I hope I'm not being a pest.

[auntAgonist]

I know a lot of you love your kitchen aid mixers. I'd like to know what model you own and the pros and cons of that model.


My husband has said he'll buy me whatever I want. He KNOWS I'll use it :)



I found a Kitchen Aid KV25GOXER Professional 5 Plus 5-Quart Stand Mixer, in Empire Red online at Frys for $259.90 plus $11.95 shipping. No tax. (reg price at Amazon is $419.99 with free shipping and no tax)

I can get an Artisan 5qt from Amazon for $279.99 with free shipping and no tax.



I'm leaning towards the Pro model but I'm wondering if anyone finds the non tilting head to be an issue?

thanks All.

aA
kesha

[grasswire]

1. the one I have can't be bought

It's a 3-C, at least 60 years old. I got it at an estate sale. It runs great.

:-)

[Vinca]

2. I have a Delonghi mixer like the one at the link below.

It's a real workhorse and you can get all kinds of attachments for it. Every so often the Chef's Catalog puts them on sale so you might keep an eye out. http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-DSM5-5-Quart-Stand-Stainless/dp/B0002XGSN8

[hippywife]

3. Mine is the same one you almost got

off craigslist last week. I now sometimes finding myself wishing it had more power than it does, but then I remind myself that I didn't need the dang thing to begin with. :rofl:

Tsk, tsk...why would anyone think you a pest? :hug:

[Lucinda]

4. I have the classic and love it.

Least expensive of the line, but does everything I ask it to do.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I have had three of them ...... the biggest difference is in the power .....

They have the tilt head style and the crank up/down style. There are several bowl sizes in each style.

The size for you may well depend on the volume you'll be cooking. If your family is small and you plan to cook just for that small family, the smallest one (4.5 qts) is just fine. For us, the small one would work because now we're just the two of us. But at holidays it is nice to have the bigger one (I now have the 6 qt crank up/down model).

Apart from that, they all use the same accessories except for the ice cream maker, which is dependent on bowl size. My little one, now handed down to one of the kids, is almost 40 years old and still going strong. The other little one I got out of my mother's house. It is about 30 years old. Another kid has that and it, too, is going as strong as the day it was made.

So really, just base you choice on the volume you plan to cook. And keep in mind ..... the capacity is not a direct linear increase. I would say my 6 qt machine can actually handle loads that are just about double what my old 4.5 qt model could because the 4.5 qt could not be filled without risking spillover.

[sazemisery]

6. What advantages does the crank up/down have?

I know there is the ice cream maker attachment, which I can't use with my tilt-head but already have a ice cream freezer. Are there any other advantages of the crank up/down over the tilt-head?

[Stinky The Clown]

7. I'm not sure there is ... apart from the ice cream thing.

The crank is what is used on the Kitchenaid's big brother - the commercial Hobart. That's not an advantage, though ... just a some history trivia.

[Warpy]

8. I have the bottom of the line tilt head model from Target

and I've put it through 14 years of hard use baking bread and whipping egg whites and it's never whimpered. I can think of no drawback to this model except size. If I were feeding four or more kids, I'd want the bigger capacity machine. Shoot, I'd probably want a floor standing Hobart.

The "any color as long as it's white" didn't bother me. If I ever decided to eliminate white from my kitchen (fat chance), I'd just jazz it up with decals or something.

FWIW, the hospital cafeteria at my last job used exactly the same model for whipping cream and other small jobs. The only people I've seen with the "professional" models are people with trophy kitchens. It's really not necessary to spend that much money to get a high quality machine.

[The empressof all]

9. I have only owned the 6 quart Professional model

I'm sorry I can't help you with the 5 quart ones. Mine is the one with the lift bowl. I love it and it has Never presented a problem.