Help! I want to surprise my wife with a KitchenAid Mixer

[NightWatcher]

Only problem, there appear to be a dozen or more varieties of them.

I did a cursory check and this one appears to be one of the best (assuming I don't run a commercial kitchen). KitchenAid® Pro Line® Stand Mixer, 7-Qt.

Is this a good one?

I am lost in the kitchen, strike that, I am lost when it comes to baking. I have run a restaurant griddle and am a beast of a griller and smoker.

My wife and daughter are British Baking Show fans and my wife has made some epic cakes for parties for years. She's always wanted one of the best ones and does not want an underpowered model that will be more trouble than it's worth.

Thanks for the assist

[stonecutter357]

1. This is the type I have and I love it .

I can make anything from cake to hamburger and sausages https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/attachments/see-all.html

[janterry]

2. I don't think you need that one

But, of course, it's great.

I have the classic KitchenAid (under $200) and it is great. I can't imagine what more I would need. I've had it for 25 years, I think. I use it for all of my baking.

Rarely (and I mean rarely) it was somewhat small. This was when I was baking multiples of the same cake (I used to cook for crowds! So, I would make 4 of the same cake). But even then, it was fine.

So, if she regularly bakes for more than a few (and needs to cook multiples of the same cake) - well, a bigger bowl might be nice.

But otherwise, the classic version is excellent and all most home chefs need (imo).

Get a great color, though - I have white and sometimes I yearn for a bit of spark!

[GentryDixon]

39. Agree. I have a red one. It matches my canisters.

I've never had a problem with it being too small or the motor not strong enough.

I love mine.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

41. My wife surprised me with a classic KitchenAid about 25 years ago

It's blue, and has been going strong all that time.

The one thing I did get for it was a second bowl. Really handy at times.

[flyingfysh]

3. KitchenAid mixers are great.

There are some different sizes, they are all good. They last forever, I have never heard of one wearing out. She will love it.

[spinbaby]

40. I've worn out two

The tilt-head models have plastic gears that don’t hold up to heavy use. I prefer the tilt head but now have the heavy-duty kind with the lift bowl.

[wiley]

4. Get it

Don’t ever knead bread above 2

[Rorey]

5. You're very sweet

I'm not so sure about the "surprise" aspect. Could you surprise her by taking her along to pick out her own? I'm sure that one is perfectly fine, but maybe she has a specific one in mind that she'd like.

My husband actually insisted that I needed one about 13 years ago. I was out of state caring for a family member. His intentions were good, but I really didn't want one. I haven't used it more than a dozen times. I just really don't have much of a need for it because I don't bake cakes or bread much anymore.

But you're a sweet guy.

[enough]

11. This might be good advice. Sometimes picking something out for someone who

knows more about it than you do can be a problem. She may have specific notions about what is the perfect model for her.

The other option is to keep the receipts and make sure she knows she can exchange for another model if she prefers.

And yes you’re a sweet guy, and yes Kitchen Aid is the way to go!

[drmeow]

15. You could give her a hand made "gift certificate"

good for one shopping expedition to buy her the Kitchen Aid of her choice. Wrap it in a small box tucked inside a Kitchen Aid sized box for under the tree, maybe even multiple boxes like a Russian doll.

[AirmensMom]

6. Get it.

I have had a similar one for about 15 years and love it. I've asked for a pasta maker attachment for Christmas.

I'm a HUGE fan of The Great British Baking Show! It really gets me into a baking mood.

Make sure you tell us how your wife likes that awesome gift.

[woodsprite]

7. I have the Kitchen Aid Artisan 5qt

While I got it to cook for large family gatherings (17+) and have had it for several years, now everyone has dispersed and we rarely host large family dinners now. It gets used for cookies, cakes, meringues, and things we make for church, but that's rare.

Whatever you decide on, I'd get an extra bowl. That's the first addition we bought.

[Rorey]

16. That's great advice!

The extra bowl is imperative, IMO.

[KatyaR]

8. That's a wonderful gift!

Does she do a lot of baking for a lot of people? Then a large mixer would be good. But if she only bakes occasionally or just for the two of you, the 4-quart would be fine. If you bought the less expensive model, you could get some attachments for it as well.

I've coveted one of these for years. Unfortunately, my apartment kitchen is so damn tiny I don't really cook or bake anymore. If I had a larger kitchen, I'd definitely have a KitchenAid mixer. I have a friend who has one and she absolutely loves it.

Merry Christmas to you and your wife!

[Brainstormy]

9. can't go wrong

with a Kitchen Aid

[irisblue]

10. Extra bowl for sure, you can chill onw while using the other.

Accessories? You getting any now or going to wait?

