I have a few questions: My MOM bought me the Kitchenaid Classic mixer for Christmas...the one from Kohls that was on sale for $150 on Black Friday. Is that a good mixer? I am worried. I really don't want her to spend any more money than that but I want it to be worth having. My other ? is since I have an ancient GE hand mixer right now that was my Grandmothers not the KA yet are their any buttercream recipes I can make that wont burn the mixer out?
Don't worry about the Kitchen Aid, you will love it.
Regarding the ancient hand mixer, well I used an old hand mixer up until about 6 or 7 years ago. The older the mixer the better as the motors were better years ago. Go easy with amounts, I would make no more than 4 cups of powdered sugar's worth of icing at a time. If it starts to feel really hot, turn it off.
Hugs Squirrelly
Oh Thanksgiving, I used my mom's lovely avacado green Sunbeam hand mixer to make a huge batch of mashed potatoes...it powered through 15 potatoes (cubed and boiled) like a champ! She uses it for all of her kitchen mixing duties.
It was one of my parents' wedding gifts when they were married 36 years ago. 
Those old Sunbeam handmixers lasted forever! I had one for over 20 years too, haha, until one day when I decided to power it through a double batch of cookie dough and it decided it had lived long enough and deserved a cremation...
Hugs Squirrelly
You'll love your new KA... It'll mix your buttercream icing with no problems.... I gave mine to my sister when I got my Delonghi .. she was so excited to get it ...
SquirrelyCakes, you're too funny lol.... mixer cremation?? there's a thought for all the hand held ones I burned up! lol
You'll love your new KA... It'll mix your buttercream icing with no problems.... I gave mine to my sister when I got my Delonghi .. she was so excited to get it ...
SquirrelyCakes, you're too funny lol.... mixer cremation?? there's a thought for all the hand held ones I burned up! lol
Heehee, once you burn one out, you never forget that warning smell of burning rubber, do you, haha!
It is a shame because they used to make the handmixers to last. I too received one for a wedding present 30 years ago. The newer ones, with the exception of the Kitchen Aid handmixer, cannot handle anything and if you get 3-6 months out of them, you are lucky.
I also had one that had a "Burial at sea"! I had it sitting on the counter, fortunately not plugged in. I have vertigo and sometimes lose my balance, well I lost my balance, fell into the counter and knocked the mixer into a sink full of water. So that was the end of that one.
Cakedecorators Hell must be littered with old handmixers and useless decorating gadgets!
Hugs Squirrelly
The newer ones, with the exception of the Kitchen Aid handmixer, cannot handle anything and if you get 3-6 months out of them, you are lucky.
You shouldn't exlude Cuisinart handmixers from your broad statement damning all non-KA mixers. 
I have a Cuisinart 7 speed SmartPower handmixer and it kicks ass. I love it. 
The newer ones, with the exception of the Kitchen Aid handmixer, cannot handle anything and if you get 3-6 months out of them, you are lucky.
You shouldn't exlude Cuisinart handmixers from your broad statement damning all non-KA mixers.
I have a Cuisinart 7 speed SmartPower handmixer and it kicks ass. I love it.
Heehee, no I shouldn't have but you know what kiddo? I bought my sister a Cusinart Art 7 speed, two years ago and it lasted for all of 4 batches of cookies. I was pretty upset because in Canada these things are not cheap. She doesn't bake often so by the time she used it, the 1 year warranty was up. Hers had some form of burst of power? Is that the one you mean? Figures that I would find a lemon! And the worst part was it was a very light dough and just a normal sized batch, something the mixer should have handled. That was the second hand mixer I bought someone that there was an issue with, the other one also was 7 speed with a burst of power feature, it was a local store's brand name one but fairly expensive too, a Governor's Table from the Bay. That is why I made the remark. So this year my oldest daughter needs one and my sister went out and bought her a Kitchen Aid, like the one I bought her as a replacement last year.
But truly, you could get a lemon in the Kitchen Aids too, I am sure, especially if you are lucky like me, haha!
Hugs Squirrelly
Whoops, Cakepro, was just talking to my sister and she thinks it was the 5 speed Cuisinart, not the 7 speed that didn't hold up.
Hugs Squirrelly
does anybody use the KA for mixing MMF... i wanted to try, but thought i hear your experiences first. thanks
If you use it to mix you MMF, start off with your paddle, then when you add the remaining confectioner's sugar, switch to your dough hook ... do not over mix!!! Just mix it until it's incorporated, then stop .. it can burn your mixer up if you over work it ...
Well, their biggest is the 6 quart, but not everyone really needs to go that big or powerful. I think it depends on what you are going to use it for and what price you can afford to pay.
