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[jkinzel]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums, but have been lurking for a few weeks gathering information on stand mixers. For years I have lusted after a KitchenAid and finally at age 71 I decided to jump in, though after reading many reviews my enthusiasm is greatly diminished. And my wife still can't figure out why I think I need one, but then she is not the one baking bread during the holidays. (6 to 8 loafs)

We do very little baking and seldom eat sweets, my interest in the mixer is primarily bread and pizza dough, mixing and (something I learned in these forums) shredding meat.

I looked very hard at both the Cuisinart 5.5 quart and the KitchenAid Artisan 5 quart model KSM150PS. The Cuisinart seems the better machine, but lacks the ability to adjust the attachment depth and that was kind of a deal killer. So this morning I ordered the KitchenAid. I have a week to read the manual and gather baking soda and Brillo pads to clean the bowl.

Regards, John

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums, but have been lurking for a few weeks gathering information on stand mixers. For years I have lusted after a KitchenAid and finally at age 71 I decided to jump in, though after reading many reviews my enthusiasm is greatly diminished. And my wife still can't figure out why I think I need one, but then she is not the one baking bread during the holidays. (6 to 8 loafs)

We do very little baking and seldom eat sweets, my interest in the mixer is primarily bread and pizza dough, mixing and (something I learned in these forums) shredding meat.

I looked very hard at both the Cuisinart 5.5 quart and the KitchenAid Artisan 5 quart model KSM150PS. The Cuisinart seems the better machine, but lacks the ability to adjust the attachment depth and that was kind of a deal killer. So this morning I ordered the KitchenAid. I have a week to read the manual and gather baking soda and Brillo pads to clean the bowl.

Regards, John

Welcome John.

I own two KitchenAid mixers. And I bake a lot, 3-4 times a week. One of my mixers is nearly 20 years old. KitchenAid makes a good mixer.

But I will caution you against using your home planetary mixer for regular mixing of heavy doughs like bread and pizza. The bowl is stationary, and the attachment head rotates around the bowl. The heavier the dough the more resistance; the greater the strain on the motor. The motors in the home mixers are just too small to handle mixing bread and pizza dough on a regular basis. It will strip the gears in short order. And that’s pretty much with any planetary mixer, not just KitchenAid. My 6 qt KitchenAid that I purchase last year even had a warning sticker on the bowl advising against excessive and prolonged mixing of heavy doughs.

The type of mixer best suited for a heavier doughs is a spiral mixer. It has two motors, one to spin the attachment head and a second motor to spin the bowl. Unfortunately they are on the expensive side. Aside from reducing the stress on the attachment head, the movement of the bowl and dough hook reduces friction so the dough does not overheat. And it actually kneads the dough better as the dough rotates around the bowl. In a planetary mixer the dough ends up twisted around the dough so it never gets kneaded.


https://pleasanthillgrain.com/appliances/mixers

 

[Ian]

Hi John, welcome to the forums - really glad you've joined us here .

 

[jkinzel]

Thank you everyone.

Norcalbaker: Thank you very much for bringing these machines to my attention. I gave the spiral mixers a quick glance, but for some reason passed them by. I'm thinking it might not be too late to change plans mid stream.

John

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thank you everyone.

Norcalbaker: Thank you very much for bringing these machines to my attention. I gave the spiral mixers a quick glance, but for some reason passed them by. I'm thinking it might not be too late to change plans mid stream.

John

John,

I don’t mean to imply that you can’t make bread now and then in your KitchenAid. But for those who are primarily bread bakers, the planetary mixers will not be able to handle the regular work load.

The KitchenAid is an excellent mixer, it’s just not designed for bread dough.

But I do hope you will share your baking projects on the forum.

 

[jkinzel]

I have added more questions in the Equipment thread. https://www.baking-forums.com/threads/mixer-advise.5622/