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Differences between kitchen aid mixers?

14 years ago

I'm planning on putting a KA mixer on my wish list this year for my birthday, but I'm a little confused about the differences between them. Tilt? Do you love that or hate it? Differences in motors? I'm planning on using it for pizza dough, cookies, etc., - do I need the more expensive, professional style?

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Comments (3)

artemis78
14 years ago
I think the mid-range Artisan is nice; we have the littlest one (tilt-head, 4.5 qt bowl, 250W motor) and I often wish it were a bit bigger and a bit more powerful. The low "stir" speed also seems faster (and thus less useful) than on the mid-range one, which may just be my imagination. I don't like the tilt-head at all---it's always banging into things---but different people like different styles. You don't need to go all the way to the big pro version unless you expect you'll need the capacity, but I think it's well worth it to bump up to the mid-range.
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crazyone
14 years ago
there are a few good threads on here if you search, i also had this burning question.. i have a thread where i asked and show the one i finally got.. costco pro bowl lift and agree.. it is fabulous
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Okay, so I've done a search. I'm pretty well versed with Google and how to find things on this site. As to the appliance lift, some love them, some not so much. I know the "disadvantages" of them and I'm fine with it. So here's the thing, I don't WANT it sitting out on the counter top and I didn't like when I had it in a cabinet where I needed to lift it out and up...I just don't use it then. I'm running out of options unless I can figure out a magic spell to have it just appear when I need it and go away when I don't. ;-) As to stability issues, I don't intend to keep it on the the shelf when using it, but instead use it to lift to close to counter height in my island and then place it on the counter, so it's relative stability during use isn't an issue. With or without the lift, I'm going to wind up devoting most of a cabinet to it anyway because of it's size. That's how it's been in it's current lift-less state, so I'm fine with devoting space to it as opposed to it sitting out on the counter. I can have a small roll out beneath the mechanism for some things and I'm cool with that. I'd like to know if anyone has compared the three different makers and what thoughts they had with each. Or if someone has another option of something to do with it that doesn't involve it residing on my countertop but being more easily accessible, I'm open to hearing it.
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Buehl
14 years ago
I have the "heavy duty" one that has a bowl lift. After reading the other threads, I think the bowl-lift is the better model, at least for me. Yes, you have to remove the beater b/f removing the bowl, but it's easy to scrape & add ingredients, and it doesn't tilt up putting the beater in your face and needing more clearance above it to accommodate the head tilted up. (Is the tilt model shorter or the same height?)

Mine is from the 1980s, not a recent model, and is still going strong! I bake double-batches of cookies & cakes all the time as well as other items. However, I don't usually use it for bread since I have a breadmaker.

As with any KA, be careful when making whipped cream...it's a fine line b/w whipped cream and butter!

Here are some threads that are still available:

Thread: 35-year-old Kitchen-Aid mixer died...sob!

Thread: What color is your KitchenAid stand mixer?

Thread: Where does your stand mixer live?

Thread: 3 variations of KA mixers??
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