New Stand Mixer- Help!

Decorating By la_Torta_Dulce Updated 26 Mar 2011 , 12:51am by la_Torta_Dulce

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la_Torta_Dulce Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 12:19am
post #1 of 9

Okay so I've never had a stand mixer before. My mother was not into baking and my grandmother did everything by hand. I'm going in the next week to buy a stand mixer and I'm not sure what to look for. I've read reviews til my eyes were crossed and I think the Breville 5-quart die-cast stand mixer looks good. I'm not upgrading to something bigger or better so was hoping you all could help. I plan to make use it to make fondant if that matters.

TIA

8 replies
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FromScratchSF Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 4:22am
post #2 of 9

Easiest answer - just buy one, use it a few times, save your receipt and take it back if you don't like it. Without knowing how often you plan on using it, what you plan on using it for, and what volume you are producing, I'm not sure how we can really help you. That's what I did, I bought a KA from Costco, used it a few times, then decided I wanted a more powerful and bigger one. Took it back and ended up buying a 6q Professional KA at Macy's. I love it, use it daily for baking, making bread, rolling pasta, chopping veggies, and I want to get the ice cream maker. But that's just me.

Good Luck

Jen

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PTN391 Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 5:08am
post #3 of 9

I have a 4qt KA,a 6QT proffessional model and a 10 QT Berkle and use all of them. The 6QT KA I use the most. It has done a lot of mixing for me. My first one did die however on a recipe of Brioche but KA replaced it for free even though it was over 2 yrs old! I have no complaints in regard to my KA. Hobart 5 QT is the best bar none but who wants to pay $1200-1500 for a mixer,well actually I did pay $1200 but that was for a 10 QT Berkle. LOL icon_smile.gif

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la_Torta_Dulce Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 5:21pm
post #4 of 9

Thanks. That's a good idea to test them out to see what I like. I've read awful things about KA but I guess everyone has different experiences.

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lexi55033 Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 8:21pm
post #5 of 9

I have a 5 Qt KA (got for our wedding 15 yrs ago), a 7 Qt Viking (bought new about 3 yrs ago) and a 20 Qt Hobart (bought used about 1 yr ago). I use the Viking 95% of the time and absolutely LOVE it!!! I know they make a 5 Qt version of it too, if you didn't need one that big. I would highly recommend a Viking.

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sugardugar Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 8:30pm
post #6 of 9

I did a ton of research, as well, and everyone seems to like KA most. The reviews that were anti-KA were always silly seeming... OR from people looking to make bread which I do not.

I paid $300 for a KA Professional 5 Plus as I just can't afford a better one. I LOVE IT. So much. LOL. It makes everything perfectly from fondant to BC to batter to whipped cream.

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FromScratchSF Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 9:04pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugardugar

I did a ton of research, as well, and everyone seems to like KA most. The reviews that were anti-KA were always silly seeming... OR from people looking to make bread which I do not.




Agreed, the general complaints I see are from people expecting it to do stuff it really wasn't made for - I mean, if you want to make tons of bread, get a bread machine. Lots cheaper. Or, people that get the $200 version and expect it to perform like the $600 professional model.

Oh well. Anyway, like I said, I love my 6q KA.

Jen

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tigachu Posted 22 Mar 2011 , 9:12pm
post #8 of 9

I absolutely love my 5qt breville! I only wish they made a larger size. When they do, I will get that one, too. icon_cool.gif. I had a KA classic for almost 2 years before it started smoking and leaking. I never made bread in it-use a breadmaker for that but it was time for it to go. That is just my personal experience with my KA. My friends with the older KAs don't have any problems with theirs. I almost chose the cuisinart 7qt but I didn't like how narrow the bowl was (I had a chance to use both the breville and cuisinart in a baking class) so I purchased the breville. I am so happy I did!

What I shared was only my personal experience and like everyone else says, it is best to try it out and return it if you don't like it. Good luck! thumbs_up.gif

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la_Torta_Dulce Posted 26 Mar 2011 , 12:51am
post #9 of 9

I've read only good things about the Breville and it costs the same as a KA. It's Australian made so they have more options there. I've ordered a Breville and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks all icon_smile.gif

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