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July 10, 2011 8:14 AM   Subscribe

Once used Kitchen aid mixer for 100 USD...worth it?

So...I am dying to have a Kitchen Aid mixer. Browsing on craigslist.org, someone is offering the standard (second cheapest at 269 on the official kitchen aid website) saying they have only used it once and asking for 100 USD.

I would like to use it for bread, and eventually I would like to get attachments for meat grinding and pasta cutting. Is this model good enough for them? I definitely don't cook industrial quantities, and I'm not planning to do any "will it blend?" type of thing.

Is it a good match for me? I feel it's a bit like buying the base model of a car, so I would like to have your input on whether it's still kitchenaid good, or just not worth it.
posted by Tarumba to Shopping (27 answers total)
 
Best answer: Bread will be the tough one-- needs power behind it. I worry about my artisan model with some bread and pizza doughs.

It's a good enough deal that you can get it (assuming it works) and try it out for kneading bread. If it falters, it's still good for pasta, meat grinding, batters, meringues, etc.
posted by supercres at 8:18 AM on July 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Hmmm. Bread is definitely a requirement. :(

Is the one I'm being offered the artisan? I've been seeing that name a lot when reading reviews, but didn't know which one they meant.

Thanks!
posted by Tarumba at 8:23 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: Classic, Artisan. It's a power difference. There's a "Classic Plus" as well, I think.
posted by supercres at 8:27 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I hate to monopolize the thread, but...

Not all bread doughs are created equal, especially in the eyes of god the Kitchenaid. Depends on the wetness and stiffness of the dough for sure. It might have trouble with focaccia and not pizza, or whole wheat but not white.
posted by supercres at 8:30 AM on July 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Plain French bread (baguette like) is what my heart desires.


I've been reading the reviews on amazon and they don 't seem too good.

Thanks for monopolizing the thread, I'm learning a lot!
posted by Tarumba at 8:59 AM on July 10, 2011


Response by poster: It seems a bit pointless to cough up $100 for a mixer than won't make pizza dough...
posted by Tarumba at 9:00 AM on July 10, 2011


Id suggest just buying a breadmaker. You can find them on Craigslist for about $20-30.
posted by chara at 9:22 AM on July 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I have the Artisan and it makes bread dough fairly well, but it struggles sometimes. If you're getting this mainly for dough, I think you're right to pass on the Classic.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:23 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: We have the basic model and make bread with it all the time. And bread makers are not the same as making bread.
posted by yerfatma at 9:24 AM on July 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I'm a bit biased because we got one of the industrial ones for real cheap.

That being said, we have what appears to be an older Classic model at my restaurant. We use it to make whipped cream and that's it. I can't imagine using it for bread, but I'm also comparing it to the much better one I have at home.

Kneading bread isn't that bad at all, and having a stand mixer is great. If you can't make the bread dough in it then kneading by hand isn't the end of the world.
posted by theichibun at 9:26 AM on July 10, 2011


In all honesty, I'd just go with hand-kneading bread dough. We do it all the time at home. It's not that hard and it works wonders for your stress levels if you pretend you're beating the crap out of something rather than just kneading dough. Or am I the only one who does that?
posted by Tamanna at 9:45 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I make both French and focaccia dough in my classic, no problem.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:48 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: We have the basic model and, like yerfatma, make bread all the time. We also make a considerable amount of pizza dough. Works just fine.

$100 for a Kitchenaid stand mixer sounds like a fantastic deal to me. If I were you, I wouldn't think of it as The Mixer For Life, but instead The Mixer For The Next Several Years Until I Move Up A Model. It'll serve you well for several years, and by then you'll have found a similarly great deal on one of the more powerful/bigger models.
posted by meese at 10:17 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I would like to get attachments for meat grinding and pasta cutting

Oh, I forgot about this! We have the meat grinding and pasta extruding attachment. Works pretty well for meat grinding, and is serviceable for pasta extruding (the main issue is you have to go slow and make sure everything is very cold). We want to get the super fancy pasta roller attachment... Just haven't yet.
posted by meese at 10:20 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I have a Classic, 250 Watt motor, 4.5 quart bowl. I've made lots of bread in it, but not large batches. I usually start with 2 cups of water.
posted by Bruce H. at 10:25 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I have used the classic to knead pizza/bread doughs. And 100 USD is an awesome deal.

