Standing Mixer - keep or return? What do you think?

[FigmentSpark]

I LOVE my Kitchen Aid! I had my first one for over 20 years and used it all the time. I used it so much that my family knew how much I loved it and last Christmas they surprised me with an upgraded Pro model. I Love it even more! I used it tonight to mix up meatloaf. I also use it for cookies, cakes, bread dough, homemade whipped cream, homemade butter and so much more. I don't think I could live without one now.

Which attachment do you use to mix the meat up? The dough hook or the mixing hook?

Also for those that use it for potatoes, which attachment do you use? And do you put in the whole (boiled) potatoes or potatoes that have first been mashed?

 

[crazylady]

I love mine but that sucker is heavy. I find myself using it less because some days I don't want to get it out of the cabinet. We have 3 bowls and the ice cream attachment bowl. I use it for baking, mashed potatoes, pizza dough, ice cream - nothing famcy. I'd like to try the pasta attachment but it's $$$.

 

[crazylady]

Which attachment do you use to mix the meat up? The dough hook or the mixing hook?

Also for those that use it for potatoes, which attachment do you use? And do you put in the whole (boiled) potatoes or potatoes that have first been mashed?

Whole boiled potatoes.

 

[runjulesrun]

Which attachment do you use to mix the meat up? The dough hook or the mixing hook?

Also for those that use it for potatoes, which attachment do you use? And do you put in the whole (boiled) potatoes or potatoes that have first been mashed?

I use the mixing paddle but now that you mention it, I think the dough hook would work also.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

I always thought that my hand mixer was good enough, but I've been surprised at how my KitchenAid has earned its counter space. I also like to keep my counters cleared off, but I would never get rid of my stand mixer now. I find I'm trying more recipes for fun now than I used to - ex: I've made yeast based products (cinnamon rolls, etc) that I never would have attempted earlier. (The dough hook works like a charm.) I don't bake constantly, or make things like mashed potatoes, but when I do, the process is so much easier with the KitchenAid.

 

[_19disnA]

Which attachment do you use to mix the meat up? The dough hook or the mixing hook?

Also for those that use it for potatoes, which attachment do you use? And do you put in the whole (boiled) potatoes or potatoes that have first been mashed?

I use the mixer blade for ground meat. I do not use my Kitchen-aid for mashed potatoes since it is far too easy to overwork them and you end up with a gummy texture.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I am on my second. Had one when we first married back in 1979 and just got a new one two years ago. I use mine almost every day or at least several times a week. I do a lot of baking but I also use it for making tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, meatballs, meatloaf, cookies, cakes, scones, frostings, brownies, whipped cream, bread doughs, different fillings for lasagna or stuffed shells, salad dressings, etc. I absolutely love my mixer. I do not use the juicer attachment that I wanted for it. That was a waste but the the whisk, paddle and dough hook I use all the time.

Now, an appliance I would like to use more is my Cuisinart food processor. I find I don't use that enough.

MJ

I hardly use my processor either. I make vinaigrette a couple of times a year. My husband uses a little $10 one more than we drag out the big kitchen aid one!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We got ours as a gift. It's used every so often. Honestly my husband is the one who has used it. Sometimes he gets the urge to bake something that needs the mixer vs hand mixing. That said if you paid for it yourself it'd depend on how much it spent and your comfort level. What my mother-in-law spent on ours was absolutely ridiculous but she wanted to. We would have never spent what she did for it. However, like Keurig's the machines have gone down in cost over the years (our KitchenAid is from 2011?, somewhere around then).

I wouldn't expect to become a hobby chef all of a sudden but I agree with another poster. This year calls for at least attempting to cure some boredom.

 

[tasha99]

I use mine about 4 times a month for things like mashed potatoes, pizza dough, and the occasional cake. Lots of cake recipes have you beat for x number of minutes, which I would rather do without having to hold a hand mixer. We make pizza at least twice a month and setting it to knead with a dough hook makes it easy.

