Help from bakers please!

[taylor1293]

My mom hasn't specifically asked for a mixer but I know she would love one as she is always talking about it. I don't bake...is this a good mixer? She is also mentioning a mixer that can also do something with pasta? Is this the right one?

http://m.kohls.com/product/prd-25941/kitchenaid-ksm150ps-artisan-5-qt-stand-mixer.jsp

 

[tigercat]

I absolutely love my kitchen aid mixer. I have the pasta roller set and have a easy time of making homemade pasta. Just don't get the pasta extruder, get the roller set.
tigercat

 

[bcla]

Not a baker, but KitchenAid stand mixers are supposed to be pretty good. All of them will take pasta attachments. It's that little stub at the top, where the cover flips over and an attachment connected. There's a roller to make flat pasta to hand cut and cutters for different widths. They come individually or as a set. The full set costs almost as much as the lower-priced mixers (retails for $199).

http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/coun...iances-2/stand-mixer-attachments-3/102020154/

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yes. Williams Sonoma carries a lot of attachments if you want to see them.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I love my kitchenaid mixer. Sometimes you can find attachments a little cheaper than williams sonoma.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Target has a lot of the attachments.

 

[POOHsie]

My mom hasn't specifically asked for a mixer but I know she would love one as she is always talking about it. I don't bake...is this a good mixer? She is also mentioning a mixer that can also do something with pasta? Is this the right one?

http://m.kohls.com/product/prd-25941/kitchenaid-ksm150ps-artisan-5-qt-stand-mixer.jsp

The big box stores such as Kohl's and Macy's carry the lesser-powered KitchenAid mixer models. Two years ago, I got my DD a better KitchenAid model at EverythingKitchens.com. I just looked on their website and they have the better KitchenAid mixers on sale, free shipping, and $50 rebate, for $339.99 (15 colors). This unit is usually $449-$499. My DD's unit arrived safe and secure, in the delivery time promised. EverythingKitchens.com also has the Artisan model (30 colors) on sale for $239.99.

Here's a comparison of the Artisan model (your selection) and the Professional 600 model (my selection). You'll see that the Pro600 model is a much sturdier model, much stronger power, larger capacity. If you're willing to spend $349.99 for a KitchenAid mixer for your mom, then the Pro600 model is the smart play, for its heavy-duty sturdiness and long-lasting quality.

KitchenAid has various pasta making attachments, depending on what you want it to do. Here's a link to EverythingKitchens' KitchenAid attachments page. Your mom could roll out her pasta, then use an attachment for cutting pasta shapes. KitchenAid also has an attachment to roll out pasta. The attachments are also on sale at this time.
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/kitchenaidattachments.html

Artisan features:
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/kitchenaid-ksm150.html

• 325-watt motor
• Tilt-up head
• 10-speed, solid-state control
• 5 Qt stainless-steel bowl with handle
• Pouring Shield for mess-free mixing and ingredient adding
• Includes Flat Beater, Dough Hook, and Wire Whip attachments
• Assembled with pride in Greenville, Ohio, USA

Professional 600 features:
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/kitchen_aid_pro_600.html

• 575-watts of power
• Bowl-lift design (versus tilt head)
• 6-quart polished stainless steel wide-mouth bowl with contoured handle (smaller 3 quart bowl available optionally)
• Direct drive transmission
• All steel gears, All-metal construction
• Commercial-style motor protection
• Stand Mixer Purchase Includes: PowerKnead Spiral Dough Hook, flat beater, stainless steel wire whip and pouring shield.
• Assembled with Pride in Greenville, Ohio

 

[Meriweather]

Love my KitchenAid mixer

 

[T00dles]

Love mine too! I have the pasta roller, but I found the fettucini cutter better than the spaghetti cutter. I also have the meat grinder and make my own sausage. It's a slightly small bowl if you make large recipes of bread, but for 90% of people this is not a problem.

