I'm looking to finally purchase one and was wondering what quart size and what wattage all of you routinely use? Any advice before what I consider to be such a mammoth purchase would be really great.

Thanks!

Kerri

I own a 5 qt and love it dearly.

ok i am completely insane and i do realize this but i own the nicest professional 6qt 450 watt kitchenaid and it is the biggest pain in my side. i have to scrape down bowl and paddle 3-4x making bc because huge chunks of shortening just get stuck in the paddle crevices. i refuse to use it to make chocolate bc...i swear it does not blend nearly as well as my hand mixer because even after 3-4 bowl scrapes when you go to empty the bowl there is a thin layer of darker chocolate bc along sides and bottom of the bowl. aaarrrghh!!

the 6qt bowl is also very deep so i make a giant mess of myself scraping the bottom when its full. i use my regular ol' wal-mart hand-mixer whenever i can get away with it, lol about the only time i use the KA is when I'm making up a big double batch of cake batter for a larger sized pan or something

ok go on tell me how insane i am i dont care!! my 250 watt hand mixer is my BEST FRIEND!!!

Well, actually that makes sense to me because when I bought my first food precssor I thought I'd get the biggest one they had and I ended up wishing I hadn't because not only did it take up too much space, I hated having to deal with it for things that just didn't require THAT much capacity. So I totally know what you mean. I'm not working in an industrial kitchen, so I don't think I need a larger machine. Ok, I think I've got it figured out. Thanks!!!!

I would get at least a 5q. I started with a 3q in my home kitchen and realized very quickly that I should have gone with the 5. That being said for a home kitchen you shouldn't need anymore than a 5q
HTH

Mine is the 4.5 quart. It's cheapest and doesn't take up too much space.

I LOVE, LOVE my 5 qt 450 watt KA. It has made life so much easier for me. Especially when I make frosting!! It was worth every penny! Even if I am still paying it off. I purchased it at Kohls for $235 (after coupons, discounts etc)

How does a Cooks mixer from JC Penny (700 watts) compare to a KA?
I need to buy a mixer also. An earlier topic mentioned the Cooks.

I would like to get another bowl for my 5 quart but our local stores only carry the 4.5 quart bowl. No big deal get that one or no order it from the company because that .5 quart makes a big difference?

Stella that is what i need to get another bowl. It would speed things up when I am baking.

Why didn't I think of it???

I have the professional 6 quart KA and I totally love it! But even more than that one, I love my Viking Mixer. It is also a 6 quart and I don't have to scrape the bowl anywhere near like I do my KA. If you can afford it, I would look into a Viking if possible.

Good luck with your decision and let us know how you like it!

THANKS miriel, so now I can get 2 ???

I have the 4.5 qt one and cake make double batches of cakes and icing with no problem. I have two extra bowls and beaters so that I can just throw them in the dishwasher - I don't do dishes. It works for me. My next mixer is going to be the Cuisinart mixer. It seems like there won't be too many powered sugar spills with that one.

I have a KA 4.5 quart that I love! Highly recommended.. I've been so happy with it... I also just ordered a new 5 quart one at lowes I love my KA

great!! sounds like I'm off to get the 4.5 quart bowl!!!

thanks for the info!

Stella

ok so let me get this straight...

you guys put your KA pieces in the dishwasher?? my manual said that was a big no-no so I've been washing everything by hand

ive been seriously thinking about swapping out my 6 qt for a 5 or 4.5qt... the 6 is just TOO big (for my purposes anyways lol)

ok stupid question. If my kitchen aid came with a 5 qt bowl, can I buy a 6 gt bowl and use it, will it fit>?

pottedmeatchunks
How new is your kitchenaid. If you want I'll exchange my 5qt for your 6qt?

By the way you can put the bowl in the dishwasher but nothing else. Believe me. My Husband did and had to get new ones

sglimer when I saw refurbished.. i thought the same thing..
Maybe it had too many dents??? Either way.. I 'm getting 2.

Thanks again miriel!!!

What NOT to get--the KA 5qt brushed nickel-you will never get it, apparently--lol

I have a 4.5qt and love it, although I ordered a 5qt. I want to get another bowl through KA too. I think you can use the bowls interchangeably. I hate having to wash the bowl when switching doughs or icings and such, esp since you really have to the bowl degreased before making the royal.

I put my bowls and attachements in the washer, including my grater/slicer attachments. I think the whisk top did change colors--kinda darker looking, but they all still work.

I bought a Cooks brand stand mixer from JC Penny for $150 today. I mixed up a couple of things to see if I liked it, although I have nothing but a hand mixer to compare it to. Is it normal to have to scrape the sides of the bowl during the mixing process with a KA?[/size] I am trying a small recipe of royal icing now and I am not sure it is getting the outer edges of the bowl. I going to try some MMF tomorrow. If I don't like it, the sales girl said I can return it. Any help would be appreciated!

I have a 325 watt, 5 quart KA. I don't know what I did before it. I don't have a problem with scraping the sides with it, no more than anything else. I use it for bread, which it's great for. My frosting turns out sooo nice with my mixer. It's the best purchase I've ever made.

OH for those of you who got a new kitchenaid mixer, I saw a mail in order for a free bowl

I absolute LOVE-LOVE-LOVE my 5-qt KA! It doesn't take up a lot of counter space, it's powerful, and is still going strong for me 7 years later. Cakes, cookies, mousse, icings... It hasn't let me down. Happy mixer-shopping!!! And best of luck with whatever you decide.