I have the 4.5 and it is 300 watts I believe and it works just fine. But for anything more than the two cake mixes extend a cake recipe, I cannot fit the batter in the bowl. Not a big deal for me because I have 2 large and one small bowls. I don't find that this one can handle fondant, so if that is an issue I would think you need the much stronger watt motors. I am debating whether it is worth it for me to go to the 6 quart, I am not decided yet.
I would say for most people the 4.5 or 5 quart is adequate, regardless of the watts. Mainly because many people will never be doing larger cakes like wedding cakes or huge batches of buttercream or turning out several cakes every day.
For many years I used a handmixer to mix up a single batch of buttercream and was able to. But I cannot tell you what a big improvement it was to get the Kitchen Aid. I started with a Sunbeam standmixer after the handmixers and it burnt out in about 3 months of use. When hubby gave me a Kitchen Aid for Christmas, about 7 years back, I sort of thought it was one of those appliances that people dressed their kitchen counters with. Boy, 1 use and I think I had a little cry, I was so amazed at the difference. I think the first thing you notice is how fast whipping cream whips, how fast egg whites beat and how it doesn't protest when you are making your icing.
Anyway, that is just my opinion based on my experience with the one I have.
Hugs Squirrelly
My DH was so sweet to buy me the 6qt for christmas 5 years ago when I started decorating cakes and had my first orders coming in. I just love having the large one. It certainly helps to have an extra bowl too.
I recently bought a 4.5 qt for smaller jobs and find that I don't like it as much. No matter what or how much I put in it, it throws stuff back at me. Powdered sugar, flour, you name it and it's hit me back in the face. I'm not using high speeds here, just speed one and it all comes right back out.
My 6qt didn't like MMF. I did it as noted in a previous post, started with the paddle and switched to the dough hook. No luck. I ended up kneading it by hand until my arms were gonna fall off. First time making MMF, I had marshmallow strings everywhere and a rock hard ball of fondant that I couldn't use, even after microwaving.
Anyway, the KA mixer of any size is well worth owning. My mother bought me the hand mixer when the beaters of an older sunbeam started rusting and falling apart. My only concern with it is that it kinda vibrates as if it is off balance, I wonder if I'm wearing it out.
Hi mjones17,
First of all you got good price for kitchen Aid. I was looking for KA from long time and I missed Black Friday sale.
You are really lucky.
Second thing is I am making MMF for my cakes as per CC recipe and I love this MMF recipe. It is YumYum.
Making MMF by hand is always good. Kneading is the hardest part of that but still it is right way.
Congratulations for you new KA and a happy Xmas.
Thanks
Nitu
VACakelady,
I wonder if your smaller one needs an adjustment. Either that or it is jealous of the bigger one, haha! Seriously though, I haven't had this problem. Mine came with the splash guard, which I must admit, I have never used. I don't think my Kitchen Aid and I would be friends for very long if it started to spit at me.
Good to know about the fondant, because that was one of the reasons I was considering it. I find it very difficult to knead fondant by hand since I broke my shoulder. I only do small amounts at a time, but I have to space it over a couple of days even then.
My sister has the 5 speed KA handmixer but she bought my daughter the 7 speed one. It was interesting because my sister's came with a dough hook and the 7 speed didn't. I am wondering if there was some issue with that. The actual beaters are a bit flimsy looking, I thought. I haven't used one yet but when the daughter gets her's, I am going to give it a whirl to see how it handles. Haha, only on a cake site do people get excited about these things! Like me last year when hubby bought me lids for them, wow! And new spatulas!
Hugs Squirrelly
Oh yes, the lids are a must!! I thought the same about the KA hand mixer beaters, but those things are pretty strong and do a great job. I purchased the wire whip for it and use that for mixing cake mix when I only need one box.
Oh yes, the lids are a must!! I thought the same about the KA hand mixer beaters, but those things are pretty strong and do a great job. I purchased the wire whip for it and use that for mixing cake mix when I only need one box.
So they sell accessories for the hand mixer too?
Hugs Squirrelly
They sure do. 
I don't remember whether I bought them direct from Kitchen Aid or somewhere else. I did order online, I remember that.
Well, I didn't know that, I will have to tell my sister and my daughter when she gets hers for Christmas! I guess it makes sense, since they sell accessories for just about everything. Thanks!
Hugs Squirrelly
I bought my 6 qt a few years ago becasue I got such a great deal on it. But sometimes, I would be doing something small and it was just to much. SOOOO.. last year when someone on this site noticed the great sale on Amazon on the classic, I bought one. I use them both depending on the job. Mostly, lately, it's been the little one. Having both, I do notice differences. Not that I'm saying the little one is no good, but I do think the Watts make a HUGE difference. Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I got the 6 qt out. I actually told it how much I had missed her "my baby" and "hugged" it. WOW, had I forgotten the power of that thing!!!! SquirrellyCakes,I think I did cry when I first used mine too. lol.
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