Kitchen Aid - Is it worth it

[wonderings2]

My lovely in laws and wider family prefer to buy vouchers or give cash for Christmas and Birthdays (mine is in a few weeks)

I've wanted a Kitchen Aid for years so I was thinking of asking for John Lewis Vouchers to put towards one. Are they worth it? I bake a few times a week and do cook a lot?

If it is worth it are there any attachments that you would recommend buying first?

I love mine, I do a lot of baking and have used it so many times; it still looks new. I think I have had mine about 6 years now? I had another mixer previously and it was just not as robust, not as strong. I don't use any attachments sorry. But yes, I would say well worth it and if you are not fussed about a particular colour see if you can get a deal. I think I got mine half price.

Absolutely. You’ll never regret it. Our beauty is red!

Regards attachments, I just said I didn't have any but I just looked on their website and saw the sifter and scale attachment, think that might be going on my Christmas list!

I love mine, it was a 60th birthday present and I use it almost every day. I also have the grater and slicer attachment.

I love my Kitchenaid!
Aside from the aesthetics it's a really solid and well built piece of kit.
I use mine about once a week.
When I first got it, around 5 years ago, I got carried away and bought a load of attachments that I just don't use.
My favourite part is the dough hook.

The paint eventually came off our kneading hook (we make a lot of bread) so we changed it. Apart from that, it’s superb.

I have also replaced the dough hook and beater as the paint started to fake. I don't put the new ones in the dish washer.

I barely use mine at all but I still love looking at it sitting on the worktop!

I don’t use mine that much tbh, I prefer the hand held mixer.

I’ve had one for fifteen years. I use it several times a week. It’s fantastic.

@CaptainMyCaptain thanks for that. It was probably where I was going wrong. We now use the unpainted stainless steel hook and beater.

Bought one for my YD 2 years ago and she uses it all the time. She just bought the pastry attachment and has been making pies. She loves it, and now wants the pasta attachments, which me might buy her for Christmas.

Is is the price or just the whole concept of a stand mixer that you are questioning?

I've had a stand mixer for about five years now and it has been a real game changer in terms of I do actually make bread regularly (as well as lots of other things).

But if the question is should it be a Kitchen Aid or some other brand? Then I've had a random brand that I got off Amazon for around £100 and that's been absolutely great.

I don’t really bake much, but still love mine. It’s great for whipping cream and beating eggs for meringue. Also good for bread making. It looks lovely on the worktop. @veiledsentiments I bought the pasta roller attachment for my dh’s birthday. Total waste of money. It doesn’t roll the pasta thin enough and is a bugger to clean.

@Autumnorganising. Noted

Had ours for a few years , they are workhorses that keep going & going .

Thank you. Now off the Christmas list

W

we received a Kenwood chef (same thing!) as a wedding gift almost 20 years ago and I use it loads. The only attachment I really use though is the food processor.

I use it for cakes, pancakes, crumble mix, bread, pizza bases etc and the food processor for fishcakes, pesto etc.

It is used at least a few times a week. I think they’re well worth it.

I love mine and use it a lot, especially to make bread. One feature I particularly like is the attachment to grate cheese. I have the white purlescent one with the large glass bowl.

I got my (red and gorgeous!) one 7 years' ago during Black Friday. It's a refurbished one from the KitchenAid shop on eBay and cost £170, I think. I love it. I don't use it as much as I did, but it's absolutely brilliant.

I have a silver one & have had it now for 11 years. As others say it's a work horse - looks as good now & works just as well as when it was new.
I've replaced the finned beater as the silicone cracked but other than that it's great.
Use it mainly for cake baking.

I also love mine, it's great

Normally i say buy a cheap version and see how you get on first, but I've got an Aldi stand mixer and I can't abide it (you have to keep turning it off to get in with a spatula to turn the mixture over, otherwise yo end up with an unmixed layer in the bottom of the bowl). Kitchenaid has a way round that, so if you're getting one, get a Rolls Royce.

They are also a very sexy bit of kit.

I bake and cook lot as a hobby. I have both kitchenaid and kenwood chef (two diff properties). Kitchenaid is just fine for day to day life, someone mentioned paint coming off the hook- mine are stainless steel versions which can go into the dishwasher. The attachments are good.

I'm unsure what your other option is or the needs are? Cook and bake a lot? Perhaps a kenwood chef would be your better option?

Having both, I prefer the kenwood chef marginally. I prefer the attachment nose? of the kitchenaid because they are more simple which means it hasn't broken. The kenwood has had a lot of use with the attachments and one is loose. I probably could send for repair but life, I just hold it in place - but if I don't hold it, it doesn't work!

Hooks I prefer Ken, they're the heavy stainless steel (there are diff ones available, mine are bulky type dough hook is a triangle type hook at the bottom? Smooth?
Balloon whisk and regular beater both are good.
Creamer I prefer Ken, but not mad about kitch.

Pasta shape maker def kitch is superior. (Not pasta roller!!!)
Mince and sausage thing but metal version def kitch
Slicer/blender def Ken and got kenwood xl hand blender would also recommend the workhorse.
Grater type things I prefer Ken but kitch is okay.

Kenwood is better when lifting and dropping but more of a btch to clean if you have spillage (rare). It just feels more sturdy.

Some people have mentioned cheaper options - possibly? I had a cheaper option in kitchenaid property and it was frustrating when I was going there and trying to bake.

Oh and unmixed layer at the bottom - depends what you're mixing. Most the of the time even with the Ken or kitch I do need to still get the spatula once to get it mixed through. Heavier batters etc I made pancakes with kitchenaid for the kids and I have to get the spatula a handful of times when adding the milk - but same goes for kenwood. Most batters you have to at least 1x to be sure in both mixers!

Oh kitch came with two bowls - one fits into the other.
Ken only came with 1x and had to get a couple extra because we do bake a lot.
I dislike hand washing when I'm baking and cooking, usually time constraint so I got the extra bowls.