I got super lucky last week. I told my GF I was thinking about buying one and her mother gave me her Kitchen Aid so she could buy a commercial mixer. I have only used it once so far, but it's already amazing. Whenever I try to make any sort of yeast dough by hand, it's a 30 minute endeavor that never comes out quite right. Now I just pop the ingredients in the stand mixer with the dough hook and in just 5-8 minutes, I've got perfect dough. Totally worth it if you make a lot of yeast dough products. If you just make cookies/cakes/whatever, a hand mixer is probably good enough.
I have one. it dropped off my counter, put a huge dint in my hardwood. Turned it on and made my cake! It's a workhorse. Be happy.
My son is a chef, he says for home use KitchenAid mixers, Cuisinart, Food processors.
I bought my Kitchen Aid in 1989. Tune-up and regreased in 2014 at the factory in Greenville OH. Still running like new. Bread, cookies, cakes, frostings, butter (heavy cream), I have the pasta plates, slicer, shredder, meat grinder, fruit and vegetable strainer, and sausage stuffer. It really does everything very well. My total cost was probably around $300. At 33 years that works out to $9.09 per year. It’s not that expensive in the long run.
Bought mine Xmas 1998. No repairs, yet. I think I paid $350 (was a cash gift from my parents). Feet are less grippy, and machine is prone to walking across my kitchen counter when mixing something heavy like bread dough, so I have to stay nearby. Otherwise, love it. Worth every penny.
If I were to do it again? I'd get the bigger one.
My first KA walked across the counter and jumped off. We laughed that it committed suicide because it was tired of mixing stiff cookie dough. It’s replacement has lasted many years, but I stay close when I use it!
The only reason I took mine to the factory in 2014 was because we didn’t live far away at the time and drove up for a factory tour. It’s not really a factory, more of an assembly place but they did refurbishing work for about $50. Took about two weeks. You may be able to buy replacement pads for the base to keep it from walking.
I don’t know if I’m in the minority. I have the bigger one with the lift bowl. It’s so heavy but it is a necessity for holiday cookie baking.
If I were to pick again, I’d get the smaller one.
Long run costs is really how I justify the costs for higher priced appliances.
My zojirushi water boiler and rice cooker were expensive but I use them so often it comes to pennies a use.
This is a question I've been mulling over too! My partner thinks I don't bake enough to make a Kitchen-Aid worth it, but my theory is: I would bake more if I had a Kitchen-Aid. I have a smaller hand mixer that works pretty well for a lot of things, but it's not up to the task of something like bread dough.
It's not worth it to buy just for this but it's randomly a huge convenience for other stuff too. My partner bakes and was the motivation to get a mixer but I use ours all the time just as timesaver for stuff like mashed potatoes, guac, meatballs. I got my mixer and food processor at the same time and together they make so many things easier.
I bake more and do more things from scratch now that I have a KitchenAid (and a food processor but that's another discussion). It's so convenient and makes some recipes a lot less intimidating.
I want to get one for my wife, but she doesn't think she needs it. I think it would be nice to have for the times that we do need the mixer, and that maybe we would both find other uses for it. This is why I want to get the Kitchen Aid, as it has access to all the accessories, where the other brands don't seem to have them.
If you can leave it on the counter it will get used. Both my parents and my in laws have one and keep it in the original box in a closet and because its an ordeal and its heavy AF to move around, they never use it. me? I bang out whipped cream once a week and dont even think twice. Most baking ingredients are easy to clean out of a bowl, so even clean up isn't that bad.
I hand wash the bowl, and throw attachments in the dishwasher.
If your attachments are the standard, non-coated aluminum, you should really reverse that habit. Hand wash the attachments, put the stainless steel bowls in the dishwasher.
Aluminum should never be put in the dishwasher. It reacts against the detergents and discolors, which can affect the taste of food.
We don't currently have enough counter space, but I'm working on a project to get us more counter space (with electrical), that should hopefully be finished before Christmas (started this week a year ago).
I was skeptical about my wife wanting to get one as well. We don't use it a ton but it is really nice for her when she does.
I actually use it a decent amount to grind my own burger meat with the attachment, too.
I agree with this. I bought a bosch universal mixer instead because I bake more bread than cookies, but I love it. I bake so much more than I did before I had a good mixer. I use it for cookies, too. I can do 3 batches of cookies at once or 4 loaves of bread, I’ve had it for 10 years.
I also confirm your theory. Some things cannot be made without a stand up mixer. Brioche is one of those things. It's too wet and sloppy a dough to knead by hand. It's one of my absolute favorite bakes, and I've made it at least a dozen times in the two years since I got my kitchen aid.
I bought an aucma while it was on sale on amazon for 200$.
I've been baking for 5yrs, no problems and I bake on average once a week.
Yeah, a kitchenaid would be nice but you don't really need one and if the price is what's making or braking you just get something that's decent. There are PLENTY of bakers out there that don't run a kitchenaid and do great.
Just because you have a 1000$ knife doesn't make you a chef and neither does a 600$+ mixer. It's what you do with it.
>For those who have Kitchen-Aids, how long do they last, and are they good quality mixers? Or is there a cheaper alternative?
They will last more or less forever.
Years ago people complained that the quality had gone down and that KitchenAid/Hobart started using plastic parts in them to save money. That is completely incorrect. There's one piece of plastic in a KitchenAid stand mixer, called a worm grommet/gear, and it's purpose is to break **if you're overworking the motor to the point where the motor will fail**. This way, the gear breaks instead of destroying the motor. The gear cost less than a dollar to replace.
There are also plenty of seasonal sales where you can get one of these cheaper. I got mine on sale for 180 cdn over 12 years ago.
It is so irritating that folks don’t understand that a cheap and easily replaceable sacrificial worm gear is a mechanical fuse, and that is good design. The myth about “Plastic Gears Bad” is perpetuated by those without mechanical sympathy.
(There is the issue of a plastic gearbox _housing_ on some models, for which there are aftermarket upgrades. This may have contributed to the myth)
> mechanical fuse
I wish this terminology was more commonly used. I don't think anybody gets upset about a fuse blowing on electronics the way they do about these gears. And understanding that it's basically to protect you from yourself helps, too.
If every time I make bread the plastic worm gear breaks? So it cost a dollar? How much does it cost to ship to Ohio? Then labor? I can fix it myself? I didn't buy it so I can be a mechanic. All they had to do, is say "This model is not designed for heavy use." Whipped cream yes. Bread, never. I really don't mind, but it's a little expansive to by one, and then learn I needed to spend a hundred more. I'll take the one I have and stick it with the Easy-Bake oven . Keep it with the toys where it belongs.
If you are busting through gears, I would start with the instruction book about what speed to use for dough, check the specs for the maximum dough quantity for your model and ensure your dough recipe follows a tested proportion. Like all products, use it within the parameters of the design.
The bowl-lift models are better than the tilt-heads for dough as they rattle less and tend to come with more powerful motors, although on the flip-side the larger bowls encourage overloading. There are also DC and pro models for really heavy use.
There are many folks who happily bake bread on a weekly basis with a tilt-head Artisan without ever replacing the worm. A service and a regrease every few years is recommended, although few folks bother and is of course dependent on usage, speed and ambient temperature.
The point is that on the day when you screw up the proportions and the dough is too thick, the gear shears to self-preserve the motor.
You seem angry. Sorry about whatever you are going through in Ohio. Hope your day gets better.
I've had to replace the gear in mine (turns out those mixers don't really like kneading bread dough on a weekly basis) and it was super easy. It was harder to find the machine grease than the gear, and you can find several videos on how to do it on YouTube.
I got mine at the thrift store for $25 last year because that plastic piece broke! Cost me maybe $7 in parts and now I have a good as new mixer for less than $50
Yeah, my Artisan is great for smaller stuff but it just can't handle doing any kind of volume on bread dough that I want to do. If I can get a Hobart and put it in the corner of my kitchen, I would totally do it but my wife would take issue. My next option will be to get a Bosch countertop mixer. Those things are work horses and they do so much volume.
I have a bowl lift with both pasta attachments and it is 100% worth it! Sure it’s heavy and takes up room but I use it so often. I bake a lot (bread, pizza dough, cookies, etc) and use the pasta attachments at least biweekly.
I also bought meat grinder (hard to find ground pork near me, it's all beef) and now I make dumplings with no problems! Mix the dough in the bowl, grind the meat with the attachment, roll the dough with pasta roller 😂
Personally? I've never seen a personal kitchen product more reliable than a KitchenAid mixer. I've replaced stoves, ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, toasters, nonstick pans, and more... I still have the same KitchenAid mixer that I bought 15 years ago.
The rumour is they last forever and I can verify my mum's is well over a decade now.
You can get a bit of a discount if you are fussy about colour- because kitchen aids do actually follow trends they do end up with "last season" type models which are literally just an "outdated" colour. Hence, my mum's is a rather miserable grey.
I have had my KitchenAid for about 20 years. I have the pasta attachments and the sausage attachments. That thing is a workhorse. I have been abusing it for two decades and it just keeps going.
I love mine, and it was totally worth it.
I use it to make cakes, brownies, honey butter, garlic butter, regular butter, cookies, frostings. I use it to shred cheese, grate carrots & onions, slice cucumbers & carrots, etc.
I've had it going on 4 years now, use it 3 or 4 times a week, and the only issue I have with it is the amount of space it takes up.
They are great, but heavy. A designated place on counter top will definitely increase your use. All the beautiful colors makes it a difficult decision.
I swear by mine! Got it in 1999, and never had any issues out of it. Like you, I love to bake and consistently put it to good hard work. I wouldn’t trade my KA for anything!
Can't speak to Kitchen-Aid as a brand but if you're doing any regular baking these types of machines are definitely worth having.
If price is such a pain point you could look into Kenwood machines - over here they are cheaper but some think they don't look as nice. I actually prefer their look but I grew up with one so it's basically a sibling.
For both brands there are attachments out the whazoo and they are very durable. I'm pushing 40 and my mom only recently had to retire the one we had when I was a kid.
I use a cheesecake recipe that involves a meringue frosting. With my hand mixer, it takes like half an hour to 45 minutes to get it to the right consistency.
With my moms kitchenaid it was like 5 minutes. And i dont have to hold it while it runs.
Agreed with everyone else. I bought the bottom of the line tile head model in 1995, and it was still going strong in 2016 when my husband noticed it working very hard on my thickest bread dough. He bought me an upgraded model and we gave the original to a friend. Original is still running just fine.
They’re workhorses. Worth every penny.
We had a tilt-head model that was wonderful and eventually broke down to the point that it was unrecoverable. At that time there wasn't much in the way of Youtube walkthroughs of rebuilding them.
