilting) model was on sale for less than the tilting artisan at that time so I went for it, and it just feels like it will last me forever. I love that it has an adjustment to fine tune how the paddle fits with the bowl - can dial it in for a perfect "side clearing" fit. I obviously don't use it as much as you - but it's worth the money to me. When I pull it out - I know it will do the job every time. Cooking and baking should be enjoyable - and good tools help.
I bought a Bosch Optimum last year, pretty powerful with 1600 watts and it got a huge variety of attachements. I use it at least 3 times a week and absolutly love it. Making pasta, nutbutter or grinding spices it all works pretty well. Soon I want to buy a meat grinder attachement and some pasta plates for it, so i can make pasta shapes like penne.
@@randyrandorandy No blender attachment, but there are two food processing attachments, a shaved ice attachment, an ice cream churner, several types of pasta attachments and vegetable peelers, a mill to grind your own grain (coffee as well I imagine), and a few others. With the exception of the ice cream churner, all KA attachments will work with all KA stand mixers ever made.
I've been using a Bosch for decades; love the blender, and the dough bowl can manage four loaves of 80% whole wheat bread dough, no problem. I wouldn't want to be without it.
We have had a Kitchenaid stand mixer since we got married (28 years ago). It is a work horse, and it never fails. The Hamilton Beach mixer in the video looked like it would walk off the table if it weren't being held down. The Kitchenaid doesn't move.
I've had my kitchenAid for nearly 20 years and it's still going strong. Just used the attachment the other day to make Zoodles - it's great fun especially with home-grown Zucchini!
Finally have a Kitchen Aid. Always wanted one but couldn't afford one. My neighbor was getting rid of stuff and sold it to me for $60. Thanks Cheryl for hipping me to that deal. Didn't have a bread hook but everything else. Excited!!!
Hey Bri, we were having issues with our KitchenAid mixer being too fast at low speeds a few years ago. You can pop off the panel on the back which it exposes the motor housing and one or two set screws that can be used to change the motor speed. I carefully adjusted those (while hot, although you can unplug) and have been much happier. This is probably not useful for you, but if someone out there is unhappy with the low speed setting being way too fast...
Me too. The Bay used to have the KitchenAid stuff on a big sale once a year. I saved up for a while, and waited for the fancy Architect model to get discounted, and it’s been working great for the last 15 years or something. I’ve made a lot of bread with that thing. I think my mum’s machine has been going for around 30 years. It costs a lot up front, but it is one thing that sure is worth the investment. The accessories are great too. We got the meat grinder this year, and I can’t believe how well it works and how easy it is to use (and clean). 10/10, would recommend.
I got an Oster stand mixer in 1977. It was “expensive” as i recall, but certainly not as much as a Kitchenaid. But it also has a blender, and vegetable slicer/grater “processor”, and a meat grinder and sausage stuffer! I have used all the various functions and attachments! It has dough hooks and mixing beaters. It doesn’t spin the bowl as well as K.A. I broke the two sizes of glass bowls over the years and replaced the big one with a same size metal bowl. Still using this thing after 46 years! I will say, it’s ugly so I keep it in a cupboard!
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 Hah, me too. That last line is a killer. Though I couldn't help thinking, you have to get man to lift those things. The old and good ones are darn heavy. Even the newer ones are heavy enough. My sister got one w/ the bowl adjustment and just to move that metal lever, nope, I would not want to fight w/ that thing. I prefer my lighter cheaper one by far. Though the incredible longevity of the old ones is so impressive. I might consider one when my cheaper one conks out. The do get lighter all the time w/ cheaper metal.
You still pay a good part of the price for the name. I have a Bosch stand mixer, pretty much their basic variant, since about ten years. I usually make a lot of bread and pizza doughs and despite the motor being strained from the start ever since I got it, it works. It sounds labored, it moves a lot, but the hooks reach everywhere and it's never given up even once. The downside is that I'm certain that a higher speed on heavy doughs would brake it.
I bought a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer on Amazon for $150 in 2004. It is still going strong and I use it for bread, tamales, and the attachments for pasta and grinding meat. Definitely a worthwhile purchase. A cheap one is just fine for everyday use but not challenging tasks.
I love my Kitchen Aid. But I went with the Pro model with a larger bowl and lift. I don’t like the tilt head models as they are not as stable and tend to shake and shimmy around the counter more than the bowl lift style. Also, the spiral dough hook is much better than the C-shaped dough hook. The dough seems to climb the C-shaped hook a lot more than the spiral hook.
Buy cheap, buy twice. If you love cooking (and if you are reading these comments you probably do) it is very much worth spending the money for a quality mixer like a Kitchen Aid. I love mine. 8 years and counting of abuse and it never skips a beat. Thanks for the great content Bri! Always enjoy watching and trying your recipes. We appreciate you!
I went through a divorce about 20 years ago and I was broke. But I invested in a Kitchen aide mixer and a Staub Dutch oven because they were important to me for the quality. Both are still going strong and look almost new. Some things are just worth it. Great video as always. Your chicken Al pastor is now a staple meal in our house.
I’ve owned the regular-sized KitchenAid, and as with most stand mixers, my biggest complaint was having to scrape down the sides occasionally; alas, I gave it away to a great community center because my latest apartment was too small to house it. I recently purchased the mini KitchenAid, and I am very, very sad to say, it is no better than the cheap mixers. It is tremendously slower, such that I have to set it to the highest speeds to get it to a relative medium called for in many recipes. For simple tasks, it shakes & moves about, unlike the original that can mix up a storm & remain stable. The attachments are sized so poorly that you may cannot get anything low or on the sides within an inch or so. The beater attachment is unlike the original- it’s just a relative triangle instead of the original’s triangle with a tricuspid-like structure within (sorry; don’t know how else to describe it). It’s just horrible. Oh, and after a bit of use, because it shivers & shakes so much, the screw piece holding the cover for where one would attach a grinder (etc.) eventually wiggles out, & the cover & screw fell into one of my batters. I feel so cheated with my mini KitchenAid, & I’m sharing this to let people know that the mini is nothing like the original. Buy the original.
I 💯 agree. My husband bought me one as a gift. It shakes like crazy, I did readjust the head so it reaches the bottom. It however does not even come close to the side and I’m constantly having to scrape the sides. It also overheats. I have to wait, unplug and try again. I never wanted to hurt to feelings, but after the first few months, I threw a stand cover over and called it a day. I can honestly say I was not impressed with this kitchenaid and honestly I’m not a serious enough baker to justify the cost of a bigger one.
I have the Kitchen Aid Artisan and love it! It's sort of like Snap-on tools versus Harbor Freight, Snap-on are for a lifetime Harbor Freight will get the job done but won't stand up to daily use.
Funny, I've had Snap-Off tools that lasted a week, and Harbor Fright tools that continue to take a beating after a decade. The universal law of YMMV, I suppose.
I got the all metal Hamilton Beach mixer for about $160 over 10 years ago. Still going strong with pretty regular use, but definitely struggles with tough doughs. Eventually it will break and I'll probably replace it with KA, but it's a much cheaper, still good quality entry point into stand mixers.
I LOVE my KitchenAid ... upgraded from my Artisan to the larger bowl-lift. The old one went to a dear friend who uses it, and I hope to have mine for the rest of my life. It can handle intense pressure and has been a real game-changer for me (plus, who doesn't love brioche?). The Artisan would heat up and also scoot around the counter if I did not put a wet towel underneath, but the bowl lift just powers through brioche dough like it is nothing.
The Kitchen Aid mixer is the best deal out there. Like HP calculators and Fluke test equipment, while the initial cost is higher, the long term cost is far lower. These things last lifetimes. They are simply amazing.
Good to see you, Brian. I stripped the gears on my KitchenAid by making 3lbs of bread dough instead of the 2lbs. recommended. So now I'm kneading and I realize that I missed kneading. It's a good way of improving. Thanks, Brian.
The add-on attachments to a Kitchenaid make it totally worth it. I didn't get one until I was in my 40s (on sale, cobalt blue, Artisan) and watching my mom get her dream of a bright red one for Christmas is a great memory. They are special and deserving of a place of honor but for sure use whatever until you can get one.
I bought a Kitchen Aid Artisan because every youtube chef I watch uses exactly that stand mixer. Watching this channel was the push I needed to start baking at home, but the stand mixer has been an absolute godsend. I pretty much never order pizza or buy bread anymore, because what I can make, with ease in the stand mixer, is much, much better.
I've had my Kitchen Aid for almost 30 years and have never failed once. It also looks exactly the same as a new one except for very slight wear within the stainless bowl. Cooking is one of my hobbies so it's used and put through it's paces. I doubt any mixer under $100 can last this long or even five years under normal use. If the Kitchen Aid ever breaks down on me I plan to purchase a Hobart five quart commercial mixer.
My wife and I have an original Kenwood Chef mixer that was made in 1972. We use it almost everyday as we are bakers. It has multiple attachments that all still work including a meat grinder. I always approve of the analogy, "You get what you pay for" or Buying cheap turns out to be more expensive in the long run. I think that if your repeated those tests 4 or 5 times the "budget" stand mixer would break. Enjoyed the video. Thanks
I have 2 kitchen aid mixers. I was handed down one of the 6 or 7 quart-crank arm style kitchen aids when a nearby hospital upgraded their equipment back in the 90’s. That thing was a work horse for 10 years and I know it was already OLD. Then fondant became popular and I was asked to make fondant cakes often. Fondant is the one thing that will blow a motor in a kitchen aid. After fondant blew up the motor (and there are no mixers for home cooks can mix fondant, if you’re wondering) I went right out and bought the smaller version, the Classic. I had that for about 20 years and then I was in the middle of a macron bake and it started smelling like it was about to smoke. I bought another crank arm larger version and found that unless I’m making larger recipes, it is not efficient and nothing like the OLD version I’d had. Those oldies were made by Hobart. Then I researched and found that I could maintain the classic and gave it a tune up. Turns out it was a loose screw. It works great to this day. Maintenance is key and the fact that you can tune these machines up makes them so much more worth the price. For home cooks, buy the size that you will use. I’m a cottage cake decorator/cookie maker and I really don’t use the larger kitchen aid because it does not do the work as well as the 5 qt. I bake one loaf of sourdough a week and the 5 qt works great for that too.