[NightWatcher]

13. I'm going to wrap a small accessory or recipe book for under the pagan tree.

If she saw the mixer wrapped up she'd know what was up. I'm going to bury a small accessory in the back of the tree without a gift tag. The mixer will be staged nearby.

[irisblue]

17. 👏👏👏👏 good move

[lamsmy]

12. No appliances for Christmas or birthdays!

I love cooking, and would love a KitchenAid, but it's a definite no-no for a personal gift at the holidays.

Why? First appliances belong in the kitchen and are used by everyone for everyone's benefit. Making it a personal gift is kind of like saying "Here, go make me something yummy."

Ditto for power tools for guys - they are both involve work. Even if that work is sometimes pleasurable, often it is just a plain old chore. In our family, appliances and tools (bbq, lawn gear etc.) count as gifts for "the house."

If you are sure she will love it, go ahead. But my advice would be to back it up with something, even something small, that is just for her and just for pleasure. A little jewellery, perfume, a great book... anything that is expressly for HER.

[NightWatcher]

14. I'm aware of the "no power cord for gifts" rule, but if I got her jewelry she'd slap my face

The only jewelry she likes is her wedding band, I've tried.

I'm getting her other things and will lead with those but she and my daughter have been baking a lot together and this will be a "now that Christmas is over- hey what's that last thing without a tag..."

If it matters, I'm pretty sure I'm getting a massive grill from she and my in-laws.

[irisblue]

19. So, when are you having us over for dinner on January? 😁

[JayhawkSD]

18. I have to disagree with that.

I know it's a standard rule, and maybe even generally true, but....

I was given a carbon steel wok for Christmas one year, many years ago, and it is one of my greatest treasures. I use it often and think fondly of her every time I do. (Well, I think fondly of her many other times, too, of course.)

And as to "appliances belong in the kitchen and are used by everyone for everyone's benefit."

Nobody touches my wok. Yes, she eats the food that is made in it, but nobody touches my wok. That counts as it being a personal gift.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

22. Agreed.

I'm the same way with my Anryu blue steel knife. And my wok. And my cast iron...

And if people bought me kitchen appliances/cookware as birthday/xmas gifts, I'd be ecstatic.

[missingthebigdog]

20. Check out KitchenAid's outlet

They have refurbished models with warranties at a significant discount, allowing more room in the budget for accessories.

https://www.kitchenaid.com/outlet.html

[Dr Hobbitstein]

21. This is the model I have. Classic Plus 4.5qt.

https://www.target.com/p/kitchenaid-classic-4-5-qt-stand-mixer-ksm75/-/A-14830664?preselect=592769#lnk=sametab

My mom bought it for me and the wife as a wedding gift. It was actually for me, as the wife doesn't cook. I've had it for 4 years, and use it quite regularly. Also have the meat grinder attachment. I use it for dough kneading, shredding chicken, and grinding meat. It's never let me down. And it's less than $200.

[greatauntoftriplets]

31. That's the one I have.

It's wonderful.

[cyclonefence]

23. What a wonderful husband you are!

I don't have advice on specific models--I have a cheap one and love it. It's 35 years young, and the only problem I had was when my toddler son dropped a measuring cup into the bowl (he was adding chocolate chips) and burned out the motor. Got that fixed, and never a problem--and of course the burned out motor was our fault, not KA's.

I second having an extra bowl--or two--and I have often longed for an extra beater as well. I have the meat grinder attachment, which I use to make ham salad and pimiento cheese. I'd like to get the ice cream attachment, but then we'd all gain ten pounds, so I'm avoiding it.

So, my advice is you can't go wrong. Get her at least one extra bowl and maybe an extra beater, too.

[sinkingfeeling]

24. Love my 30 year old KitchenAid. The Artesian model should do at 4.5

Qt. unless she bakes huge amounts. A 7-qt. is a big machine.
I'd go with smaller model and then add attactments.

Here's a list of Black Friday specials at 7 stores:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/black-friday-deals-kitchen-aid-mixers

[ret5hd]

25. Slightly OT, but interesting (to me, and shows the quality)...KitchenAid Mixer Disassembly:

[blaze]

26. Attachments!!!

And yes. That's a good one!

When buying for myself, I tend to become reluctant with attachments... you know $$$ and all that. If she does bread, definitely get the dough hook! Any chance she might try pasta? The pasta roller/cutter set would be great!

I love to spend time in the kitchen and I would be doing cartwheels if my sweetie pie gave me one!!

