To buy myself a kitchen aid?

[IcingOnTheTop]

i have always been a keen baker and have been asked to do a few cakes for family, I try to bake weekly and want to expand my skills. But I really struggle at the moment as I live with my parents and we only have hand whisks.

I have the money saved and am able to afford it, I’ve had a pretty rubbish year and would like to treat myself to one ahead of Christmas. AIBU to just buy it?

Ooooh your tempting me to have a new one thats a good price, mines about 20 years old but being frugal and low income with three kids at the time I went for the boring white classic model as the red artisan one I really wanted was over £400 then! I use it at least three times a week and been worth every penny, made pizza dough and bread in it many times as well as cakes. I'm not keen on kneading either but also means you can get on with something else at the same time, I'll often make the pizza sauce whilst it's kneading........go for it and enjoy😁

I’m shocked by how good a price it is! My boss at work said she got hers for £500 10 years ago, so a £50 increase across a decade is great. Also, if I really don’t use it for two years or so, it maintains its value.

Whatever you buy just be warned- last night in the final on The Great British Bake Off one of the 3 finalists glass mixing bowl cracked and broke and he had to redo his mix.
I wouldn’t be getting a glass mixing bowl.

I used to be quite a fan of Kitchen Aid, but didn't find their counter top appliances to be reliable, admittedly they are heavy, but this is largely as they are a design from the 50-60's. There are better less "iconic" brands.

Sorry to hear that your Chef (I guess it is an A701 ?) is poorly. The Kenwood Chef Owner's Club on Facebook is a fantastic resource. The received wisdom is that it is always worth repairing an A701 or an A901 because they are much better made than the modern machines. There are plenty of repair services out there. My 1980s A901 failed recently, filling my kitchen with smoke. I discovered it was a common fault, which only needed a couple of capacitors on eBay for less than a tenner. Parts are really easy to find, and just think how righteous you will feel by not creating landfill!

Get one! It’s a game-changer, you get such great results. Also, it has a direct drive, so can cope with more use (compared to other mixers - when I got mine this was the main difference and superiority of it compared to other makes)

Love mine (about 10 years old) and after Bake Off last night I’m delighted I have a metal bowl!

I've seen quite a few comparisons between Kitchen Aid and Ankarsrum. The Ankarsrum one is more expensive but is a superior machine. Sorry

https://www.ankarsrum.com/uk/

My kitchen aid is over 20 years old, looks like new, works as well as it ever has and I use it 2/3 times a week at least. It’s easily the most used appliance I own and at this rate will probably out live me.

Yes absolutely get one!

I've had mine for nearly 15 years and it's never let me down. Use it at least once a week!

I’m holding you entirely responsible for the fact I have a new kitchen aid on the way @IcingOnTheTop… 😂

You have to girl maths it 😂

You'll find an electric hand held beater cheap and small and works perfectly unless you are also needing a dough hook

Do it! I bought mine over 13 years ago & its as good now as it was then.

I wore out our Morphy Richards hand held within about a month, I killed it by doing icing

If you get one get one of these
Pasta Maker Attachment Set for KitchenAid Stand Mixers Included Noodle Lattice Roller, Spaghetti Cutter, Pasta Roller and Cleaning Brush : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

It is brilliant
I bought my kitchen aid artisan from ebay- new unused and it saved a few quid
there are ones on there now from £199

Not unreasonable but they do take up an awful lot of space, are heavy to move around and not hugely reliable hence it is possible to get a reconditioned one. I have one, I bake most days. I don’t use it anything like as much as I thought I would. I find my old kenwood electric hand mixer much more versatile. If you are going to do Italian buttercream, ganache, egg yolk and sugar or anything else that needs whisking over heat (which I think is most patisserie) then it will be useless.

I have a Kenwood hand electric hand mixer from 1978 used most days. I have an original magimix used by a large family and passed on to me, I have had it over 40 years, absolutely brilliant. I was given a kitchen aid, brand new but too heavy for my friend to move to clean under, it is awful, can’t cope with the load it is meant to, it does very little, takes up loads of space is very difficult to keep clean and has spent more time being fixed than being used. My sister in law has my mother in laws krnwood which is still going strong after 60 years. I guess things are not made to ladt anymore!

I love mine. Worth the money especially at £200 off. Get a colour you will love as it will be put on the counter permanently.

Ask for some attachments for Christmas. I recommend the glass bowl as an extra to the stainless steel, as eg you can see egg whites being whipped more easily, and mine came with a lid for covering what you’ve mixed up eg cream/buttercream/dough, if you are being organised!

I would also see what Black Friday turns up, or look at Facebook marketplace or AO outlet site, Lakeland outlet on EBay or The Amazon warehouse. I bought my magimix from the Lakeland eBay outlet site for over £200 less than rrp. I hope you enjoy your new machine I have never regretted my want of the top of the range magimix

I ‘won’ the auction for one on eBay last year. I paid about £200 and its colour is the one I really wanted, that was selling for over £500 new.

Wait for the sales for black Friday, look on lots of different sites too. The money you save can go towards good quality ingredients like vanilla bean paste, or towards some extra pans.

I'm firmly in the Kenwood camp - even the newer ones are better than the KA. I inherited my Mums 60 year old Kenwood a few years ago, my Kenwood is almost 30 and there are 10 year old and 5 year old ones in my children's kitchens. The KA is much heavier, much louder, some attachments are not dishwasher proof, it's capacity wasn't as large as stated and it's motor died just out of warranty. I will never buy another (their customer service was terrible too).

I’ve had mine for 12 years (my mum has had hers for longer) and it’s still going strong. I love it!

I have one and I can honestly say it’s the best investment if you’re a baker. I make my own bread, cakes and pastry along with so many other things. This is versatile and easy to use. Do it. You won’t regret it.