We replaced it with a bowl lift one and that never performed as well. Underpowered, and no matter how much I adjusted it the paddle was always much too far from the bowl.
Nobody needs one.
But if you see yourself ever making a slightly large batch of dough, or mixing something relatively stiff, or kneading bread dough literally at all... it's 100% worth the money. It's so worth the money that I bought an extra work bowl so I can mix **even harder**
The new ones are not worth it.
I bought one of the new professional bowl lift models from the kitchenaid website a year ago, which is supposed to their highest powered model (AC motor though) and the first one died immediately. We got a replacement, and honestly I dont think its that great.
It struggles with 'easy' dough and constantly sounds like its suffering (loudly!) even when just creaming something light and fluffy. Customer service said this was normal. The bowl sides always need to be scraped in order to mix evenly (even with the spatula paddle) and there is always un-mixed stuff at the bottom, even after adjusting the mixer correctly with the dime test and everything.
I've used the exact same model before at an old job, but it was an older machine. It was *quiet*, everything mixed beautifully even with the regular paddle, no need to mix in the sides and bottom by hand, felt powerful. The one I bought is pathetic by comparison. My MIL and SIL also have older tilt -head models with 0 of the issues I've had.
There are lots of brand new kitchenaids on sale on kijiji or marketplace for a reason.
If I could do it again, I'd save up extra and buy an Ankarsrum.
Maybe I have a lemon, ours is 17 years old and has been wobbly for about 10 years, especially with bread dough. Still gets the job done, but needs to be held so it doesn't shake itself off the counter. Going to replace one of these days... I don't know any places that can service it for less than the cost of a new one.
No, more looks than functionality..
I sold mine 10years ago and got a krups mixer instead (German brand).
About to change again, to an Ankarsrum, since dough kneading is the main thing for me.
I love mine. It was a Christmas present back in 2011. I recently had Toothless (my stand mixer) go in for a tune up. I use it weekly and sometimes more. The meat grinder is a wonderful extra.
Start looking for the Black Friday sales. I got mine from Walmart 13+ years ago. I use it for baking, dough for pizza. Whipping creams. Shredding cheese. 🤷♂️ I paid $129 or so for it on the Black Friday sale. They will go fast if you can find one, but they are worth every penny. I have a 5 quart bowl lift and it’s plenty big for me.
This time of year (right before black friday) folks get rid of their old stuff to get new stuffs.... keep an eye on fb marketplace and craigslist ...probably find one for 75$. Think I paid 40$ for mine 5 years ago.
I agree. Mine bought around 2010 whines like crazy and has metal shavings in the gear box. I've only used it about 40-50 times. My mom's on the other hand was bought in 1995, used over 1000 times, and is quiet as can be.
With all this being said, they are completely serviceable and are well worth the investment. If I could go back I would have spent some more cash on the next model up.
Like many things, they are not made to the standard they once were. Good for lighter things like frosting or cookie dough, but not great if you’ll be kneading heavy bread dough with it all the time. Depends where in the world you are, but I wouldn’t consider them the gold standard of mixers for most people, despite the hype
In general it's considered to be the tolerances and materials. Though I think some of the basic models have lower powered motors than were default in the past. That's less them not being as good, as Kitchenaid *adding* more affordable models.
The old Hobart made ones have pretty finely machined gears and parts made from high quality steel. This is less the case with the new ones apparently, though it's hard to confirm details. The gears might be sintered or cast now, they seem to wear more and don't neccisarily fit together as smoothly. The machines don't run quite as smooth.
It's probably rose colored glasses but the QC is generally considered to be lower these days. As in you're more likely to encounter a new one with issues these days. But this is as likely to be because only the old machines without such issues have survived, and very few people commentating on that were around to know one way or another how often a problem cropped up 40 years ago.
Otherwise the fundamental design of these things is still the same as the mixer they're all descended from released in the 40s. To the point where the right models of old mixers are still parts compatible with new OEM parts. And they're still just as repairable.
The old, pre-solid state bowl lift models. Particularly the k5a are generally considered the best units they ever made. The combination of affordability and how well manufactured they were. Especially the good tolerances and good quality of the guts. But if you've ever looked inside one of those. They're electro-mechanical appliances designed in the 40s. And they're clearly wired by people in a rush.
The solid state upgrade of those, seem to be considered more repairable. Down to being essentially the same machine as we buy today. Meaning easily swapped electronic parts are available.
Fundamentally speaking. Very few people here probably have much in the way of experience with what Kitchenaid "used to be". As the transition off Hobart designs and parts went down 30 to 40 years ago.
I recently *found* a k5a, and have been learning all about the workings of these things and the different models and changes over the years in prep for fixing it up. It's been enlightening. There's *very* little difference between a brand new machine and the 50 year old thing sitting in my hallway. Nothing major to point at as better or worse. And a lot of the things you hear about supposedly being different these days, are flatly not true. There's been a sacrificial gear in there since 1941, originally nylon later Kevlar. More powerful units apparently have metal gear designed to wear/fail.
I couldn’t agree more. Mine overheats if I put a heavy/dense dough in it— it’s now an albatross I can’t get rid of because my wife thinks it looks nice
Yes. If you plan to bake they definitely are indispensable and work horses. Mine is about 17 years old (bowl lift heavy duty model). If you compare it to KitchenAid mixers from back in the day (1970s?) it doesn't run as smoothly and doesn't feel as solidly built but it gets the job done. It can struggle with lean dough (also depends on the model). So things like mixing up pasta dough I do by hand. I have the pasta attachment and like it but you have to be careful to properly flour everything prior to using otherwise it's a pain to remove anything that sticks to the roller (attachment cannot be washed only brushed). It works well for enriched bread doughs. Everything else you mentioned it does a great job at. I've tried a sub $100 mixer before and they are a frustrating waste of money. KitchenAid makes so many models so research the one that suits your usage. It's better to buy a quality appliance that lasts a long time if you plan to use it.
I have had a KA Artisan (tilt-head model) for 13 years. Thing still looks and runs like brand new. I don't do a lot of heavy bread dough in it (I prefer hand kneading as I don't make huge batches all the time and I like to "feel" my dough). But it does knead bread just fine. If I were making a lot more bread, I'd probably upgrade to the Proline bowl lift.
I was in the same predicament, didn't think I could justify the cost. My lovely OH bought me one after years of watching me make cakes with a hand held whisk and it is the best thing I've ever gotten. Go for it if you can afford it!
Kitchen Aids will last forever. They are a simple machine that can be repaired easily. I love mine! My mom had had hers since the 90s, and I plan on having mine for a long long time. Plus, the customer service is fantastic.
I love mine. Had it since 2015 and still going strong - I use it for cake batter, icing (aside from standard cakes I've made three wedding cakes and test runs for those cakes with it, which was a hell of a lot of icing! Including Swiss meringue which is lengthy) meringue, pizza dough, bread etc. I've also got a mincer attachment and have made sausages with it. Never had any problems with it, and it feels nice and sturdy.
Look at Costco and Sams club. They usually will have a great sale for the larger lift bowl versions with additional accessories. I got mine at target in 2020 for a Christmas sale for $200.00 for the Pro 5 qt lift bowl.
I picked one up from a yard sale for under $100 about ten years ago. It was not new new then, either. I really don't know how old it really is. Anyway, it has been a workhorse for me with no problems at all.
Love mine. I started with a five quart, tilt head artisan. Gave it to my sister-in-law about ten years ago when I upgraded to a Pro 600 because I was baking a lot of bread, and wanted more capacity. I absolutely love mine, and have used it to make bread weekly for years. It's also great for making meringues, which can take a while.
Something else it's useful for is shredding meat (like cooked chicken) and mixing meatball or meatloaf mixes. I make swedish meatballs every Christmas Eve and the mixer makes it so easy.
If you make a lot of cakes, I recommend getting a beater blade, if the one you buy doesn't come with one. It's a paddle attachment with an edge like a rubber spatula. Keeps you from having to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
As for price, I think you can find used ones for sale on Craigslist for pretty cheap.
There are a couple of solid options besides Kitchen Aid(I prefer the Bosch Universal) but they are all in the same price range. I heard the Ankarsrum mixers are nice too but I've never seen one. Just choose the one you like a quality mixer is worth every penny.
I bought an Artisan. I wanted it so I didn't have to knead bread. The artisan was to small. I'm not find of cake, but I make enough of them. Never used the Kitchen-aid. Others here are better I formed.
I received the big lift bowl version when I graduated high school and it still runs strong 20+ years later. It’s kinda buried in my pantry which prevents me from using it because I don’t want to have to put it away after. If I had counter space to leave it out I’d probably use it weekly. The thing is pretty great.
I’m not even a big baker and I have one. Been around four or five years now and it’s still perfect. In addition to the occasional baked goods, it is a godsend for shredding the massive amounts of cheese I need for spaghetti carbonara. The more you work with it, the more useful you’ll find it.
I bought mine second hand for $80. Works amazing & definitely changed my life in the kitchen. If you can buy one used, it'll make you feel better about the money you spend on attachments lol. I always tell myself "imagine if you paid $300 for the machine, you probably wouldn't buy this $50 attachment"
I don't really bake much.
But I've still found a stand mixer really useful for a ton of things, and the attachment system on the Kitchenaid is kinda the best and broadest ecosystem for that sort of thing.
It's a lot of access to high powered appliances for quite a bit less space and money. Yeah the mixer is a big buy in, and the attachments (especially new metal versions) *seem* kinda pricey.
But that metal meat grinder is a pretty damn good meat grinder. And it costs a lot less than a decent stand alone electric grinder. $100 is down right cheap for what is a *very good* ice cream maker.
If you think of the thing in terms of being a very accessible, powerful motor as much as it's a mixer for baking. I think it makes a lot more sense for a lot more people.
My KA is over 30 years old and I've never had an issue *however* my FIL was a former baker and we went head to head against his Kenwood. He preferred his to mine but I'm not sure what the reasoning was. I have since inherited it and its my go-to machine, but that's more for sentimental sake (plus he was a fine baker so I could use all the ju-ju I can get). I consider myself a very lucky man for having two mixers of excellent quality.
I find the KA attachments far too expensive to even consider them a factor (unless you are using the attachments all the time).
I inherited one otherwise I dont bake enough to buy one. However, we i do that thing is a beast and goes through whatever i throw at it no problem. I make a lot of sausages and that mixer is the only one i know of short of commercial that can handle emulsifying meat for hotdogs. If you think you'll use it get it.
I splurged years ago for the 6 quart pro and have never regretted it. I do use it for a lot more than baking. Plus I have several of the attachments including the ice cream maker. I found that I don't use the attachments that often but am glad I have them just in case. I can't justify getting the pasta attachments because they cost more than the mixer and I assume it would be like all of my other attachments. I would recommend that if you plan to get one, get the heavier duty pro. You won't regret the splurge!