Honestly, the Kitchenaid can do so many things and there are many different attachments for them, even unofficial ones. I have an Artisan model that I got from my grandmother years ago. and I use it to mix whipped cream, mash potatoes and even to grind chicken. I'm looking at getting a juicer attachment since it's cheaper than and less bulkier than a whole new electric juicer.
My Takeaway here is that a mixer with better attachment tolerances and more power is worth the lesssened hassle, especially over the course of many meals over many years However, my strategy would typically be to look for a mixer that’s slightly cheaper, not a third of the price, so I would probably look in the $200 range.
Agree. I was just looking at the HB and thought I'll look at the reviews. Brian does his thing and voila! I think he was being overly generous to HB. I Just cannot fathom how the tolerances can be so far off. I mean do the attachments jump around THAT much? I shut off the vid after the Butter/Sugar segment. Why would I waste my time with a machine that only lessens the work halfway? I hate to spend the KA money. Maybe Cuisinart?
I have a budget stand mixer and it primarily gets used for pizza dough, and does a lot better than this ham beach one. I don't really use it too often, so I definitely feel like getting the cheaper one was the right choice.
I found my Kitchenaid stand mixer for $80 on Offer Up (a garage sale type app). A couple got divorced and the woman said she no longer wanted it but it was barely used. It came with the food chopper kit, meat grinder, plus all the standard attachments and bowl. I have been using it for about 5 years now on a weekly basis. Love it. Highly recommend looking second hand. They tend to hold their value but occasionally you can find someone who either doesn't know what they have or someone looking to get rid of it quickly.
I bought my HD KitchenAid 20 years ago , slowly bought every attachments imaginable. I already willed it to my only grandaughter now 1 year old who plays with her Mom's kitchen tools , measuring cups and spoons.
A huge, HUGE, plus of the KitchenAid is the ability to utilize attachments. I use my grain mill all the time as well as the pasta roller and meat grinder.
The pasta roller does look great. You can buy fresh pasta sheets for things like canneloni but they are darn expensive. Fresh pasta is so darn delicious. You can buy knock offs w/ a bunch of attachments all w/ the unit. I know KA is one of the best (though some are saying there are better, like Bosch). Those attachments are wicked expensive though. Often the price of an alright stand mixer alone.
I waited for a sale and got my KitchenAid for $200 and that was with the glass bowl! I use it all the time to make bread and pasta. The attachments are expensive - but the pasta one was worth it for me. It's actually a savings to purchase the KitchenAid because they last forever and you only have to buy it once. Purchasing cheaper mixers over and over costs you more in the long run.
Great content, very thoughtful. Thank you! I also own the Kitchen Aid (though I don't use mine as much as you've used yours) and agree with everything you said about it. It is by far the best made appliance in my kitchen and will likely outlive me. I also like that you gave the cheap one its due. I'm sure it makes sense for a lot of people.
I have an older Hamilton beach. Lately I have been working it hard making bread! By watching your video I figured out that I will need to do the mixing to a point in The mixer then remove to finish it out! It seems like there is so much to learn!
I do a lot of baking and has always wanted a kitchenaid mixer. I bought one about 3 years ago and have used it for everything. To be fair though, I spend more time than I would like scraping down the bowl and it really only mixes well if I have a large quantity of dough. Having said that, it is a beast - the motor is really good. When I had no money I used to buy really cheap appliances and they would burn out within a few uses. It sucks to be poor - you end up spending more money in the long run on cheap things that break. I have also had a thermomix for 13 years and it is only starting to show wear now (the rubber/plastic buttons have started degrading - but the motor is still strong!) This also turned out to be worth the sticker price even though I felt pretty silly spending that amount of money on a kitchen appliance at the time.
The KitchenAid is one of the rare items that is designed to last a lifetime. (It's pretty much my stand mixer and my cast iron pans that will be handed down to my children, now that I think about it.) As noted in other comments, the planetary gear and other internal components can be self-repaired. I bought a 7-qt KA on sale in 2007, and it's still going strong. If cost is an issue, I would recommend buying a used KitchenAid over a cheaper model. (Also how I buy vintage cast iron, actually.) I would feel perfectly comfortable that the design and quality of KA outweighs the need for a factory warranty.
I don't have a stand mixer and I don't have the room for it in my kitchen, but if I did I would definitely go for the KitchenAid mixer. I love cooking and think that a stand mixer could expand my recipe choices, but my kitchen is just so damn small. Sad times. Awesome video and thanks for doing these tests!
Small kitchens suck! I also love cooking and I had to make an entire Thanksgiving meal in my pathetically small kitchen a few years back. It was a nightmare. And to be honest, I still found a place for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I just stored it in my hall closet : )
@@malloryg4251 I wish I had a hall closet LOL Yay for both of us for cooking Thanksgiving dinner in tiny kitchens!!! As I hate moving more than I hate my tiny kitchen, I think I'm gonna be stuck here for awhile ;)
@@ishmiel21 I'm with you. I don't have a hall closet because, well, I don't have a hall! So many appliances I would love to have... nowhere to put them!
I just got out the instructions for my old Kitchen Aid. I spent a long time reading them. Then I did it again. Nope not a thing in there about having to store it in the kitchen!! LOL Store it in your closet and bring it out when you need it. You can do the mixing on a dining table. You'll be proud of yourself!!
Just got the ice cream maker, ice shaver, meat grinder and sausage maker and already had the pasta roller. Definately a reason not to but another brand. Still suck at baking bread though (except form buns). Nice video!
Try Brian’s recipe for ciabatta in your mixer..it’s a high hydration dough, so won’t stress the mixer much, but hand mixing it is a real pain. You learn to mix it at a high enough speed (like 4-5-6) long enough to clear the bottom and form a ball and start slapping around the bowl. This technique transformed my ciabatta..because when you can see a dough do something definite like that, you know you’ve done it just like the masters do..instead of relying on a descriptive like “until it’s ready, kneaded enough, etc” it forms an almost latex paint like smooth surface, you grab and pull, it’s soft, super elastic and won’t tear. That recipe is awesome, just awesome..I do triple recipes and freeze them..another great one is the Joshua Weissman Best Burger Bun recipe with tangzhong (just milk/water/flour heated and stirred till it forms a paste, then added to rest of recipe) it interferes with gluten and makes the buns ultra soft).
I should add that I also like the Challenger bread ware cast iron bread bakers..they work really well..but a steel is fine too, you can use a disposable turkey roasting pan to cover breads in the oven for the initial steam rise..and steels are better than stones for home ovens as they transfer more heat more quickly..
Brian is certainly a fair referee and tester. Just watching the HB twist and flex was nerve-racking. I have an 18-year-old Viking Stand Mixer. It's a stable and reliable workhorse (Bread Dough and Grinding meat for sausage) compared to their Food Processor of the same era . . .now that was a piece of junk. Droped the work bowl on a vinyl floor and it broke apart. $65 to replace in 2005. Replaced 2 bowls in 2 years and tossed it.
My wife got me my first KitchenAid stand mixer as a birthday gift right after we got married in 1986. It was the large 7qt model. I had that one for at least 21 years until the motor started to overheat. I replaced it with an Artisan sized one (4.5qt) that I had for about 15 years. I just recently replaced the Artisan with a new 7qt mixer when they went on sale on Black Friday. I donated my old one because is still worked well. I'll keep using KitchenAid mixers for as long as I can keep cooking.
My wife picked up a KitchenAid mixer from Goodwill. I think she paid like $40 for it. Considering I had one on our registry that was $400 it was a pretty good buy. It has been used so much. :)
Kitchen Aid for 40 years. No other way to go. My mom still uses the original 40 year old almond color one and I upgraded to a red. Great fun video Brian !
Bought my wife a Kitchenaid as a 5th anniversary present. Literally the only anniversary gift that has brought her to tears. It was $225 back in 2000. It has performed flawlessly as one of our most used kitchen appliances for 23 years. Use it for everything from bread making and CC cookies to meatloaf. Really minimal maintenance required with only a little tightening of the head’s attachment to the neck. Worth every penny. Many imitators, but no peers IMO
We've been married over 40 years and have the same Kitchen Aid mixer. A real work horse in the kitchen. I started making bread doughs about 10 years ago and when I started on making whole wheat breads, that is when this machine showed it's weakness. I went with the 1 hp version big daddy Kitchen Aid mixer. You get what you pay for and our Kitchen Aid attachments work on both. Winning.
I only just recently moved into a new place of my own and have been considering buying my first stand mixer... This video has arrived at an opportune time! Thanks, Brian :D
Get a Kitchenaid. The durability is worth the price, they last for decades. The one in my home was my girlfriend's grandfather's and it's about 40 years old and he only used it for doughs. It's an absolute tank.
Main thing I've learnt over the years is that cheap ones break down usually within 2 years. Kitchenaids keep a lifetime. So after 10 years, the Kitchenaid was not only quicker, and more reliable but also cheaper.