[rickford66]

27. Pick one with beaters that are easy to lick.

[Major Nikon]

28. I own two KitchenAid Mixers

Don't ask why I have two, but I do.

There's basically two different types of mixers KitchenAid makes. Within the two different types you'll find a few different options for motor size.

The first type is more of a consumer grade product with less powerful motors and smaller capacity bowls. This one is still very much heavy duty and will probably last a normal household a lifetime of regular use. Even if you do manage to break something on it, you can buy repair parts. The most common thing that breaks on them is a nylon gear that's designed to shear rather than burning up the motor if you get a sudden stop, but even then it's usually a rare occurrence you aren't likely to encounter. Even if it does the repair is relatively easy.

The second type is more of a light commercial grade product. It's heavier and the motor is stronger and the bowl is a bit larger.

The biggest difference you'll find between the two is how you remove the implements. With the first type you flip up the head which allows for the clearance you need to remove the beaters. The second type has a lever which moves the bowl up and down. Of the two I prefer the flip up head. It just makes it faster and easier to remove the implements. Both types will accept the full range of accessories made for the mixers. Both types are more mixer than most home cooks are ever going to need.

My recommendation is to buy one with the flip top head. They are cheaper and easier to use. I think the one I have has the smallest motor and it's still very powerful. You can tell which motor they have by the wattage rating. So basically the only thing you need to compare with is the flip top head vs the lever type and the size of the motor. Outside of that the colors are pretty much the only differences.

[blaze]

30. I won't ask why you have two

but I *will* offer to take the spare one off your hands.

And thanks for your post. If/when my old Hamilton Beach gives up the ghost, I'll probably opt for the flip top (thanks to your review) and use the extra $$$s for attachments!

[Major Nikon]

34. I own many of the attachments

One of my favorite, or at least the one I use the most is the meat grinding attachment. If you grind a lot of meat, you'll be better off with a dedicated meat grinder, even if it's just a good quality hand crank one. The reason is because the pieces are made of plastic and it's not really designed for very heavy duty use or large volumes. The biggest job I ever have it do is grind up a chuck roast and provided you slice it into strips small enough for the grinder to handle, it does fine for that. Don't wash the metal blades in the dishwasher as they aren't stainless and will rust. You can also get an attachment for filling sausage casings which works reasonably well. Again if you're not doing too much sausage, it works fine.

There's an aftermarket all metal meat grinding attachment you can get. I don't own one, but if I didn't already own the OEM one I'd probably opt for that one. The OEM comes with a vegetable strainer. I almost never use it. It does work reasonably well but is a pain to clean.

Pasta: I have both the pasta extruder and the set of three pasta rollers. The pasta extruder doesn't work very well, IMO. You need just the right consistency of dough for it to work. I prefer to make pasta dough out of semolina flour which doesn't work well in the extruder. The pasta roller set on the other hand works very well. If you've ever used a hand crank pasta roller it's a godsend.

I like the ice cream attachment. I don't make ice cream very often, but when I do it works quite well.

I have the older style slicer/shredder. I never liked it much. If you don't have a food processor it might be worth having, but I prefer to use my food processor which will do everything the attachment will do and does it better.

I have the citrus juicer attachment. I almost never use it and prefer just to use my hand model because I almost never do more than one or two pieces of citrus. I think if I were squeezing a lot of orange juice, I'd buy a good quality citrus press instead.

[blaze]

35. Well. I've got an electric meat grinder. An ice cream maker. And a hand crank pasta machine.

I think I would welcome the pasta attachment the most!! But I usually make wheat thins with it.

Again, thanks for your review!!

[handmade34]

29. Buy it!

I have the 7qt pro and the smaller 5qt... both gifts to me from my partner... I run a semi-commercial kitchen (I make all the pastries and desserts for a restaurant... I use the pro for breads/cinnamon rolls and the smaller for egg whites, small batches, etc... I also use a large Ninja blender for crusts and such

I would strongly urge you to get the KitchenAid Pro




edit to add photo of my first attempt at Pumpkin dinner rolls (using the KitchenAid) as suggested by DUer JHan

[KT2000]

32. those are gorgeous

[handmade34]

33. not only cute

but delicious as well!

[blaze]

36. Well done! nt

[Demsrule86]

37. That is a great one...I have a less expensive one and need more power for some of the things I make

What a lovely gift!

[Pathwalker]

38. Check out QVC for their "Exclusive" colors, too.

They also offer attachments. I have A kitchen Aid mixer, and I adore it, especially the mixing blade with the rubber scraper, which helps scrape the sides of the bowl when mixing batters.