What stand mixer

[Gangster Gran]

Hi I am wanting to upgrade my stand mixer and the majority of cookery and baking programs I watch seem to favour Kitchen aid. But I have discovered whilst looking for one that there are so many different models and I don’t want to make a mistake and buy the wrong one. I only started baking 2 years ago and I didn’t realise how much I would enjoy it so only purchased a basic mixer and just looking for advice. Many thanks

 

[chassis]

Have you read dozens of the threads on your question on this site, or used the search feature?

KA is a good all rounder. Other brands are better than KA at one thing or another. I think the KA, while rough and crudely designed, is a good all around package.

 

[Ricksza]

I believe that larger question is, what do you want to bake. I bake mostly cookies and cakes, so the Artisan works fine for me. If you want to bake a lot of breads, I would go for something stronger.

 

[Linus]

Bread-making is a science as well as an art. if or when you get into it, you'll find that the more you do it, the more that you'll want a mixer that will stand up to the task at hand. Not just once or twice, but for a long, long, long time. So it only makes sense to get one with longevity & strength that you can trust for a long time.

That said, look for one that will make you happy that you've invested in it. I've gotten the Nutrimill Artist & 2 Globe mixers. I'm very happy with them. They work for me quite well!!

 

[Fred]

Hi I am wanting to upgrade my stand mixer . . .

If you're going with Kitchen Aid, go with the 550-watt (or greater) model. It will be strong enough to grind nuts or mill corn or grains if you ever decide you want to do that. Sometimes you can find them on sale at very reasonable prices, though Amazon seems to be out of them for the time being. I can't speak to the Globe mixer because I've never had one, but it looks pretty good.

https://uedata.amazon.com/dp/B08LMHK1G1/ref=sbl_dpx_kitchen-mixers_B08LMHK1G1_0

 

[Linus]

Also, try https://pleasanthillgrain.com/. They have mixers there, but I don't remember seeing KA mixers there though. Also try surlatable.com. Not many places around since the pandemic has forced some of them to go out of business. Macy's may still have some.

BBB was a very good place to look for a decent mixer!! Most of their stores are closed as well!!

 

[SHA]

Linus - do you use your mixers interchangeably or do you use the Nutrimill for bread and the Globes for everything else ? Is the Nutrimill considered a spiral mixer ? Does it use a breaker bar ? Can you discuss the pros and cons of the Nutrimill, can it handle any kind of doughs such as semolina, high gluten, high hydration as well as lower hydrations. If you had gotten the Globes first would you have still gotten the Nutrimill (I have a KA pro 700 and am thinking of getting something more like a spiral for bread) ?

 

[Linus]

Linus - do you use your mixers interchangeably or do you use the Nutrimill for bread and the Globes for everything else ? Is the Nutrimill considered a spiral mixer ? Does it use a breaker bar ? Can you discuss the pros and cons of the Nutrimill, can it handle any kind of doughs such as semolina, high gluten, high hydration as well as lower hydrations. If you had gotten the Globes first would you have still gotten the Nutrimill (I have a KA pro 700 and am thinking of getting something more like a spiral for bread) ?

Your 2nd question would more than likely be the qualifying one. Because mainly, the Globe machines are mainly & only designed to do 4-lb of dough, while the Nutrimill Artiste can do 10-lbs of dough. You can look inside the bowl to see. It should be able to handle most types of dough. I've gotten the Nutrimill before the Globes. Don't know much about gluten, hydration or the high-tech stuff. I just know that I've gotten good results from making dough with the Nutrimill Artiste, & i've still have yet to reach the 10-lb limit with it!! The recipes that I've used to make in it are far less. I've say that it works just like the Bosch Universal, only slightly smaller. But it's quite an amazing machine in it's own right!!

 

[Linus]

Here's the dough hook out of the work bowl. It will also fit the Bosch Universal if you have one!!!

 

[SHA]

Do you have any problems with the dough climbing up the dough hook ?

 

[Linus]

Do you have any problems with the dough climbing up the dough hook ?

None at all! The plastic scraper that you see on the side of the dough hook hugs the post at the center of the bowl & helps to keep that from happening. It helps make sure that you don't have to do that yourself.

I tell you, that this machine, tough as it is for the mixing jobs assigned to it, it's very tame to the user or owner! It takes a licking, but keeps on beating!! The best thing that I like is that you'll never have an overhead motorhead to get in the way when you add ingredients to the work bowl for processing!!

 

[SHA]

Linus - when you use the Nutrimill do you mix the ingredients by hand and after it comes together run it thru the mixer or do you dump the ingredients in the mixer and do everything in there ? What accessories did you get for it , ie is the bowl scraper useful ?

 

[Fred]

Also, try https://pleasanthillgrain.com/. They have mixers there, but I don't remember seeing KA mixers there though. Also try surlatable.com. Not many places around since the pandemic has forced some of them to go out of business. Macy's may still have some.

BBB was a very good place to look for a decent mixer!! Most of their stores are closed as well!!

Your link to pleastanthill grain was quite an eye-opener! I've never seen mixers that look like the one you use or the ones they sell. Their prices are equally impressive. Since I'm a casual baker, I'll probably never buy one of those. One of their less expensive models weighs 64 pounds and cost $700+. Much too heavy to shift casually from shelf to countertop. After viewing its promotional video, the Bosch model at $559 looked good and was relatively light weight, but, again, for the casual baker is a serious maybe. I'd love to try one, though.

I'm guessing you bake professionally?

 

[Linus]

If you think that's heavy, then try lugging THIS monster around It weighs in at a whopping 62lbs!!!!

 

[Dunross]

As others have noted what will be the primary use of the mixer?

When I was baking six loaves of whole wheat bread at a time i used a Bosch Universal and it handled that much dough with no problems at all. There are other comparable mixers that can also handle similar amounts of dough.

My baking has changed over the years so now I make much less bread and more stuff like cakes, cookies, whipping cream, making frostings, and such. To the end I bought a KitchenAid Pro 600.

While I can do these things in the Bosch it's design is not as convenient as the KA. While I can make bread using my KA it is not suited for making more than about two loaves of whole wheat bread at a time as that is not what it is designed for.

Generally speaking unless you're wanting to make more than two loaves of whole wheat (3 to 4 of straight white bread) at one time I would go with a KitchenAid model. My mother and grandmother had tilt head models, but I chose to go with a bowl lift for greater durability. I think the KA design is more all around versatile for a wide range of possible uses. If bread is your primary use then go with a Bosch or other similar design.

 

[Linus]

Bought a jar of THIS the other day. I plan to make some dinner rolls now & then.

 

[Linus]

Linus - when you use the Nutrimill do you mix the ingredients by hand and after it comes together run it thru the mixer or do you dump the ingredients in the mixer and do everything in there ? What accessories did you get for it , ie is the bowl scraper useful ?

When I do bread dough with the Nutrimill Artiste, I start with the warm water & yeast, then the oil, then the flour & salt. When everything is added to the bowl, I let the mixer knead it for about 10 minutes. For most everything else, I just dump it in the bowl at once & let it mix.