[ricib]

I was in the market for a stand up mixer when My Mom surprised me last summer for my birthday and got me a pro model 5.5Q Kitchen Aid. She used to listen to me complain that she never used hers, and it'd be nice to one day borrow hers. It wasn't cheap etiher, though she got it through Sams warehouse and it came with the meat grinder attachment, as a bonus. (that saved $50 right there).

I've also been using the same Food Processor for years, no nead to go buy a new one. For $30 I got a decent blender and another $20 a stick blender with all the attachments. If you are serious about cooking or in the business, you shouldn't skimp if you don't have to.

[shroomgirl]

I burned out a KA....my basement was an appilance graveyard....
went on and got a K6 which is almost too big for single batches of cookies.
The engine has power and I love the way meragine is stiff in NO TIME.
I quit making bread when I started finding good bread locally...and my sons left home.
The 11 cup Cuisinart is great for all the reasons given.....I grate with it often.
my blender gave out and I have not replaced it, but my stick blender burns out once a year and I replace that ASAP...
I did get an auto slicer that is too fun, but I don't use it nearly as much as I should.....it is so fun being able to slice large quantities of onions or meats paperthin or whatever thickness my heart desires.

[mudbug]

PJmomrunner,

Welcome to Cheftalk and thank you for calling that info to my attention. I will have to check exactly what changed because within the last five years, there was a marked difference in the quality and craftsmanship of the final product. I still highly recommend KitchenAid mixers. I'm just saying they don't make them like they used to. There was a thread on this topic in the past - I'll try to find if I get more time.

[kokopuffs]

Mudbug:
Do an advanced search for the term "mixer" in the thread's title. You'll get lots of hits.

The KA Professional Mixer I purchased in 2001 I eventually sold and it broke just before the one year warranty expired. Cheerfully exchanged it at Williams Sonoma and the brand new replacement failed to work after unpacking. Returned the defective one and got another replacement and it seemed to work fine.

However I've moved on to the Kenwood KM410 600W mixer and haven't had any problems with it for the past 3 years. Kenwood was bought out by DeLonghi who was bought out by Hamilton Beach and so my Kenwood is now known as the Hamilton Beach CPM500. Dunno' about its performance worthiness.

However, if my Kenwood breaks and can't be fixed, I'm getting the Hobart 5 QT mixer used for around $500 or so at ebay.

[Mezzaluna]

Good to see you, Kokopuffs!

[kokopuffs]

Thanks. For the past year and a half I've been teaching in the public school arena. The effort has left me so exhausted I've resigned from teaching due to too much student disrespect and disciplinary issues. I haven't the time to deal with that stuff.

And now I feel that the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders and I have my life back - no more spending 2 hours a day in unpaid overtime EVERYDAY INCLUDING SUNDAY to create assignments, tests and worksheets for a bunch of people who couldn't care less and aren't afraid to let you know, either.

[StuartV]

20% off coupons at Bed, Bath & Beyond are your friend. They send them out all the time. I got my 325W KA Artisan mixer at BB&B last week for $216 plus tax.

Of, if you don't have a BB&B nearby, brand new ones go on eBay for something like $190 plus $35 - 40 shipping.

Also, FWIW, I initially bought a Pro series KA mixer at Sam's. It was slightly cheaper than the Artisan mixer price at Target or BB&B. But then I realized how much of a pain a bowl-lift design was going to be compared to the tilt-head design of the Artisan mixer. That's when I returned the Pro model to Sam's and got the Artisan. I'm quite sure I'll never miss the extra power or bread-making capacity of the Pro model.