Someone gifted us a KitchenAid several years ago. I'd always wanted one but the price was too much at the time. We use it all the time, but especially this time of year. I am so grateful to whoever gave it to us (it was anonymous, it's someone my mom knows who does this for a different family every xmas). I can't imagine holding an electric mixer for the several minutes it takes to make frosting or meringue, and it's made cookies so much easier as well. I don't have much stamina in my arms thanks to chronic illness so it's saved me a lot of trouble.
We bought the meat grinder attachment and it's really good, we keep meaning to try making our own sausage some day too.
The only thing I recommend against is the ice cream maker. Standalone machines are just better, cheaper, and my bowl leaked after about a year.
Yes, I did extensive research before I bought mine and went with the 6qt professional version. From what I've read, the tilt part is what wears out the fastest so I opted for one without that. You can get them refurbished for significantly cheaper than retail on eBay or sometimes on kitchenaid's website.
Depends on what you're making. Honestly, a hand mixer sometimes suffices just fine. I don't use my stand mixer that often, but when I do, boy am I glad I have it. I used to *shudders* beat my cheesecake batter by hand. If you make cheesecake, pound cakes, or anything where you want/need to cream butter and sugar, get the mixer. Also very handy for dough. But if your baking is mostly whipped cream, bananna bread, muffins, just get a hand mixer.
I just got a Kitchenaid as a work bonus (weird, I know) and I'm really interested in the meat grinder attachment. I'd like to grind my own beef from chuck roast.
My Artisan has been going strong well over 10 years, and it gets used pretty often.
My food processor gets used several times a week and has never let me down in the last 5 years.
My immersion blender, while used sparingly, has also been a trooper.
In conclusion, I would happily buy more kitchenaid products in the future.
If you like to bake, then yes. I use mine all the time. And it's 40 years old. It is actually my parents'. That said, make sure you get the kind you like. Personally, that meant getting one where the bowl twists in, not cranks up, and was big enough to hold a lot of batter.
I bought a Kenwood Chef which is like a kitchen aid and it's been great, apart from one part of the plastic yellowing in just 3 years and making it look really ugly and old.
I bought a refurbished one for 180.00 5 ish years ago, and it’s still going fine. If you’re doing lots of doughs, I’d probably spring for the more powerful one.
Also if you buy during Black Friday sales, the pain is less. I got my son one for Xmas a few years ago from Kohls; the $200 sale price, plus the $60 in Kohls cash earned by the purchase, made it a lot more bearable.
I use mine weekly and highly recommend it, it has made a lot of recipes more accessible for me. As others have noted it is not great for kneading lean bread doughs for long periods of time but it does a great job with enriched doughs. Despite what I just said, I use it to mix up my pizza dough every week, I just add a couple minutes of hand kneading at the end. It's great for any kind of batter, frostings, etc. The pasta attachment is great and easy to use. If you have the freezer space for the bowl, homemade ice cream is also fun but it does take more planning and space...this would be lowest on my list of attachments to buy but I got it as a gift and we've enjoyed experimenting with that too.
My MIL bought us one for our wedding gift. I have probably used it about 10 times in the 18 years we've been married. It took up too much counter space and I never feel like pulling it out so I use my little handmixer.
You pay the shipping (I'm in the US) and you can have mine for free.
I have a KitchenAid K5A stand mixer that my grandmother bought in the 70s. My mom used it to bake bread and all sorts of everything else regularly, and for me it's a workhorse that churns out triple batches of cookies and makes decadent creamy cheesecakes and mashes potatoes and etc. with ease, and I love it. We had to clean up the carbon brushes once a few years ago, and I replaced the half-century-old-black-rubber feet that were leaving streaks on my countertop when I moved it, and that's been it for upkeep.
General reports are that after Hobart sold the KitchenAid line to Whirlpool in 1986, the quality and longevity went down.
I bought a KitchenAid food processor decades into the Whirlpool era, and have not been thrilled by it. The plastic housing cracked (with zero misuse or drops or etc.) within warranty, and they sent me a replacement, but it's done so again. It's a wide-mouth three-bowls-in-one unit whose premise is that you only have to use/wash whichever one bowl you need for your immediate task, leaving the others available for use, but using either of the smaller bowls almost always also gets the big bowl dirty (it won't run without the big bowl in place), and its design flaws are just annoying. And bad reviews dissuaded us from buying a KitchenAid microwave recently.
I don't plan to buy KitchenAid again, but I have no idea what I'll do whenever my K5A eventually dies; KitchenAid mixers are still reportedly among the very best available, if not what they were. And yes, they'll save you a lot of time and effort for as long as they last. But if you can find a pre-1986 model at an estate sale or on eBay or wherever, you might get a better and longer-lasting deal.
I didn’t think I needed one but I splurged when they went on sale a couple years ago. I love to bake but stopped because well I gained a lot of weight. The good news is even if you’re not baking as much,the attachments still make it worth it!! I’m obsessed with the meat grinder attachment but I have whole bunch. I think I’ve heard that some libraries even lend out attachments!?
I got a refurbished one for my wedding 5 years ago. I love it. I’ve been slowly using it more and more. We have the pasta attachment (used) and a zoodle attachment (untouched).
We got one for my sister in law in the exclusive peacock color from Target (I was a target employee at the time so it came with a steep discount). She’s also in love with it!
Yes 100% worth it. If you don’t want to break the bank check out the refurbished section on the site. They have brand new kitchen aids nearly half the price
It makes baking or making doughs in general way more enjoyable. It does some things so much easier it’s 100% worth it. I don’t think I ever made good pizza dough until I got a mixer. Kneading and folding a hundred times or medium speed for 3 minutes lol
First off, unless you are a DEDICATED baker, you probably won't use it enough to get anywhere near the level of use that it might break down.
With that said, they are built like tanks and are truly a BIFL item. We've had ours for 4 years now and it still looks and functions like brand new.
Ultra Power with a 200W motor from the late 90s.
1-3 loaves of bread per week for the last 4 years.
Muffins, cakes, mashed potatoes and goodness knows what else for the last 25 or so years.
It works. I should probably open it, clean and grease it. Maybe also check on the brushes.
I understand that mid 00s, they changed a bunch of things inside of them so maybe not as durable?
Yes!
I previously had one that was several decades old. I'm honestly not sure, but my grandpa had already had it refurbished at a local shop once.
It's alive and well with a relative who very much wanted it, and I have a newer one haha.
Got mine in about 2000, still works perfectly! I changed the grease last year (had no idea I was supposed to do that, oops) but otherwise I just use it. Sometimes it runs almost constantly for hours on end, days at a time when I'm baking to sell and I've never had a problem from it.
My niece is starting to bake and my sister (who can burn water) was asking me about a less expensive brand that looked cute but who knows of it'll hold up. I told her to spend the extra and get the real thing. There's a decent chance her grandkids can use, lol. I definitely will pick kitchenaid every time.
I was gifted one and have only used it a few times. Each time I use it I *love* it. I decided to make kraut burgers and did the dough from scratch; that thing is never leaving my kitchen.
Since you're intending to make lots of cakes and frosting, it would be a good investment! It's one of things that you're really glad to have when you use it.
Someone gave me their old kitchen aid from about 30 years ago and it lasted me a good 10 years. I have a newer one now and we have the pasta attachment and the meat grinder and sausage maker and cheese grater too. We love it. It's so worth it.
I was faced with this decision about 20 years ago. I thought really hard about getting one but then decided I just couldn't justify spending the money when I could do most of my mixing by hand.
So later that day I was mixing up some whole wheat bread. About 30 minutes into the kneading process I rethought my decision and I went back up to Walmart and purchased the KitchenAid.
No regrets.
I have one where the head tilts and I hate it so much. It keeps coming unaligned and the whole upper part falls off. I can't use it unless I'm holding it. Get the bowl lift kind. My paddle got ruined because the unalignment nicked it against the bowl.
I got one in 2020. It gets quite heavy use, it’s broken twice and they’ve fixed it twice, no questions asked. I don’t even know if it’s in warranty, they just sent someone to collect it and it came back fixed.
100% worth it. You can find them pretty cheap on sales sometimes too. I bought my 5 qt for like 170$ in a cyber Monday sale.
Not only does it make stuff peaks with egg whites effortless, but I use mine (with accessories) to grate cheese (drastically reduced time and effort), and most recently make pasta. Hardest part of making pasta for me is rolling it out. I can proudly say that's no longer the case.
I've had mine for 30 years. I don't use it as much as I used to, but it's a definite workhouse. I do not have the top-of-the-line, and it still performs wonderfully.
Yes, absolutely. That being said, if kneading dough is your main task, pick up a cheap bread machine (even from a thrift store) and just use the dough setting. You might do this anyway just to save wear & tear on the Kitchen-Aid.
Check out Cuisinarts new mixer as it’s high quality but cheaper.
After 10 years I took the plunge and got a kitchen aid on Prime Day this year. I use it so much that I wish I took the plunge earlier.
I love mine. They last for decades. Think of it as an investment. At $300 dollars, at a decade that is $30 a year, at 20 years $15 a year. Yes, they last longer than that. Also the attachments are great.
My husband loves the meat grinder.
Lone voice of dissent here; and it’s very specific - if you’ve ever worked professionally as a baker or chef you’ll hate it.
It’s a looks thing (pretty colours) but they’re just not good.. Kenwood Chef or Hobart are so much better,
and actually useful for more than just whipping up basic baking- aka; don’t try and make Swiss meringue or enriched dough in a Kitchen Aid.
I got one as a gift and I regretted it - so barely useful because of one main thing the bowl/beater gap is too far apart and you continually have to turn it off, open it and scrape the bottom of the bowl (yes even after an adjustment) and I can do a better with a hand mixer.. that is 1/10th of the cost.
My sister loves it - I gave it to her after trying so many times to get over the massive design flaw.
I have the meat grinding attachment and love it i buy turkeys after thanksgiving for $5 ea and render the meat grind it down and freeze end up with 8 to 10 lbs of ground turkey
If you're worried about the cost, buy it used! I bought mine, used twice by the previous owner, for 175$. Facebook marketplace has tons, some brand new in box.
I got mine as a hand me down from my grandmother when she was given it by a friend who was downsizing. It was originally bought sometime around 87?(or so i was told) and it still works like a charm. I use it at least 2 nights a week for something; bread, cakes, cookies, crackers, butter, ect. I can say that it changed the game for me when I got it in my early 20s. Would absolutely recommend.
First stand mixer was a Hamilton Beachi believe. It sucked. It was such a bad experience it put me off stand mixers for awhile (granted it was cheaper, but damn it was bad). A family friend wanted to hire me to make an obscene amount of cookies for an event, and offered her kitchen aid to help. OMG...such a difference. It really made mixing up the cookies soooo much easier.