Great test video. I purchased my $60 dollar Frigidaire stand mixer, primarily for bread doughs. It hasn't failed me yet. I bought a $12 wand blender, 20 years ago. The rubber insulation deteriorated before any mechanical failure. It's still usable, but is an electrical shock hazard. (I need to replace the cord) I bought an $8 dollar electric coffee grinder for grinding spice mixtures, no issues. $12 dollar coffee makers, $14 dollar toasters, $80 dollar toaster ovens, even a $60 dollar blender, some of the cheapest appliances I could find. With a little care, keeping in mind the smaller motor build, these appliances have served me well over the years.
If your budget is $150 or less I highly recommend looking for a used/second hand KitchenAid over one of the cheap ones like the Hamilton Beach. I have 3 tilt head KitchenAid mixers that I bought from Thrift stores a KitchenAid Classic that was made in 1992 that I paid $25 for, a Ultra Power for $60, and my pride and joy a K45SS made in 1983 by Hobart before they sold the brand to Whirlpool I paid $15 for it. Spent about $15 on each to re-grease them, and the gears were in perfect shape. Between the 3 I’ve spent $145. Find deals like this may not be common, but you can definitely find them for $100 to $150 all of the time on Facebook marketplace and eBay. In fact right now the Thrift store I bought the Hobart at has a Classic Plus for $50.
Honestly 9 times out of 10 I always reach for my handmixer to make all of my recipes. You learn more about technique and have much more control whipping and/or creaming and don't even need to scrape the bowl that often. Unless you are a full time homecook/blogger/pastry chef a standmixer is overrated. Most amazing recipes you can ever make are done mostly by hand. But I do agree with going for a kitchen aid if you are getting one. My grandma got her's as a wedding gift in the 1960's and used it to start her doughnut/cake buisness back then, she still uses it to this day with zero issues for 60 years nonstop.
I've had a 12-quart Hobart commercial mixer for many years. In recent years, I've wanted a smaller one. Because of the power and ease I am used to, I only considered a Kitchen Aid.
Thanks for a great review, really enjoyed that. I'm a Kenwood sort of guy, but I take your point. I've a John Lewis branded stand mixer and I love it. I had a kenwood for many many years, again fantastic. At the moment the JL one is doing fine. It's metal construction and quality attachments, there's also a blender that came with it.
This is the first time I've seen a really informative and honest review of mixers. Please consider making more product reviews in the future. These are super helpful.
I think one of the things an avid cook might want to consider is the fact that you can get various specialty attachments for the kitchen aid. The meat grinder/sausage stuffer, or the pasta roller can be really helpful. The pasta roller can also be used as a dough sheeter for things like strudel that require lots of dough rolled thin.
For more cooking than baking use there are other brands with better and more attachments out there. Kitchen Aid and Ankarsrum are the masters of doughs. But if you need more of a helper in breaking down meat, produce they're not the thing to spend so much money one.
Maybe it should also be about whether people who can’t afford a Kitchen Aid could be happy with the cheaper substitute? In Australia the cost of a Kitchen Aid mixer is prohibitive, even the refurbished ones are only $80-100 cheaper and I have had to realise my dream of owning one will never happen. I am content with my cheap $100 mixer but don’t delude myself into thinking it will ever be as good as the real thing.
I have a black 5 qt. Artisan Kitchen Aid, bought it 10 years ago. I have pushed this thing to the edge and it still holds up. The only maintenance I've done is change the brushings, the brusing screws and the tilt head screw. Motor runs as good as day 1. The only reason I would stop using it, would be if i bought the commercial 8 qt. Which is on my bucket list. Thanks Brian for this episode.
I have a small apartment and my two favorite things that I've bought for my kitchen are a kitchen aid mixer and a small dishwasher. The Hamilton beach one doesn't seem like it would hold up over time, especially when making dough, which is what I use mine for the most. Also, I feel like I'm one of the only people who bought a mixer for myself, everyone I know that has one has gotten it as a gift, usually from a wedding lol
I bought a COSTWAY 660W, 6 Speed, 6.3 qt mixer on Amazon in 2019 for $89 and I love it. I make low carb brioche buns and rolls which is about 18 total minutes run time 3-4 times a month along with pizza dough. Works great with cookie dough too. I was surprised to see that Amazon still carries it 4 years later and the price is still the same. I really thought I would have killed it by now, but has proven to be a great little machine. I will say the one negative is the loose tolerances between the attachments and the bowl. I do have to do a decent amount of scraping, but for $89 bucks I really can't complain.
I got mine on the curb for free. I watched a neighbor carry out 2 perfect wooden bookcases and then saw them bring out the kitchen aid pro with all the attachments and I thought, I bet that works since the bookcases were in such perfect condition and also set out for trash. Took it home plugged it in and it works perfectly! I’ve had it for 5-6 years now and use it often 🙌🏼
My breadmaking teacher taught me many things, not the least of which was to always knead by hand for eight minutes, and don’t flour the table during kneading, just use a dough scraper to gather the dough together and continue kneading until eight minutes has passed. Works every time! It also allows you to become familiar with the feel of the dough and to recognise when it’s ready for resting and shaping.
Wonderful presentation! I own two Kitchen Aid mixers- one is 35 years old the other 5 years old. Both are great, durable very long-lasting units that get my highest recommendation
I bought my Kitchen Aid lift stand mixer back in 1987 when I bought my first house. It has never failed me in all of these years. There's nothing I can't throw at it from whipped cream, egg whites, to dough. It's an amazing appliance.
Durability of the Kitchen Aid is unmatched. Mine was working hard kneading dough, I didn’t notice that I’d position it too close to the counter edge, and it fell off the kitchen counter and onto granite tiles. Took a chunk out of the granite and looked banged up and made a lot of unhappy sounds. Took it apart, tinkered it for a few hours and finished up the bake. Still works today (years later)! If the motor ever finally dies, I’d buy another.
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Are there any other cheap stand mixers you have used and would recommend for someone looking to spend under $100?
I don't have a lot of space in my kitchen and I've been using a Ham B food processor for around $100. The blade does an OK job for most baking tasks, including pizza dough and creaming butter. Am I losing out that much by not using an actual mixer?
I have the Frigidaire ESTM020 retro... It works really well for cookie dough, I haven't really made any bread dough yet.
Agaro one is pretty cheap at 90usd idk if it's available in the USA or not
I bought a klarstein mixer. It's 2000w (europe) so I've had no problem with dough. It is plasticy and cheap feeling but it does the job. It also came with a bunch of attachments already: blender, meat grinder, pasta extruder.
Bosch MUMS2EW00, while underperforming overall, it did manage to outperform the kitchen aid in kneading bread dough (according to some tests I read). I have no experience with kitchen aid but it's better than other cheap ones I've had.
😂 I have both. I bought myself the cheap one. I love baking but as a single mom I couldn’t get myself to pay for the Kitchen Aid even though I would work OT to get my son every new PlayStation. Well years later, my son bought me the Kitchen Aid (with the glass bowl like I always wanted ) with his 1st paycheck. I value it even more so because of that 😊.
Awww That's so sweet of him 🥰🥰
That is really awesome
You raised him well and should be very proud of his choices. That's a great story that he bought it for you!
That is such a special gift! Hope you baked him some chocolate chip cookies right away LOL You sure brought him up right, and he sure loves his MOM. Bless him.
Bravo, Son.
Another note on the Kitchen Aid. 1. The bowl height can be adjusted, there are a number of TH-cam vids to show how. 2. My Kitchen Aid finally died after 10 years of hard use. When this happens 95% of the time it's going to be the gearing inside the mixer. The gears (and for that matter all of the internals) are available for any repair. In my case $25 and 30 minutes of my time had it working as good as new. Again tons of vids on how to do any repair.
Self repair is awesome these days!
You can get parts for just about any Kitchen Aid ever made. One of the rare companies that keep supporting their customers long after the warranty expires. That builds deep loyalty you can't get with any amount of marketing. Other manufacturers should take note.
Thank you! My KA has been so frustrating to use as I have to scrape the bowl so often. I found a video and adjusted my mixer!
I'd be willing to bet money it was the worm gear that needed replacing in your mixer... That's the gear that interfaces the rotation for the attachment itself with the outer rotation that allows the attachment to scrape the edges of the bowl. I've had to replace the one in our mixer at work three times now; it's plastic- in our model, anyway- and the most flimsy part inside the thing.
That said... It's been replaced three times since 2011, and we use it heavily to make cookie dough (like 5 pounds at a time) and pizza dough, and via attachments we make both fresh pasta and grind our own sausage. Our machine gets a lot of very intense use, and the fact it's needed so little work to keep it running is definitely worthy of respect... It was a $130 mid-range machine the boss got on sale at Costco, not the high end models available today.
My moms died after 5 years ish maybe a few more its just the worm gear (The most common part to fair in kitchen aids) also took me about $20 and about an hour in total including going to get the part to fix
About 10 years ago when I was still working at one of big box stores, I found a KitchenAid mixer on a clearance endcap. I slowly watched it drop in price. no one bought it even though it had dropped to around 120 from the original 300, so I scooped it up with my employee discount and a bonus discount. Paid like 100 bucks with taxes best purchase of a kitchen appliance ever. My family loves it.
Wow, what a find!!!!
That's a great score!
I Inherited my moms kitchen aid. It's heavy. It's sort of hard to store, but it gets the job done.
I have owned mine for 34 years. It is a great mixer. Now that the kids are grown it gets less of a workout. I did have to replace the paddle beater, it got a Nick in the rubber coating.
@@lilolmecj, aren’t they wonderful?
