Well, that was a VERY hard decision for me. I just ordered a refurb Gloss Cinnamon Professional 600⢠6-qt. Bowl-Lift Bowl Stand Mixer. I hope I made the right choice! I wanted pretty. But I wanted function, more. I decided if I'm going to CHANGE from my classic 1987 model then I may as well CHANGE. So I opted for a lot more muscle, in case I start to make artisan breads (I have an awesome Zojirushi breadmaker that makes terrific normal breads and my previous 250 watt kitchenaid mixer really wasn't up to kneading much so I never pursued it, plus I never liked the way the "C" hook kneaded, so I wanted to upgrade to a machine with the spiral hook), or use accessories. Then, I decided to go for the soft start, as one of my biggest pet peeves is slopping flour! I can't imagine I'll ever be using this thing for huge batches of things, so I should have way more power and a hefty safety margin on bread kneading for how I'll actually use it. I would like the capacity to fool around with artisan breads, though! I LOVE the grenadine color, but the gloss cinnamon will work just fine too, and while I have a back-in-time vibe to my kitchen, the non-metallic look is actually a bit more appropriate as my vintage vibe is more toward antique than toward mid-century diner/50s where metallic would really resonate.

BTW - Sorry to double post but I can't edit - you can get an adapter and a meat grinder attachment for the Compact. Also, my Compact has never "walked" nor have I heard of any doing that - I can see how it might happen on a very slick surface such as a polished stone counter top. If it's an issue, just use a piece of that rubbermaid shelf waffle weave stuff under the machine. I use the same stuff to keep my cutting boards from sliding around, works a charm. I had a friend who's older KA mixer walked all the time - one day it walked itself right off the counter before she could get a grip on it (at 28 lbs, not counting the dough in the bowl, you need to get a pretty good grip on it). I used to put my KA on a towel sometimes but it was mostly to cut down on the noise, it was pretty loud. I never realized quite HOW loud until I got the Bosch Compact - it is REALLY quiet. There is an attachment you can get for the Universal Plus that will make small amounts easier to deal with, but most people report not having any problem with smaller amounts. I guess it depends on how small "smaller" is in your personal dictionary. The UP runs about $400; getting the "small amounts" attachment involves buying the shredder and an additional attachment, which would, of course increase the cost significantly. I'd probably stick with the Compact unless you know you are going to be making more than a couple of loaves at a time on a regular basis. The Compact weighs about 6 lbs. I really couldn't lift the KA anymore; consequently I had all but stopped baking. That all changed when I got the Bosch; it takes up so much less space, and it doesn't matter where I stash it, it's easy for me to get it out. Here is a link that might be useful: The adapter and extra attachments for the Bosch Compact

Yeah, I remember the old food grinders with many different blades. You'd clamp it to the edge of the kitchen table and do sausage or whatever. I was very young then, and did not know what was going on. I do not need a big mixer at this time. To make sure I do get the one I want, I think I'll research the wattage and such before then. The Brun blender that I got burned its motor out just crushing ice to make frozen drinks. I was very disappointed in that. My old Sears handy dandy blender is about 20 years old, and it is still going strong...when I use it. Which is not often. What I use more than anything else is the hand held immersion mixer, it is easy to store and easy to use, and most of my chores are light duty....like frothing up the eggs for omelettes. Or for fritattas, which I now really love. Like a crustless quiche. I have a great fritatta pan or omelette pan, which I got from Williams Sonoma made by Calphalon. I can put up to 12 eggs in the fritatta with my other ingredients added to bulk it up. Easy to use, but pricey to buy. Nice to get one as a present though.

Glad you liked it! It's my favorite ice cream recipe and is very rich, even with milk instead of half and half! Baileys would be good in it. It's a bit of work to make since you have to cook it, but I think it's worth it. I think I normally cook it to 170 degrees, but I forgot to put that in the recipe. The original recipe had 5 egg yolks instead of 3, but I felt that 3 were enough. I usually omit the salt also, but I don't think it hurts, although I think it should be a pinch instead of 1/4 tsp. Lars This post was edited by publickman on Fri, Dec 12, 14 at 0:49