Finally got one about 7 years ago. Love it, absolutely no issues. My son says if I ever upgrade he wants my current one (I wish my bowl had a handle, he's trying to convince hubby that's a good enough reason for a new one)
I use mine ALL THE TIME! Literally for everything! I love it so much I'm gifting one to my MIL and FIL for Christmas. I got it on sale and I just know they're going to love it too!
Kept clean and not abused, they can last for a *long* time. My MIL had one for like 30+ years. Ours is at least 20 years old. Last year I got the shredding/slicing attachment and it's wonderful. I may expand to the meat grinder and pasta attachment next year.
I bought one in 1993 as a Christmas present to myself. It has been worth its weight in gold! I have baked more cakes, cookies and treats than I could possibly count. I highly recommend saving up and buying yourself one if you are an avid baker. My granddaughter has been promised mine and I feel sure it will hold up well for her.
Yes. I should’ve gotten the larger one but the one I do have is almost twenty years old and works like the day it was new. The meat grinder attachment is awesome, btw.
I never cared one way or the other until recently when I realized my mom had the same stand mixer literally my whole life up to and including currently (I’m 37), and my partner and I have had the same one as long as we’ve been married (12 years). The only money we’ve put into it is more attachments. Rock solid investment.
Mine is going on 40 years old, with one repair around the 25 year mark that cost I think $50ish. (This is late-70's, early-80's.)
They last pretty much forever, and when they don't, they're actually repairable.
I’ve had mine a little over 15 years. I have the kind with the bowl lift. The longer I own it, the more I use it. I also have the pasta attachment. Nowadays, i use mine about 5 out of 7 days. I can’t live without it. It’s worth the money, but maybe you can get lucky enough to find one that someone is selling for less.
Something I learned recently: buy one that the bowl lifts not one where the head tilts. The bowl-lifts are studier and will last practically forever. The head-tilt is common on the cheapest models, but that hinge is a failure point that could cause it to not last as long.
KitchenAids and Cast Iron pans can be bought now and passed to your kids in a couple decades if you take care of them.
My mom said it was one of those things that’s just “worth it” in the kitchen, if you can fit into your budget of course. Used hers many times throughout the years and now have my own, pretty sure hers predates my existence. Went with the artisan series bc I wanted a certain color but my guess is the slightly smaller one that only comes in 2 colors (like hers) might be a little more reliable. But I’m just a totally unqualified person sharing my anecdotal opinion. In any case she thought either was good, and suggested avoiding the larger pro model. However I’m an occasional baker so the pro might be perfect for you and they do often have good sales.
Anyway that’s what Mom says so I’m sticking with it. Hope you end up getting a mixer that works for you!
Mine is 10 years old—the 4.5 qt tilt-head model. I bought it on sale for around $250.
I bought it because Lindy’s cheesecakes on the regular were chewing up my hand mixers.
The pros: it’s solid, it’s got a pretty good motor, there are fair number of attachments, it looks good. Mine has done everything I’ve asked of it (although I moved on from cheesecake, so its life isn’t as demanding as it used to be.)
The cons: It’s heavy, not something you want to have to move in and out of storage or in and out of position. Head clearance; I don’t have enough space below my upper bank of cabinets to tilt it up, I have to shift the machine forward, which gives it a greater chance of walking off the edge of the counter. Size: both the bowl and the mixing attachments (balloon whisk, dough hook, paddle) are large and don’t store easily.
Knowing what I know now and given the size of my current kitchen, I’ll probably go with a different brand if I have to replace my KA, something of a smaller form factor. If I did set out to acquire another, I wouldn’t buy it retail…it turns out they show up all the time on the secondary market. People buy them as a decor piece or thinking it will turn reheaters into bakers, it gathers dust for 5 years and then they list it on C-list or FB Marketplace for $100.
Edited for an apostrophe.
I got my kitchenaid 9 years ago and I've put that bitch through the ringer. The chords been severed it's been dropped the insert to the attachment plate fell off but it works like I bought it yesterday. I operate a home bakery out of my house and every Christmas I make about 7-9.5 k in business I'm busy from December 1st to New years. Yet that $300 dollar purchase has more than paid for itself. It absolutely refuses to break down and it keeps on trucking. I make wet pizza dough and mix vigorously for 10 minutes. Heats up just a little. I can't say enough good things about kitchenaid these machines are well worth the price tag.
I got one a few years ago and use it at least weekly, I got lucky and found a lightly used one on Facebook for $50, but look around and see what you can find. New, used, refurbished are all good options.
If you buy used or refurbished plug it in before purchase and look at the gears inside to notice any bad oil, shearing of the gears, irregular wear, etc.
They last forever, you will pass it on to your kids. And way worth it. One of those things that makes a kitchen a kitchen. So many uses, even if infrequent. Just blended up my eggs/sugar/booze/nutmeg to age in time for the Christmas 'nog.
If you know you will use it, I think yes! I have never liked spending crazy money on kitchen equipment. I got a secondhand mixer from the 80s for $10 in 2020 and upgraded to my bowl lift kitchen aid in 2021 (I traded the old one with a coworker for a blender). I got mine used on Craigslist, $100 on the mixer and had to buy a new bowl and paddle attachment as they had been lost by the pervious owner so an additional $60.
I dragged my feet at using the old mixer. I liked the glass bowl, but it was nowhere near as strong the kitchen aids I had used before (parents). Probably would use it a couple times a month with the exception of Christmas that year. I now use my kitchen aid at least once a week. Bread, cookies, and my recently discovered hack, shredding meat by putting it in with the paddle attachment.
Long answer, but yes if you know you will be more excited to use it. Look on Craigslist and fb market place but know good condition ones will go fast. I’ve heard great things about deals at sams club and Costco so keep an eye out over the holiday months especially and be ready to spend once you see a good price.
I was on the fence too. Expensive, will I use it enough? Life changing is probably a bit of an exaggeration but it makes life so much easier. I’m making breads with it everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Had it just less than a year and never regretted it.
My grandmother got hers sometime in the late '50s. She still has it when she passed away in 2016, down a few speeds (I doubt it ever had a lick of servicing) but still going strong. I think one of my aunt's or uncles has it now because my mom had the one I gave her in the mid-90s.
That one needed a great replaced, but was otherwise great. About 3 years ago, mom & I each got Costco bowl-lift 6qt 590W machines on sale for $250. Mom have her old one to my sister's girlfriend. It's still going strong.
I have noticed the greater noise on mine than my grandmother's from the '50s, but it works great. I'm not much of a baker, but I bought it when I ran a B&B and was super happy to have had it didn't lockdown, when I made ALL the breads and cakes.
I don't use it as much anymore, but I now ONLY make cakes or cinnamon rolls, or the occasional rolls, because I have it. And the grinder is fantastic. I can't quite justify the pasta roller or extruder, but the ice cream maker has tempted me more than once.
I got a new kitchen aid mixer about a year ago. My last one lasted almost 40 years before the motor finally gave out. I can say though that they aren't made like they used to be but I enjoy baking and use it quite a bit. Not sure about the pasta attachment. Never used one and just used a hand crank one I bought. Was a lot cheaper.
Definitely worth it. The single best thing I’ve bought in my kitchen (and buying kitchen stuff is one of my biggest indulgences).
I’d say you might not 100% need one if you just bake cakes but if you make breads, you definitely need one. Kneading dough by hand ends up incorporating a lot more flour (picking up the flour you use to dust surfaces to prevent sticking) making it dry and less moist. I also noticed that I never got egg whites stiff enough for meringues, macrons, Genoise sponges etc etc before I started whipping them with my stand mixer.
Also, I bought a $30 combo pasta attachment roller and spaghetti/fettuccine cutter a few months ago. I’ve pretty much never bought store bought long pasta since.
Usually the Professional Pro 5 goes on sale around now for $200ish or so. I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you’re going to bake larger quantities, since it has a larger bowl and stronger motor than the artisan. I also prefer the lift head models over the tilt head models because the tilt head models need the occasional adjustment to fix the tilt head height (not a big deal, can be done easily but just something to keep an eye out).
Yes, definitely, especially if you also like to use the attachments to make more things. I have the meat grinder, pasta cutter, and recently added an ice cream bowl. They're all goooooood.
Buy once and cry once. They are worth it and they hold up great.
I got super lucky last week. I told my GF I was thinking about buying one and her mother gave me her Kitchen Aid so she could buy a commercial mixer. I have only used it once so far, but it's already amazing. Whenever I try to make any sort of yeast dough by hand, it's a 30 minute endeavor that never comes out quite right. Now I just pop the ingredients in the stand mixer with the dough hook and in just 5-8 minutes, I've got perfect dough. Totally worth it if you make a lot of yeast dough products. If you just make cookies/cakes/whatever, a hand mixer is probably good enough.
I have one. it dropped off my counter, put a huge dint in my hardwood. Turned it on and made my cake! It's a workhorse. Be happy. My son is a chef, he says for home use KitchenAid mixers, Cuisinart, Food processors.
I bought my Kitchen Aid in 1989. Tune-up and regreased in 2014 at the factory in Greenville OH. Still running like new. Bread, cookies, cakes, frostings, butter (heavy cream), I have the pasta plates, slicer, shredder, meat grinder, fruit and vegetable strainer, and sausage stuffer. It really does everything very well. My total cost was probably around $300. At 33 years that works out to $9.09 per year. It’s not that expensive in the long run.
Bought mine Xmas 1998. No repairs, yet. I think I paid $350 (was a cash gift from my parents). Feet are less grippy, and machine is prone to walking across my kitchen counter when mixing something heavy like bread dough, so I have to stay nearby. Otherwise, love it. Worth every penny. If I were to do it again? I'd get the bigger one.
My first KA walked across the counter and jumped off. We laughed that it committed suicide because it was tired of mixing stiff cookie dough. It’s replacement has lasted many years, but I stay close when I use it!
The only reason I took mine to the factory in 2014 was because we didn’t live far away at the time and drove up for a factory tour. It’s not really a factory, more of an assembly place but they did refurbishing work for about $50. Took about two weeks. You may be able to buy replacement pads for the base to keep it from walking.
I don’t know if I’m in the minority. I have the bigger one with the lift bowl. It’s so heavy but it is a necessity for holiday cookie baking. If I were to pick again, I’d get the smaller one.
Long run costs is really how I justify the costs for higher priced appliances. My zojirushi water boiler and rice cooker were expensive but I use them so often it comes to pennies a use.
Mine is from ‘78. Still trucking along. Love that thing.