I’d have to add my perspective: it really also depends on how much you expect to use one and what it is you are using it for. I had a less expensive one for years. During that time I randomly used it and it worked fine for whatever I needed it for and it still works fine. As I got older and more financially sound, I thought I’d treat myself and bought a Kitchen Aid. I have to say it feels more substantial when I do use it but did I really need it? It appears that what I use it for and the usage it gets, my less expensive one works just as well. So think twice and consider your needs and not just marketing’s point of view…do you really need a Mercedes or will a Chevy or Ford do?
I've never owned a stand mixer so getting one probably wouldn't change my life that much, though someday I should compare my standard recipes made by hand (I rarely even use a hand mixer unless it's whipped cream or egg whites) versus one with the air whipped into the butter, you could defintely see the difference in the cookie dough he demonstrated, but he even said there was little difference in taste, so if the taste is the same, why bother getting out a big heavy noisy machine that has parts that need cleaning when a bowl and a spoon fit just fine in my dishwasher?
I only bake or cook often on holidays (e.g., Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) for family gatherings. Therefore, I had used a hand mixer for years, but saw where they made Osmond mixers in Texas. Think it was around $150 and had a 7 quart bowl. I ordered it and love it. Has done great for those holidays. I didn't want to pay $250 or more for something I don't use often. And as far as cars, if it runs and looks okay...I'm happy. (Ford Titanium Edge) 😁
Have a cheap one. Works well for my needs.
I have arthritis and the bowls are hard for me to scrap out because they are so heavy
@@judithryle2113 me too
Tip for people with cheaper mixers making fermented dough: start with cold water instead of the recommended room temp water, gives you more mixing time without the dough overheating
@@lilblackduc7312its probably both, because sure, youre machine breaking bc its motor overheated is bad because it is a loss of money. But when a fermented dough overheats its alao an issue, iamgine spending weeks on a a sourgough startet, spending money on a good quality flour and then not being able to use yozr stand mixer because it always overheats the dough and ruins it.
@@lilblackduc7312 it can be an issue for fermented doughs, like when youre baking sourdough. I think not fermented doughs dont have that issue
@@user-kd7ch1be6u Sourdoughs are the most sensitive but high hydration pizza doughs can be the same. That is why Italian restaurants use a fork mixer which introduces the least amount of friction but is still able to work the dough.
@@lilblackduc7312 Not it isn't. He clearly spoke of the butter heating up in the bowl after extended processing. He did speak of how 'both' mixers' did well and did not over heat. Well maybe a little smell from the HB, but it was not definitive that the HB did overheat.
My mom got her kitchen aid for a high school graduation present over 30 years ago. Still going strong. Not a huge baking household, but certainly not underused by any means. Really impressed by the thing considering it's been around literally my whole life.
My mom has her mom's kitchen aid and Gma used it in a restaurant. Mom used it to make wedding cakes until she went back to college. The thing is 70 years old and running like a new machine. Astounding engineering.
They don't make them like they used to. (Unless you get one of the very high end commercial models.)
And those ka are their price worth in gold. The new Kitchen Aid are disposable trash
That's so cool! My gf and I were gifted the ice cream machine her parents got for their wedding (30+ years ago). It's got two buttons, nothing fancy but just does what it's supposed to really well.
My mom has my grandmother's Kenwood stand mixer from the early 80's and it still works perfectly, she uses it fairly often
I bought my KitchenAid about 30 years ago. As a single mom, it was one of the most expensive and extravagant things I allowed myself to buy. I still have and use that mixer today! Price is definitely a factor, but the build quality and longevity of KitchenAid cannot be underestimated. Great video, Bri!
I still use my Mom's she got as a wedding present, this tool will outlive me
I've heard the quality isn't AS good as it used to be, some of the gears have been replaced with plastic ones. But they're still extremely reliable and repairable, and KitcnenAid is pretty good about sending replacement parts cheap or free even for old mixers. I bought mine 15 years ago and it's still running. My parents have my grandmother's, it's probably 50 years old and runs like a champ.
@@Platypi007 I've heard from people who owned the old ones and bought the new ones that they aren't anything remotely like the old ones. One woman said she wanted to give her daughter one so she bought a new one for herself and gave the old one to her daughter and was very upset. She said she wished she had given the new one to her daughter. haha
You are lucky to have an old one. They are much more rugged than the ones they sell now. Mine lasted 8 minutes into the slow kneading for my second time making bread then burned out. Made in Asia now rather than America. I then found a refurbished older one and it is great.
Yep, Old stuff was made to last... 👍
I do have to flex, I thrifted my Kitchen Aid for $100, it was brand new and clean but had an issue with the motor, but with a $15 replacement part it’s working perfectly. It’s the item I’m proudest to have in my kitchen.
Best source of Kitchenaid/Hobart stand mixers? People moving away 😉
WOW that must have been nice
My flex is I got mine free from someone generous in my local Buy Nothing group.
My SIL got one with the lifter bowl for $100 when a couple got married. They both had one and decided that two full-sized mixers was a bit much, so he sold his very lightly used one to her. And when I say lightly used, he’d only had it for a few months when the wedding happened and he knew she would give it a good home.
@@cjaquilino I got mine free, as well. My sister in laws mother gave me hers. She got it as a wedding present in the early 80s and never used it. She gave it to me a couple years ago. It works great.
You're awesome. Your voice isn't annoying. You speak clearly without "ums" and "likes". You make really good food and you don't have a giant ego. I truly enjoy watching your videos. Great job!
I so agree
I've binge watched about 4 vids so far. Doesn't talk super fast, isn't smarmy, doesn't try to have annoying hooks and doesn't tell me to SMASH that like button (I am so over that). Only Chef John can have at least 5 different hooks, and I'm hooked on them all, but he's the goat.
I grew up using a KitchenAid, my mom went through 2 of them. To put that in perspective she was a depression child so when she was able to purchase the KA she put it through it's paces. We're talking grinding meat, vegetables for canning and sauces, cakes, breads etc. After about 35+ years of hard use it finally gave up the ghost and she replaced it w/another KA. As soon as I could afford one I bought one. It's about 40 years old and still going (Mainly baking and slicing veggies. I love it's torque for bread doughs and homemade cakes are a snap. My med. sized kitchen has a useless corner so it's on a dedicated baking cart so I can wheel it out to use. I love that mixer.
yeah thats the thing. I'm using my parents old one, they upgraded to the pro 600 5-6 years ago, and they have me their kitchen aide from when they got married. Its still a work horse and they just had their 35th anniversary. Ive had to replace the gears, but the fact i was able todo that on a 35 year old mixer is amazing. I use it about 1 week for bread doughs and more often for various other things.
I ought to look into the bakers cart idea.
😅
For over a decade, I used a Kitchen Aid mixer in a manufacturing environment, mixing thick heavy pastes. The mixer was used so vigorously, the motor would become almost too hot to touch. It was bullet proof and ran as smoothly as the day it was bought. You rarely find that in appliances these days. There are so few products of this quality these days, buy the best!
This is exactly what I mean. How many times can you perform this test with these two mixers. With KitchenAid - hundreds of times. With the other one I doubt you can pass five times...
Boy, you're not kidding. I am very disappointed with how much quality has plummeted over the past several years. I have kitchen items from 20+ years ago that are still going strong, and it's nearly impossible to find machinery and tools that are built the same way. Kitchen-Aid is one of the few exceptions. Expensive, but hell, it seems like everything is expensive nowadays, regardless of the quality. I like supporting companies that haven't downgraded their products.
Even KitchenAid had their run of terrible quality. There was a time about a decade ago where they used nylon gears and mounting hardware. Of course that garbage broke down all the time and they switched back to metal innards.
That's why you shouldn't buy used from that year range unless you know they were retrofitted.
@Mallory G Planned Obsolescence. Manufacturers need to guarantee continued sales of their products so devices and appliances are designed to have weaknesses that give after a designated amount of time from standard wear & tear & break in a way that repair either cannot be done or costs too much to be worth it. It's why Apple nukes the battery & CPU speed on their devices after 2 years, why headphone cables, guitar cables, charger cables etc all break after 6-8 months of normal use instead of being reinforced against bending & breaking, and many other dumb things like printer ink "running out" so quickly when it's really not even half empty & your printer being coded to deny use of offbrand cartridges to avoid the ink level detection
Weren't those older Kitchenaide Mixers made by Hobart, of all metal internal parts? I've read that newer models have some parts made of plastic.
A few years back I was given my grandmother's KitchenAid mixer. 50+ years and still going strong; and thats the beauty of them. Also it should be noted that KitchenAid still supports the older models with replacement parts and repair services should anything go wrong. Name any other company that continues to do that these days!!
Mine is only 40 yo and still going strong!👍
Easy, None
They used to be made by Hobart oh, now they are made by Whirlpool, that is why the quality plummeted. They're still unique, functional items, but they're not going to last 40 years anymore nor can you use them in the heavier-duty applications like the vintage models
I have one from 1967 with the Hobart Tools stamp on it! And the attachments made today are compatible.
The reason I have not bought a new stand mixer is that my Oster in harvest gold, bought in the 70s still works just fine. Way back then, it was $150. It came with a food processor, blender and grinder. The glass blender broke years ago but everything else is still good.
I would love a Kitchen Aid but can not justify the expense as long as my Oster ID still going strong.
I was given my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Christmas 2002. It is the professional model with a 6 quart lift bowl and 525 watts. 20+ years later it is still going strong. I always recommend this to friends who are serious cooks.
Have the same version and probably bought it around the same time. I got mine refurbished for $180. The only thing I've had to do was clean the contacts on the board that controls the speed.
2002 was max five years ago!!!!😅😅😅😅😅😅
Love mine! 595 watts!
