I own and cherish a KitchenAid I bought 25 years ago. I was not going to part with this machine — with all its chips and cosmetic wear. It has been a faithful workhorse and one of my most prized possessions. I only bought “new” because my son asked me for my old one. Here are my other observations:

1. I also added the sausage stuffer to my order (could this be used to fill eclairs? I wonder….) as an addition to my collection of accessories. Currently the attachment I use most frequently is the shredder which I use exclusively for shredding cheese for pizza and casseroles like lasagna.

2. I don’t recommend getting refurbished or used models, based on discontented reviews I have read on them. Just drop the money down; it’s worth it especially if you are cooking for more than one person.

3. I suggest also purchasing the ice cream maker attachment for another fifty bucks or so. We have had a lot of fun crafting unusual flavors like green tea and ginger.

4. I can make bread in less than an hour and a half, including the time for kneading, rising and baking. We live over 7500 feet in altitude, and I have seen recipes that call for up to 3 rises of yeast bread at high altitude, but that is absolutely not necessary. I used to use a bread machine, and produced many “bread bricks” with it. Since I got the KitchenAid, the bread machine has been retired.

5. I ordered the coated blades for this machine. I always soak my blades and wash them by hand. It works great and looks like new no matter how old. It is a great choice for the high volume home baker like me; great quality, durable and powered to do bigger batches.

6. The customer service at KitchenAid is very helpful. When my machine originally arrived they had sent the wrong color. When they were contacted they told us to repackage the machine and send it back at their expense (they e-mailed a shipping label and scheduled pick up) and we received our replacement less than a week later. Fast, friendly and courteous customer service was able to make a mistake a non-event.

If you are looking for a workhorse machine this is the one for you. I am only sorry that it took me so long to retire my original machine. This machine is used three or four times a week in my home. I cannot imagine living a whole grain lifestyle without this little beauty. If you are a serious home cook, you will get a lot of use out of this machine. If there’s something to dislike about this mixer, it’s that there’s not as much batter left on the beater for me to lick clean as there was on the beaters of my old glorified Sunbeam mixer disguised as a stand mixer.

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Tags : Cooking, food and beverage, food and drink, product reviews
Categories : Cooking, Cooking Appliances