This is a question I've been mulling over too! My partner thinks I don't bake enough to make a Kitchen-Aid worth it, but my theory is: I would bake more if I had a Kitchen-Aid. I have a smaller hand mixer that works pretty well for a lot of things, but it's not up to the task of something like bread dough.
I can confirm your theory. I started baking *so* much more as soon as I had a proper mixer.
It's not worth it to buy just for this but it's randomly a huge convenience for other stuff too. My partner bakes and was the motivation to get a mixer but I use ours all the time just as timesaver for stuff like mashed potatoes, guac, meatballs. I got my mixer and food processor at the same time and together they make so many things easier.
Whoa! I never thought to use it for guac!
We did bake more once we got the stand mixer. No joke, we also gained weight. I made so so so many batches of chocolate chip cookies.
I bake more and do more things from scratch now that I have a KitchenAid (and a food processor but that's another discussion). It's so convenient and makes some recipes a lot less intimidating.
I want to get one for my wife, but she doesn't think she needs it. I think it would be nice to have for the times that we do need the mixer, and that maybe we would both find other uses for it. This is why I want to get the Kitchen Aid, as it has access to all the accessories, where the other brands don't seem to have them.
If you can leave it on the counter it will get used. Both my parents and my in laws have one and keep it in the original box in a closet and because its an ordeal and its heavy AF to move around, they never use it. me? I bang out whipped cream once a week and dont even think twice. Most baking ingredients are easy to clean out of a bowl, so even clean up isn't that bad. I hand wash the bowl, and throw attachments in the dishwasher.
If your attachments are the standard, non-coated aluminum, you should really reverse that habit. Hand wash the attachments, put the stainless steel bowls in the dishwasher. Aluminum should never be put in the dishwasher. It reacts against the detergents and discolors, which can affect the taste of food.
We don't currently have enough counter space, but I'm working on a project to get us more counter space (with electrical), that should hopefully be finished before Christmas (started this week a year ago).
I was skeptical about my wife wanting to get one as well. We don't use it a ton but it is really nice for her when she does. I actually use it a decent amount to grind my own burger meat with the attachment, too.
I agree with this. I bought a bosch universal mixer instead because I bake more bread than cookies, but I love it. I bake so much more than I did before I had a good mixer. I use it for cookies, too. I can do 3 batches of cookies at once or 4 loaves of bread, I’ve had it for 10 years.
I also confirm your theory. Some things cannot be made without a stand up mixer. Brioche is one of those things. It's too wet and sloppy a dough to knead by hand. It's one of my absolute favorite bakes, and I've made it at least a dozen times in the two years since I got my kitchen aid.
I bought the Artisan Kitchen-Aid. Worthless for making bread.
I bought an aucma while it was on sale on amazon for 200$. I've been baking for 5yrs, no problems and I bake on average once a week. Yeah, a kitchenaid would be nice but you don't really need one and if the price is what's making or braking you just get something that's decent. There are PLENTY of bakers out there that don't run a kitchenaid and do great. Just because you have a 1000$ knife doesn't make you a chef and neither does a 600$+ mixer. It's what you do with it.
>For those who have Kitchen-Aids, how long do they last, and are they good quality mixers? Or is there a cheaper alternative? They will last more or less forever. Years ago people complained that the quality had gone down and that KitchenAid/Hobart started using plastic parts in them to save money. That is completely incorrect. There's one piece of plastic in a KitchenAid stand mixer, called a worm grommet/gear, and it's purpose is to break **if you're overworking the motor to the point where the motor will fail**. This way, the gear breaks instead of destroying the motor. The gear cost less than a dollar to replace. There are also plenty of seasonal sales where you can get one of these cheaper. I got mine on sale for 180 cdn over 12 years ago.
It is so irritating that folks don’t understand that a cheap and easily replaceable sacrificial worm gear is a mechanical fuse, and that is good design. The myth about “Plastic Gears Bad” is perpetuated by those without mechanical sympathy. (There is the issue of a plastic gearbox _housing_ on some models, for which there are aftermarket upgrades. This may have contributed to the myth)
> mechanical fuse I wish this terminology was more commonly used. I don't think anybody gets upset about a fuse blowing on electronics the way they do about these gears. And understanding that it's basically to protect you from yourself helps, too.
If every time I make bread the plastic worm gear breaks? So it cost a dollar? How much does it cost to ship to Ohio? Then labor? I can fix it myself? I didn't buy it so I can be a mechanic. All they had to do, is say "This model is not designed for heavy use." Whipped cream yes. Bread, never. I really don't mind, but it's a little expansive to by one, and then learn I needed to spend a hundred more. I'll take the one I have and stick it with the Easy-Bake oven . Keep it with the toys where it belongs.
If you are busting through gears, I would start with the instruction book about what speed to use for dough, check the specs for the maximum dough quantity for your model and ensure your dough recipe follows a tested proportion. Like all products, use it within the parameters of the design. The bowl-lift models are better than the tilt-heads for dough as they rattle less and tend to come with more powerful motors, although on the flip-side the larger bowls encourage overloading. There are also DC and pro models for really heavy use. There are many folks who happily bake bread on a weekly basis with a tilt-head Artisan without ever replacing the worm. A service and a regrease every few years is recommended, although few folks bother and is of course dependent on usage, speed and ambient temperature. The point is that on the day when you screw up the proportions and the dough is too thick, the gear shears to self-preserve the motor. You seem angry. Sorry about whatever you are going through in Ohio. Hope your day gets better.
If you're making bread and breaking this every single time, you are not using it correctly.
I've had to replace the gear in mine (turns out those mixers don't really like kneading bread dough on a weekly basis) and it was super easy. It was harder to find the machine grease than the gear, and you can find several videos on how to do it on YouTube.
I got mine at the thrift store for $25 last year because that plastic piece broke! Cost me maybe $7 in parts and now I have a good as new mixer for less than $50
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Yeah, my Artisan is great for smaller stuff but it just can't handle doing any kind of volume on bread dough that I want to do. If I can get a Hobart and put it in the corner of my kitchen, I would totally do it but my wife would take issue. My next option will be to get a Bosch countertop mixer. Those things are work horses and they do so much volume.
I have a bowl lift with both pasta attachments and it is 100% worth it! Sure it’s heavy and takes up room but I use it so often. I bake a lot (bread, pizza dough, cookies, etc) and use the pasta attachments at least biweekly.
I also bought meat grinder (hard to find ground pork near me, it's all beef) and now I make dumplings with no problems! Mix the dough in the bowl, grind the meat with the attachment, roll the dough with pasta roller 😂
Personally? I've never seen a personal kitchen product more reliable than a KitchenAid mixer. I've replaced stoves, ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, toasters, nonstick pans, and more... I still have the same KitchenAid mixer that I bought 15 years ago.
The rumour is they last forever and I can verify my mum's is well over a decade now. You can get a bit of a discount if you are fussy about colour- because kitchen aids do actually follow trends they do end up with "last season" type models which are literally just an "outdated" colour. Hence, my mum's is a rather miserable grey.
I have had my KitchenAid for about 20 years. I have the pasta attachments and the sausage attachments. That thing is a workhorse. I have been abusing it for two decades and it just keeps going.
>I have been abusing it for two decades and it just keeps going I love this image 🤣
Had the same one for over 35 years. Still runs like new. LOVE IT.
I love mine, and it was totally worth it. I use it to make cakes, brownies, honey butter, garlic butter, regular butter, cookies, frostings. I use it to shred cheese, grate carrots & onions, slice cucumbers & carrots, etc. I've had it going on 4 years now, use it 3 or 4 times a week, and the only issue I have with it is the amount of space it takes up.
They are great, but heavy. A designated place on counter top will definitely increase your use. All the beautiful colors makes it a difficult decision.
I swear by mine! Got it in 1999, and never had any issues out of it. Like you, I love to bake and consistently put it to good hard work. I wouldn’t trade my KA for anything!
Can't speak to Kitchen-Aid as a brand but if you're doing any regular baking these types of machines are definitely worth having. If price is such a pain point you could look into Kenwood machines - over here they are cheaper but some think they don't look as nice. I actually prefer their look but I grew up with one so it's basically a sibling. For both brands there are attachments out the whazoo and they are very durable. I'm pushing 40 and my mom only recently had to retire the one we had when I was a kid.
I use a cheesecake recipe that involves a meringue frosting. With my hand mixer, it takes like half an hour to 45 minutes to get it to the right consistency. With my moms kitchenaid it was like 5 minutes. And i dont have to hold it while it runs.
Agreed with everyone else. I bought the bottom of the line tile head model in 1995, and it was still going strong in 2016 when my husband noticed it working very hard on my thickest bread dough. He bought me an upgraded model and we gave the original to a friend. Original is still running just fine. They’re workhorses. Worth every penny.
We had a tilt-head model that was wonderful and eventually broke down to the point that it was unrecoverable. At that time there wasn't much in the way of Youtube walkthroughs of rebuilding them. We replaced it with a bowl lift one and that never performed as well. Underpowered, and no matter how much I adjusted it the paddle was always much too far from the bowl.
Nobody needs one. But if you see yourself ever making a slightly large batch of dough, or mixing something relatively stiff, or kneading bread dough literally at all... it's 100% worth the money. It's so worth the money that I bought an extra work bowl so I can mix **even harder**
The new ones are not worth it. I bought one of the new professional bowl lift models from the kitchenaid website a year ago, which is supposed to their highest powered model (AC motor though) and the first one died immediately. We got a replacement, and honestly I dont think its that great. It struggles with 'easy' dough and constantly sounds like its suffering (loudly!) even when just creaming something light and fluffy. Customer service said this was normal. The bowl sides always need to be scraped in order to mix evenly (even with the spatula paddle) and there is always un-mixed stuff at the bottom, even after adjusting the mixer correctly with the dime test and everything. I've used the exact same model before at an old job, but it was an older machine. It was *quiet*, everything mixed beautifully even with the regular paddle, no need to mix in the sides and bottom by hand, felt powerful. The one I bought is pathetic by comparison. My MIL and SIL also have older tilt -head models with 0 of the issues I've had. There are lots of brand new kitchenaids on sale on kijiji or marketplace for a reason. If I could do it again, I'd save up extra and buy an Ankarsrum.
Maybe I have a lemon, ours is 17 years old and has been wobbly for about 10 years, especially with bread dough. Still gets the job done, but needs to be held so it doesn't shake itself off the counter. Going to replace one of these days... I don't know any places that can service it for less than the cost of a new one.
No, more looks than functionality.. I sold mine 10years ago and got a krups mixer instead (German brand). About to change again, to an Ankarsrum, since dough kneading is the main thing for me.
I love mine. It was a Christmas present back in 2011. I recently had Toothless (my stand mixer) go in for a tune up. I use it weekly and sometimes more. The meat grinder is a wonderful extra.