@@niiii_niiii Right.😮
Just a tip to up your kitchen aid game a LOT: Look at the Kitty Professional dough hook, it's made in Germany and it's super sturdy. Also it kneads the dough WAY more than the one kitchen aid makes because of its form. So it only needs speed 1 to 2 and less time, the dough gets kneaded instead of spun around :)
i service a cheap mixer like that before, the gearbox are made of plastic nylon, and if the motherboard are fried or broken you can just buy cheap $2 motor speed controller to replace it, it works, while for expensive mixer its used different motherboard and hard/cost alot to replace
This professional dough hook alone costs almost as much as the cheap mixer😢
Do they make one for all KA sizes? I own the Ankarsrum and the KA and the Ankarsrum roller is so gentle and yet kneeds so well with such ease. I love it. I will look up the Kitty dough hook. I hope they make one for the mini KA.
Kitchen aid says you’re not supposed to go above speed 2 when kneading dough. It voids your warranty if you do
Shout OUT to Lauren for her hard work. After looking at mixers for a full day, pretty sure she doesn't want to see another one for some time. Thanks Lauren.
I love my Kitchen Aid. I got a refurbished model (luckily all the refurbished models you can buy from retail are done by Kitchen Aid themselves) and it was about $200. I've had it five years now and I've never had any issues with it. I love its versatility, I love the color, and it has inspired me to try far more difficult bakes than I would have ever tried without it such as croissants and brioche.
I chose to buy a Cuisinart about 4 years ago (it was about half the price of the top of the line Kitchen Aid), and I've used it several times a week since I got it. It can do anything I need it to do (cookies and bread and pizza and so on) , including ice cream with the ice cream bowl attachment.
I too went Cuisinart as was able to get very large bowl for $200.00 instead of Kitchen Aid at $700.00 for comparable bowl size. I've never found anything it can't handle. Attachments are also available for it as well.
Great review. I think for 85 bucks, someone would be better off buying either a $60 or $90 kitchen aide hand mixer. I've had mine for 15 years and it never complains. It's great for creaming butter and making cookies and whipping cream. And will probably last longer than the Hamilton beach mixer. Then save up for the stand mixer.
I agree. I have both (kitchen aid hand mixer and stand mixer) and the cheap one really ain’t worth your time
I agree with you, although that hand mixer definitely has a lot of limitations. It's great for people who are first starting out with baking, but if you want to make various breads, you really need a standing mixer. Also, I'm lazy and want to let the machinery do the work! LOL
It depends what you want to make, two of the recipes he tested with wouldn't''t be possible with a hand mixer.
@@malloryg4251 The hand mixer is amazing. I used to go through one hand mixer a year until I finally got a Kitchenaid. That was many years ago and it’s still going strong. If you can’t afford the big mixer, you could get the Kitchenaid hand mixer and a bread machine. Let the bread machine do all the work, then take it out and bake it in your oven.
You can buy a full sized refurbished Kitchen Aid for around $200. Also look for a broken one and 9/10 times it’s a $25 gear replacement that takes 20 minutes. Before I had a stand mixer I used the mixing function on a bread machine for years, and that worked great as well.
Got my white KA for $5.00 at a thrift store while visiting my best friend in Florida. The cord had issues so her dad replaced it for me & gave it a good cleaning. Her parents drove it up to me on their yearly visit so I had to wait 6 months to get it as I had flown to Florida. I bought red ladybug decals for it and it looks great! I did buy a beater attachment and the slicer/shredder attachment which I use all the time to make shredded cheese. Best $5.00 I ever spent!!!
Had a Kitchen Aid for years and then I upgraded to a Bosch and I love it! More power, bigger capacity, easier to add ingredients and has attachments that work well. And it doesn’t shake like a Kitchen Aid.
The KA walks, like right off the counter.
Same here, I upgraded to an Ankarsrum it doesn’t move and can handle a lot of dough
My m.i.l. bought me an Oster Kitchen Center probably 35 years ago. It came with a blender, the mixer, and attachments to slice, shred, and grate. I've used it a lot. The past year is the first time I've had any problems with it. Right now I'm making 12-18 loaves of bread a week. It needs a bit of tending at first but it does just fine.
I put a piece of the rubber gripper you put under rugs under my Kitchenaid. No more walking.@@DANVIIL
@@IMACTEDI bought a second hand Ankarsrum so now I can make up to 5 kilo dough.
The original was from my town in Sweden but it was only for professional s cuz it was so big and then Electrolux bought the right to the mixer and the name and they made it smaller in size.
This is a cool video concept!
I think buying a stand mixer is a "buy it right or buy it twice" kind of situation. And if you're patient, you can find a screaming deal on a Kitchenaid mixer. I got one for $220 on a Black Friday sale that's normally $450. I also think good gear more than pays for itself because it compels you to cook for yourself more. Especially when it has such a no fuss operation (and thus a lot more fun!) like Kitchenaid. If a stand mixer motivates me to make just ~10-20 meals in place of ordering out during its lifetime, I'll be out ahead.
I like that: "buy it once or buy it twice"! It's a lot like the handyman's rule: measure twice, cut once.
Yeah, I see this. I mean- the way the thing shook even when doing the butter-creaming test does not inspire confidence about longevity, IMO. 85$ Might be cheap for a Stand-Mixer, but it's awfully pricey for a future pile of E-Waste.
I found a 7-quart KitchenAid (I bought for a friend) at an estate sale for $190 about 7 or 8 years ago. Sometimes you just have to scout it out for a while before you make a good find.
My grandfather always said, you get what you pay for!
My mom recently downsized to assisted living and gave her Kitchen Aid to my daughter. It was originally purchased circa 1977, and it's still going strong. I got mine 30 years ago brand new and will always have one, regardless of the price (should it need to be replaced). I don't do bread, but it does get used frequently for other things. Fantastic product!
30 years ago everything was built to last versus today…I had KA for 2 years and had to upgrade to a better machine
I’ve had my Kitchenaid stand mixer for 35 years now. I have never had it serviced and it still works like new. It has been abused and I also used it when I owned a small bakery. It even fell from the kitchen counter while I was making bread once. The floor tile broke and the mixer was still running on the floor… I’ve made butter with it, lots of chocolate chip cookies, hundreds of cakes and a zillion pounds of buttercream frosting. I also have several attachments like the ice cream maker which is used at least once a week as I don’t buy commercial ice cream anymore. One bit of advice: do not buy the cheap attachments, be sure it is made by Kitchenaid. I had to throw out the vegetable chopper I had bought because it broke on me. Since I bought the Kitchenaid brand, it works just fine and is 100 times more sturdy. Same with the meat grinder.
Great video for those shopping around. I was given a Sunbeam mixer years ago and burnt up the motor first time making oatmeal cookies. Then I bought a KitchenAid and have put it through the ringer ever since. It shows no sign of wearing out. The only thing that might be a consideration is the weight. I keep mine on the garage shelving and yes, my wife has issues so I keep it on the lowest shelf where I'm the one who normally retrieves it. Well worth the money, a lifetime investment and all those attachments are wonderful.
Agreed about both weight and reliability. Mom used to run through hand (and cheap stand) mixers every 2-5 years. My house at uni had a bowl-lift KitchenAid which held up through all the use and abuse 30 college kids with big appetites cooking for the house could throw at it. I don't know how long we had the mixer before I entered uni, but it was still going strong when I graduated... which sold me on the brand/style. It took some years before Mom could afford to invest in one (despite my constant remarks that it would be more cost effective than buying a new mixer every four years), but we still have it, more than a decade after she passed.
That's what I've been saying about Kitchen Aid and weight. I have pain issues and they very heavy. So I opted for the cheaper mid range, but not a crap one under $100. I'd be needing a man to lift a KA as well. My sister got a Ktichen Aid w/ the bowl lift function and I could barely move the darn lever. That decided me to get a knock off.
I don't know whether they are always available, but I got my Artisan direct from Kitchenaid as a refurbished item. It was right around 50% of the normal price. I'm a relatively light user, but it has given me no problems (aside from weight, since I have to store it on top of the refrigerator).
Mine lives smack dab in the middle of the kitchen table. Pushed back when I need the table haha
All the problems you ran in with the ham beach I also encounter with my kitchen aid from time to time. Got my ex a (phillips?) budget stand mixer and was extremely surprised how well it performed. I think it's perfect to get into cooking and baking at home. If it breaks, it'll be at a time you'd be able to decide on your own if you want to spend some real money on a high end mixer.
That's kind of my thinking. I finally ordered a stand mixer after giving myself tennis elbow doing everything by hand. (Seemed like a good workout at the time...) But I don't cook nearly enough to justify a $400 KitchenAid. So I got a cheap one for $119. We'll see how it goes. If it proves indispensable and the existing one either dies or I need an upgrade (maybe rehome the old one), then I'll see if I can snipe a good deal on the KitchenAid.
I also got a budget one, though didn't go bottom dollar like that terrible Hamilton Beach. It was sitting there w/ the housing obviously crooked and seams not even meeting, which is a terrible sign to not bother. It's been alright and my needs are modest.
Also, if you want to convert your Kitchen Aid to one that doesn’t run on electricity, it can be done, as Amish cooks know! For off-grid use, a hand crank is installed on the mixer. It still works beautifully!
H O W
Where does the crank go???
I'd imagine in the front, where the "accessories" attach. Since it's connected to the same gearbox.@@andreeacat7071
@@andreeacat7071.... The question you ask shows the absolute ignorance of being able to complete the task.
The handle would go where the motor is.... Because that's what turns the damn thing.
Fucking hell lol
😱interesting !!
What the hell… it cant be fast
I love the kitchen aid. My dad found one just thrown out a few years. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it and It works beautifully to this day.
LUcky! A friend of mine found one at the thrift store. I'd wanted one for like 3 years and it jsut fell in her lap.