 

[PlutoPony]

One caveat - Kitchen Aid mixers are great but they are heavy and bulky. Will she have a good place to store it where she can easily wrestle it to wherever she will be using it? I'm a small person and it can be a bit of a challenge to pull it from the cupboard and lift it to the counter. Doable but if I had a physical limitation, it could be an issue. Not the same thing but I do have a KA hand mixer that's wonderful. It's not as heavy duty as the stand mixer but very good nonetheless.

 

[MickeySP]

I love my Kitchen Aid, bought it 12 years ago and it still works like a charm. ITA with pp above, they are heavy & not too portable, mine has pretty much been in the same spot since day one.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sometimes you can find attachments a little cheaper than williams sonoma.

You can absolutely find them cheaper to buy. I said to see.

They have a great assortment on hand to touch and feel, unlike most other stores around. In case anyone wanted to get touchy-feely.

 

[cmarsh31]

I have a regular, not a Pro, after borrowing my friend's pro for 2 years. Pro is VERY VERY heavy, regular is manageable (it lives on my counter, but I can move it if needed). The Pro capacity is big. Great if you're making 3 batches of cookies, lousy if you're trying to cream one stick of butter for just one batch. With single batches of dough (bread, pie, cookies, etc) it has a hard time mixing because there's not enough in the bowl to adequately catch the paddle. I use my regular one (from a Kohls black Friday/Cyber Monday sale three years ago) at least once a week if not more.

Love love love the idea of the pasta attachment... but at $150-$200 I haven't been able to bring myself to actually buy it.

 

[SparklePixie]

One caveat - Kitchen Aid mixers are great but they are heavy and bulky. Will she have a good place to store it where she can easily wrestle it to wherever she will be using it? I'm a small person and it can be a bit of a challenge to pull it from the cupboard and lift it to the counter. Doable but if I had a physical limitation, it could be an issue. Not the same thing but I do have a KA hand mixer that's wonderful. It's not as heavy duty as the stand mixer but very good nonetheless.

Great point. If she can't keep it out on the counter OP, you may want to reconsider the purchase. They are heavy and awkward to move.

 

[taylor1293]

Wow! What great responses . Thank you all so much, I never realized there were different models and weights etc. I think going out and looking at some will be the best idea. Mom lives with us so no worries about lifting or storage. We have both.

 

[tazdev3225]

I have the larger pro model that I absolutely love. I have had mine for around 30 years and it is still going strong. I just have a smaller hand mixer for little jobs like a boxed cake mix.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We're another Kitchen Aid family. My mom had one when I was a teen. I'm on my 2nd one. When our son got married we gave him and his bride a Kitchen Aid. Since the mixers have been known to last longer than some marriages, I assume she's still enjoying it.

Last year we bought DD a Pro 600 on sale through Amazon. They come in a whole variety of colors. Red must be the most popular so it's the cheapest. (go figure.) I signed up for a free trial period of Amazon Prime and they expedite-delivered the mixer to her door for free. Much simpler than shipping it from AZ to VA. This year we bought our grand-dtr a Pro 600, now that she has an apartment. It was a refurb through Amazon. All the Kitchen Aid owners I know keep them on their counter tops. You'll see them in the background on the kitchen counter in several t.v. shows and commercials. You can get a dust cover if your mom doesn't plan to use it very often. I also have a portable Kitchen Aid mixer for small jobs.

 

[denisem]

Just saw on another site I frequent that Target has a 5 qt. Pro Model KV25G0X lift-bowl for $199.99 in limited colors (black, red, silver gray). 525 Watt, all metal construction, plus free shipping. Love my Pro 600, but that is 575 watts (not a lot more) and I paid more than that 6 years ago on Black Friday.

http://www.target.com/p/kitchenaid-professional-5-qt-mixer-kv25g0x/-/A-15840495#prodSlot=medium_1_2

Someone said Macy's has a $199.99 deal, but I can't find it.

 

[Skippy918]

We have a Pro and DH uses it a lot. He likes to bake. We also use it to make dough and pasta. I have the pasta attachment and cheese shredder and meat grinder attachments.

 

[lizabu]

I feel like every kitchen needs a kitchen aide mixer. I can't live without mine. You are unlikely to regret your purchase...especially if your mom likes baking.