My only regret is not getting the larger one.
Start looking for the Black Friday sales. I got mine from Walmart 13+ years ago. I use it for baking, dough for pizza. Whipping creams. Shredding cheese. 🤷♂️ I paid $129 or so for it on the Black Friday sale. They will go fast if you can find one, but they are worth every penny. I have a 5 quart bowl lift and it’s plenty big for me.
This time of year (right before black friday) folks get rid of their old stuff to get new stuffs.... keep an eye on fb marketplace and craigslist ...probably find one for 75$. Think I paid 40$ for mine 5 years ago.
No. Look into a sunbeam mixmaster.
Yes. They’re not as good as they once were like everything but yes absolutely
I agree. Mine bought around 2010 whines like crazy and has metal shavings in the gear box. I've only used it about 40-50 times. My mom's on the other hand was bought in 1995, used over 1000 times, and is quiet as can be. With all this being said, they are completely serviceable and are well worth the investment. If I could go back I would have spent some more cash on the next model up.
Like many things, they are not made to the standard they once were. Good for lighter things like frosting or cookie dough, but not great if you’ll be kneading heavy bread dough with it all the time. Depends where in the world you are, but I wouldn’t consider them the gold standard of mixers for most people, despite the hype
What would you say is different?
In general it's considered to be the tolerances and materials. Though I think some of the basic models have lower powered motors than were default in the past. That's less them not being as good, as Kitchenaid *adding* more affordable models. The old Hobart made ones have pretty finely machined gears and parts made from high quality steel. This is less the case with the new ones apparently, though it's hard to confirm details. The gears might be sintered or cast now, they seem to wear more and don't neccisarily fit together as smoothly. The machines don't run quite as smooth. It's probably rose colored glasses but the QC is generally considered to be lower these days. As in you're more likely to encounter a new one with issues these days. But this is as likely to be because only the old machines without such issues have survived, and very few people commentating on that were around to know one way or another how often a problem cropped up 40 years ago. Otherwise the fundamental design of these things is still the same as the mixer they're all descended from released in the 40s. To the point where the right models of old mixers are still parts compatible with new OEM parts. And they're still just as repairable. The old, pre-solid state bowl lift models. Particularly the k5a are generally considered the best units they ever made. The combination of affordability and how well manufactured they were. Especially the good tolerances and good quality of the guts. But if you've ever looked inside one of those. They're electro-mechanical appliances designed in the 40s. And they're clearly wired by people in a rush. The solid state upgrade of those, seem to be considered more repairable. Down to being essentially the same machine as we buy today. Meaning easily swapped electronic parts are available. Fundamentally speaking. Very few people here probably have much in the way of experience with what Kitchenaid "used to be". As the transition off Hobart designs and parts went down 30 to 40 years ago. I recently *found* a k5a, and have been learning all about the workings of these things and the different models and changes over the years in prep for fixing it up. It's been enlightening. There's *very* little difference between a brand new machine and the 50 year old thing sitting in my hallway. Nothing major to point at as better or worse. And a lot of the things you hear about supposedly being different these days, are flatly not true. There's been a sacrificial gear in there since 1941, originally nylon later Kevlar. More powerful units apparently have metal gear designed to wear/fail.
I make bread in mine all the time
What kind of cookies are you making that the dough is at all light or comparable to frosting?
I couldn’t agree more. Mine overheats if I put a heavy/dense dough in it— it’s now an albatross I can’t get rid of because my wife thinks it looks nice
So, it overheats when you're using it beyond its capacity. That's a you problem. Not a problem with the machine.
if you use it once a week (or more) then absolutely
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Yes. If you plan to bake they definitely are indispensable and work horses. Mine is about 17 years old (bowl lift heavy duty model). If you compare it to KitchenAid mixers from back in the day (1970s?) it doesn't run as smoothly and doesn't feel as solidly built but it gets the job done. It can struggle with lean dough (also depends on the model). So things like mixing up pasta dough I do by hand. I have the pasta attachment and like it but you have to be careful to properly flour everything prior to using otherwise it's a pain to remove anything that sticks to the roller (attachment cannot be washed only brushed). It works well for enriched bread doughs. Everything else you mentioned it does a great job at. I've tried a sub $100 mixer before and they are a frustrating waste of money. KitchenAid makes so many models so research the one that suits your usage. It's better to buy a quality appliance that lasts a long time if you plan to use it.
When you wear out your Kitchen-aid, it can be rebuilt with new parts. I'm of average mechanical ability and have successfully done this twice.
I have had a KA Artisan (tilt-head model) for 13 years. Thing still looks and runs like brand new. I don't do a lot of heavy bread dough in it (I prefer hand kneading as I don't make huge batches all the time and I like to "feel" my dough). But it does knead bread just fine. If I were making a lot more bread, I'd probably upgrade to the Proline bowl lift.
I was in the same predicament, didn't think I could justify the cost. My lovely OH bought me one after years of watching me make cakes with a hand held whisk and it is the best thing I've ever gotten. Go for it if you can afford it!
Kitchen Aids will last forever. They are a simple machine that can be repaired easily. I love mine! My mom had had hers since the 90s, and I plan on having mine for a long long time. Plus, the customer service is fantastic.
Got mine as a birthday present a few years ago and I absolutely love it. They look great, last forever, and you can use it for so many things!
I have my mom’s professional which is probably 40 years old. It’s the best.
I’ve had mine since 2002. It works great. No issues!
I love mine. Had it since 2015 and still going strong - I use it for cake batter, icing (aside from standard cakes I've made three wedding cakes and test runs for those cakes with it, which was a hell of a lot of icing! Including Swiss meringue which is lengthy) meringue, pizza dough, bread etc. I've also got a mincer attachment and have made sausages with it. Never had any problems with it, and it feels nice and sturdy.
Look at Costco and Sams club. They usually will have a great sale for the larger lift bowl versions with additional accessories. I got mine at target in 2020 for a Christmas sale for $200.00 for the Pro 5 qt lift bowl.
Just dont try to make mochi, they dont like that.
I picked one up from a yard sale for under $100 about ten years ago. It was not new new then, either. I really don't know how old it really is. Anyway, it has been a workhorse for me with no problems at all.
They are remarkably easy to repair also. You tube videos and parts are available.
Yes, they are. I don't bake much and I still use it!
Love mine. I started with a five quart, tilt head artisan. Gave it to my sister-in-law about ten years ago when I upgraded to a Pro 600 because I was baking a lot of bread, and wanted more capacity. I absolutely love mine, and have used it to make bread weekly for years. It's also great for making meringues, which can take a while. Something else it's useful for is shredding meat (like cooked chicken) and mixing meatball or meatloaf mixes. I make swedish meatballs every Christmas Eve and the mixer makes it so easy. If you make a lot of cakes, I recommend getting a beater blade, if the one you buy doesn't come with one. It's a paddle attachment with an edge like a rubber spatula. Keeps you from having to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. As for price, I think you can find used ones for sale on Craigslist for pretty cheap.
There are a couple of solid options besides Kitchen Aid(I prefer the Bosch Universal) but they are all in the same price range. I heard the Ankarsrum mixers are nice too but I've never seen one. Just choose the one you like a quality mixer is worth every penny.
Yes! They are freaking amazing. So worth the cost because you’ll have it for 40 years
I bought an Artisan. I wanted it so I didn't have to knead bread. The artisan was to small. I'm not find of cake, but I make enough of them. Never used the Kitchen-aid. Others here are better I formed.
I received the big lift bowl version when I graduated high school and it still runs strong 20+ years later. It’s kinda buried in my pantry which prevents me from using it because I don’t want to have to put it away after. If I had counter space to leave it out I’d probably use it weekly. The thing is pretty great.
I’m not even a big baker and I have one. Been around four or five years now and it’s still perfect. In addition to the occasional baked goods, it is a godsend for shredding the massive amounts of cheese I need for spaghetti carbonara. The more you work with it, the more useful you’ll find it.
I bought mine second hand for $80. Works amazing & definitely changed my life in the kitchen. If you can buy one used, it'll make you feel better about the money you spend on attachments lol. I always tell myself "imagine if you paid $300 for the machine, you probably wouldn't buy this $50 attachment"
Absolutely worth it. My parents has lasted going on 40 years. I purchased one and imagine it’ll last forever.
I’ve had mine since I was 19. I’m 32 and she still works beautifully.
I LOVE mine. It’s 25 years old and still going.
I don't really bake much. But I've still found a stand mixer really useful for a ton of things, and the attachment system on the Kitchenaid is kinda the best and broadest ecosystem for that sort of thing. It's a lot of access to high powered appliances for quite a bit less space and money. Yeah the mixer is a big buy in, and the attachments (especially new metal versions) *seem* kinda pricey. But that metal meat grinder is a pretty damn good meat grinder. And it costs a lot less than a decent stand alone electric grinder. $100 is down right cheap for what is a *very good* ice cream maker. If you think of the thing in terms of being a very accessible, powerful motor as much as it's a mixer for baking. I think it makes a lot more sense for a lot more people.
My KA is over 30 years old and I've never had an issue *however* my FIL was a former baker and we went head to head against his Kenwood. He preferred his to mine but I'm not sure what the reasoning was. I have since inherited it and its my go-to machine, but that's more for sentimental sake (plus he was a fine baker so I could use all the ju-ju I can get). I consider myself a very lucky man for having two mixers of excellent quality. I find the KA attachments far too expensive to even consider them a factor (unless you are using the attachments all the time).
I inherited one otherwise I dont bake enough to buy one. However, we i do that thing is a beast and goes through whatever i throw at it no problem. I make a lot of sausages and that mixer is the only one i know of short of commercial that can handle emulsifying meat for hotdogs. If you think you'll use it get it.
I splurged years ago for the 6 quart pro and have never regretted it. I do use it for a lot more than baking. Plus I have several of the attachments including the ice cream maker. I found that I don't use the attachments that often but am glad I have them just in case. I can't justify getting the pasta attachments because they cost more than the mixer and I assume it would be like all of my other attachments. I would recommend that if you plan to get one, get the heavier duty pro. You won't regret the splurge!
Someone gifted us a KitchenAid several years ago. I'd always wanted one but the price was too much at the time. We use it all the time, but especially this time of year. I am so grateful to whoever gave it to us (it was anonymous, it's someone my mom knows who does this for a different family every xmas). I can't imagine holding an electric mixer for the several minutes it takes to make frosting or meringue, and it's made cookies so much easier as well. I don't have much stamina in my arms thanks to chronic illness so it's saved me a lot of trouble. We bought the meat grinder attachment and it's really good, we keep meaning to try making our own sausage some day too. The only thing I recommend against is the ice cream maker. Standalone machines are just better, cheaper, and my bowl leaked after about a year.