I own a Hamilton Beach stand & hand held mixers. I'm happybwith both. My stand mixer has 2 motors: 1 turns the beaters, the other the turntable. It also has 2 paddle, whisks, & the beaters. The design resembles the ones that my mom & granny owned. I like it & prefer it to KitchenAide. Oh, & my mixer also has a large & small metal bowl, as well as a mix/speed guide on the handle (on/off power guide switch).
I had a "Test Kitchen Recommended" mixer for years and it was fine - but the timer thing got all kinds of wonky and it started making screaming noises like the bearings were going bad or whatever, so I got a KitchenAid on sale last holiday season and it's so nice. Effortless - quiet (ish) - powerful. The 5Q professional (non tilting) model was on sale for less than the tilting artisan at that time so I went for it, and it just feels like it will last me forever. I love that it has an adjustment to fine tune how the paddle fits with the bowl - can dial it in for a perfect "side clearing" fit. I obviously don't use it as much as you - but it's worth the money to me. When I pull it out - I know it will do the job every time. Cooking and baking should be enjoyable - and good tools help.
I bought a Bosch Optimum last year, pretty powerful with 1600 watts and it got a huge variety of attachements.
I use it at least 3 times a week and absolutly love it. Making pasta, nutbutter or grinding spices it all works pretty well. Soon I want to buy a meat grinder attachement and some pasta plates for it, so i can make pasta shapes like penne.
Kitchenaid has all those features as well.
@@jaye8872 What about a Blender attachement?
@@randyrandorandy No blender attachment, but there are two food processing attachments, a shaved ice attachment, an ice cream churner, several types of pasta attachments and vegetable peelers, a mill to grind your own grain (coffee as well I imagine), and a few others. With the exception of the ice cream churner, all KA attachments will work with all KA stand mixers ever made.
I've been using a Bosch for decades; love the blender, and the dough bowl can manage four loaves of 80% whole wheat bread dough, no problem. I wouldn't want to be without it.
We have had a Kitchenaid stand mixer since we got married (28 years ago). It is a work horse, and it never fails. The Hamilton Beach mixer in the video looked like it would walk off the table if it weren't being held down. The Kitchenaid doesn't move.
That's because it's really a Hobart.
They just don't make kitchen aid the same anymore, same as vitamix. Such a shame!
I've had my kitchenAid for nearly 20 years and it's still going strong. Just used the attachment the other day to make Zoodles - it's great fun especially with home-grown Zucchini!
Finally have a Kitchen Aid. Always wanted one but couldn't afford one. My neighbor was getting rid of stuff and sold it to me for $60. Thanks Cheryl for hipping me to that deal. Didn't have a bread hook but everything else. Excited!!!
Hey Bri, we were having issues with our KitchenAid mixer being too fast at low speeds a few years ago. You can pop off the panel on the back which it exposes the motor housing and one or two set screws that can be used to change the motor speed. I carefully adjusted those (while hot, although you can unplug) and have been much happier. This is probably not useful for you, but if someone out there is unhappy with the low speed setting being way too fast...
Kitchenaids will often go on crazy sales as well. I picked up a Kitchenaid Professional 5 model for about $380 CDN a few years ago. It's a beast!
Good tip! I got my Pro 5 Plus for $225 USD during a pre Black Friday sale. Be patient & you can get some smokin deals.
Me too. The Bay used to have the KitchenAid stuff on a big sale once a year. I saved up for a while, and waited for the fancy Architect model to get discounted, and it’s been working great for the last 15 years or something. I’ve made a lot of bread with that thing. I think my mum’s machine has been going for around 30 years. It costs a lot up front, but it is one thing that sure is worth the investment. The accessories are great too. We got the meat grinder this year, and I can’t believe how well it works and how easy it is to use (and clean). 10/10, would recommend.
Yeah, that's how I got my Le Creuset dutch oven.
Same deal and time I got one. No brainer at that price for the Pro5!
I got an Oster stand mixer in 1977. It was “expensive” as i recall, but certainly not as much as a Kitchenaid. But it also has a blender, and vegetable slicer/grater “processor”, and a meat grinder and sausage stuffer! I have used all the various functions and attachments! It has dough hooks and mixing beaters. It doesn’t spin the bowl as well as K.A. I broke the two sizes of glass bowls over the years and replaced the big one with a same size metal bowl. Still using this thing after 46 years! I will say, it’s ugly so I keep it in a cupboard!
Lol! Your last sentence cracked me up. 😂
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 Hah, me too. That last line is a killer. Though I couldn't help thinking, you have to get man to lift those things. The old and good ones are darn heavy. Even the newer ones are heavy enough. My sister got one w/ the bowl adjustment and just to move that metal lever, nope, I would not want to fight w/ that thing. I prefer my lighter cheaper one by far. Though the incredible longevity of the old ones is so impressive. I might consider one when my cheaper one conks out. The do get lighter all the time w/ cheaper metal.
You still pay a good part of the price for the name. I have a Bosch stand mixer, pretty much their basic variant, since about ten years. I usually make a lot of bread and pizza doughs and despite the motor being strained from the start ever since I got it, it works. It sounds labored, it moves a lot, but the hooks reach everywhere and it's never given up even once.
The downside is that I'm certain that a higher speed on heavy doughs would brake it.
I bought a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer on Amazon for $150 in 2004. It is still going strong and I use it for bread, tamales, and the attachments for pasta and grinding meat. Definitely a worthwhile purchase. A cheap one is just fine for everyday use but not challenging tasks.
I love my Kitchen Aid. But I went with the Pro model with a larger bowl and lift. I don’t like the tilt head models as they are not as stable and tend to shake and shimmy around the counter more than the bowl lift style. Also, the spiral dough hook is much better than the C-shaped dough hook. The dough seems to climb the C-shaped hook a lot more than the spiral hook.
Agreed. Plus you can get a refurbished model for 200 sometimes 300 all the time. Work horse.
Buy cheap, buy twice. If you love cooking (and if you are reading these comments you probably do) it is very much worth spending the money for a quality mixer like a Kitchen Aid. I love mine. 8 years and counting of abuse and it never skips a beat.
Thanks for the great content Bri! Always enjoy watching and trying your recipes. We appreciate you!
I went through a divorce about 20 years ago and I was broke. But I invested in a Kitchen aide mixer and a Staub Dutch oven because they were important to me for the quality. Both are still going strong and look almost new. Some things are just worth it. Great video as always. Your chicken Al pastor is now a staple meal in our house.
I’ve owned the regular-sized KitchenAid, and as with most stand mixers, my biggest complaint was having to scrape down the sides occasionally; alas, I gave it away to a great community center because my latest apartment was too small to house it. I recently purchased the mini KitchenAid, and I am very, very sad to say, it is no better than the cheap mixers. It is tremendously slower, such that I have to set it to the highest speeds to get it to a relative medium called for in many recipes. For simple tasks, it shakes & moves about, unlike the original that can mix up a storm & remain stable. The attachments are sized so poorly that you may cannot get anything low or on the sides within an inch or so. The beater attachment is unlike the original- it’s just a relative triangle instead of the original’s triangle with a tricuspid-like structure within (sorry; don’t know how else to describe it). It’s just horrible. Oh, and after a bit of use, because it shivers & shakes so much, the screw piece holding the cover for where one would attach a grinder (etc.) eventually wiggles out, & the cover & screw fell into one of my batters. I feel so cheated with my mini KitchenAid, & I’m sharing this to let people know that the mini is nothing like the original. Buy the original.
I 💯 agree. My husband bought me one as a gift. It shakes like crazy, I did readjust the head so it reaches the bottom. It however does not even come close to the side and I’m constantly having to scrape the sides. It also overheats. I have to wait, unplug and try again. I never wanted to hurt to feelings, but after the first few months, I threw a stand cover over and called it a day. I can honestly say I was not impressed with this kitchenaid and honestly I’m not a serious enough baker to justify the cost of a bigger one.
You can try the Ankarsrum. I have never got it to wobble but I have tried too make it wobble when I made 3 kg (about 7 lbs) gingerbread dough
My wife does a lot of cooking……..she bought a KA years back and it’s still going. It’s a work horse………..worth every penny.
I have the Kitchen Aid Artisan and love it! It's sort of like Snap-on tools versus Harbor Freight, Snap-on are for a lifetime Harbor Freight will get the job done but won't stand up to daily use.
Funny, I've had Snap-Off tools that lasted a week, and Harbor Fright tools that continue to take a beating after a decade. The universal law of YMMV, I suppose.
I got the all metal Hamilton Beach mixer for about $160 over 10 years ago. Still going strong with pretty regular use, but definitely struggles with tough doughs. Eventually it will break and I'll probably replace it with KA, but it's a much cheaper, still good quality entry point into stand mixers.
I LOVE my KitchenAid ... upgraded from my Artisan to the larger bowl-lift. The old one went to a dear friend who uses it, and I hope to have mine for the rest of my life. It can handle intense pressure and has been a real game-changer for me (plus, who doesn't love brioche?). The Artisan would heat up and also scoot around the counter if I did not put a wet towel underneath, but the bowl lift just powers through brioche dough like it is nothing.
I went with the Professional 5 plus bowl lift. It was not much more than the Artisan. This was almost 20 years ago. Still going strong.
@@kevinbossick8374 So glad to hear it ... I am looking forward to many more years of enjoyment!
The Kitchen Aid mixer is the best deal out there. Like HP calculators and Fluke test equipment, while the initial cost is higher, the long term cost is far lower. These things last lifetimes. They are simply amazing.
Good to see you, Brian. I stripped the gears on my KitchenAid by making 3lbs of bread dough instead of the 2lbs. recommended. So now I'm kneading and I realize that I missed kneading. It's a good way of improving. Thanks, Brian.
