Is it worth paying for a Kitchenaid food mixer?

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I also toyed with a kitchen aid and sought opinions on here. I bought a Bosch in the end and nine months on I'm glad I spent less than 200 rather than 400 on a kitchenaid. I love baking and breadmaking on an occasional basis so very happy with my Bosch. It has an angled arm so even with smaller quantities it scrapes all the mixture.
 
I love baking , I use a hand mixer I bought from Argos for around £15 . Yes it may take a little longer than using a stand mixer but ive saved myself £400 that could be used for much better things that a kitchen gadget. I personally think you can just as good results using something like a hand mixer rather than an expensive mixer , a lot of it is to do with the recipe and the ingredients you use.

There was an interesting article in the DM the other day , testing packet mixes compared to Marry berrys recipes and some of the results were very surprising.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...-baking-queens-recipes-startling-results.html
 
Hmm... cake mixes are fine for speed and convenience but the ingredients can be full of 'extras' that I'd prefer not to eat A bit like the difference between home made and shop bought bread.

I agree about hand mixers being good for some but if, like me, you have a dodgy shoulder and arthritis then it's not really an option as holding and moving it around for a while would be a killer.
 
Using a big mixer for bread making is pointless IMO, I make bread at least 3 times a week, by hand, different kinds and I love the kneading and everyone loves my bread, the sense of achievement is immense and I have considered all brands of mixers but just can't see the point. (for me of course)
 
Yes I can understand that one of these gadgets could be useful for people with arthritis and / or who cook a lot. I love cooking but really don't have any problems chopping a few carrots and beans / whisking a sauce or making pastry myself. I like cooking.
Tiddlywinks said:
Hmm... cake mixes are fine for speed and convenience but the ingredients can be full of 'extras' that I'd prefer not to eat A bit like the difference between home made and shop bought bread.

I agree about hand mixers being good for some but if, like me, you have a dodgy shoulder and arthritis then it's not really an option as holding and moving it around for a while would be a killer.
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spartacus said:
I also toyed with a kitchen aid and sought opinions on here. I bought a Bosch in the end and nine months on I'm glad I spent less than 200 rather than 400 on a kitchenaid. I love baking and breadmaking on an occasional basis so very happy with my Bosch. It has an angled arm so even with smaller quantities it scrapes all the mixture.
Click to expand...
Which model did you buy?
 
iloveshopping said:
Which model did you buy?
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I think that the bosh was also a which? best buy food mixer. I have been baking all my life and had a electric hand mixer. when the last one died I was going to buy anather hand held and just bit the bullet. the difference is vast. the fact that you can leave the mixer on to say cream the butter and sugar while you prepare your cake tins saves a lot of time and wrist/hand strain. the results with a stand mixer are superior. I used to use cake mixes when I was a little girl but when I started secondary school we were taught to bake from scratch. using butter, vanilla bean paste, fresh eggs to make a cake vs a cake mix I know which one I will prefer.
 
I also toyed with a kitchen aid and researched as much as I could, the Kenwood consistently kept coming out on top for longevity and performance even though I willed for something to encourage my purchase of a KA I couldn't the clincher was I kept reading the gears went on kitchen aids in the testing which put me right off. I do like the look of them though.
 
Thank you for all your input everyone. Whilst I did toy with the idea of going for a Kitchenaid, after looking around and comparing prices etc, I took the plunge yesterday and ordered a Kenwood Chef Original yesterday from Amazon. Great price and loads of extras. Less then half the price of a Kitchenaid. Can't wait for it to arrive. Got some homemade shortbread cooling at the moment in the kitchen. Looking forward to making our own bread and experimenting with all sorts of cakes.
 
I never bake but the KA Artisans look nice...I wonder if there'd be a market for a Faux Kitchenaid, for those people who rarely use their kitchens but like it to look the part? QVC would be just the place to sell such a thing they love their faux gemstones, faux leather and faux wool!
 
Akimbo said:
I never bake but the KA Artisans look nice...I wonder if there'd be a market for a Faux Kitchenaid, for those people who rarely use their kitchens but like it to look the part? QVC would be just the place to sell such a thing they love their faux gemstones, faux leather and faux wool!
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There probably would be a market for it... the same applies to cars... there are loads of rugged, mean looking 'SUVs' that don't have the 4x4 capability but that doesn't really matter as the most they'll ever go off road is to an out of town retail park so it's all about the look rather than the functions.
 
I was in Lakeland the other day having just bought the Kenwood Chef Premier (1000w) and wanted to see what other attachments they had and also to have a sneaky peak at the KA in the flesh.

Must admit the colours are very appealing and yes, they are heavyweight and sturdy, but the motor let it down for me, not enough wellie! Plus the fact that the attachments only fit onto the front of the mixer, whereas with the Kenwood attachments fit front and top i.e. blenders, shredders, juicers and there are at least 20 different attachments, all reasonably priced. Mine came with a jug blender and I believe you have to buy a seperate blender to the KA if you want one.

I have just bought a silver Kenlite (Plastic) Bowl from Amazon for the mixer as an extra addition, so that you don't have to wash up inbetween, far cheaper than Stainless Steel at under £6.00! :clapping:
 
I utterly love our KitchenAid. I am very fortunate to have had access to it for several years (it has been in the family for around 20 years now) and cannot really imagine managing without it. Of course I could, but I'd prefer not to! Whether I could now afford to buy a replacement, well that's another matter. I recently had it serviced (didn't cost very much) and it works better than ever. That's the thing with a machine of that quality, with care it can last years.
 
which recommended both mixers as a good buy I love my kenwood and you do get a lot of extras for free the rubber scraper k-mix is normally an extra with kitchen aid. I think that kitchen aids are really beautiful specially if you like the colours available. I got a deal on my kenwood and had my kitchen painted to match it lol
 
Just to update - we have been using the Kenwood now for a few weeks. So far have concentrated on baking - fruit scones, cheese scones, shortbread, cupcakes, sponges and blueberry and cinnamon muffins. We love it and so do my parents who are both very frail and are loving all the home made goodies. Thank you to everyone who gave their opinions and shared their experiences. Next going to get the pasta accessories and start doing different flavour home made pastas. Best thing we have bought this year.:cake::mysmilie_46:
 
iloveshopping said:
Which model did you buy?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply, been away for a few weeks. I got the Bosch MUM52120. I've made pavlova, cupcakes, Victoria sponge, cookies with it, and my husband uses it with the dough hook for bread. It has a blender to put on the top and its been good for soups. It might have come with some veg prep attachments, I can't remember, but knew I'd not use them anyway so they're packed away in its box. My concern over kitchenaid and other machines was for smaller quantities there were often reviews mentioning having to stop and scrape in the mix and restart. The bosch is fine for a 12 cupcake recipe, because of the angled arm you don't have too much stuck to the sides, i only scrape the side as I'm filling the tins.
 
I too bought the Kitchen Aid last year in pink and really love it. Have been baking a lot with it including a Christening Cake and First Communion. I recommend it even though its expensive but it will last for years and depending on your age will be able to pass it down.
 
I think if you bake a lot (I do) a stand mixer is invaluable. the top players are the sturdy machines that will last you a lifetime. also the results are far superior to a hand held one plus you don't get aches whilst holding it. only buy if you use it I think pippa Gordon says it decorates you kitchen
 

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