But I prefer hand kneading. It gives you a better feeling for what dough is supposed to look like/feel like/smell like/etc.

If you want bread-making tips once you get the new mixer, memail me. :-)

Enjoy your mixer!
posted by guster4lovers at 10:53 AM on July 10, 2011


Response by poster: Say hello to the proud owner of a freakishly cheap kitchenaid mixer.

If you have any recipes you're welcome to share!
posted by Tarumba at 10:54 AM on July 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Yay, I was coming here too to say that we use our Classic ($75 at a thrift store so I beat you!) for bread and pizza dough all the time too and it's totally fine. Congrats on your new mixer!
posted by crabintheocean at 11:03 AM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: Congratulations! We've been making bread by hand and with our Kitchenaid (the 350 watt 90th anniversary model), and my suggestion is the first time you try a new recipe, do it by hand, that way you know if the dough is too tough for your mixer. However, I've also been working on the recipes in the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and their recipes are intentionally wetter, and the Kitchenaid will happily paddle away at the dough. Great bagels, too.
posted by thebestsophist at 12:16 PM on July 10, 2011


Response by poster: I just realized ours is a classic plus, so it seems to be a little bit more powerful. I will make soft bread with it today and will see how it goes.
posted by Tarumba at 12:19 PM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: Congrats! I bought my Artisan about 6 years ago on amazon for $125 during a Black Friday deal, and I haven't looked back. I use it about 2 times a week for various things, including pizza dough and large batches of chocolate chip cookie dough, and it works fine. I have noticed that it vibrates a bit more this year than it did in the past, so I agree with the previous comments that you might need to replace it at some point, but that it's an awesome deal and totally worth it for the time being.
posted by gatorae at 12:25 PM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: You already got the buying advice you needed (yay!) so I'll just add that sometimes the issue with these mixers and bread is that you can't let them knead for extended periods. You have to let the motor cool down periodically when making heavy doughs or something that needs alot of kneading, like brioche dough. Or else hand-knead, as suggested above.
posted by cabingirl at 2:00 PM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I have an Ultra Power (300w) and I have made tons of bread with it. One time I made a larger batch of heavy dough than usual (8 cups of flour) and noticed it struggling a bit. I can't imagine that would be good for it over time, so I only make smaller batches now and it works beautifully. The bottom line is, I love home baked bread but I really hate kneading it. Oh god do I hate kneading it. 100 bucks sounds like a good deal. Go for it.
posted by futureisunwritten at 2:36 PM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: Sounds like you've got a great deal. Gonna trick it out?
posted by Marky at 3:20 PM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: In case you're worried, I got a Classic as a wedding gift 21 years ago. I used it to make countless loaves of bread, pizza dough, cookies, whipped cream, aioli, butter (in a pinch - no butter, but had cream), pasta, cakes and so on. It outlasted the marriage. In short, I've rode that thing like a rental mule and while it has aged a bit, it still works great.

The sausage grinder? Worthless. Go to a church sale/flea market and pick up an old fashioned hand crank grinder. I got one for $4. Way less than the sausage grinder attachment and it works way better.

Pasta maker? Eh. I'd rather have an Atlas instead of some mockup of the Play-Doh Fun Factory.

Dough hook, whisk and paddle are pretty much all you should need.
posted by plinth at 5:51 PM on July 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: I do have an atlas so I may just keep using it for my pasta needs!

Thanks so much for the advice, I definitely decorate it when I have the funds, what an awesome idea!
posted by Tarumba at 6:00 PM on July 10, 2011


Best answer: I don't agree with plinth on the meat grinder, FYI. Maybe there are better options, but I don't think "worthless" is fair. It maybe a different matter if you're using it to stuff casings or something complicated, but we use ours regularly to make Armenian/Lebanese style steak tartar (where the texture really counts) and we've been pretty happy.
posted by crabintheocean at 10:43 PM on July 10, 2011


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