The add-on attachments to a Kitchenaid make it totally worth it. I didn't get one until I was in my 40s (on sale, cobalt blue, Artisan) and watching my mom get her dream of a bright red one for Christmas is a great memory. They are special and deserving of a place of honor but for sure use whatever until you can get one.
I bought a Kitchen Aid Artisan because every youtube chef I watch uses exactly that stand mixer. Watching this channel was the push I needed to start baking at home, but the stand mixer has been an absolute godsend. I pretty much never order pizza or buy bread anymore, because what I can make, with ease in the stand mixer, is much, much better.
They use them because people will judge them if they don't have fancy stuff. Don't buy things just because an influencer uses them.
I've had my Kitchen Aid for almost 30 years and have never failed once. It also looks exactly the same as a new one except for very slight wear within the stainless bowl. Cooking is one of my hobbies so it's used and put through it's paces. I doubt any mixer under $100 can last this long or even five years under normal use. If the Kitchen Aid ever breaks down on me I plan to purchase a Hobart five quart commercial mixer.
My wife and I have an original Kenwood Chef mixer that was made in 1972. We use it almost everyday as we are bakers. It has multiple attachments that all still work including a meat grinder. I always approve of the analogy, "You get what you pay for" or Buying cheap turns out to be more expensive in the long run. I think that if your repeated those tests 4 or 5 times the "budget" stand mixer would break. Enjoyed the video. Thanks
I have 2 kitchen aid mixers. I was handed down one of the 6 or 7 quart-crank arm style kitchen aids when a nearby hospital upgraded their equipment back in the 90’s. That thing was a work horse for 10 years and I know it was already OLD. Then fondant became popular and I was asked to make fondant cakes often. Fondant is the one thing that will blow a motor in a kitchen aid. After fondant blew up the motor (and there are no mixers for home cooks can mix fondant, if you’re wondering) I went right out and bought the smaller version, the Classic. I had that for about 20 years and then I was in the middle of a macron bake and it started smelling like it was about to smoke. I bought another crank arm larger version and found that unless I’m making larger recipes, it is not efficient and nothing like the OLD version I’d had. Those oldies were made by Hobart. Then I researched and found that I could maintain the classic and gave it a tune up. Turns out it was a loose screw. It works great to this day. Maintenance is key and the fact that you can tune these machines up makes them so much more worth the price. For home cooks, buy the size that you will use. I’m a cottage cake decorator/cookie maker and I really don’t use the larger kitchen aid because it does not do the work as well as the 5 qt. I bake one loaf of sourdough a week and the 5 qt works great for that too.
Honestly, the Kitchenaid can do so many things and there are many different attachments for them, even unofficial ones. I have an Artisan model that I got from my grandmother years ago. and I use it to mix whipped cream, mash potatoes and even to grind chicken. I'm looking at getting a juicer attachment since it's cheaper than and less bulkier than a whole new electric juicer.
My Takeaway here is that a mixer with better attachment tolerances and more power is worth the lesssened hassle, especially over the course of many meals over many years
However, my strategy would typically be to look for a mixer that’s slightly cheaper, not a third of the price, so I would probably look in the $200 range.
Agree. I was just looking at the HB and thought I'll look at the reviews. Brian does his thing and voila! I think he was being overly generous to HB. I Just cannot fathom how the tolerances can be so far off. I mean do the attachments jump around THAT much? I shut off the vid after the Butter/Sugar segment. Why would I waste my time with a machine that only lessens the work halfway? I hate to spend the KA money. Maybe Cuisinart?
@@Sawbuck I do see those KitchenAid machines on sale for 200
I have a budget stand mixer and it primarily gets used for pizza dough, and does a lot better than this ham beach one. I don't really use it too often, so I definitely feel like getting the cheaper one was the right choice.
What brand?
I found my Kitchenaid stand mixer for $80 on Offer Up (a garage sale type app). A couple got divorced and the woman said she no longer wanted it but it was barely used. It came with the food chopper kit, meat grinder, plus all the standard attachments and bowl. I have been using it for about 5 years now on a weekly basis. Love it. Highly recommend looking second hand. They tend to hold their value but occasionally you can find someone who either doesn't know what they have or someone looking to get rid of it quickly.
I bought my HD KitchenAid 20 years ago , slowly bought every attachments imaginable. I already willed it to my only grandaughter now 1 year old who plays with her Mom's kitchen tools , measuring cups and spoons.
A huge, HUGE, plus of the KitchenAid is the ability to utilize attachments. I use my grain mill all the time as well as the pasta roller and meat grinder.
The pasta roller does look great. You can buy fresh pasta sheets for things like canneloni but they are darn expensive. Fresh pasta is so darn delicious. You can buy knock offs w/ a bunch of attachments all w/ the unit. I know KA is one of the best (though some are saying there are better, like Bosch). Those attachments are wicked expensive though. Often the price of an alright stand mixer alone.
We have a meat grinder and pasta maker. Makes it so worth it.
I waited for a sale and got my KitchenAid for $200 and that was with the glass bowl! I use it all the time to make bread and pasta. The attachments are expensive - but the pasta one was worth it for me. It's actually a savings to purchase the KitchenAid because they last forever and you only have to buy it once. Purchasing cheaper mixers over and over costs you more in the long run.
Great content, very thoughtful. Thank you! I also own the Kitchen Aid (though I don't use mine as much as you've used yours) and agree with everything you said about it. It is by far the best made appliance in my kitchen and will likely outlive me. I also like that you gave the cheap one its due. I'm sure it makes sense for a lot of people.
I have an older Hamilton beach. Lately I have been working it hard making bread! By watching your video I figured out that I will need to do the mixing to a point in The mixer then remove to finish it out! It seems like there is so much to learn!
I do a lot of baking and has always wanted a kitchenaid mixer. I bought one about 3 years ago and have used it for everything. To be fair though, I spend more time than I would like scraping down the bowl and it really only mixes well if I have a large quantity of dough. Having said that, it is a beast - the motor is really good. When I had no money I used to buy really cheap appliances and they would burn out within a few uses. It sucks to be poor - you end up spending more money in the long run on cheap things that break. I have also had a thermomix for 13 years and it is only starting to show wear now (the rubber/plastic buttons have started degrading - but the motor is still strong!) This also turned out to be worth the sticker price even though I felt pretty silly spending that amount of money on a kitchen appliance at the time.
The KitchenAid is one of the rare items that is designed to last a lifetime. (It's pretty much my stand mixer and my cast iron pans that will be handed down to my children, now that I think about it.) As noted in other comments, the planetary gear and other internal components can be self-repaired. I bought a 7-qt KA on sale in 2007, and it's still going strong. If cost is an issue, I would recommend buying a used KitchenAid over a cheaper model. (Also how I buy vintage cast iron, actually.) I would feel perfectly comfortable that the design and quality of KA outweighs the need for a factory warranty.
It's not true. If you make bread it will break. If you make light fluffy watery things then sure it'll last but so would anything.
@@paulblichmann2791 I make bread.
I don't have a stand mixer and I don't have the room for it in my kitchen, but if I did I would definitely go for the KitchenAid mixer. I love cooking and think that a stand mixer could expand my recipe choices, but my kitchen is just so damn small. Sad times. Awesome video and thanks for doing these tests!
Small kitchens suck! I also love cooking and I had to make an entire Thanksgiving meal in my pathetically small kitchen a few years back. It was a nightmare. And to be honest, I still found a place for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I just stored it in my hall closet : )
@@malloryg4251 I wish I had a hall closet LOL
Yay for both of us for cooking Thanksgiving dinner in tiny kitchens!!! As I hate moving more than I hate my tiny kitchen, I think I'm gonna be stuck here for awhile ;)
@@ishmiel21 I'm with you. I don't have a hall closet because, well, I don't have a hall! So many appliances I would love to have... nowhere to put them!
@@malloryg4251 "Where there is a will......." 😊
I just got out the instructions for my old Kitchen Aid. I spent a long time reading them. Then I did it again. Nope not a thing in there about having to store it in the kitchen!! LOL Store it in your closet and bring it out when you need it. You can do the mixing on a dining table. You'll be proud of yourself!!
Just got the ice cream maker, ice shaver, meat grinder and sausage maker and already had the pasta roller. Definately a reason not to but another brand. Still suck at baking bread though (except form buns). Nice video!
Try Brian’s recipe for ciabatta in your mixer..it’s a high hydration dough, so won’t stress the mixer much, but hand mixing it is a real pain. You learn to mix it at a high enough speed (like 4-5-6) long enough to clear the bottom and form a ball and start slapping around the bowl. This technique transformed my ciabatta..because when you can see a dough do something definite like that, you know you’ve done it just like the masters do..instead of relying on a descriptive like “until it’s ready, kneaded enough, etc” it forms an almost latex paint like smooth surface, you grab and pull, it’s soft, super elastic and won’t tear. That recipe is awesome, just awesome..I do triple recipes and freeze them..another great one is the Joshua Weissman Best Burger Bun recipe with tangzhong (just milk/water/flour heated and stirred till it forms a paste, then added to rest of recipe) it interferes with gluten and makes the buns ultra soft).
I should add that I also like the Challenger bread ware cast iron bread bakers..they work really well..but a steel is fine too, you can use a disposable turkey roasting pan to cover breads in the oven for the initial steam rise..and steels are better than stones for home ovens as they transfer more heat more quickly..
Carol Field has a little paperback book called “Focaccia” that is a great place to start too..the white wine-olive oil focaccia can’t fail!