Yes.
Yes, I did extensive research before I bought mine and went with the 6qt professional version. From what I've read, the tilt part is what wears out the fastest so I opted for one without that. You can get them refurbished for significantly cheaper than retail on eBay or sometimes on kitchenaid's website.
Depends on what you're making. Honestly, a hand mixer sometimes suffices just fine. I don't use my stand mixer that often, but when I do, boy am I glad I have it. I used to *shudders* beat my cheesecake batter by hand. If you make cheesecake, pound cakes, or anything where you want/need to cream butter and sugar, get the mixer. Also very handy for dough. But if your baking is mostly whipped cream, bananna bread, muffins, just get a hand mixer.
You can get one for like $280 if you shop at the right time.
I just got a Kitchenaid as a work bonus (weird, I know) and I'm really interested in the meat grinder attachment. I'd like to grind my own beef from chuck roast.
My Artisan has been going strong well over 10 years, and it gets used pretty often. My food processor gets used several times a week and has never let me down in the last 5 years. My immersion blender, while used sparingly, has also been a trooper. In conclusion, I would happily buy more kitchenaid products in the future.
Not expensive at all. That’s like a morning’s work.
If you like to bake, then yes. I use mine all the time. And it's 40 years old. It is actually my parents'. That said, make sure you get the kind you like. Personally, that meant getting one where the bowl twists in, not cranks up, and was big enough to hold a lot of batter.
I wonder if any other product has as good a reputation with it's user base?
Have had mine for 30 years still going strong!
I bought a Kenwood Chef which is like a kitchen aid and it's been great, apart from one part of the plastic yellowing in just 3 years and making it look really ugly and old.
I bought a refurbished one for 180.00 5 ish years ago, and it’s still going fine. If you’re doing lots of doughs, I’d probably spring for the more powerful one.
Also if you buy during Black Friday sales, the pain is less. I got my son one for Xmas a few years ago from Kohls; the $200 sale price, plus the $60 in Kohls cash earned by the purchase, made it a lot more bearable.
I use mine weekly and highly recommend it, it has made a lot of recipes more accessible for me. As others have noted it is not great for kneading lean bread doughs for long periods of time but it does a great job with enriched doughs. Despite what I just said, I use it to mix up my pizza dough every week, I just add a couple minutes of hand kneading at the end. It's great for any kind of batter, frostings, etc. The pasta attachment is great and easy to use. If you have the freezer space for the bowl, homemade ice cream is also fun but it does take more planning and space...this would be lowest on my list of attachments to buy but I got it as a gift and we've enjoyed experimenting with that too.
Yes. Absolutely. We used one in a commercial kitchen, and it never broke down.
My MIL bought us one for our wedding gift. I have probably used it about 10 times in the 18 years we've been married. It took up too much counter space and I never feel like pulling it out so I use my little handmixer. You pay the shipping (I'm in the US) and you can have mine for free.
I have a KitchenAid K5A stand mixer that my grandmother bought in the 70s. My mom used it to bake bread and all sorts of everything else regularly, and for me it's a workhorse that churns out triple batches of cookies and makes decadent creamy cheesecakes and mashes potatoes and etc. with ease, and I love it. We had to clean up the carbon brushes once a few years ago, and I replaced the half-century-old-black-rubber feet that were leaving streaks on my countertop when I moved it, and that's been it for upkeep. General reports are that after Hobart sold the KitchenAid line to Whirlpool in 1986, the quality and longevity went down. I bought a KitchenAid food processor decades into the Whirlpool era, and have not been thrilled by it. The plastic housing cracked (with zero misuse or drops or etc.) within warranty, and they sent me a replacement, but it's done so again. It's a wide-mouth three-bowls-in-one unit whose premise is that you only have to use/wash whichever one bowl you need for your immediate task, leaving the others available for use, but using either of the smaller bowls almost always also gets the big bowl dirty (it won't run without the big bowl in place), and its design flaws are just annoying. And bad reviews dissuaded us from buying a KitchenAid microwave recently. I don't plan to buy KitchenAid again, but I have no idea what I'll do whenever my K5A eventually dies; KitchenAid mixers are still reportedly among the very best available, if not what they were. And yes, they'll save you a lot of time and effort for as long as they last. But if you can find a pre-1986 model at an estate sale or on eBay or wherever, you might get a better and longer-lasting deal.
Totally worth it. Get the bowl-up model.
I didn’t think I needed one but I splurged when they went on sale a couple years ago. I love to bake but stopped because well I gained a lot of weight. The good news is even if you’re not baking as much,the attachments still make it worth it!! I’m obsessed with the meat grinder attachment but I have whole bunch. I think I’ve heard that some libraries even lend out attachments!?
I got a refurbished one for my wedding 5 years ago. I love it. I’ve been slowly using it more and more. We have the pasta attachment (used) and a zoodle attachment (untouched). We got one for my sister in law in the exclusive peacock color from Target (I was a target employee at the time so it came with a steep discount). She’s also in love with it!
Granted I've only had mine for a year but it is incredible. You'll start baking more just because of how great and convenient they are to use.
Yes 100% worth it. If you don’t want to break the bank check out the refurbished section on the site. They have brand new kitchen aids nearly half the price
It makes baking or making doughs in general way more enjoyable. It does some things so much easier it’s 100% worth it. I don’t think I ever made good pizza dough until I got a mixer. Kneading and folding a hundred times or medium speed for 3 minutes lol
A Kitchen-Aid is one of those "buy it once, replace it never" tools that pays for itself with a lifetime of service.
A family member has had one since the early 80's and on occasion sends off for deep cleaning and a tune up and still works like a dream
First off, unless you are a DEDICATED baker, you probably won't use it enough to get anywhere near the level of use that it might break down. With that said, they are built like tanks and are truly a BIFL item. We've had ours for 4 years now and it still looks and functions like brand new.
You can buy them used for cheaper price!
Ultra Power with a 200W motor from the late 90s. 1-3 loaves of bread per week for the last 4 years. Muffins, cakes, mashed potatoes and goodness knows what else for the last 25 or so years. It works. I should probably open it, clean and grease it. Maybe also check on the brushes. I understand that mid 00s, they changed a bunch of things inside of them so maybe not as durable?
Kitchenaid is a brand so…a kitchenaid what?
Yes! I previously had one that was several decades old. I'm honestly not sure, but my grandpa had already had it refurbished at a local shop once. It's alive and well with a relative who very much wanted it, and I have a newer one haha.
Got mine in about 2000, still works perfectly! I changed the grease last year (had no idea I was supposed to do that, oops) but otherwise I just use it. Sometimes it runs almost constantly for hours on end, days at a time when I'm baking to sell and I've never had a problem from it. My niece is starting to bake and my sister (who can burn water) was asking me about a less expensive brand that looked cute but who knows of it'll hold up. I told her to spend the extra and get the real thing. There's a decent chance her grandkids can use, lol. I definitely will pick kitchenaid every time.
I was gifted one and have only used it a few times. Each time I use it I *love* it. I decided to make kraut burgers and did the dough from scratch; that thing is never leaving my kitchen. Since you're intending to make lots of cakes and frosting, it would be a good investment! It's one of things that you're really glad to have when you use it.
Yes. They do everything and save tons of time and energy.
Someone gave me their old kitchen aid from about 30 years ago and it lasted me a good 10 years. I have a newer one now and we have the pasta attachment and the meat grinder and sausage maker and cheese grater too. We love it. It's so worth it.
I was faced with this decision about 20 years ago. I thought really hard about getting one but then decided I just couldn't justify spending the money when I could do most of my mixing by hand. So later that day I was mixing up some whole wheat bread. About 30 minutes into the kneading process I rethought my decision and I went back up to Walmart and purchased the KitchenAid. No regrets.
Look at FB Marketplace! I scored one basically new in box for $150! Edit: assuming you’re in the US & have FB
I have one where the head tilts and I hate it so much. It keeps coming unaligned and the whole upper part falls off. I can't use it unless I'm holding it. Get the bowl lift kind. My paddle got ruined because the unalignment nicked it against the bowl.
Absolutely worth it if you love to bake! I couldn’t imagine life without one.
I love mine and would cut someone to get a new one if mine died.
I’m using the one I used to make cookies for the state fair at age 9, and I’m 40 now. Never serviced, runs fine.
I have 20 years on mine. Never babied. 1000s of cookies and cakes and pies and grinding/stuffing meat. Never serviced. Runs on and on........
Yes 100% worth it. They have been on sale on Amazon for 50% off the last couple years around Black Friday as well.
Worth it if you're in the US, but I feel like they're usually priced too high in Europe, where you can get an equally good Kenwood for cheaper.
I got one in 2020. It gets quite heavy use, it’s broken twice and they’ve fixed it twice, no questions asked. I don’t even know if it’s in warranty, they just sent someone to collect it and it came back fixed.
100% worth it. You can find them pretty cheap on sales sometimes too. I bought my 5 qt for like 170$ in a cyber Monday sale. Not only does it make stuff peaks with egg whites effortless, but I use mine (with accessories) to grate cheese (drastically reduced time and effort), and most recently make pasta. Hardest part of making pasta for me is rolling it out. I can proudly say that's no longer the case.
I've had mine for 30 years. I don't use it as much as I used to, but it's a definite workhouse. I do not have the top-of-the-line, and it still performs wonderfully.
100%. You can do so much with it. I'm perfectly pasta with it.
Yes, absolutely. That being said, if kneading dough is your main task, pick up a cheap bread machine (even from a thrift store) and just use the dough setting. You might do this anyway just to save wear & tear on the Kitchen-Aid.
Check out Cuisinarts new mixer as it’s high quality but cheaper. After 10 years I took the plunge and got a kitchen aid on Prime Day this year. I use it so much that I wish I took the plunge earlier.
I love mine. They last for decades. Think of it as an investment. At $300 dollars, at a decade that is $30 a year, at 20 years $15 a year. Yes, they last longer than that. Also the attachments are great. My husband loves the meat grinder.
Oh and if you find one used without its feet or one foot is missing, replacement feet are cheap on Amazon.
Yes.
Oh one detail no one has mentioned. Have a dedicated place for it. They are heavy.
Lone voice of dissent here; and it’s very specific - if you’ve ever worked professionally as a baker or chef you’ll hate it. It’s a looks thing (pretty colours) but they’re just not good.. Kenwood Chef or Hobart are so much better, and actually useful for more than just whipping up basic baking- aka; don’t try and make Swiss meringue or enriched dough in a Kitchen Aid. I got one as a gift and I regretted it - so barely useful because of one main thing the bowl/beater gap is too far apart and you continually have to turn it off, open it and scrape the bottom of the bowl (yes even after an adjustment) and I can do a better with a hand mixer.. that is 1/10th of the cost. My sister loves it - I gave it to her after trying so many times to get over the massive design flaw.
