Comments on: “Do I need a stand mixer?”

By: Franci

Franci — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:43:28 +0000

I’ve had a look at some KA mixers, but there seems to be many different models. Which one would you recommend?

Is it at all possible to get a machine that does the work of a stand mixer as well as a food processor?

By: The Frugal Girl » Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

The Frugal Girl » Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

[...] meant that I couldn’t use my stand mixer, but that was ok with me…I’m quite capable of mixing and kneading bread dough by hand. [...]

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:23:43 +0000

I got mine over a decade ago and still love it and use it frequently. KA is consistently rated head and shoulders above other brands for sturdiness and durability. In other words, the frugal choice! Not the cheapest but the best value.

I think its biggest benefits are for creaming butter and sugar and for kneading bread, but I use it for a lot of other things as well. I have the meat grinder attachement, which also gets a lot of work. For me it’s not as much about price (gasp! but my store sells ground meat very cheaply) as safety. Meat goes bad as a function of its surface area. Ground meat has a LOT of surface area. Throw in the fact that some stores turn older meat into ground meat, I’m not fully comfortable with the commercial product.

This has an unexpected side benefit. When I grind meat to make meatloaf, I also throw in the onion and the potatoes. The veggies are perfectly small and well integrated into the meat, its much faster than using a safely grater (especially for the onion!), and the veggies clear out the pricier meat from the grinder. The raw stuff makes excellent beef tartare too.

There’s an ice cream bowl attachement but that is not the frugal choice unless you find a really good sale. The KA bowl is $70 for one. A Cuisinart ice cream maker is $50 and I got two freezer bowls with mine. I’m thinking about the delicious ice cream our Frugal Gal could make with happy eggs and her cow-fresh raw milk. Yum!

By: Battra92

Battra92 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:49:49 +0000

@Frugal Liz If you aren’t picky on color Amazon routinely has the Artisan (same as Kristen) on sale for $250. For me, I don’t need anything more than that personally but it’s up to you. You could opt for the Williams-Sonoma copper plated version if you are made of money. ~_^

One other thing to mention is that the KitchenAid mixers are made in America (Ohio I think) and can actually be repaired if they break down. So I look at mine as a lifetime investment. The only thing that I expect to outlast it are my cast iron skillets.

I swear I don’t work for KitchenAid, I’m just a fanboy!

By: Movingonup!

Movingonup! — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:40:59 +0000

I got a Kitchen-aid mixer from my boyfriend 2 Christmas’s ago. Everyone teased him for getting me a domestic present, but I looooooooooved it.

By: Frugal Liz

Frugal Liz — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:11:56 +0000

I really want to get a stand mixer, but the good ones are like $300! I’ll get one someday, but for now I use my bread machine to mix and knead the dough.

By: Battra92

Battra92 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:22:18 +0000

@Kalee Kalee, one thing I’m learning is that methods are one of the most important parts of baking and that no two people do things the same way. Sure most anyone knows how to make up a batch of dough but I saw my sister attempt to make cookies (creaming method) and they came out flat and overly chewy. I guess she hasn’t mastered the creaming method (which the Kitchenaid does marvelously)

I hate kneading dough and with the dough hook I never plan on doing it again.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:13:38 +0000

I love my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I use it quite often. I also bought a large food processor about a year ago. Those two items where the best investments in my kitchen.

By: EngineerMom

EngineerMom — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:02:07 +0000

I grew up with a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, and in addition to being a wonderful tool for baking, it has several attachments that can make healthy, frugal food even easier. For example, my parents used the food grinding attachment to make homemade sausage from super-cheap uncooked hams they obtained in bulk from the local butcher. If you’re going to go completely organic with your meats, having the ability to make your own sausage is really helpful, since as a more processed food they tend to be more expensive.

Also, the food grinding attachment can be used to make ground meat (for tacos, etc.) out of almost any cheap cut. So if those chuck roasts are on sale for cheaper than the ground meat (happens frequently at my Target), pick up a few, run one or two through the grider, and presto! Ground beef. Same can be said for pork, etc.

I’ve seen the pasta making attachment used, but I haven’t used it myself. It seems like it would be a handy attachment, too, for making homemade ravioli and lasagna noodle.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:41:42 +0000

I love my stand mixer. It makes everything wonderful…:)