Kitchen Aid Mixers

[EvilAlice]

Help please!

I have a gift giving occasion coming up soon.  This is someone that I really like to find the perfect thing for, it's not just an obligatory "throw a gift at them so my obligations are done" thing.  I hear people rave all the time about Kitchen Aid Mixers.  I've looked at them and priced them, I understand that there are top of the line models and more mid range models, and that they are cool looking.  Here is what I don't understand, as I am not a cook:

What the heck do they DO?  It looks to me like a big blender/beater type thing, maybe the kind of beaters that you use for making a cake.  The friend I have this in mind for is a wonderful and creative cook- but she's into cooking, not baking.  From my limited knowledge, this mixer looks more like a tool for bakers than cooks.  Am I wrong?

I'm always reluctant to get kitchen gadgets for someone - I know more people who lament the big food processor gifts they get, saying it takes up too much space and they have a tiny one they use and love.  I don't want to get something that just sits on the counter and might be used 3 times a year.  The friend I'm thinking of it for likes to mess with different ingredients and seasonings but isn't doing haute cuisine or anything.  Usually a stir fry type thing or a lightly seared meat dish over rice or potatoes or something.   She does a lot with sauces but nothing that requires a big huge mixing bowl like the Kitchen Aid comes with.  She'll do the occasional pot of chili or spaghetti sauce.  She entertains fairly often but for the most part is cooking for 2 people. Is this something she might realistically use?

Please help, I'm clueless here.

[Just Lori]

Aside from whipping potatoes, I use mine mostly for baking.  But I loooooooove my Kitchenaid.

[Alida]

Though I can't live without my Kitchen Aid mixer, it doesn't sound like your friend would really appreciate one unless she also has the attachments that make it oh so cool (like for grinding meat or making pasta, which are just way neat and fun to use).

What about a gift certificate to a gourmet foods shop, so she can get quality ingredients for her kitchen experiments?

[Psykogrl]

it doesn't mix things like a blender, which uses blades. instead it uses 3 different attachments that can be used to made a variety of items.

Among them are:
Mix cookie dough, bread dough, cake batters, pie crusts, muffins, make whipped cream, frosting, pudding, mousse, make mashed potatoes, mix together my meatloaf, mix pancake batter, pizza crust..

So it is good for someone who cooks often, or in large quantities.. mixing together a large meatloaf with mine is worth it; and mashing potatoes by hand kills me cause i have the starts of carpal tunnel syndrome, so it is really great for that.

[EvilAlice]

Ooh, the attachments sound interesting- she talks a lot about her Italian relatives who make their own pasta.  I didn't realize there were attachments!  That might be something she'd be interested in trying out.  I bet she'd use it if it's not too complicated a thing.  How pricey is that attachment and how does it work?

And thanks for the ideas- I was also thinking Williams Sonoma or something gift certificate. 

[Heavenly]

If she would like to make her own pasta...why not just get her a pasta machine and forget the kitchenaid.  I have both and love them, but the kitchenaid I really only use for baking (and some candies).  My pasta machine makes spaghetti, fettucini, egg noodles, lasagna noodles, and ravioli--in whatever flavor I decide.  It's wonderful.

I believe W/S carries them?

[kathrynne]

We love our KitchenAid, and expect it to last pretty much forever. It sure beats buying a new handmixer every couple of years, and you could never use a handmixer for decent cookie dough or bread dough. Besides, I hate the smell a handmixer makes as it dies.

You can get the attachments pretty much anywhere you can buy the mixer, and they're amazing.

[Alida]

I think my husband paid a couple hundred for all of the attachments I have.  I don't know the exact amount, they were gifts

[aline]

They have a couple of different pasta attachments and I believe the price range is $60 (for the plain pasta roller) -$150 (for the roller/cutter set). Some of the other attachments, like the roto slicer (good for chopping & slicing fruits and veggies) and the cheese grater are in the $50 range. All in all it can be pretty expensive to start collecting the attachments, especially if the owner might not be using the actual mixer portion. 

[Cz. Burrito]

I use mine largely for baking.  It's great for kneading bread dough and mixing up dough/batter.  I also have the ice cream maker attachment, which I love!    

It sounds like your friend would use it about as often as I use my food processor, but my food processor was only about $50.  I can't see having a $300 tool around gathering dust.  Of course, once she has one she may find a plethora of uses for it. 

[Sophia]

I love to bake, but on the kitchenaid I really love the cheese grater.  For the pasta you can get the extruder, and then if she is really into pasta she can get the roller. 

When I was remodeling my kitchen, doing all the work myself, I measured the height of the kitchenaid and made sure my upper cabinets were hung high enough to allow the KitchenAid underneath. 

I bought mine for $100 from Amazon.  I was rebuilt with a super jumbo moter.  For adding stuff to the bowl, my Kitchenaid drops the bowl down.  I really hate that.  It doesn't drop down far enough, and especially flour makes a mess.  On my parents old one the top tilted away. Much better. 

[Cz. Burrito]

I love to bake, but on the kitchenaid I really love the cheese grater.  For the pasta you can get the extruder, and then if she is really into pasta she can get the roller. 

When I was remodeling my kitchen, doing all the work myself, I measured the height of the kitchenaid and made sure my upper cabinets were hung high enough to allow the KitchenAid underneath. 

I bought mine for $100 from Amazon.  I was rebuilt with a super jumbo moter.  For adding stuff to the bowl, my Kitchenaid drops the bowl down.  I really hate that.  It doesn't drop down far enough, and especially flour makes a mess.  On my parents old one the top tilted away. Much better. 

Wow.  You found a lift mixer for $100?!  That's quite a deal.  I prefer the tilt-head mixers (probably because that's what I'm used to), but I know that the lift mixers have a larger capacity (6 quarts instead of 5) and more powerful motor.  They're at least $400 brand new. 

[Sophia]

Watch amazon.  I have seen them a few times.  I held out until a white or a blue one was for sale.  I didn't buy it as a fashion accessory, but I wanted one that I would want to leave on the counter.  When I bought mine you could buy used ones on ebay for the low $100's. 

[sparksals]

Costco usually has great deals on the KA mixer as well as Kohls.com.  At kohls online, they have a great comparison part where you can see the difference btwn all the models of the KA mixers. 

In addition to the pasta maker attachment, there is a fantastic one for grinding meat.  If you want to buy a chuck roast and grind it to ground beef, you can.

I think anyone who cooks would LOVE to get a KA mixer.  I use mine for mashed potatoes, sauces etc.  It is mostly for baking, but not limited to that.

[GotSquatch]

My mom, my two sisters and I all have recieved KitchenAids for christmas within the last few years.  We all love, love, love to bake.  Mom got the 6qt crank up one, the rest of us have 5qt tilt head ones.  Mine is pink!  The color said Cranberry which makes me think a deeper red color but its more Pepto Bismo pink.  I love it!!!!  My boyfriend says he might get me a different color to blend in with the new granite counter tops we are getting. 
With all the attachments out there now (even and icecream bowl!) its a great addition to any kitchen!