 

[Ellie008]

I got one for our wedding, and it sat in the box for... a long time. I finally took it out and used it. Meh. It was nice, but heavy. I would think to myself it would be nice to use the KA for this, but I don't want to bother getting it out of storage, and then rarely used it. Finally (many years later) one December I was making a TON of cookies, and I got out my KA and left it on the counter. After that, it was so easy to use that I ended up using it a lot. Now, it lives on my counter and I use it quite often. I do love it. If I couldn't just keep it on the counter though, I would probably never use it. That thing weighs a ton, and I am lazy.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I couldn't deal with the heaviness and moving my KA on and off the counter. So DH took pity on me and got a nice little cart from IKEA. Now my KA stays on its own cart and all the attachments go on the shelves underneath. I can wheel it into the kitchen whenever I need it and move it back to the pantry when finished. No more heavy lifting! The KA has a cloth cover to keep it clean between uses.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Yeah, I think the "countertop" factor is a big one--if you have the room to leave a Kitchenaid out, you're going to use it a lot more. If you have to lug it out of storage, you have to weigh your need versus the hassle.

 

[RangerPooh]

My husband bought me one about eight years ago I really like it but don't bake too often. I'm terrible at it. Instead, it gets used a few times a year on mashed potatoes. My daughters use it more than I do to make cakes and brownies. If you don't see yourself using it then return it. You can always repurchase it later.

 

[NAB]

I love mine , use it a lot at Christmas . Make a ton of cookies. I can make 4 times the recipe in the bowl on certain cookies. My arm would never take that stirring.

Use it all year long for cakes etc.

Had mine for years.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Yeah, I think the "countertop" factor is a big one--if you have the room to leave a Kitchenaid out, you're going to use it a lot more. If you have to lug it out of storage, you have to weigh your need versus the hassle.

I’ve always had mine out. I finally bought a cover to put over it when not in use. I can’t imagine dragging it out of a cabinet.

 

[SaintsManiac]

You can get cute decals for them!

 

[hsmamato2]

I bought one at Target last year (deal of the century!) and wondered the same as OP..... I wasn't sure an expensive stand mixer was necessary- I have a small kitchen, everything I own has to be very useful in multiple ways..... I decided to try it..... I LOVE THIS THING. It gets used almost daily- It makes whipping up a batch of cookies or a cake so easy.... mixing meatloaf,mashed potatoes, just basically everything. My fave use for this thing is shredded meat...I kid you not. I have the basic metal bowl and 3 mixing attachments. So back to the shredded meat..... I roast chicken pieces or a hunk of pork in the instant pot, put it directly into the mixer bowl, use the regular paddle attachment, turn it on low for about 1-2 minutes....perfectly shredded meat for sandwiches! (mind blown)
Also it's a pretty color and I like the way it looks sitting on my counter. Maybe one day I'll get an extra bowl rather than having to wash it constantly on a big cooking/baking day.

 

[flowergirl45]

I love my Kitchenaid mixer! It’s a workhorse. I use an appliance lift so the mixer doesn’t need to stay out on the countertop, nor do I need to carry it out from a storage cabinet when I’m ready to use it.

I use my Kitchenaid for mixing, kneading, and whipping, as most others have stated. I also use an attachment to shred cheese. Love this feature. Never thought about shredding chicken in the bowl, but will definitely do that in the future. Love brainstorming with other cooks!

 

[mumto3girls]

Okay, I have to ask about the mashed potatoes. My family and extended family love my mashed potatoes and I make 10 pounds for Thanksgiving and 10 pounds for Christmas. I mash by hand (quite a workout) because when I’ve tried to use the mixer they end up super gummy. I have the same problem with a hand mixer although not quite as bad. What I am doing wrong?

I never thought about using it for meatballs for shredded meat—great tip—thanks to all those that mentioned it.

 

[mousefan73]

I bought a 4.5 cup Kitchenaid standing mixer on sale at Target and it's still in the box. I've never had one or used one in my life (and I'm not young!). It looks cool and I see people using them on cooking shows. I like baking but I don't do tons of baking - I like making cookies, muffins, cake, etc. I have a bread maker that I still use sometimes and it works great. I can't tell if I take it out of the box will I start using it and fall in love and become a buttercream French chef extraordinarie or will it just set on the counter - haha! I've tried googling recipes to make with it but I guess mostly people just use it for the recipes they already have... as in not necessarily specially made recipes for stand mixers.

I sort of wish someone would talk me into keeping it but mostly I don't want to keep it and then find I never really use it. Thoughts?

How long is it in the box? If its been a while and you have no need for a a mixer.. get rid of it. We also have a stand mixer, but to be honest.. I usually use the hand mixer.. Faster and easier to clean... and tons of stuff I just use a whisk.....