@@johncspine2787 Thanks for all the tips! I guess I gotta bake ciabatta soon
Brian is certainly a fair referee and tester. Just watching the HB twist and flex was nerve-racking. I have an 18-year-old Viking Stand Mixer. It's a stable and reliable workhorse (Bread Dough and Grinding meat for sausage) compared to their Food Processor of the same era . . .now that was a piece of junk. Droped the work bowl on a vinyl floor and it broke apart. $65 to replace in 2005. Replaced 2 bowls in 2 years and tossed it.
My wife got me my first KitchenAid stand mixer as a birthday gift right after we got married in 1986. It was the large 7qt model. I had that one for at least 21 years until the motor started to overheat. I replaced it with an Artisan sized one (4.5qt) that I had for about 15 years. I just recently replaced the Artisan with a new 7qt mixer when they went on sale on Black Friday. I donated my old one because is still worked well. I'll keep using KitchenAid mixers for as long as I can keep cooking.
My wife picked up a KitchenAid mixer from Goodwill. I think she paid like $40 for it. Considering I had one on our registry that was $400 it was a pretty good buy. It has been used so much. :)
I also love the attachments you can get for Kitchenaid. My favorites are the pastas attachment and the meat grinder.😊
For the 40% brioche, you may want to try tucking a gel ice pack against the bowl to keep the butter cold.
Also, freezing the bowl before starting
Can i ask, what is a 40% brioche? 40% hydration?
@@srpskihayk I believe it is a dough that ends up being 40% pure butter. But someone will come along and confirm this or correct me. Cheers
Kitchen Aid for 40 years. No other way to go. My mom still uses the original 40 year old almond color one and I upgraded to a red. Great fun video Brian !
Bought my wife a Kitchenaid as a 5th anniversary present. Literally the only anniversary gift that has brought her to tears. It was $225 back in 2000. It has performed flawlessly as one of our most used kitchen appliances for 23 years. Use it for everything from bread making and CC cookies to meatloaf. Really minimal maintenance required with only a little tightening of the head’s attachment to the neck. Worth every penny. Many imitators, but no peers IMO
We've been married over 40 years and have the same Kitchen Aid mixer. A real work horse in the kitchen. I started making bread doughs about 10 years ago and when I started on making whole wheat breads, that is when this machine showed it's weakness. I went with the 1 hp version big daddy Kitchen Aid mixer. You get what you pay for and our Kitchen Aid attachments work on both. Winning.
For people who are in the US, those $350 KitchenAid mixers can be found on sale for $199 around December in most department stores!
I only just recently moved into a new place of my own and have been considering buying my first stand mixer... This video has arrived at an opportune time! Thanks, Brian :D
You won’t regret getting a Kitchenaid.
Get a Kitchenaid. The durability is worth the price, they last for decades. The one in my home was my girlfriend's grandfather's and it's about 40 years old and he only used it for doughs. It's an absolute tank.
Main thing I've learnt over the years is that cheap ones break down usually within 2 years. Kitchenaids keep a lifetime. So after 10 years, the Kitchenaid was not only quicker, and more reliable but also cheaper.
Same for Ankarsrum it holds for a long time. It's a Swedish made mixer. I have seen second hand who is so old that the parts is in wood materials
Great test video. I purchased my $60 dollar Frigidaire stand mixer, primarily for bread doughs. It hasn't failed me yet. I bought a $12 wand blender, 20 years ago. The rubber insulation deteriorated before any mechanical failure. It's still usable, but is an electrical shock hazard. (I need to replace the cord) I bought an $8 dollar electric coffee grinder for grinding spice mixtures, no issues. $12 dollar coffee makers, $14 dollar toasters, $80 dollar toaster ovens, even a $60 dollar blender, some of the cheapest appliances I could find. With a little care, keeping in mind the smaller motor build, these appliances have served me well over the years.
If your budget is $150 or less I highly recommend looking for a used/second hand KitchenAid over one of the cheap ones like the Hamilton Beach. I have 3 tilt head KitchenAid mixers that I bought from Thrift stores a KitchenAid Classic that was made in 1992 that I paid $25 for, a Ultra Power for $60, and my pride and joy a K45SS made in 1983 by Hobart before they sold the brand to Whirlpool I paid $15 for it. Spent about $15 on each to re-grease them, and the gears were in perfect shape. Between the 3 I’ve spent $145. Find deals like this may not be common, but you can definitely find them for $100 to $150 all of the time on Facebook marketplace and eBay. In fact right now the Thrift store I bought the Hobart at has a Classic Plus for $50.
Honestly 9 times out of 10 I always reach for my handmixer to make all of my recipes. You learn more about technique and have much more control whipping and/or creaming and don't even need to scrape the bowl that often. Unless you are a full time homecook/blogger/pastry chef a standmixer is overrated. Most amazing recipes you can ever make are done mostly by hand. But I do agree with going for a kitchen aid if you are getting one. My grandma got her's as a wedding gift in the 1960's and used it to start her doughnut/cake buisness back then, she still uses it to this day with zero issues for 60 years nonstop.
Love this. I'm definitely interested in more equipment reviews and breakdowns in addition to recipes.
I’d love to see you do this same but with kitchen aid vs. Ankarsrum. I have both: the Ankarsrum beats the kitchen aid at practically everything.
I’d love to see a KA and Ankarsrum comparison, too.
I have had an Ankarsrum for many years and have been very happy with it.
I mean, I’d expect the Ankarsrum to be better, considering it costs almost twice as much.
I've had a 12-quart Hobart commercial mixer for many years. In recent years, I've wanted a smaller one. Because of the power and ease I am used to, I only considered a Kitchen Aid.
Thanks for a great review, really enjoyed that. I'm a Kenwood sort of guy, but I take your point. I've a John Lewis branded stand mixer and I love it. I had a kenwood for many many years, again fantastic. At the moment the JL one is doing fine. It's metal construction and quality attachments, there's also a blender that came with it.
Our Kitchenaid was new in 1980. Still going strong. $180/43 years comes to $4.18 per year of use.
This is the first time I've seen a really informative and honest review of mixers. Please consider making more product reviews in the future. These are super helpful.
I think one of the things an avid cook might want to consider is the fact that you can get various specialty attachments for the kitchen aid. The meat grinder/sausage stuffer, or the pasta roller can be really helpful. The pasta roller can also be used as a dough sheeter for things like strudel that require lots of dough rolled thin.
For more cooking than baking use there are other brands with better and more attachments out there.
Kitchen Aid and Ankarsrum are the masters of doughs. But if you need more of a helper in breaking down meat, produce they're not the thing to spend so much money one.
Maybe it should also be about whether people who can’t afford a Kitchen Aid could be happy with the cheaper substitute? In Australia the cost of a Kitchen Aid mixer is prohibitive, even the refurbished ones are only $80-100 cheaper and I have had to realise my dream of owning one will never happen. I am content with my cheap $100 mixer but don’t delude myself into thinking it will ever be as good as the real thing.
I have a black 5 qt. Artisan Kitchen Aid, bought it 10 years ago. I have pushed this thing to the edge and it still holds up. The only maintenance I've done is change the brushings, the brusing screws and the tilt head screw. Motor runs as good as day 1. The only reason I would stop using it, would be if i bought the commercial 8 qt. Which is on my bucket list. Thanks Brian for this episode.
I sold my Kitchen Aid and use my Bosch for everything. I have a new one and one from 1976. Absolutely love the Bosch.
I have a small apartment and my two favorite things that I've bought for my kitchen are a kitchen aid mixer and a small dishwasher. The Hamilton beach one doesn't seem like it would hold up over time, especially when making dough, which is what I use mine for the most. Also, I feel like I'm one of the only people who bought a mixer for myself, everyone I know that has one has gotten it as a gift, usually from a wedding lol
I bought a COSTWAY 660W, 6 Speed, 6.3 qt mixer on Amazon in 2019 for $89 and I love it. I make low carb brioche buns and rolls which is about 18 total minutes run time 3-4 times a month along with pizza dough. Works great with cookie dough too. I was surprised to see that Amazon still carries it 4 years later and the price is still the same. I really thought I would have killed it by now, but has proven to be a great little machine. I will say the one negative is the loose tolerances between the attachments and the bowl. I do have to do a decent amount of scraping, but for $89 bucks I really can't complain.
I got mine on the curb for free. I watched a neighbor carry out 2 perfect wooden bookcases and then saw them bring out the kitchen aid pro with all the attachments and I thought, I bet that works since the bookcases were in such perfect condition and also set out for trash. Took it home plugged it in and it works perfectly! I’ve had it for 5-6 years now and use it often 🙌🏼
My breadmaking teacher taught me many things, not the least of which was to always knead by hand for eight minutes, and don’t flour the table during kneading, just use a dough scraper to gather the dough together and continue kneading until eight minutes has passed. Works every time! It also allows you to become familiar with the feel of the dough and to recognise when it’s ready for resting and shaping.
Wonderful presentation! I own two Kitchen Aid mixers- one is 35 years old the other 5 years old. Both are great, durable very long-lasting units that get my highest recommendation
I bought my Kitchen Aid lift stand mixer back in 1987 when I bought my first house. It has never failed me in all of these years. There's nothing I can't throw at it from whipped cream, egg whites, to dough. It's an amazing appliance.
I have a Hamilton beach bread machine and I absolutely love it. Plus it was on sale for $60, much cheaper than other comparable machines.
Durability of the Kitchen Aid is unmatched. Mine was working hard kneading dough, I didn’t notice that I’d position it too close to the counter edge, and it fell off the kitchen counter and onto granite tiles. Took a chunk out of the granite and looked banged up and made a lot of unhappy sounds. Took it apart, tinkered it for a few hours and finished up the bake. Still works today (years later)! If the motor ever finally dies, I’d buy another.