Dear Bluekitobsessed, I don't think it's overkill to have both. A FP will perform many of the tasks that a mixer will perform, but a serious baker will want a mixer. Reasons include: - Mixers are generally better for larger batches of doughs and batters & a good mixer will handle some of the heavier doughs like biscotti or pasta dough better. - The whisk attachment on the mixer is better for aerating things like whipped cream and meringues. The variable speed is also a help, especially with meringues, as a real baking geek will start out at slow speed and then raise speed for better volume. (I'm momentarily forgetting the science behind this - I'll of course remember it right after I hit the submit button.) You're not going to be making souffls with your FP. - The paddle and dough hook attachments are more gentle for making artisan breads where you don't want to work the dough as aggressively as a food processor might even with the dough blade. For the same reason, you can use the mixer's paddle attachment to "whip" a large batch of mashed potatoes, whereas the food processor will give them a wall paper paste like texture because a sharper blade can damage the gelatinized starch granules. (I've never forgotten the shock of wrecking a batch during a graded final in cooking school.) - I like a mixer with paddle attachment for cookie doughs that have nuts and/or choc chips because it's less likely to crush them provided you add them at the end and mix just a tiny bit more. I also think the mixer bowl is easier to scrape (It can also be a help to have more than one mixer bowl). - Another advantage of mixer bowls is you can put them in ice baths to quickly cool and hot water baths to heat or apply a gentle flame to them which can be helpful for Swiss and Italian meringues or melting chocolate. I confess I've been known to hit the outside of the mixer bowl briefly with a kitchen blowtorch in order to soften butter I'm creaming if it's just a little too hard. (If it's a lot too hard this isn't a great idea.) - Mixers have some cool attachments that FPs don't have. You can grind meat and make/stuff homemade sausages with the right mixer attachments (The FP is sometimes better for grinding/emulsifying, but you can't stuff sausages with it. There are pasta rollers and cutters you can attach to your mixer that are very cool. There's even an ice cream maker sleeve that you can put in your freezer and then use to churn homemade ice cream. FPs, however, have slicing attachments that mixers don't and I love the grating wheel FP attachment - It's a big time saver if you're grating a lot of cheese. To me these are just a few of the reasons a well equipped kitchen will have both a FP and a quality mixer. I don't know what mixer to recommend to you. I have an old (Hobart era) KitchenAid that I love, but the new ones I've used aren't great and KitchenAid doesn't provide good customer service if something goes wrong. The Kenmoore mixers of 6-8 years ago (I also have two of these) were great, but quality dropped after Delonghi took them over. I don't have experience with the Cuisinart Mixers. I do subscribe to Cooks Illustrated online and highly recommend them. They just updated their mixer reviews this March & liked the Cuisinart, so if I had to buy now, I'd first go garage sale hopping to try to find a Hobart era KitchenAid and failing that I'd take a chance on the Cuisinart. Here's what Cook's Illustrated said: "The KitchenAid Professional 600 ($399.95), earned its spot on the test kitchen counter in 2005 for mastering tasks that ranged from churning cookie dough and kneading bread and pizza dough to whipping air into heavy cream and egg whites. We wondered how three newer models would compare. The West Bend 12-Speed Stand Mixer ($99.99) was disqualified during round one (kneading bread dough) when its dough hook caused the machine to shudder so fiercely it almost fell off the counter. Brawnier rivalsÂthe Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer ($349) and the Wolfgang Puck Bistro Stand Mixer ($249.90)Âwhisked their way through all manner of tasks (though the Wolfgang Puck machine tended to tremble while kneading). Both models sport an ingenious disk that caps their nonstick dough hook and prevented pizza dough from riding up and sticking, as it did in the KitchenAid. Add that to CuisinartÂs handful of modern perks and itÂs clear why this mixer has overthrown KitchenAid for a place on our countertop. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer Price: $349 Source: www.cooking.com Comments: In addition to acing its way through heavy tasks like kneading bread and pizza dough and churning cookie batter full of oats, nuts, and dried fruit, this machine offers a host of modern updatesÂa digital timer with automatic shut-off, a fold function for incorporating ingredients delicately, and a splash guard attachment with a built-in feed tube." Best wishes - HTH!

Le Creuset is on sale as well. There's a link to the Tuesday Morning website in the thread linked below... TJ Here is a link that might be useful: Heads Up for Lovers of Le Crueset

Does sound like it would have been a good deal. Mine is probably at least 30 years old but still works fine.

Great find! There is a thrift shop at the end of my alley that benefits the old folks home across the street. When items don't sell or have some damage they put them in the dumpster. Walking the dog 2-3 years ago I noticed a great looking chandelier in the box. Perfect for my dining room. Dad zoomed home to get the car as the baby was heavy (solid brass) and I stood guard with Dylan until he came back. Some guy comes out of his yard and was going to take it, but I let him know it was MINE! This guy dives in often and into the donation box also, then has a garage sale several time in the summer. My free chandelier cost me glass bulb covers and $500 for the electrician. And for kicks I checked an upscale lighting store. Same lamp was selling for $2500!