What do you use a stand mixer for exactly (kitchenaid &co)

[Somethingsgotthagive]

I am not an experienced baker but love the look of a kitchenaid. My question is, how do I know how and when to use it for? Can it be used for any baking recipe instead of standard hand mixing or does it have to be used to make specific things only?
Forgive my ignorance but keen to understand how it works as I almost never read one is needed in recipes!

I have a Kenwood. I love it, cakes, scones, bread, are so easy to make. It takes mashed potatoes to the next level…..

I've only got a hand mixer for cream or egg whites. Baking is therapy for me and I think a stand mixer would take away a bit of that.

I have a Kenwood Chef. My Mother had one too and i used it as a child. You use them for everything that needs mixing, beating, whisking, kneading etc. It also has a iquidiser attachment so you can also make purées, soups and batter.

I disagree I use mine to make angel delight at least once a week.😀

Those of you making bread in it, how do you get it to actually knead the dough? Mine just spins around stuck in a lump to the dough hook.

As you're a beginner I'd start with a hand mixer so you can get a feeling for how long things takes and what the consistency is like, etc. I have a stand mixer and it's brilliant for larger quantities and things like Swiss meringue buttercream and I wished I'd used it when I made a fruit cake recently as that was a bit of a work out for the arms. Given the expense I'd see how you get on and not spend loads of money initially.

I'm interested to know which size people go for? I've decided to treat myself to Cream Almond one, hopefully with a food processor attachment. My MIL has one for decades and my SIL still uses it now. I make a lot of cakes so I definitely think it's worth it (and they look good!)

I make my own sourdough bread twice a week and love to regularly make fruit loaf, cakes, pasta, meringue. I got a cheaper pro cook stand mixer as I have arthritis in my hands and oh boy I love it. Bread is done in 5 minutes instead of 15, cakes are perfectly light and fluffy in the blink of an eye. I have a meat grinder attachment and a blender for smoothies etc and it was the best £115 I ever spent.

A stand mixer is very much NOT a vanity purchase, no more than a washing machine is. It's a kitchen tool that saves time and makes life easier with better results than you can get by hand.

Try varying the speed (usually it's a sign the mixer is going too fast) or making the dough fractionally wetter

I only use mine (a KitchenAid) for baking (irregularly), but love it. I got it in 2011 and it's still going strong. I've had cheaper food processors and they have all broken. I would love a kitchen aid blender.

I have a red one and it looks fab too I think!

Hardly ever, and for mashing potatoes quickly or to make the very occasional cake or meringue. Mostly I make bread by hand or use a bread maker. Food processor gets used for lots of stuff, plus one of these for speed and less washing up

amzn.eu/d/a0ckj9l

I wanted a Kitchenaid literally since I was about 17-18 and it was one of the first things I bought when I got my first flat. I still have it; I don't use it every day but for baking I definitely use it for any kind of creaming / mixing / whipping. And for kneading dough, definitely.
I also have a food processor; I didn't find the other attachments you get for the Kitchenaid that useful (I got an off brand version of their food processor thing; it can grate carrots and that's about it, but how often do I need to grate a ton of carrots?)

I don't have one, but from what people have described, it eems as though the only significant advantage over a hand mixer and bread maker is being able to leave the mixture, which I can see is nice and a time-saver (I got through quite a lot of audiobook yesterday while waiting for my egg and sugar mixture to get to the ribbon stage) but not really enough to justify the expense. And I try not to make baked goods too often anyway, for health reasons.

Thanks all! I know it's not a must have but I still dream of having one and I think I will, one day. I didn't realise it could be used for things like mashing potatoes etc, I assume there are different attachments for it.
I do a bit of baking as a beginner and do almost everything by hand unless the recipe specifies I need an electric whisk, which is why I don't fully understand how and when I'd be using a stand mixer instead.

@NigelHarmansNewWife maybe it's because I don't bake that much but I find that only very few recipes require a hand mixer, most of the stuff I usually do by hand. Is it just because I am not doing recipes who require a proper mixer or would the kitchen aid be used for anything (even instead of a wooden spoon, for example)?

A lady I work for is an excellent baker could easily be a pro and can buy anything She chooses.
She has the Kenwood.
I have a KitchenAid but it annoys me when flour etc gets left in the bottom I have to keep going in with a spatula or plastic knife.
But we do like the mincer attachment and sausage maker.
I bought mine off QVC they always have offers and easy payments no interest!

Can you not adjust the Kitchen Aid? In which case it sounds a bit style over substance.

I only have a cheapo Lidl one but I don't use the dough hook. I use the one that would be the K shaped one. Much better at kneading dough in my opinion.

Practically nothing as I don't bake often.

Most used item is a minichopper. Followed by hand blender.

If there is a lot of chopping then I ll use a food processor which can whisk as well.

Which leaves me wondering what the Kenwood is for although it looks pretty.

I think your dough is too dry?

I would love a Kitchen aid but I accept, that for me it would be a vanity buy - just a thing of beauty to be sat on the counter to admire because tbh I dont bake enough to warrant buying one and when I do need a workhorse, I oik out my 1970s Kenwood ( it lives in the lobby in a cupboard )

When I do bake the hand mixer does me , or my magimix - which does get a lot of use so has earned its counter space . That is used for pastry, grating, slicing, stuffings, dips, etc so is always plugged in and ready to go

When I bought the magimix, that too was a considered purchase and I was so tempted to go for the KA, but I seriously thought about how I cooked before going for that