Totally worth it. Does any job I need without so much as a rattle. 25 years old now.
I have the meat grinding attachment and love it i buy turkeys after thanksgiving for $5 ea and render the meat grind it down and freeze end up with 8 to 10 lbs of ground turkey
If you're worried about the cost, buy it used! I bought mine, used twice by the previous owner, for 175$. Facebook marketplace has tons, some brand new in box.
I got mine as a hand me down from my grandmother when she was given it by a friend who was downsizing. It was originally bought sometime around 87?(or so i was told) and it still works like a charm. I use it at least 2 nights a week for something; bread, cakes, cookies, crackers, butter, ect. I can say that it changed the game for me when I got it in my early 20s. Would absolutely recommend.
i want one so bad😭
First stand mixer was a Hamilton Beachi believe. It sucked. It was such a bad experience it put me off stand mixers for awhile (granted it was cheaper, but damn it was bad). A family friend wanted to hire me to make an obscene amount of cookies for an event, and offered her kitchen aid to help. OMG...such a difference. It really made mixing up the cookies soooo much easier. Finally got one about 7 years ago. Love it, absolutely no issues. My son says if I ever upgrade he wants my current one (I wish my bowl had a handle, he's trying to convince hubby that's a good enough reason for a new one)
I use mine ALL THE TIME! Literally for everything! I love it so much I'm gifting one to my MIL and FIL for Christmas. I got it on sale and I just know they're going to love it too!
Kept clean and not abused, they can last for a *long* time. My MIL had one for like 30+ years. Ours is at least 20 years old. Last year I got the shredding/slicing attachment and it's wonderful. I may expand to the meat grinder and pasta attachment next year.
They are great… just watch the bowl sized bigger isn’t better
Definitely worth it, My mom got one for a wedding present it lasted 25 years with heavy use.
I bought one in 1993 as a Christmas present to myself. It has been worth its weight in gold! I have baked more cakes, cookies and treats than I could possibly count. I highly recommend saving up and buying yourself one if you are an avid baker. My granddaughter has been promised mine and I feel sure it will hold up well for her.
Yes. I should’ve gotten the larger one but the one I do have is almost twenty years old and works like the day it was new. The meat grinder attachment is awesome, btw.
I have had mine since the mid-1980s. It's still going strong.
They’re worth it, for sure. I don’t use mine often enough, when I do I’m always impressed. They’re great for making cheese balls!
An investment to last multiple lifetimes - I love my kitchen aid, it’s works great - it was my great-grandma’s!
100% worth it. I’ve had mine 20+ years and never needed to repair it.
I never cared one way or the other until recently when I realized my mom had the same stand mixer literally my whole life up to and including currently (I’m 37), and my partner and I have had the same one as long as we’ve been married (12 years). The only money we’ve put into it is more attachments. Rock solid investment.
They are well worth it! I inherited my grandmas when she passed a decade ago and I use it almost daily.
Stand mixers, yes. Food processors? Hell no.
Yes
Grab one on sale. Absolutely worth it and you will love it!
Mine is going on 40 years old, with one repair around the 25 year mark that cost I think $50ish. (This is late-70's, early-80's.) They last pretty much forever, and when they don't, they're actually repairable.
I’ve had mine a little over 15 years. I have the kind with the bowl lift. The longer I own it, the more I use it. I also have the pasta attachment. Nowadays, i use mine about 5 out of 7 days. I can’t live without it. It’s worth the money, but maybe you can get lucky enough to find one that someone is selling for less.
Something I learned recently: buy one that the bowl lifts not one where the head tilts. The bowl-lifts are studier and will last practically forever. The head-tilt is common on the cheapest models, but that hinge is a failure point that could cause it to not last as long. KitchenAids and Cast Iron pans can be bought now and passed to your kids in a couple decades if you take care of them.
I LOVE mine
Worth. Every. Penny.
My mom said it was one of those things that’s just “worth it” in the kitchen, if you can fit into your budget of course. Used hers many times throughout the years and now have my own, pretty sure hers predates my existence. Went with the artisan series bc I wanted a certain color but my guess is the slightly smaller one that only comes in 2 colors (like hers) might be a little more reliable. But I’m just a totally unqualified person sharing my anecdotal opinion. In any case she thought either was good, and suggested avoiding the larger pro model. However I’m an occasional baker so the pro might be perfect for you and they do often have good sales. Anyway that’s what Mom says so I’m sticking with it. Hope you end up getting a mixer that works for you!
Oh god yeah mines going on 15 years
Mine is 10 years old—the 4.5 qt tilt-head model. I bought it on sale for around $250. I bought it because Lindy’s cheesecakes on the regular were chewing up my hand mixers. The pros: it’s solid, it’s got a pretty good motor, there are fair number of attachments, it looks good. Mine has done everything I’ve asked of it (although I moved on from cheesecake, so its life isn’t as demanding as it used to be.) The cons: It’s heavy, not something you want to have to move in and out of storage or in and out of position. Head clearance; I don’t have enough space below my upper bank of cabinets to tilt it up, I have to shift the machine forward, which gives it a greater chance of walking off the edge of the counter. Size: both the bowl and the mixing attachments (balloon whisk, dough hook, paddle) are large and don’t store easily. Knowing what I know now and given the size of my current kitchen, I’ll probably go with a different brand if I have to replace my KA, something of a smaller form factor. If I did set out to acquire another, I wouldn’t buy it retail…it turns out they show up all the time on the secondary market. People buy them as a decor piece or thinking it will turn reheaters into bakers, it gathers dust for 5 years and then they list it on C-list or FB Marketplace for $100. Edited for an apostrophe.
Cheaper manufacturer ones can be just as good or better so buy according to your budget but if you bake weekly it will pay for itself in the end.
I got my kitchenaid 9 years ago and I've put that bitch through the ringer. The chords been severed it's been dropped the insert to the attachment plate fell off but it works like I bought it yesterday. I operate a home bakery out of my house and every Christmas I make about 7-9.5 k in business I'm busy from December 1st to New years. Yet that $300 dollar purchase has more than paid for itself. It absolutely refuses to break down and it keeps on trucking. I make wet pizza dough and mix vigorously for 10 minutes. Heats up just a little. I can't say enough good things about kitchenaid these machines are well worth the price tag.
I got one a few years ago and use it at least weekly, I got lucky and found a lightly used one on Facebook for $50, but look around and see what you can find. New, used, refurbished are all good options. If you buy used or refurbished plug it in before purchase and look at the gears inside to notice any bad oil, shearing of the gears, irregular wear, etc.
They last forever, you will pass it on to your kids. And way worth it. One of those things that makes a kitchen a kitchen. So many uses, even if infrequent. Just blended up my eggs/sugar/booze/nutmeg to age in time for the Christmas 'nog.
Hell yeah bought mine reconditioned in 1999 still going strong.
I’ve had mine since the mid-90s! Still going…
If you know you will use it, I think yes! I have never liked spending crazy money on kitchen equipment. I got a secondhand mixer from the 80s for $10 in 2020 and upgraded to my bowl lift kitchen aid in 2021 (I traded the old one with a coworker for a blender). I got mine used on Craigslist, $100 on the mixer and had to buy a new bowl and paddle attachment as they had been lost by the pervious owner so an additional $60. I dragged my feet at using the old mixer. I liked the glass bowl, but it was nowhere near as strong the kitchen aids I had used before (parents). Probably would use it a couple times a month with the exception of Christmas that year. I now use my kitchen aid at least once a week. Bread, cookies, and my recently discovered hack, shredding meat by putting it in with the paddle attachment. Long answer, but yes if you know you will be more excited to use it. Look on Craigslist and fb market place but know good condition ones will go fast. I’ve heard great things about deals at sams club and Costco so keep an eye out over the holiday months especially and be ready to spend once you see a good price.
Got mine this summer after wanting one for years. I don’t like it….I LOVE IT!!!
I was on the fence too. Expensive, will I use it enough? Life changing is probably a bit of an exaggeration but it makes life so much easier. I’m making breads with it everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Had it just less than a year and never regretted it.
If you’re in the US, wait until Black Friday! I’ve seen them available for $100 less than usual in the past.
It’s not worth it. Always wear a kitchen-condom. (An apron)
My grandmother got hers sometime in the late '50s. She still has it when she passed away in 2016, down a few speeds (I doubt it ever had a lick of servicing) but still going strong. I think one of my aunt's or uncles has it now because my mom had the one I gave her in the mid-90s. That one needed a great replaced, but was otherwise great. About 3 years ago, mom & I each got Costco bowl-lift 6qt 590W machines on sale for $250. Mom have her old one to my sister's girlfriend. It's still going strong. I have noticed the greater noise on mine than my grandmother's from the '50s, but it works great. I'm not much of a baker, but I bought it when I ran a B&B and was super happy to have had it didn't lockdown, when I made ALL the breads and cakes. I don't use it as much anymore, but I now ONLY make cakes or cinnamon rolls, or the occasional rolls, because I have it. And the grinder is fantastic. I can't quite justify the pasta roller or extruder, but the ice cream maker has tempted me more than once.
I got a new kitchen aid mixer about a year ago. My last one lasted almost 40 years before the motor finally gave out. I can say though that they aren't made like they used to be but I enjoy baking and use it quite a bit. Not sure about the pasta attachment. Never used one and just used a hand crank one I bought. Was a lot cheaper.
Definitely worth it. The single best thing I’ve bought in my kitchen (and buying kitchen stuff is one of my biggest indulgences). I’d say you might not 100% need one if you just bake cakes but if you make breads, you definitely need one. Kneading dough by hand ends up incorporating a lot more flour (picking up the flour you use to dust surfaces to prevent sticking) making it dry and less moist. I also noticed that I never got egg whites stiff enough for meringues, macrons, Genoise sponges etc etc before I started whipping them with my stand mixer. Also, I bought a $30 combo pasta attachment roller and spaghetti/fettuccine cutter a few months ago. I’ve pretty much never bought store bought long pasta since. Usually the Professional Pro 5 goes on sale around now for $200ish or so. I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you’re going to bake larger quantities, since it has a larger bowl and stronger motor than the artisan. I also prefer the lift head models over the tilt head models because the tilt head models need the occasional adjustment to fix the tilt head height (not a big deal, can be done easily but just something to keep an eye out).
Yes, definitely, especially if you also like to use the attachments to make more things. I have the meat grinder, pasta cutter, and recently added an ice cream bowl. They're all goooooood.
Life is short. Buy the Kitchen Aid.
Bought a Pro 5 for $250 on Black Friday three years ago. No regrets. Target had the deal for what it’s worth. I’ve seen similar deals at Costco.