I have seen it on Amazon but I have no idea how it performs. Did you try YouTube to see if there are any videos on it? I have a Breville stand/hand mixer with twin beaters which is amazing. The thing I love the most about it is that I don't have to stop the beating to scrape down the bowl but can insert the included hard spatula down the side and let the revolving bowl do the hard work for me! None of the other mixers (apart from the old style Sunbeams) have this function!
@Shockolata: that's exactly what I'm worried about. In the amazon review I saw someone complaining that the beaters are not touching the wall which means I would need to scrape the whatever I'm making off the wall a couple if times.
I don't want to invest in a kitchen aid (yet) as I just need it as a back up, but I don't want to buy one that doesn't perform well either. Am in Africa and it'll take ages and $$$ to ship it down here so I have to be pretty sure it's worth its money before I order any. I pay at least double to what the product actually costs in EU or US. Grrr
Good morning Julia,
You do not need to buy an expensive mixer, not even a well-known brand. I have read and watched lots of reviews of stand mixers and ended up realising that mine is the very best I could have gotten for the reasons I explained yesterday.
We are so moved by advertising and we are being sold things we do not need. Why buy a kitchen machine? Who on earth is grinding their own meat and making their own pasta and ice cream on such a regular basis to justify the cost of these machines (Kenwood and KA)? These accessories are nice, but nothing more. They fill up our cabinets and gather dust. Additionally, the machines are cumbersome to move and it is so annoying to have to stop the machine, unlock it, lift it up, take the bowl away or try to fit your hand through the tiny space left over when the beater is over it and scrape the bowl. Then repeat the procedure in reverse to continue beating. How is that time-saving? LOL So if you just need a machine to mix, beat and knead, then ANY stand mixer should do. (Some a bit better than others of course as the Sage by Heston Blumenthal has been criticised for not being able to run for more than a few minutes before its motor gives up the ghost...)
My Breville is easy to use, very light (though stable) and well designed. You get two beaters that move and the bowl moves too. Imagine you have placed the mixer facing from right to left. On the right is the stand, left is the bowl and beaters. You get the controls on the top for the mixer in the form of two slide switches. One has marks from 1 to 5 which is the speed the beaters move. Additionally there is a low and high switch. Think of it as giving extra boost to the beaters. On the body of the stand is the control for the bowl rotation: Off-Low-High. Just think of all the combinations you can get playing with the switches! Turn the top switch to low-1 and do not rotate the bowl. What do you get? A gentle mixing action, as when you put flour in your cake and you don't want it overbeat as it will develop the gluten. Or a mixing of dry ingredients without causing flour to fly all over the kitchen. Say you want to add your butter, milk, etc. You have ample space to do so from the side of the bowl. You do not have to hit your knuckles trying to fit over one of the more famous brand's bowls. You do not have to worry about flour gathering on the rim of the beater as there is no rim. No waste of materials! :) And if you are in a hurry and only beating 1-2 egg whites, no worries. Just press a button on the mixer and it will detach from the stand, enabling you to get to the mix and have stiff meringue in no time. I kid you not, this little machine is so much faster than the famous and hugely expensive stand mixers! Cleaning it is so easy. The beaters will fit into the dishwasher and as they do not have a cone on the top or a brim, they will not gather water. Even if you wish to hand wash, your sponge slides easily between the metal parts and you can finish it quickly. Try to get all batter off one of those 'planetary' beaters that other brands use. Bit of a kerfuffle, no? As for storage, that is easy, too. It is lightweight, so you can easily pack it away. Base stand, bowl in place with box with beaters in it and hand portion fits nicely in the corner of the box with cable and all. No need to leave it standing on your worktop getting splashed/gathering dust.
It may sound as if I am trying to steer you towards the Breville. I am not. But I am showing you what kind of questions you have to ask yourself about your daily use of a stand mixer (or hand mixer) and what will make life easier for you. Do you want a machine that will do its job for years or a machine that people will ooh and ahh about just because it is a famous brand?
I can appreciate that having items shipped to Africa is very costly and you need to make the best decision for your needs taking everything into consideration.
PS: no beaters are ever touching any walls or bases of bowls. If they did, they would soon wear out. Additionally, you have to take people's reviews with a pinch of salt. How experienced are they? What do they use their mixers for and how often? What is their physical condition and how big is their kitchen? How intelligent are they? As for those paddles with a bit of a silicon flap attached to scrape the bowl, they look good but how long will they last, especially with thicker mixes? I see my silicon spatulas wear out fast, even my silicon lined balloon whisk broke down. Stopped using them. Do we need the extra stress of looking for bits of missing silicon in cake batters? How much would it cost to replace such a beater and how long would you have to wait for the part to be shipped?
I hope you make an informed purchase that will give you lots of joy for the years to come. :)
Thanks for the Infos and infact you made me look into the one you're using ;)
I mainly want a device that allows me to do other stuff while the eggs get beaten instead of standing there holding the hand mixer for like forever, lol.
I have a big enough kitchen to leave it outside permanently, that's not an issue. And I have a cleaner so that's also not an issue.
The last one I had the bowl didn't move and the beating therefore was very uneven and the walls were fully of unbeaten flour glue :/
I'm using a mixer quite a lot, like almost every day and yes, I'm one of those people who makes their own pasta and ice cream LOL.
I'll definitely look into it and no - brands are not catching my eye easily. I want quality for little costs....If that exists....hmm.
Thanks for the Infos and infact you made me look into the one you're using ;)
I mainly want a device that allows me to do other stuff while the eggs get beaten instead of standing there holding the hand mixer for like forever, lol.
I have a big enough kitchen to leave it outside permanently, that's not an issue. And I have a cleaner so that's also not an issue.
The last one I had the bowl didn't move and the beating therefore was very uneven and the walls were fully of unbeaten flour glue :/
I'm using a mixer quite a lot, like almost every day and yes, I'm one of those people who makes their own pasta and ice cream LOL.
I'll definitely look into it and no - brands are not catching my eye easily. I want quality for little costs....If that exists....hmm.
I make my own pasta and ice cream but I don't need to buy a mixer that will include a pasta attachment. I can do my job easily either via rolling pin or using a £14 pasta roller that attaches to the side of my table. The same goes for ice cream. I have no use for a special bowl that I have to remember to pre-freeze in order to use. I simply make my ice cream (no eggs) and pour it into a rectangular tupperware, place it in the freezer and forget about it. My kitchen is tiny. Not even 5m2 so worktop space is at a premium. If I weren't happy with my stand mixer, I would probably go for the AEG mixer http://ao.com/product/km4000-aeg-ultramix-food-mixer-red-34783-69.aspx?cmredirectionvalue=aeg%20ultramix%20red
It's the only mixer apart from the Sunbeam brand that includes two bowls as standard. (Does Sunbeam Australia deliver to Africa?)
But I think the Breville would cover your basic needs without need for expensive accessories. You can always buy an ice cream maker, a sausage maker, a blender etc and you won't be held hostage to one brand.
Here's what the Sunbeam looks like:
edited to say that I fully understand what you mean about something catching your eye! I am the same way. I sort of know when I have found something that I will be content with by the amount of excitement it generates in me. If I have to think too much about something, then it is not for me. I usually do my research to prove to myself why I must not buy a particular item LOL Such a weirdo, eh? ;)
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